The one where I dream about a new kitchen....

About this time in 2005, after 3 months of incessant pleading cajoling, I had finally bamboozled  convinced Downtown Dad to move into the house we presently live in.

Yes, it WAS winter, and three weeks before Christmas.

No, we HADN'T sold the house we lived in at the time.

Why YES, my sister, her two children, and my wheelchair-bound mother were coming to visit for a week over the holiday.   ....why do you ask?

It was a great house - and I didn't want to let it get away.  While nobody in their right mind would have bought it anyway it was not decorated in the most current style, it has "good bones" as they say.  And  it has served us well, through that Christmas, and many others, as well as through our kids' teenage years with theatre parties, and graduation parties, and gatherings, and all manner of things that a house goes through. But it's beginning to show the wear and tear.

Downtown Dad and I decided that 2013 is the year that we give ourselves a little love. We're gonna start with the kitchen.

What follows are some "before" shots of the kitchen which is between what we call a "great room" and another tiny square room with a mirrored wall, that has little purpose, but is faced in such a way as to have the most lovely view of the sunrise in the morning.

The plan is to punch through to the square room, connecting it to the kitchen with a long island countertop.

Plans will change and evolve.  But I wanted to start with the befores, before anything started!

1980s fridge. I am tempted to paint it gold and bedazzle it with plastic jewels, then haul it to the curb and see who takes this treasure home. 

1980s dishwasher.  Hasn't worked since we moved in.

Ooooh look at all the nice wood!  See how it goes all the way to the ceiling!  ...Ugh.

You're looking into the "great room." It was added on by the original owner.  They apparently didn't know about insulation.  You can almost ice skate on the floor in the winter.  Yay.

Formica counter tops. I wish you could see them in all their undulating detail. 

1980s Jenn Air range oven with 4 electric burners. 1 works.  The oven  works really well on the right side, not so well on the left side. Oh, and that famous Air, of Jenn Air? Doesn't work.

Worst part of the layout of this kitchen. Awkward L shaped bump out.

Fun fact, we recently pulled down the green checked wall paper that used to cover these walls. Cool huh?

Look, there's Skimbleshanks, our kitty!

And we're back, full circle, to the fridge.  Let's move on into the square room with the heinous wall of mirrors shall we?

To your right, is where we want to blow out the wall and put an island counter, opening up into the weird little room you're about to see. 

This is to your left - the mirror wall - reflecting me.

Side note.  I love this wall.  The picture is a pencil drawing Downtown Dad drew himself of Tasha, his first Samoyed.  

This is looking into the living room beyond.

A slight turn to the right.

Further to the right.  A lovely view of my glass table and matching glass lamp.  Never could figure out what to do with that back wall.  That's the one we're going to blow out to the kitchen.

Looking toward the kitchen into the dreaded mirror wall.

Again, into the mirror.

This is a little dark, but looking from the soon to be blown out wall, into the living room.

That is all.  I hope you enjoyed my before tour.  This was also literally 10 minutes before the boxes of Christmas decorations came up from the basement!