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First up…we’ve been painting the walls to prepare for the final steps. I carried the same color through from the adjoining walls because I knew it would match really well with the new counters. It looks so much warmer now in the kitchen. Sort of, cozy, if you will.

Here’s a sample of the countertop next to the new paint. See how the color pulls out the same shade in the counters? can’t wait to see the paint with the counters because it’s going to look GORGEOUS!

After painting was done, we changed out all of the plugs and switches to something a bit more transitional. This particular one that Keith is working on was the last one and biggest pain in the rear! For some reason, when I pulled out the screws from the old switches, it ended up that the screw holes were stripped, so it was holding nothing! After an hour + of struggling with it, we had to call in the big guns….so we called my Dad on Skype so he could assess the situation and help!

He gave us some tips that helped temporarily fix it, but after an hour with him, it was decided that we have no choice but to ask the electrician to replace the box. UGH! Best part is, somehow the range hood is tied into these switches and now it doesn’t work! Seriously?!?!?!

But, all of the other switches and plugs are fine and look great with the new switch plates and counter sample. Don’t you agree?

Today is countertop install day!!! Pulled the stove out in prep for counters…

Last look at the old sink and counters….good riddance I say!

They had the counters pulled lickety split!

And here it is! A close up of the counters. This is a jumbo slab of Quartz called ‘Tobacco’

This is one giant piece! There are no seams at all in this kitchen. Beautiful!

My beautiful new sink! Can’t wait to hook it all up and get this phase of the project complete!
Although there are a few things that will have to be adjusted and tended to, we are in the home stretch now of this project. I have a punch list started so we don’t forget anything. Biggest thing is that I need to be able to cook a Thanksgiving meal….after we leave everything to dry for 24 hours, it will be go time to get the sink hooked up and on our way. Turkey will wait for no one! 🙂

Mess of wires, but getting there…

We finally have light in the tray ceiling! It’s awesome!!!

Apparently I have to ‘keep off’ 🙂

The ugly oak backsplash (if you want to call it that) has finally been removed. It’s already made a difference at cutting the oak look down!

Another view without backsplash
I hinted in my last post that I was going to be doing something with lace. Well, my Mom had given me a bag of lace that my Yiayia made (I believe for decorating pillowcases) but I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Well, as a nod to my Greek heritage, I decided to use this lace in a different way. You see, in Greek kitchens, you would typically find lace decorating shelves, so I thought, why not have a little of that in mine too? I think my Mom would approve! Take a look:

Doesn’t the lace look beautiful with my blue dishes?

Close up of the work….so much detail!

Now look at it with the glass doors on!

Swirly detail of the glass. Now I can’t wait to get the hardware for them!

The countertop template process begins….

They create the template with these plastic sheets. It’s interesting. I’ve seen it done with lasers and all computerized. These guys are quite old school. Eh…I’m okay with that.

Thankfully, this sink is going away! I will have an undermount sink when we’re all done. I’ve asked for the sink to come forward as much as possible so my back doesn’t hurt anymore. Washing dishes in this sink is horrible! That’s all about to change! So, things are winding down here. Counters will be installed on the 24th…so I have 2 weeks to finish up the painting and try to get some things in order. I’m looking forward to having my kitchen back, that’s for sure!

It’s time to start the move. Water is hooked up and now the testing begins

We are supposed to run the water for 4 minutes to ensure all of the air is purged from the line. Souvlaki looks on as she supervises the process

Last 30 seconds….all air is purged and water is flowing well. Keftedes now comes in the kitchen to check out what’s going on. 🙂

Keith is so happy that he won’t have to make ice anymore, he decides to give the fridge a hug!

Protective plastic is all removed and fridge is pushed in place. It fits perfectly!
Another step towards completion. I like it. We’ve purchased some new plugs and switches and will start changing those out this weekend. I will also work on more of the painting and another small project. Can you guess what I might use some of this for?:

My Mom gave me a pile of this beautiful lace that I believe my Yiayia made. I think they were originally made for pillowcases, but I have other plans….more on this soon.
Hoping to make more progress this week. Another post soon…….
They installed the can lights, ran wires for the future under cabinet lighting and hung my beautiful chandelier.

