We’ve made a commitment to fully restart renovations.
The two-year pause did us some good. “Charming and vintage” has always been important, but we’ve now added “and incredibly, absurdly comfortable.”
A big change will be hiring out a good amount of the work. Previously, I was doing everything myself. For friends that are not familiar, our house is a two-story downtown cottage built in the 1840s, with additions/bump-outs from the 1880s and the 1940s.
Jonathan had our contractor (who is also a friend and neighbor) in for a few small things while I was in London — a faucet here, a socket there. I’m inordinately excited about the plugs, because we’re replacing the old ones with sockets that have high-speed USB charging and smart-home-whatever.
The kitchen work begins this week. I’m eliminating this useless window so the refrigerator can be moved there. Then the pantry will be built where the refrigerator was.
The kitchen will be a big job — everything is being yanked out. We’re even tearing down the plaster ceiling to reveal the 1840s beams, and we’ll gain over a foot in height.
A few years ago I noticed an obvious trend toward countertop appliances — air fryers, stand-alone induction cooktops, convection ovens that can handle a large pizza or an average-sized turkey. Especially in apartments, I started to see entire kitchens outfitted with these types of things rather than full-sized appliances.
No gigantic range and nothing permanently fixed in place? Sign me up. I have a countertop induction unit and a French door convection oven in my shopping cart right now. The amount of times we’ve needed more than three burners or had to roast a 20-something pound turkey? Exactly never.
I don’t like cabinets, and we wanted the whole kitchen to be easy to clean. I landed on stainless steel restaurant fixtures. Easily cleaned and they can be moved! Perfect!
Off we go! Below are two views from my design.
Have a great sleep!
Sit Still Phill 