THE PROGRESSION OF A KITCHEN

On June, 1990, we took possession of the Cottage.  This is what the kitchen looked like at that time.  I can't remember how long we lived with the kitchen in this state, but, no matter how long it was, it was too long!

This is where the back door was located. To the right of the long window and the left of the wall separating the back porch from the kitchen.

Where you see the studs, was where the wall, to The Captain's right, in the above photo, was. The door, and a portion of the wall, were taken out and changed to the other side. We now enter and exit through the laundry room. We also took some of this back porch (just beyond where you see the galvanized pipes) and made a walk-in closet off of the master bedroom.

With the wall removed, we had to add another portion of a huge beam to support what had been the bearing wall.

From the very left of the chimney over to the window wall was originally part of the back porch.  It extended the whole length of the house.  The wall was knocked out by former owners and added quite a bit of space to the room.  We just knocked out the end wall and then replaced the door to it's current spot. In doing this it made room for a nice sized pantry.

As you can tell the room was completely gutted from the ceiling down through the floor.

Gradually the sub flooring and the drywall went back up and then came the decision as to what to do for the cabinetry.

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My Dad lived in Santa Cruz and we lived in Grass Valley.  A distance of about 209 miles, or a 3 to 4 hour drive.  We sent him a photograph of a favorite piece of furniture that we planned on using in the kitchen, which we have since moved into the dining room, and asked if he could make the cupboard doors look like it.

The only other piece of information he had were the measurements of the space where the cabinets would go. He had yet to see the space.

My Dad was an expert craftsman at everything he did. He was self educated and he built my childhood home, from drawing the plans, to milling the lumber in his own sawmill, putting on the roof and even digging his own well.  Needless to say, a little old cottage, with crooked walls and floors, couldn't defeat him.

Dad built all the cupboards in his garage in Santa Cruz and trucked them up to the Cottage when they were all done, and they all fit perfectly.

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After all of that was completed our little cottage kitchen went through a number of time lines.  It may sound like an outlandish number of transformations, but remember a period of about 22 years had passed and nothing had really been changed except a little paint and wallpaper.

TIME LINE #1:  Cream cabinets, red, white and blue wallpaper:

TIME LINE #2:  Barn red cabinets, red and cream wallpaper.

(Sorry, no picture)

TIME LINE #3:  Cream cabinets, light yellow wallpaper.

(Sorry, no picture)

TIME LINE #4:  Same cream cabinets, brighter yellow wallpaper:

All of the above with off-white ceramic tile countertops and cobalt blue checker board back splash.  

TIME LINE #5:  White cabinets, bright yellow wallpaper, Silestone quartz, marble pattern countertops with white beadboard backsplash.

TIME LINE #6:  THERE WILL BE NO TIME LINE #6. JUST ASK THE CAPTAIN!!! He would all like you to take note the difference in his hair coloring between then and now!

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Now, the moment you have been waiting for and I hope you will forgive me for the few teases along the way.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: MAY I INTRODUCE TO YOU.. THE KITCHEN

When we first started this kitchen redo, I had a head full of dreams as to what I wanted this room to look like. In my mind, I saw a light, bright space with touches of color reminiscent of the French countryside.  A sunny yellow, standing out against a clean white backdrop with pops of black, red and blue and a lot less of the usual fuss and stuff that I normally add to a room, little by little. (Note to self: refrain from using the word 'clutter').

Well, here you have it and it is what it is....

"An Old Miner's Cottage Working Kitchen"...

...and I absolutely love it!

RISE AND SHINE

NOW I HAVE SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT...Judy

When we meet again, I will fill you in on some of the collections and facts about this and that. This was a long one!

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