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Recipes » The Kitchen Project…The Unveiling!

The Kitchen Project…The Unveiling!

By Kate Morgan Jackson

I know, it took me long enough!  But here I am at last with a little tour of my new kitchen, which truly is my dream kitchen, from the beautiful granite countertops to the dimmer switches on the sink lights to the appliance garage.  Yep, I have an appliance garage.  Who knew an appliance garage could make a person so deliriously happy?

This loooong blog post is going to tell you every last detail of everything we did, including a Pinterest board with links to all our wonderful new kitchen stuff, but right here in this first paragraph I need to thank our incredibly talented, patient, creative kitchen designer who managed this entire project.

If you live in the NYC metro area and you are thinking about a kitchen renovation, call Nancy Stern at Elements.  She’s amazing, I owe her champagne and bacon, and the rest of this post wouldn’t be possible without her.  So, please meet my new kitchen!

And a quick disclaimer/excuse before we start: I am not a good environmental photographer.  I am much better at Boston Cream Pie cupcakes and babies and puppies.  Just wanted to put that out there before I started.  And so!  We began by ripping out the old kitchen, right down to the studs, on July 24th.

We donated all our old cabinets and appliances to Green Demolition – they were all in nice shape for their age, and it warms my heart to know that they will have a second life in someone else’s kitchen.  So here’s what moved in over the course of the next 3 1/2 weeks (yes, it only took 3 1/2 weeks.  One of the reasons I adore Nancy, along with her fantastic contractor, Capital Improvements!).  The cabinets are Teddwood Luxury Line cabinets.

They are a lovely soft white with a wood-tone melamine interior.  Nancy designed the kitchen to be mainly big drawers – the upper cabinets are cabinets with shelves, but the vast majority – around the island and the lower cabinets are actually drawers.


Big drawers for pots and pans and baking supplies and small appliances, drawers with insets for silverware and spices and wooden spoons and all the Southern husband’s STUFF.  Shallow drawers for potholders and place mats and foil and plastic wrap, medium drawers for bowls and dishtowels.  No more fishing around in deep cabinets for stuff in the back…it’s all in gorgeous, airy drawers that slide out easily and (I love this) close themselves gently and firmly when you give them a little push.

The drawer pulls and knobs are polished pewter, and believe it or not, those knobs and pulls were the longest debate the Southern husband and I had about anything in the kitchen.  Many outside parties were consulted.  It’s the little things!

One of my other favorite things about the cabinets are those glass cabinets up on top.

They are of course for things that are pretty and not used too often (I have an astonishing array of this sort of stuff) because they are so high.  But they have lights inside that are on a dimmer, and they are just plain gorgeous at nighttime when they are on low…they give the kitchen a warm and welcoming look.

Oh, and my last fun fact about the drawers?  Nancy drew me up a map for where everything should go, which saved me about 2 years worth of time as I started Putting Everything Back. Have I mentioned that I love her?

On to appliances.  In the beginning, we decided we would keep our white fridge, double ovens and dishwasher, and get a new stovetop, microwave, vent and warming drawer.

Then I realized that once you get a stainless steel stovetop, microwave, vent and warming drawer, you are going to agonize over your old white appliances until your Southern husband can’t take it anymore. Now we have good friends with who have our gently used white appliances, and we have all stainless steel everything. Stainless steel are us.  Here’s the line-up:

A Wolf stovetop.

Five burners, all with a combination regular setting and simmer setting.  Maybe I will actually be able to melt chocolate without crying now?  I love this big, powerful stovetop more than words can say.  LOVE.  I’ve waited a loooong time for my Wolf, and so far it’s everything I hoped for.

On top of the stovetop is our vent.

I confess that i am not a vent lover.  I like to smell what I am cooking, and I find that vents whisk all those good smells outside.  The Southern husband, however, has an issue with the entire house smelling like applewood smoked bacon (I know, CRAZY!) so I cooperated on the whole vent thing.

We picked the very glamorous Zephyr vent, which has three speeds and two light settings that shine a nice amount of light onto the stovetop.  I’ve used the lights many times now, and the vent at LEAST twice.  Maybe three times.  I’ll get better.

The Southern husband picked out the microwave, which is a Bosch.  For some reason I didn’t take a close-up picture of it when I was photographing EVERYTHING else in the kitchen, but if you look close there it is, to the right of the sink and the left of the fridge, built into the upper cabinets.

He picked it out when we were still thinking our old white appliances would play nicely with our new stainless steel, so he chose the white version.  I know, you are thinking this is going to end badly, but with his usual luck, the white of the microwave is not the bright white of our old appliances, but a lovely soft white.  The exact same soft white as the cabinets.  It looks…PERFECT.

