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Old House, New Kitchen

January 5, 2016 by Erica 32 Comments

Kitchen Remodel (17 of 24)

I grew up in New York City but I’ve lived a large part of my adult life in suburbs, and ended up raising my boys in a beautiful Pacific Northwest suburb.

Kitchen Remodel (8 of 24)

All that changed in 2015—I outbid 12 others for the honor of paying way over asking price for a house in the city. Seattle is experiencing growth, and the housing market is low on inventory, making for a challenging real estate market for buyers.

My new home is a 1928 stucco colonial, with a Mediterranian feel. Most of it’s original charm is untouched, including cove ceilings, lath and plaster walls, vintage crystal and brass doorknobs, picture rail molding, and other vintage artifacts. And of course the other stuff that comes with older homes, like knob and tube wiring and many layers of paint.

The one room that was a mishmash of past renovations and fittings was the kitchen. It was small, awkwardly laid out, and suffered from various period add-ons. It was converted at some point from wood to electric and gas.

Kitchen Remodel (24 of 24)

I saw the renovation as an opportunity and a challenge, and it has been both. In between selling a house, renting an apartment, and finding a new house, I lost momentum, time, and space to test and write recipes. I relied on the tried and true, salads, and greek yogurt to get me through the days. I also started eating more chocolate to charge me through the work week. So I’m now in the process of reversing this course, slowly.

I thought you might find it interesting to see some before and after photos. The kitchen is more long than wide, and has two entry ways, with one leading to a stairway that leads to the backyard and then around the bend to the basement.

To make the space feel wider, the entry between the dining and kitchen was widened and the appliances and cabinets were placed along the outer walls, leaving the inner space open. I opted to have the white oak floors go across the room as opposed to the length of the house, in contrast to the vertical white oak floors in the others rooms in the house.

The only appliance I saved was the dishwasher, a Miele slimline model. I’m in awe of this European high-effciency, space-saving appliance. It fits 10 place settings plus additional bowls and extras in almost half the size of a regularly-sized dishwasher.

It’s frigid today and has been for the past two weeks, but as soon as it warms up I’m looking forward to planting a garden.

Happy New Year!

PS Here’s my Pinterest board I used for inspiration in designing the kitchen.

Kitchen Remodel (1 of 24)

My only compromise was to do away with the arch and coved ceiling in the back corners for the sake of space and light.

Kitchen Remodel (5 of 24)

Exposed attic, showing knob and tube wiring.

Kitchen Remodel (4 of 24)

Layers of old floor tile were removed.

Kitchen Remodel (6 of 24)

Knob and tube attached to a set of light switches.

Kitchen Remodel (7 of 24)

Widening the doorway made a great difference in perception of space inside and outside the kitchen.

Kitchen Remodel (13 of 24)

Brass and crystal door knobs are throughout the house.

Kitchen Remodel (16 of 24)

An original Sargent door handle, lock, and doorbell.

Kitchen Remodel (10 of 24)

Cabinets are in.

Kitchen Remodel (23 of 24)

I’m much happier with my new kitchen, and I’ve begun to cook again!

Kitchen Remodel (12 of 24)

For the first time in my life I own a professional range. I haven’t burnt anything! I’m in love.

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Comments

  1. Ann

    May 8, 2016 at 6:06 pm

    Hello Again, I forgot to ask about the Miele Washer. Are you still loving it? I wanted to add a second dishwasher but didn’t want to give up the space of a full size or take on the expense of a drawer washer(of which I’ve not heard good reviews)
    Thanks
    Ann

    Reply
    • Erica

      May 8, 2016 at 7:12 pm

      Yes, love the Miele! Quiet, efficient and dishes are clean 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ann

    May 8, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    Lovely Kitchen. Great decision on the horizontal orientation of the floor. Makes the space look so wide. I was curious as to the source of your cabinetry. Was it custom or otherwise?

    Thanks
    Ann

    Reply
    • Erica

      May 8, 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Thanks! The cabinetry is from Pius, a company in Seattle. They worked with me to create the design, and fit various size of cabinets based on the dimensions.

      Reply
  3. tali

    January 10, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    Love the post and the kitchen and so happy for you! Great way to start the year. Wishing you wellness, joy and creative kitchen delights : 

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 10, 2016 at 8:47 pm

      Thanks, Tali. Happy New Year!

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth

    January 8, 2016 at 7:53 am

    What a transformation! It’s just lovely!

    I hear chocolate has restorative powers which during such upheaval is not all bad. 🙂

    Well done!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:22 am

      ha, thanks!

