let's see what's cookin'

We definitely put the "labor" into Labor Day by continuing our kitchen remodel. The previous owners made their own "custom" cabinets from some scrap wood, and tried to go for a classy look with a paper trim on the walls:

One of the first things we did when we moved in was to rip off the horrendous cabinet doors and cover up some of the eye-soreness with new paint:

I thought the cheery green color was not too bad, but Susan outlined some of the things she'd rather do to herself than have to look at it for an extended period of time. The kitchen was to be one of the primary post-France projects, and we kicked it off a week or two ago.

IKEA helped us out big time, and we had the whole thing planned out in their design tool (give or take a few inches here or there). As the first step, I hacked off a good portion of the island, and moved the fridge to its new home. As the sweet-looking hole in the wall indicates, I need to run some wiring for a new outlet and the microwave that will go where the door is now:

Moving right along. Days later, first pieces of wallboard that so cleverly imitate tile are up, and the wall cabinets are beginning to take shape. You can also see some under-cabinet lights hanging out, unattached:

Here's where we are today:

The range is relocated and rewired (although we'll have to get a new one, this beast is way too old), the microwave/exhaust fan combo is operating with no trace of electrical connections anywhere, and the old cabinets are completely gone. The center island is slated for demolition, but we'll keep it around until I can hook up the plumbing under the new sink, to be placed in the middle of the long wall under a window that we're installing. To put it differently, much work remains, but we hope to be able to use the kitchen in at least some capacity while we work on it.