JUST LIVING......WELL

My kitchen in West Boylston 17 November 2014

20-and-a-half years ago we moved into this house with a non-functioning kitchen. Two completely kaputt wall ovens, a loud noise making Sub Zero frig, and only one burner working on the cooktop. First order of business was rip out the old and start on the new. Set up a temp kitchen way in back of the house in the old laundry room. Coleman two-burner propane stove and a microwave. Could cook and do laundry at the same time.

Even before we set about designing the new kitchen (above), we stripped the old kitchen down to studs and joist.  We being, me, Ellen and Libbie. Rewired and re-plumbed the entire room.  When I took down the ceiling, I found two wire-nutted live circuits laying loose on top of the plaster.  The debris almost filled a 30-yard dumpster.  When we pulled up the floor I found five split joist.  That was more work than Ellen could help with me and I put in a emergency call to my brother to come help with that not so small problem.  Had to pull up all the subflooring, sister in new joist, and then lay new 3/4" tounge-n-grove subfloor.  

Ellen and I sat down and designed what we wanted the kitchen to function and look like.  What you see above is how it tuned out.  I wanted the business (cooking) end to be separate from the area where people sit and give grief to the cook. All the cook's work takes place at the far end, and the hecklers sit at the counter end of the island.

Behind me is a very open wall into our breakfast room, and to the right is the family room which is accessed through six foot opening from both the kitchen and the breakfast room. Wanted it to be a very open design.  The three rooms function like one big open room.