Kitchens and Gardens

This past weekend we met with the kitchen designer and a landscape architect. Despite all of the anxiety around a project of this magnitude, when we think about the end result in the kitchen and the yard, it is hard not to be excited to get started.

The kitchen is already the hub of the house. The more time I spend there, the more I can see how great the new kitchen will be. The new kitchen will also be the connecting point between the old and new portions of the house. Our inspiration for the kitchen is this:

This is very close to the look we're going for - perhaps a less stark-white for the cabinets. These are nice but we want a more historic look. The pendant lights over the island are very close to what we want. Soapstone counters, drawer pulls (oiled bronze).

In contrast, the yard is one part of our property that is drastically underutilized. Mud, ruts and valleys, chipped paint and debris from shingles and who knows what, and a driveway that runs out to a busy street, makes it very unappealing especially with 3 small children. Part of the landscape plan is to move the driveway to lead out to the quiet side street, and place a hedge or wall along the busy street, creating a safer front yard for the kids. We'll also clean up the back yard and add a deck off of the new family room which will make use of the yard that much more appealing.

We're still looking at an 8-10 month outside estimate for project completion. Our current estimate to break ground is mid to late April. But after this weekend we just want to get started!