As for the microwave itself, it’s a nice microwave that does what all other microwaves do.  It does say “Enjoy Your Meal” when it is done cooking, which gives me warm fuzzy feelings.

Next, the warming drawer. (Please note blurry paws in this picture and remember my disclaimer above regarding my environmental photography skills!)

Oh, the warming drawer!  This was my single most anticipated new gadget for the kitchen, and it lives amid the other drawers in the island.  It is a KitchenAid, and I have used it every single day since we moved back into the kitchen.

It of course does a great job of keeping food warm, and it has a bread proofing setting that I haven’t tried yet, but I love it best for warming plates.  I can’t tell you how much warmed plates contribute to a pasta supper, or a scrambled egg breakfast.  We have had warmed plates every single night.  Yup, in 90 degree August, we had Warmed Plates.

Now on to the appliances that were unexpected…the new stainless steel guys.

The fridge is the stainless steel version of the white one we had before, a Kitchen-Aid Architect Series model .  It’s counter-depth, french doors, freezer on the bottom, water and ice in the door, and I love this one as much as I loved the old one.

Its one fault (hey, nobody’s perfect) is that the ice-maker has a mind of its own.  Sometimes the ice comes out gently and obediently when you press the button, and sometime it launches cubes across the kitchen like one of those tennis ball machines.  It keeps us on our toes, for sure.  Aside from that, this is a nice-looking, reliable, roomy fridge.  And in my house, one of the fridge drawers is reserved exclusively for bacon.  I know, shocking.

The double wall oven is also a Kitchen-Aid Architect series, also the model we had before but since our ovens were about 4 years old some nice updating has gone on.  The windows on the doors are much bigger, there’s a bread-proofing setting (I think someone is trying to tell me I need to proof bread, stat!) and of course, there’s that pretty stainless steel.

I’ll report more on this once I take it for a test spin – it was the last piece to fall into place and I still need to put it through its paces…after one batch of cookies I will say that the fan is a little noisier than its predecessor, which I hear is common.   I can live with that!

Next, the granite.


I did a whole post on the granite installation which you can read by clicking here, but now that it is in, I can honestly say that it still shocks me with its gorgeousness every time I walk into the room. It was the one thing that we went WAY over budget with, but since it looks like we have an Impressionist painting on our counters I don’t regret one single penny.

It is called Costa Esmeralda, and it is a glorious blue green streaked with light blue and goldish veins here and there. So far I have spilled red wine, olive oil, bacon grease and a whole variety of other stuff on it, and it cleans up without a trace…it seems impervious to anything I have done to it.  Adding to my love and devotion to it, of course.  We designed this new island with an overhang so that folks could sit at it, and I have been doing a lot of sitting at it.

Just sitting and being happy.

A few other details for you valiant souls who have hung in with me through all this. Plumbing details!  We installed an undermount Franke stainless steel sink, with a two level grate insert.

The insert lets us stack all our dirty dishes on the grate so they don’t scrape along the pretty stainless.  The sink itself is an lovely, different shape, and so far so good with this beauty.  We got a Briza faucet that has a retractable spray attachment…we got various advice on whether these retractable sprayers were Good or Bad, but the Good votes outnumbered the Bad, so we went for it, and so far so good.

The sprayer zips in and out easily, and anchors to the faucet with a magnet.  It has two settings – one spray, one solid stream, and the Southern husband and I keep changing those on each other.

In other sink news, we did NOT get a soap dispenser (didn’t want to deal with the gunk) but we DID get an instant hot water dispenser, which is a God-send for a dedicated tea drinker like myself.

What else can I tell you?  The white oak floors were stripped and stained and sealed, and they look as good as new.  We hung three frosted round pendant lights over the island, also on dimmers (I am very into dimming the lights!) and they pulled the whole look of the kitchen together.

We tiled the back splash in between the cabinets with white subway tile, and the bump-up (which is the part in between the stove top and the vent) is a rough California rock in various shades of gray and green and brown.

It’s gotten mercilessly splattered with oil and grease and other stuff and so far not a trace of any of that on the tile.  We painted the walls a lovely blue green color with soft white trim.

And with that, I will leave you with a picture of my appliance garage.

It is part of the cabinets, and has a front that opens up and in like a garage door.  It has outlets built inside it, and it’s where my Cuisinart, my stand mixer and my blender are now living happily ever after.  Just like me.

If you want more info on anything I’ve been describing, here’s a handy Pinterest board with links galore for all the things I’ve been describing..  Thank you for keeping me company on The Kitchen Project – so many of you sent me encouraging comments and emails, and I read and loved every one of them.  Onward to some fun cooking!

Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!as seen in logos

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Published on September 24, 2013

Last Post:
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  1. JAMIE says

    September 24, 2013 at 10:15 am

    SIGH………….. :)

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:33 pm

      That’s what I keep doing – all happy signs!

      Reply
  2. Sue L. says

    September 24, 2013 at 10:26 am

    Absolutely beautiful, Kate!! I don’t know how you’ll force yourself to leave the kitchen! And I LOVE your Portmeirion dishes — we visited the town of Portmeirion in Wales when I was a kid, and I’ve had a fondness for them ever since…. Happy New Kitchen!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:34 pm

      My mom and I both have Portmeirion – we pool our dishes for big parties! How great that you got to visit

      Reply
  3. Karen Nelson says

    September 24, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Thank you for the tour! How very beautiful and what a great job
    you both did. I agree with Sue.. how can you ever
    leave such a great spot? I work in a tiny kitchen and would
    love to spread out in a fraction of that space:-)… so I will live vicariously through you!
    Simply beautiful and I know you just must be over the moon with your dream kitchen!
    Bacon On! (with your vent of course..:-)))
    P.S. I fried the okra whole.. it is great! Gosh so much easier
    than my mom’s method. tasty too!! an old dog can learn a new trick!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:35 pm

      Karen! You’ve been so sweet through this whole process, hugs to you! And, so great about the okra – we can be Joint Okra Ambassadors!

      Reply
  4. Marcia S. says

    September 24, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    WOW!!! So perfect!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:35 pm

      Thank you thank you! :)

      Reply
  5. Lisa G says

    September 24, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    Gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:35 pm

      Thanks Lisa! :)

      Reply
  6. Sharon Markey says

    September 24, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    This is just breathtaking! I now feel like boycotting my kitchen after seeing this.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      No boycotting – all kitchens need love! :) And thanks for your sweet words.

      Reply
  7. Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says

    September 24, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    Just BEAUTIFUL! I know you will enjoy cooking and spending time in your new kitchen! Have a great time and enjoy it!!!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:37 pm

      Thanks Robyn! I even like cleaning up the kitchen now (wonder how long THAT will last!)

      Reply
  8. Blewits says

    September 24, 2013 at 6:53 pm

    Warning: I bet this comment gets wordy. (It’s my nature.)

    When I saw the pics of the light up glass cabinets above, I literally let out a gentle gasp and said “Oh, Kate” like I know you or something. It was funny. Simply stunning!

    The whole thing is just perfect! What fun for you and Southern Husband! One of the best things I ever did was put my kitchen lights on dimmers. Game changer!

    I don’t think you will ever regret the expenditure for the granite or the stovetop. Like ever! I have granite and it is almost indestructible. I have noticed that if you place hot dishes or pots directly onto it (which you can because it’s granite!), it sucks the heat out of hot dishes really fast. Not a big deal because it makes up for it when I need to cool cakes or cookies or bread. I just put the pan right down on the counter and don’t even fuss with a cooling rack. I just keep a big cutting board or trivets down for the hot stuff.

    I would kill for double ovens!

    And lastly, deep drawers are where it’s at! You can see everything in them. No more tupperware falling out every time you open the cabinet. Pots and pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, panini machines, etc. all just right there. Pull and grab!

    oh, and your appliance garage rocks too!

    Thanks for sharing all of this with us. It’s been fun living vicariously through you. It’s so beautiful. Congrats to you and the hubby. Now all you need to do is put a small music source in that room somewhere, dim the lights, and who needs to go out anymore????

    Wendy

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:38 pm

      Aw, thanks Wendy! And you have left me so many lovely comments on my posts that I feel like I know you, too! We do have a little Ipod player on my desk, and we’ve already had some romantic granite countertop suppers with dimmed lights and candles and ahhhhhh! :)

      Reply
  9. Blewits says

    September 24, 2013 at 6:56 pm

    p.s. my German husband thinks your Southern husband rocks for picking out the Bosch! LOL!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      Those husbands – they DO like to stick together! :)

      Reply
  10. Joanne says

    September 24, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    I’m kind of in love. Big time. My kitchen looks so shabby now!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:39 pm

      You clearly need to come cook with me. :)

      Reply
  11. Winnie says

    September 25, 2013 at 8:43 am

    I have been waiting and excited to see your kitchen! Fabulous on all accounts! I hope you have a blast using it. I am drooling over the warming draw and the grantie, and the appliance garage!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:40 pm

      Those are three of my most favorite things, along with those light dimmers! :)

