Thursday, August 11, 2016

BEFORE AND AFTER SERIES: The Farmhouse Kitchen


The FARMHOUSE KITCHEN. . .Where do I start? . .Maybe by saying it is the one kitchen that I simply love to cook in over all the other homes that I've owned. . .Actually, it's the first kitchen I've designed where we were starting from scratch. . .an almost empty room. . .because the kitchen was in a different place when we moved in. . .



Only one little tiny window. . .and it was such a small room. . .We could have opened it up to the keeping room, but I couldn't visualize the kitchen anywhere but in line with the keeping room area. . .And, according to several others who had been in the kitchen of the 30s-40s, we were placing it back to the original location once it was moved inside the house. . .Before that, the kitchen had been outside. . .just like on the old plantations. . .


Above is a view of the area in the 'new room' where the cabinets would eventually go. . .Until we could start on the kitchen, I cooked for almost a year here. . .What a mess, huh?


When I began sketching the FARMHOUSE KITCHEN, I knew exactly what I wanted. . .No pre-fab cabinets for me! . .In fact, I didn't care if each section looked a little different. . .as if it had been built over time. . .I wanted modern conveniences hidden. . .and big, wide counter tops to hold the large crocks for storage. . .I wanted a big window to flood the room with light. . .and an island counter for prep work, low enough that my arms didn't get tired reaching up. . .I'm barely 5'4" tall and sometimes it's a stretch for me on regular cabinets. . .And of course, it all had to look VINTAGE. . .

I am so blessed in many ways to have John. . .Among his many talents, he is an awesome carpenter, as you've seen many times before. . .He also understands exactly where I'm going with my ideas. . .All I gave him was the little sketch above and here's how he interpreted it. . .

Could it be more accurate? . . I don't think so. . .He got it right all the way down to a few doors being a little different. . .Also, look at the false feet on the floor-- making them appear as individual cabinets. . .The actual cabinet bottom is recessed back and painted black so that you don't see it. . .Isn't he clever? . .Notice that the sink area juts out a little, too, and not in a straight line. . .We had to do that in order to get the vintage farmhouse sink in. . .Older sinks are much larger than the new ones we found out. . .But, I think it adds to the appearance I was trying to achieve. . .

At times John had to get into some mighty awkward positions. . .
I'd document them as often as he'd let me. . .(grin)


The countertops were his suggestion. . .When we attached the KEEPING ROOM addition to the existing roof, the carpenters found the original cypress decking that was more than likely milled right here on this farm. . .Virgin timber. . .The boards were 10" wide and beautiful. . .We had to show them off somewhere. . .So John took them and planed them down, spending hours sanding and enjoying the richness of the wood. . .More than once he called me to his shop. . ."Look at this! You'll never find wood like this again" and all the time 'lovingly' running his hand over it. . .a true carpenter.


For the work island, I found the bottom of an old Hoosier at a junk store--not a flea market--strictly junk. . .The doors were missing but the top was in fairly good shape. . .John did his magic on it. . .Can you tell what's underneath?


I LOVE the porcelain top. . .Anything messy wipes up easily. . .It also serves as a giant hot pad for dishes right out of the oven. . .The height is perfect for me. . .You can see how much shorter it is.

We found the 1919 vintage store bin in Tennessee. . .It just happened that the width was the same as the work island. . .John wanted to sand it down and paint it. . .PAINT IT? . . Not on your life!!!!!

I did allow him to paint the vintage metal ceiling tiles we put on the wall behind the stove for easier clean-up. . .






Now let's play a game. . .How many hiding places can you pick out in this photo? 


For you who have followed this blog for several years, it shouldn't be hard. . .
I've disclosed them before. . .

Dishwasher. . .

Coffee Pot. . .

Microwave. . .

Inside the 1919 store bin is the trash can. . .
The large crocks on the counter serve as 'upper cabinets'. . .
And on the opposite wall. . .

An old barn door hides the fridge.

We have fun with people trying to figure out where everything is located.
My brother says nothing is as it seems in OUR FARMHOUSE. . .and HE'S RIGHT!


The result of years of much hard work. . .so worth the effort. . .
We both LOVE our FARMHOUSE KITCHEN!!
 It has MODERN CONVENIENCES. . .VINTAGE STYLE. . .PLAIN AND SIMPLE
Who says you can't make a new kitchen look old anyway?

NOT US!!!!!

 



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