Show me the marble - Reno day 108

Well, this post has taken me a little longer than anticipated to write as there have been some dramas with the reno in the last two weeks that have kind of taken over the joy of new bench tops. It seems that while we had the finish line in sight, that did not mean we were home and hosed with an problem free renovation. 

It seems we have hit two snags, one just because we are very unlucky and the other because of some poor decisions by people who should know better. One of these issues is still unresolved and has created significant stress as well as delaying our return home. I have been reluctant to blog about the problems until a solution is found and it has also tempered my enthusiasm over posting about the progress as well. But in an effort to focus on the fact that this will end, we will go home and there are much bigger issues in the world (is anyone else worried for the safety of all those budgies now that we have a new prime minister?), I will push on and show you some marble.

This slab in fact, that was so heavy that the three stonemasons were able to get it up the front stairs, rest it in our entry room and then discover that they were unable to lift it again. So there it stayed for a few days until they could bring a fourth bloke back to get it down into the kitchen.

There, much better. I'm super duper happy with the lovely grey of this stone and for a tactile person like me, it is beautiful to touch too. I cannot wait to roll out some dough on here. 

The kitchen feels like it is starting to take shape now. The overhead shelf and rangehood cabinet are still two weeks away but I don't mind seeing it come together in stages, makes you appreciate each bit of the transformation. For those who have been on the edge of their seats for seven months wondering which stove we chose, as you can see in this pic, the Aussie Rogue was the overall winner. If it performs as well as Hugh Jackman I will be a  very happy girl. (Click on the link too if you are from the northern hemisphere and need to understand about the budgies mentioned earlier in this post).

The pantry/office nook is coming together too.

And while they didn't have enough of our grey slab to finish the laundry, I actually really like this off cut of a much whiter Carrara that they managed to fossick up.

Fingers crossed for some luck on our side this week, we hope to be home before school holidays.

Functional with frills - Pantry, panic room & office nook combo

Panic room may not be exactly the right definition of what I mean. Unless it means somewhere to hide from your children with access to a computer and unlimited Tim Tams. In that case, it's spot on. I know the current trend is to have a butlers pantry, which I think is a miniature kitchen inside the pantry to conceal all the mess, but really, what fun is all that? Far better to have a small  room to blog uninterrupted than a closet to dump all the dirty dishes in I think.

So, given that it's come time to finalise our kitchen design and that includes our walk in pantry, I thought I would share what we are planning and get any tips from anyone who has an actual functional pantry. I personally have come from a tiny cupboard  so stuffed full of food that the garlic salt can never, ever be found when you need it, so I cannot imagine what it will be like to actually be able to put everything away, let alone be able to find it again.

Of course in my fantasies it will look exactly like this,

with all the milk glass lovingly displayed in neat rows with a gorgeous grey backdrop. Unfortunately, in the real world of Betsy, the pantry will actually be for..........gasp........... FOOD! I know, a complete styling nightmare but what can a girl do? After roaming around on pinterest ogling pantries, I have decided that what is really needed is a series of interconnected smaller and smaller pantries, kind of like in the 'Cat in the hat comes back' when he has a hat full of tinier and tinier cats named from A- Z.

Imagine, a pantry just to look gorgeous, then one to dump all the mess in, then another for the  milk glass, another for the pyrex, another one for an office, one for all the bulk goods and so on and so on. Don't giggle, someone is probably doing it now, for next months Belle magazine.

Anyway, back to the reality of only one pantry. This is the before shot. This small space is tucked between our bedroom and the existing kitchen. The previous owners were planning to turn it into an ensuite but instead became overwhelmed with the concept of a renovation and decided to ditch Betsy for a house that required no work. Luckily for us that meant no dodgy ensuite to rip out, just the bare bones of a very small room that we thought was in the perfect position for a pantry.

The doorway on the right ( which leads into our bedroom) will be closed over. A new doorway will be made on the left with a sliding door. The window will be replaced with a full width glass panel with a view out onto the side fence, with just a glimpse of the neighbouring house and lots of trees.

Below the window will be a bench with a stool and a filing cabinet to store all our paperwork. Above the window will be some shelves to store folders. Below the bench will be a filing cabinet and there will be a stool to perch on. Probably a  similar size to this, just add a window above the desk.

 When you enter the pantry you will be facing the left hand picture and the wall in front will have my teapot hooks and probably aprons and bags. To the right will be floor to ceiling shelves.

The opposite end to the window will have 500 mm deep pantry shelving almost to the ceiling to store large items and appliances. The shelves along left left hand wall in the photo below with have 300 mm deep shelving for all the pantry goods. The wall on the right will have no shelving but high up will be a large open space (which is above the fridge and microwave) to store eskies and probably the Christmas tree.

Given that the entire space is 1.2 m x 2.7m we hope that this is a functional use of quite a long narrow little room. I anticipate it being the place were bills are paid, food is stored, school paperwork is organised while still having enough frills that it will be a nice little nook to sit in and enjoy the view. Perhaps even nice enough to shut the door and hide in with a cuppa, and the floor to ceiling Tim Tams.

And speaking of doors, I'm quite liking that yellow one in the first pic. I had planned to get frosted glass doors to let in more light, but a solid colour painted door is also appealing. So given that my previous pantry space was about the size of a mini-bar, any tips or thoughts on general pantry design and function would be greatly appreciated. And answers to those pressing questions of course.

Would you paint your pantry door yellow?
Would you put an office nook in a pantry?
Would you like to able to lock yourself in your pantry too? (with internet access and chocolate).

Images that are not mine via 1.Remodelaholic  2. Thistlewood Farm 3. Apartment Therapy 4. Decor Pad