      Reply
  5. patty

    January 8, 2016 at 3:00 am

    Gorgeous! What an adventure! I love the range too. It looks like it’s going to make cooking and baking a lot easier. Did you have to rent an apartment short-term while you looked for a house? We have a similar real estate situation in the Boston area and I’ve wondered about that — if I’d be able to find a short-term rental if I decided to sell and needed somewhere to live while looking. Congratulations on the move and the remodel.

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:23 am

      The rental market was not a whole lot better. The only short term rental I could find was in an apartment complex and it was expensive $$. I had a few options – 3, 6 or 12 month, but no matter which I chose I had to pay a 2 month penalty when I broke the lease. Good luck!

      Reply
  6. Brenda

    January 6, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    Congratulations on your new home and kitchen. I use your cookbook if not every day then every week. I am amazed that you have produced such amazing work!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Thanks and thanks!

      Reply
  7. Karen

    January 6, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    Glad things are going well and you’re back cooking. Kitchen looks great! I’ve been wondering where you (and your recipes) disappeared to…… Looking forward to future posts.

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:27 am

      thanks, I’m hoping to post once a month, at least.

      Reply
  8. Kathleen Czinner

    January 6, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    Hello Erica, congrats on your new home. What a marvelous job you’ve done with your kitchen. Wishing you lots of happy creative cooking. We’ll all reap the benefits of your delicious recipes.

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:27 am

      yes 🙂 thanks

      Reply
  9. Luana

    January 6, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    Your kitchen is beautiful, and I love the range! I bet the finished result makes all the upheaval you went through worth it. I have the same color Le Crueset usually sitting on my range, too!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 8, 2016 at 8:27 am

      I hope so 🙂 Isn’t that a great color?

      Reply
  10. Stella Blinderman

    January 6, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    It’s beautiful! Congratulations!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 5:37 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  11. Carol Blanchet

    January 6, 2016 at 7:41 am

    Looks fabulous and welcome back to Blogland!
    I live in the PNW too – that makes it extra fun to read your posts. 🙂

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 8:08 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  12. Dianna

    January 6, 2016 at 7:17 am

    Neat and tidy yea, you!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 5:38 pm

      🙂 not that tidy. This is a snapshot in time.

      Reply
  13. Nan

    January 6, 2016 at 6:33 am

    I love your stove! – please share the product information.
    Beautiful job on rehabbing the space!

    Thanks,
    Nan

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 8:04 am

      Thanks, Nan. The range is a 30-inch Fisher Paykel DCS range, just gas. It’s so simple and solid. And every burner has a simmer mode! http://www.dcsappliances.com I was torn between the Wolf, Viking, and this model, but honestly this seemed the cleanest design and has 3 gliding racks which I much prefer for baking. The Viking has had some recalls lately so that scared me off, and the Wolf didn’t have gliding racks. All three are in the $4k price range so I splurged big time. It weighs over 300 pounds though which I had no clue about until the installers came and moaned about it. :/

      Reply
  14. Natalie Chern

    January 6, 2016 at 6:26 am

    Dear Erica,
    Thanks a lot for telling us about your new home!
    My best wishes for Happy New Year and a wonderful life there! I want to thank you one more time for your great books. I use both and never failed cooking according your recommendations.
    Natasha
    SCD 3.5 years

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 8:09 am

      Aw, thanks so much!

      Reply
  15. Mother B

    January 6, 2016 at 5:13 am

    Beautiful kitchen!! I love the character and charm of your new house!!

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 8:09 am

      thanks! me too, even with all the scraping and repainting I have ahead of me.

      Reply
  16. Karen Baldwin

    January 6, 2016 at 4:40 am

    It’s just beautiful! What a ton of work, enjoy every moment cooking in such an amazing space.

    Reply
    • Erica

      January 6, 2016 at 9:24 pm

      Thnx Karen!

      Reply

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Measurement equivalents

1 tablespoon 3 teaspoons
1/4 cup 4 tablespoons
1 cup 8 ounces
1 teaspoon 5 ml
1 tablespoon 15 ml

Temperature conversions

Gas Mark Fahrenheit Celsius
  1/4  225  110
  1/2  250  130
    1  275  140
    2  300  150
    3  325  170
    4  350  180
    5  375  190
    6  400  200
    7  425  220
    8  450  230
    9  475  240

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Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
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I create recipes using simple, nutrient-dense ingredients, staying as close to the earth as possible.

One of my boys was diagnosed with Crohn’s, which inspired me to start Comfy Belly, and create recipes to share my love of good, healthy food. Read More →

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Tangy Peanut Sauce & Veggies
Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream {no churn}
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