Kitchen Faucet Choices

What do you guys think? These are the 2 finalist for Kitchen Sink faucet. Both have the same pause feature and the same spray pull out  directly from the primary neck as opposed to a separate spray pull out.  Don't be thrown off by one having a plate and the other one not having one. This is a simple item to change. Also both faucets have 360 degree rotation possibility. Both are from Kohler and similarly priced. And both are available in a finish that would match our appliances. Last but not least the one on the left is called the Elate and the one on the left is call the Simplice. Basically the decision comes down to which shape and look do you think will fit the best in our kitchen. Feel free to offer your words of wisdom or just flat out opinions in the comments section. Just think . . . in less than a month we'll have our stunning after pictures up and we'll be able to invite those of you in town over for a glass of wine! Can't wait! Thanks for checking in! 

Parallam Wood Beam: Load Bearing Modern Feature

 

before - south facing view

before-north facing view

 

before - north facing view

In progress - with beam and skylight, north facing view (Mr. Monkey too)

In progress - south facing view 

In progress - south facing view

As a part of the kitchen redesign we removed the breakfast bar. Before we removed the bar however we had it checked and it was in fact load bearing soooo that means we were gonna have to get something in there to support the weight of the building. We decided on a parallam wood beam that we would leave it exposed. Here's what we have so far. I really love the texture and color play its got goin on. I think once we have the rest of the wood features with the cabinets (a mix of walnut, apply ply, and maple) it's gonna look sweet. In these pics you can also see the skylights shedding some light on the situation.

Backsplash Tile

Progress is steady here and decisions are being made every day. Friday we finally decided on the tile for the backsplash. We chose these 10x20 tiles that are all white but have a nice geometric relief. The tiles are a white porcelain. We looked at a lot of tile at 4 different stores not including internet shopping. I had really wanted a mosaic tile but most of it is glass and costs over $20 a sq foot.    In the end we just weren't finding the colors we were looking for in our price range. I'm really happy with the large shape and modern pattern. The pattern we will stack and so we'll have nice vertical lines adding the feeling of height to the wall.  We're really pleased with the look and the price! I think it's going to be modern, clean, and classy! 

Kitchen Renovation: Modern Wood Stoves

Well we had to do a bit of research to finally discover a wood stove that would fit our modern aesthetic and would be in a price range that we could afford. But we finally did! Here's a link to Pacific Energy where we found "the Fusion". A sleek modern wood burning stove. We opted to the black one and not the stainless steel one pictures here (mostly because of cost).  Also thanks to our wonderful friends, Mr. and Mrs. Duck Monkey, we discovered this Springfield business that will order it for us and install at a reasonable price - Good Deal Metal. The wood stove is going to go at the far end of the front room, so while it's not exactly a part of the kitchen redo it's a part of the overall front room redo which is taking place at the same time. Can't wait to do yoga in the front room heated by our cozy and modern stove!

Mission Kitchen Redo: Demolition DIY

The demolition has begun! Mr. Monkey may be having too much fun. It's true I caught him removing door frames that maybe he didn't need to remove because he was on a roll. I gotta say that even though we're just in the beginning of this process and things in the front room are a bit trashed I already feel the promise of the changes. When I walked in the home this evening the door was open and with the closet gone it truly felt like a breathe of fresh air. Here are some pictures of before and current status. We'll be sure to keep the updates coming fast and furious as we start to make lots of decisions and progress will be happening quickly over the next 6 weeks or so.

Colorful Kitchens: Lamps

Living with a house being remodeled during the winter seems like a huge headache, especially for a homebody like me. But if I can keep myself focused on the lights at the end of the tunnel it will help. I've had my eyes on these lampshades for a very long time. They are the product of a collaboration between Yellena James and Schoolhouse Electric (click on this link to the left to see all color options) up in Portland. Recently Schoolhouse Electric just engaged in another artist collaboration with another one of my fave Portland artists, Amy Ruppel. In fact international blogger Grace Bonney at Design Sponge just wrote up the event. Damn, we're lucky to be in the PNW where art and function collaboration abound. Truly what a wonderful idea to have artists help create great light fixtures. I'll let you know if either one of these end up in the new kitchen. Tell me in the comments section which lamp shades you like best.

From Design Sponge

Colorful Kitchens: Mosaic Tiles

Evit Tiles

Sunset Magazine, Thomas J. Story

As you know we've got kitchens and color on the brain. Should we go the more traditional route and add our kitchen color via the black splash? OR should we do something a bit more daring and add color in the cabinetry? Here are some pictures that demonstrate both ideas. What do you think? Add your two cents in the comments. I'm leaning one way and Mr. Monkey is leaning the other. David the architect is coming over tomorrow to share tile samples . . .  I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Sunset Magazine, John Granen

Baltimore Rowhouse Blog, Click link for more pics