26 February 2009

Unfitted

Until recently I was unaware that my general distaste for upper kitchen cabinets is part of a concept called the unfitted kitchen. Basically, the idea is to opt for furniture or furniture-like cabinets. Open shelving often replaces wall cabinets. Free-standing cabinetry lets them become part of the architecture and design rather than a stuck-on, applied afterthought. In my research, I realized that most of the pictures I'd gathered had very few if any upper cabinets, but almost always had an old hutch or armoire. It may sound strange, but it looks good and seems to be functional, too. It just so happens that as big as my kitchen is (ok, so it's enormous - about 350 square feet), there's not a lot of space for wall cabinets anyway.

I can't wait to hear what snarky comments the weekend help has to offer about this concept.

And also, I'm thinking this will work in the bathroom, too. Here's a picture I found before I knew about the "unfitted" thing:

I'm not going to dish out the cash for console sinks, but there are some really nice pedestal sink options that are quite affordable. And I'm almost positive that I can find a beautiful dresser at a junk shop in town for much less than it would cost to buy new cabinets. If my taste in dressers ever changes, a freestanding piece like this is much easier to replace than standard cabinets. We'll have about 4 free feet to work with between sinks if we go this route, so I'm sure to have a few options.

Or am I just talking crazy?

17 February 2009

Fancy schmancy

I don't think I ever mentioned the beautiful (although dirty) chandelier that was left with the house. I'm not sure exactly where it was installed originally, but I do know I'd like to use it again in the house if possible. Here's a (really bad) picture of it. Like I said, it's really dirty, and I was trying to hold it with one hand and take a picture with the other.


The obvious spot for it is the dining room, but I don't know yet if we'll have a formal dining room or not. What about the master bathroom? Code prohibits a chandelier hanging directly over a bathtub without a minimum of 8' of clearance, but just beyond the rim of the bathtub is alright. And of course it would add a romantic touch to the master bedroom, but I had planned on a ceiling fan there instead. Any thoughts?

PS. I plan on cleaning and rewiring the chandelier soon-ish, so I'll be sure to put up some more pictures after she gets a bath.

16 February 2009

Hole in the wall

Actually, it's a hole in the ceiling. Last weekend we framed out the opening for our eventual spiral staircase into the attic room.


I love that you'll be able to see the staircase through the front windows, especially coming from the west (left in the picture). Opening up that spot in the ceiling also lets each area "borrow" light from the other.

This week, I'll be finishing the insulation in the master bedroom and hanging the recessed lights. With that done, we'll be just about ready for drywall. That will be a happy day.