Trivial Nonsense Friday: Pimp My Kitchen

I haven't blogged on the Saga of the Minor Kitchen Remodel lately, largely because I've been stuck in one spot for the last few weeks. The old veneers are off the top cabinets and everything's been filled with wood putty sanded smooth.



I've purchased the makings of the special veneer-cutting board described in Herrick Kimball's Refacing Cabinets: Making an Old Kitchen New, and I'm ready to take the plunge and start veneering.

As those who have been following this saga know, the soffits have been painted Benjamin Moore Peale Green,



and the walls in the dining area painted "Rich Cream".



I'm leaning towards this Kronotex laminate for the flooring (and still haven't decided whether to let a professional do this or if I'm nutty enough to try it as a DIY job):



As anyone who's either done this kind of work him/herself or had contractors in can tell you, any kind of home improvement has a habit of escalating. So I've been looking ahead to the day when I can have that oven wall bump-out taken out and my cooktop replaced with a real range that can hold 4 cookie sheets at once or a turkey AND the scallopped potatoes.

The problem is that I will lose four cabinets in the process.

The kitchen is 9'6" by 17', with an L-shaped work area along two walls, a door and the damn bump-out along one long wall, and a dining area that has a blank wall the full 9'6" on one end that's perfect for adding storage.

At one time, I had thought of installing additional kitchen cabinets there, but since base cabinets are 24" deep and I only have 18" of clearance before hitting the doorway to the living room, that's out. So I've been investigating alternatives.

These fabulous modular cabinets appeared in the Home Depot Direct summer catalog. They would fit perfectly in the space with only about 3" extra on both sides. They are 16" deep (bottom cabinets) and 18" (top), so they won't block the doorway.

The center unit is a desk, which would give me a place to put catalogs and related clutter:

This is "real furniture", which will require taking time off work for delivery. It's also about $1000 more than the alternative, which is these lovelies from the Home Decorators catalog:

Of these, the light oak probably is closer to the existing cabinets, but the dark oak is much nicer. And closer to this table, which I am considering buying once the old budget recovers:

In case you're wondering where Mr. Brilliant comes into play here, his feeling is that anything not involving pink, lavender, or lace curtains is fine.

So take this dreary day, a Friday in the waning days of summer, and join me in taking a day off from the cares of the world, pour a cup of coffee and join me in my kitchen ruminations.