I grew up in New York City but I've lived a large part of my adult life in suburbs, and ended up raisingย my boysย in aย beautiful Pacific Northwest suburb.
All that changed in 2015โI outbid 12 othersย for the honor of paying way over asking price forย a houseย in the city. Seattle is experiencing growth, andย the housing market is low on inventory, makingย for a challengingย real estate market for buyers.
My new home is aย 1928 stucco colonial, with a Mediterranian feel. Most of it's original charm is untouched, including cove ceilings,ย lath and plaster walls, vintageย crystal and brassย 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 pastย renovations and fittings was theย 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.
I saw the renovation as an opportunity and a challenge, and it has beenย both. In between selling a house, renting an apartment, and finding a new house, I lost momentum, time, and space toย test and write recipes. I relied on the tried and true, salads, andย greek yogurtย 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 mightย find it interesting to see someย before and after photos.ย The kitchen isย more long than wide, and has two entry ways, with oneย leading to aย 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 widenedย andย the appliances and cabinets were placedย along the outer walls, leaving the inner space open. I opted to have the white oakย floors go across the roomย as opposed to the length of the house, in contrast toย the vertical white oak floors in the others rooms in the house.
The only appliance Iย saved was the dishwasher, aย Miele slimline model. I'm in awe of this European high-effciency, space-saving appliance. It fits 10 place settings plus additional bowls and extrasย 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 aย garden.
Happy New Year!
PS Here's my Pinterest board I used for inspiration in designing the kitchen.
Ann says
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
Erica says
Yes, love the Miele! Quiet, efficient and dishes are clean ๐
Ann says
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
Erica says
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.
tali says
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 : ๏
Erica says
Thanks, Tali. Happy New Year!
Elizabeth says
What a transformation! It's just lovely!
I hear chocolate has restorative powers which during such upheaval is not all bad. ๐
Well done!
Erica says
ha, thanks!
patty says
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.
Erica says
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!
Brenda says
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!
Erica says
Thanks and thanks!
Karen says
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.
Erica says
thanks, I'm hoping to post once a month, at least.
Kathleen Czinner says
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.
Erica says
yes ๐ thanks
Luana says
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!
Erica says
I hope so ๐ Isn't that a great color?
Stella Blinderman says
It's beautiful! Congratulations!
Erica says
Thanks!
Carol Blanchet says
Looks fabulous and welcome back to Blogland!
I live in the PNW too - that makes it extra fun to read your posts. ๐
Erica says
Thanks!
Dianna says
Neat and tidy yea, you!
Erica says
๐ not that tidy. This is a snapshot in time.
Nan says
I love your stove! - please share the product information.
Beautiful job on rehabbing the space!
Thanks,
Nan
Erica says
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. :/
Natalie Chern says
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
Erica says
Aw, thanks so much!
Mother B says
Beautiful kitchen!! I love the character and charm of your new house!!
Erica says
thanks! me too, even with all the scraping and repainting I have ahead of me.
Karen Baldwin says
It's just beautiful! What a ton of work, enjoy every moment cooking in such an amazing space.
Erica says
Thnx Karen!