Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Finally, some kitchen plans


Countless apologies to anyone who started reading this blog two years ago thinking it was going to involve an imminent  renovation. Instead it has drifted into ten thousand other distractions while  the reality of planning and executing a  renovation with small children underfoot sank in.

I would not describe myself as a ditherer.  In fact, given that I grew up hearing my mother's plans for her house rotate through an endless cycle of adding a deck, building under and a yurt for the backyard and none of them eventuated, I am extremely intolerant of plans that never unfold.  (My mum is a Libran if that explains anything). Generally, if I am talking about doing something, then I am probably already doing it or will be staying up until midnight doing it tonight.

So, it is with much mortification that I am finally assembling a post about our new kitchen. Which better be coming soon or I will have to eat my pendant lights with the shame of it all. I do already have the pendant lights, remember, from about nine months ago.



 If you are not remotely interested in renovations, look away now. In fact pop back to this blog in about six months when it is all over because there are going to be a whole  lot  more reno related posts coming.

So, our current kitchen has pretty much no redeeming features. In fact when the kitchen designer asked which features of our current  kitchen that we wanted to retain, there was  a long, long pause and then some snorting I think.  It is small, dark, has pitiful storage, minimal bench space, decrepit appliances that are on their last legs and a view onto the carport gutter.

When we bought Betsy, I was upfront with Legoman. If we bought this house, the kitchen had a lifespan of two more years. Max. Today we are at two years, 6 months and counting. It seems I am either psychic or I have personally willed all the appliances to start failing. I think it took about a year before we were sure about leaving the kitchen in the position it is in currently. And most of this last year to agree on the layout and design. So what are we doing?

The plan is to double the size, add a massive window, remove the carport and throw in some flash new working appliances and an island bench. Here is my dodgy hand drawn version of the floor plan.




One end will look like the top photo, a walk in pantry, a white vj wall and a new fridge. This  exact Fisher and Paykel fridge in fact ( one of the details Legoman and I actually agree on).


So something like this.


Along the back wall will be a massive window above the bench and a concealed rangehood with open shelving on either side.  Much like this, but without the cupboards at either end.





Here is my version of the plan. I am embarrassed to admit how much fun I had drawing in all those teeny tiny pyrex bowls. (Slightly less fun has been had boxing up all my real life pyrex bowls ready for storage).

So, similar to this, but with a window for a splashback,


 and this is the kind of window we are envisioning, (we have found a frameless window that looks like one big panel but opens to allow cross ventilation)



We are planning Dulux vivid white vj walls, carrara marble benches and stainless steel appliances, with a feel much like this,



but with more contemporary tapware (Gessi),



and sink (Oliveri Sonnetto)



We have a kitchen company, an acceptable quote, a rough timeframe but we still need to go and choose a slab of this,




and make one last hotly disputed decision. Back soon with a whole other post on that missing appliance.......


Photo sources 1. Home Beautiful, 2. me 3. I think House and Garden, 4. Home Beautiful, 5. Heather Nette King's blog, 6. Designer Kitchens 7. House Beautiful, 8. Abey 9. Oliveri 10. No idea!

28 comments:

  1. OMG! It is going to be amazing Mel. I especially love the sliding door walk-in pantry cum study area.

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    1. Thanks Kylie, This whole pantry study nook thing is a work in progress, hopefully it will all fit. BTW if I could have just painted our current kitchen white and saved myself all this hassle I would be doing it but unfortunately the layout and size of the kitchen are the biggest issues.

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  2. p.s. I hate our make do and mend kitchen even more now!

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  3. Gah! I am so jealous!
    We have decided...yet again...to do nothing to our kitchen.
    Actually I take that back...I am buying a dishwasher. Which of course cannot be easily installed because it turns out that we don't actually have water in the kitchen. Yes, you read that right. Our water runs up the side of the house and in through two taps in the external wall. So once I buy the dishwasher I will have to pay a plumber probably more than the dishwasher cost to come and install it. Did I mention that our kitchen is eight meters off the ground?
    Is there some contest for worst kitchen in Brisbane that I can enter? And win a renovation?

    Anyway, rant over.
    Your plans look amazing!
    The walk in pantry is a dream come true!

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    1. I did actually see a competition exactly like that somewhere recently and a Brisbane couple won and it did slightly make me think of your kitchen! What a nightmare with the plumbing, but so worth it to have a dishwasher. Our marriage would not have survived the absence of a dishwasher. I did take some pics of our kitchen today to see if you could carve it up and make it useful, will send the pics shortly.