Wanted this little beauty to add some flair and fun to the kitchen. As soon as you walk in the house, it’s in your eye’s view…so I wanted something pretty to look at. I picked it because it will match nicely to a chandelier I will be adding to my entryway….an heirloom that belonged my Grandparent’s and then hung in my parents home for many years.

The stove is in!

Once the new counters go in, it will look even better.

The inside…look at how much room I have to cook and bake!

Saying hello as I take a close up of the digital controls. Neat!
Although nothing is really in place, you can see the kitchen starting to take shape. when it’s all done, I think it’s going to be exactly what I envisioned. YAY!
Next up, trying to get some things back in order.

The molding is on and just needs some primer and paint.

Can’t believe how much this little change has opened up the look of the kitchen!

A full view of the ceiling almost done.

The old range hood is out! Good riddance to bad appliances!!

The new hood is in!

I think this hood is going to work really well with the new range when all is said and done

Now, it will be exhausting out of the kitchen instead of back into it. Who designs a hood to recirculate back into the kitchen? Seems completely silly.

Look at how much light this hood puts out! WOW! I just love it.

Although not a great view, here is a sneak peek of our upper cabinet glass…it’s going to be so pretty!

The old dishwasher is out! The new one is on the way.

The new dishwasher arrived! She’s a beauty, right? And oh my goodness, so quiet! And has THREE trays inside!! What a complete 180* turnaround from what we had…I love it!
Today I am going to get some primer and paint on the ceiling and tomorrow, the electrician will be here to install lighting. That will definitely bring a huge change!!

Even with a makeshift top, you can definitely see the great space we will now have!

The cabinet doors are back too! Can’t wait to see them with the glass we picked. It’s going to be beautiful once it’s all done!
Today the primer went up on the ceiling and tomorrow the crown molding will go up. Behind that crown molding will be LED strip lights. They come in a reel and you just stick them down. Here’s what they look like:

It’s amazing that this reel of lighting will give us a ton of extra light in the kitchen! And we’re making them dimmable so we can use it as soft lighting as well.
Then, once the crown is in, I get the fun job of painting it all. Wheee! Plus, our dishwasher has now been ordered and will be delivered on Friday. At some point, the electrician will be coming in to get the can lights installed as well as run all the wires. This construction zone is definitely a dirty area, but we’re doing our best to keep things as clean as we can. Plus, we’re enjoying the process of the project.
I love this kind of stuff!

As a reminder….this is what it looked like before

I had him make the area about 6 inches bigger to create a more even look

It’s already looks bigger!

Next, the last light will come out and the mud will come in…

It’s starting to come together….

What a difference already!
And once we get some lighting back in the kitchen, it will be even better!

First, the floor protection goes down…

At the same time, the fridge and stove arrives! It was amazing to watch how they brought the fridge into the house. The delivery guys just used straps and walked it in like it was nothing. Nuts!

My new fridge! We’ve kept the plastic on until it gets moved into it’s final spot. It’s going to temporarily live there until some other things get taken care of. The stove will not be installed until the countertops come in. That will be weeks yet so it will be hanging out waiting…..

We’ve prepared the desk area for the cabinet guys to come in and remove it. The lower cabinets will be adapted to fit into the spot where the old fridge used to be and soon this spot will be where the new fridge will live making for a much better work triangle.

Moved the microwave to the other side of the kitchen temporarily
Next day, the cabinet guys arrive and pull what they needed to start that process:

Desk and upper cabinets are out!

Upper cabinet doors are pulled to cut out panels in preparation for glass inserts
Next up….ceiling work!

Looking straight into the kitchen, here is what you see. Hello 1980’s! How about that dropped ceiling and fluorescent light? Lovely, right?

My sink area. A beautiful view to the backyard and lovely sunsets, but hard to move around in.

A decent amount of counter space overall in this kitchen but poorly laid out.

This weirdly open space is supposed to be…I’m not sure what. But this is where the dogs live during the day while we’re at work, so it’s okay for us.

And of course, every 80’s kitchen would not be complete without a desk…that NO ONE USES!
There are many changes coming…finally!