In the Kitchen

 So I learned in this endeavor that it is really hard to take pictures of a galley kitchen.  Here it goes!

This is looking into the mudroom- see how wonderful the dutch door can be.  Buddy is chilling right behind it.

Here is a before picture.

 We traded out the electric stove for gas.  Running a gas line was inexpensive, and I adore my Dacor range top.  It is easy to clean, and boils water in a jiffy.

We also switched out the granite-look lavender laminate countertops for granite.  For me this was about function.  I wanted stone, in order to place hot items on it.  I knew going from stone in the condo to laminate would end up in some melted plastic countertops.  And you can just imagine how beautiful lavender laminate was.

 Another huge change was ditching the fluorescent box light.  Originally we just switched it to some track lighting, then when we redid the family room ceiling, we added can lighting to the kitchen as well.  Once again, this was about function and use. Good lighting in a kitchen that lacks much natural light was a must for me for cooking.

The doorway into the family used to be a wall with a cut out, like the wall above the sink.  Opening it completely up was a revelation!

(Katie, do you spy SS's contribution to the fridge?)

I chose gray cabinets because I was concerned that with the light walls, floor, and countertops, white cabinets would disappear and my kitchen would become a sea of beige.  The gray is River Gorge Gray by Benjamin Moore.  Honestly, at first I was worried about it.  It is very green gray, and changes in different light.  Now?  I love it.  It has totally grown on me, and I love how it changes depending on the time of day.

The below picture is immediately after we moved in, as I tried to unpack.  Ahhh, the old gray porcelain tile.   I miss thee not at all.

 Adding hardware made an incredible difference to the cabinets, which just did not fit the house or my aesthetics at all.  I used hardware from Home Depot's Martha Stewart line.

I love my cheerful little eating area.  Ha, with broken closet door and all.  The closet houses grill stuff, vacuum, and appliance.  A pantry is next to it.

Looking into the den.  Opening this wall up is especially wonderful because I can see straight form the den/family room through the kitchen, into the living room.

Ignore the towel that Buddy dragged into the kitchen from the mudroom, please.

This bookcase?  Used to be the entrance into the family room.  It was a pain- impossible for flow and  table placement.  Now it holds cookbooks, pots, phone, and a basket full of high chair trays and bibs.

 The other door is the aforementioned pantry.  I'm not showing you the inside of either closet because my messiness lurks inside.  Secret shame.

 View from the kitchen table into the living room.

My favorite part of the kitchen is all my artwork.  Dell Harper loves to point at the dog paintings and say "DOG! DOG! DOG!", until I take her over the pet the paintings.  It's very cute, but also a bit nerve inducing depending on what she is eating.  We do a lot of air-petting.

So if I was on Cribs* I would conclude this post by saying "And this is where the magic happens!"  However, I spend a ton of time in this kitchen, and I just love it.  Although, Morgan grumbles because when the dishwasher is open you can't walk past, a galley kitchen is the ideal shape for cooking.  By yourself.

*Is Cribs still on?  I wish it would be.  What an amazing television show.