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  4. eeek!...so exciting! its going to look fantastic!....and I will probably copy it!...in 50 years time when we can afford it...which of course by then I`ll only be eating pureed food anyway!. hehe love the little pyrex additions.....its the little things!!
    Allison x

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  5. I love it Mel! Beautiful taste :-) If its any consolation, we looked through our current home almost 7 years ago and I said something like "it needs work but the decrepit stove has to go straight away". I'm still waiting for a new stove. Can't wait to see it all unfold. I love your pendant too. Melx

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  6. YAY, back to the reno! Mel, one word, STUNNING! You have found your calling - Kitchen Designer. I LOVE what you have planned, and yes, we have identical tastes here. The previous kitchen plan for the West End Cottage (with another architect) was based upon that kitchen image you have there by architect Clare Cousins (the one with the F&P fridge) - when I saw it I loved so much about it (ie no O/H cupboards, open shelves, the VJ wall with the WIP and the big square island bench with the bookshelves tucked into one side. Can't wait to see the real life photos coming through. xx

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    1. Thanks Caroline, I knew we were on a similar page with kitchens. And I would so love to be a kitchen designer, I just love working out all those little details, right up there with my other dream job being a play school set designer.

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  7. Oh my! I feel like redoing our entire kitchen after reading this! Bring on more of the reno posts. Love that you are doing a marble bench too. Very luxe. xx

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  8. Oh Mel, FINALLY!! And it looks fabulous! I have serious kitchen envy...

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  9. It will be worth waiting for! Going to be fab! :) x

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  10. It is going to look amazing! Can't wait to see the progress. Can just imagine all of your pyrex and milk glass lined up. Wahoo! xo

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  11. Oh my. all those lovely features. the walk in pantry, the open shelving for all the pretty Pyrex. You are so creative.
    x

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  12. Oh wow, love it all! I showed the same Home Beautiful image to our kitchen designer, the architect of that house was one we actually considered for our reno but ended up not going with as we couldn't afford him! So looking forward to following along with all the progress. xx

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  13. That all looks so amazing Mel. All your hard work & negotiations will certainly pay off. Love seeing the pictures of you ideas too. Very clever, and visual. Really helps to picture the end result. We are waiting to win that 20 million dollar jackpot so we can reno!

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  14. very nice blog , i will often to visiting your blog , keep update , i got positive inspiration from this , thank you very much

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  15. I love all your inspirational kitchens......Heidi

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  16. Have been through the kitchen reno once, yep, found it totally absorbed my life, and am about to go through it all again. All looks good, but don't go the square cornered sinks, they are a bugger to pick bits out from.

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  17. "I am extremely intolerant of plans that never unfold." haha! I love this quote and I love the new plans, can't wait to see them eventuate... eventually.

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    1. Yep, if you make me endure 16 years of endless loops of conversations about yurts and should we have one, where would it go, or maybe a deck, or did i mention a possible yurt .... I am going to get a little tetchy !

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  18. I am about to DIE with jealousy. I hate my tiny, dark kitchen and long for something similar to what you are planning, so I will live vicariously through your blog. I am endlessly fascinated by other people's renovation plans (and I'm quite nosy) so ~I am very interested in your kitchen! Your plans look great - love that long, low window.

    Gillian x

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  19. Loving it Mel, we too have very similar taste which you will see once I got more pics up. on wed i ent can collected my recycled timber timber shelves for the kitchen fhat will sit over my subway tile splashback

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  20. Oh wow, that's gonna look the bees' knees!

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  21. Oh gosh so exciting Mel. I adore those pendant lights.

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  22. Bit late commenting on this, sorry. Having a much needed blog catch up!
    Love all the ideas and plans, it's going to be fab.
    All these plans can lead to sleepless nights I find. I lie awake imagining and placing things for hours.
    Good luck with it all and be prepared for the dust, dust and more dust ;)
    Emma x

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  23. Really nice post...It is going to look amazing! Can't wait to see the progress.

    BathroomAndKitchenDesign.blogspot.com

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  24. Thanks for sharing your kitchen plans, Bungalowgirl. I must agree that it's kinda frustrating if you plan something, then you were not able to accomplish it because of some distractions. Anyway, your ideas are good, but I think you should stick to your original plan. Sometimes, those beautiful ideas that you encounter are what keep you distracted.

    Mathew Bergeron

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