      Reply
  12. Candice says

    September 25, 2013 at 9:05 am

    Fantastic ! I especially like the lights, the color … so soft and beautiful , and the sink/faucets . What really got me was that while your perfect kitchen is what I would dream of having, I managed to get the 1950s version and it impresses me that someone designed my old house with some of the same features ! An appliance garage, you open the cupboard doors and everything slides out in drawers.
    Of course, the cupboards are ugly with some sort of dark 1950s finish and my ceilings are not high enough for my taste, but your kitchen made me not hate my kitchen so much lol
    You certainly did a fabulous job with this, because in the end, it was all your idea and it was a very good one.
    besitos, C … back in the USA

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:40 pm

      I love this comment – I have a thing for the 50’s, so maybe I got the best of both worlds? Glad to have you back in the States! :)

      Reply
      • Candice says

        October 1, 2013 at 5:51 pm

        Thank you ! Good to be back. ( when I am not missing BA )
        I had a thing for the 50s .. I hated it lol But the more I study the 20th Century Moderns here and in California, the more I am giving in to the fact that this is my house and I might as well go with it .
        But the next house will be a nice old upstairs downstairs farmhouse/colonial :)

        Reply
  13. Rosemary says

    September 25, 2013 at 9:40 am

    I am drooling over this… Beautiful! Congratulations–it’s a gorgeous dream kitchen!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:41 pm

      Thank you my friend – hurray!

      Reply
  14. ellie says

    September 25, 2013 at 9:57 am

    i am so happy for you! someone who has such a passion for food and who shares that joy with the world absolutely deserves to have the kitchen of her dreams! enjoy every bit…even the maybe nosier fan.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:41 pm

      What a sweet thing to say! Thank you, and I’ll keep those recipes coming!

      Reply
  15. Janet says

    September 25, 2013 at 10:24 am

    Absolutely beautiful. Someday I’ll get mine too.

    Reply
    • Kate says

      September 25, 2013 at 12:41 pm

      Thank you – and yes you will! :)

      Reply
  16. Barbara C says

    September 25, 2013 at 11:00 pm

    How lovely! Other than the granite and the appliance garage and the warming drawer, (I adore warm plates, especially in the winter!) and the blue/green walls with that gorgeous California rock behind the stove top, I think my favorite item in your new kitchen is the hot water dispenser. I’ve gone through so many ways of heating water for tea that it’s not even funny. I may have to check into one for our kitchen! I was so pleased to see your post today. Several times I’ve considered asking how things were going but didn’t want to be nosey! So happy to see that it has all come together so nicely. Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 4:57 pm

      I do love that hot water dispenser – it gets used multiple times a day! Thank you for your sweet words – I am definitely loving every second in my new kitchen! :D

      Reply
  17. Heather P. says

    September 26, 2013 at 3:38 pm

    Beautiful! I love how it all turned out! I’m sure it was well worth all the waiting and lack of kitchen!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:03 pm

      As I keep telling the Southern husband…150% worth it! :)

      Reply
  18. Carol says

    September 26, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    Just love your kitchen..what a joy to be in there cooking all day…I am also remodeling …love your pendant lights, may I ask where you got them or who makes them? Thanks and cook on in that beautiful kitchen..

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:04 pm

      Hi Carol – I’m searching high and low for the maker of those lights. I got them at a Lightwaves store – when I find that info (and I will!) I’ll be back in touch!

      Reply
  19. Nicole G says

    September 27, 2013 at 10:57 am

    I had been long awaiting this unveiling! The kitchen looks AMAZING! It is a vision of perfection, and I can only dream to have such a beautiful kitchen when I have my own house.
    Well done to you, and of course Nancy :)

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm

      Thank you! And yes, a thousand cheers for Nancy!!! :)

      Reply
  20. Karen T. says

    September 28, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    Well that was worth the wait! So beautiful and such classic design choices you made. It will look gorgeous for years to come!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m pretty much in kitchen heaven. :)

      Reply
  21. Cathy says

    October 2, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    I am absolutely envious of your beautiful kitchen! :) Congratulations!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:13 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m happy as happy can be with it!

      Reply
  22. MissFoodFairy says

    October 31, 2013 at 4:08 am

    What an absolutely gorgeous kitchen! One day I hope to have something just as beautiful

    Reply
    • Kate says

      November 9, 2013 at 5:14 pm

      Thank you! I’m feeling like one lucky girl, for sure!

      Reply
  23. Rebecca says

    December 11, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    Beautiful! I found your blog while searching on Pinterest for the sink you have. I’m thinking of getting this same sink. How do you like it now that you have had it a few months? Do you ever wish you had gotten the regular shaped one (Franke Oceania) rather than the curved one (Orca)? Many thanks for your reply!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      December 23, 2013 at 3:58 pm

      I have to say, we absolutely love it. The curved part helps separate things a little more, and also gives us room for a second half grate that I use for drying things. And the shape is so beautiful, it gives a little bit of elegance to the sink, if you know what I mean. I’m really, really glad we went for this one. :)

      Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

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