Details of new kitchen layout.
We’ve axed all kitchen cabinets on the wall housing the new mirror.
We are not moving them elsewhere.
They have ceased to exist.
I know this will not appeal to everyone… anyone?
But for me, once I visualized it this way, everything else stopped being a possibility.
It opens up this space dramatically.
If you missed it… we hid the refrigerator… if you want to see what the plan was before.
The mirror’s total height is 4” short of our 9’ ceiling. We are going to mount it all the way up… resting on a narrow base, same way we have mounted our other giant mirrors, and the entire thing will be flush against the wall.
But this time the base will be fancy! MADE OUT OF MARBLE! (shh, don’t tell Paul! a surprise for him!!) Also because we have 57,000 tons of marble in our garage.
Right now, because the glass of the mirror is sitting on the floor and leaning back at an angle, it reflects a lot of the ceiling… once we’re ready to put the mirror in place, it will reflect the room straight on; the piano island, and some of the living room windows.
the piano island will be lengthwise!! NOT this direction!!
Now… before I get to what we ARE doing, I must acknowledge an idea.
A version of Pilar Guzman’s kitchen which is was! my end-all-be-all-kitchen-of-all-kitchens.
I feel so sad for her now!
Poor woman.
So we could do similar by using our mirror frame (sans glass) and bump it out like a built-in bookcase… line it in subway tile and add shelving.
Do I love that idea?
Sure!
But.
Self directed otherwise— we will use this as it has existed since 1875.
MAGNIFICENCE DOES NOT EXIST TO BE REPURPOSED.
MAGNIFICENCE STANDS ALONE.
*twitch twitch*
So.
What can I say?
I just work here.
If you are sad to see me abandon this idea! Consider this: floor-to-ceiling storage there loses appeal when I think of the view from any other angle… keeping that exterior wall/footprint streamlined/uninterrupted, I think for ME, is most appealing.
When I consider the visuals from the fauxsunroom area, I prefer keeping the entire room as open as possible.
Also, for REAL that would be an INSANE amount of storage! Far MORE storage than I need… but I’m going to leave that untouched for today because A- I’m going to do a post about storage… and B- I haven’t even gotten to the point of THIS post: inviting the internet to inform me of my stupidity and poor planning.
That’s it.
(plus island.)
I don’t know if half of you just died from how much you think this is a terrible idea… so I guess I’ll give you a second to resuscitate yourselves?
We will put an induction cooktop in the island.
Cabinet wall (pictured above) left to right:
22” base cabinet
27” base w/ wall oven <—super pumped to hear how much everyone loves this
30” apron front we already have our sink I did sort of revisit going down in size… but I have plenty of counter space, so it would only be to go bigger on the oven… which, is already big enough AND I want to stay as close to symmetry as possible.
24” dishwasher <— I would prefer if this were symmetrical to the wall oven cabinet, but I do not want to go any smaller with the oven… if you see some reason to swap, the current location is based on nothing but preferring to load the dishwasher on the right.
22” base cabinet
Obviously, there is still a lot to figure out but I am EXCITED!
And I know it is going to make you itch to not STORAGESTORAGESTORAGE. But maybe wait until I tell you my thoughts? or not… you know… whatever works for you.
The End.
This post lacks a conclusion… but there is none. yet. I’m just giving you information as I’m processing it. a,lso I am doing too many things at once and I still have one more thing.
BEFORE I GO I have something REALLY IMPORTANT to bring attention to… you all know that I am an ANIMAL LADY… and that CIRCUS ANIMALS HURT MY HEART SO MUCH.
This event begins tonight in Philadelphia… past years have included TIGERS AND ELEPHANTS… ELEPHANTS! IN 2018!
Contact the Potentate, at the Lulu Shrine temple and urge him to replace the circus with non-animal events!
Douglas H. Fink, Potentate, LuLu Shriners
5140 Butler Pike Plymouth Meeting PA 19462
Phone: 610-828-9050.
When I called a month ago they weren’t able to tell me exactly what animal events were coming… but I just called, and they have an elephant… a solitary traveling elephant.
The person who answered does not think there are tigers but they had them last year so we will see… I HAVE SIGNS FOR THEM TOO.
I truly believe that we humans are CHANGING and that if the people managing these events UNDERSTOOD this, they would reflect our evolving values! There are SO MANY amazing dance and acrobatic troupes in this area! Everything from salsa to aerial stuff! Many of them are talented KIDS!
But I think the people running the circuses don’t yet HEAR that there is a public desire to STOP seeing wild animals in cages pushed by humans dressed as clowns.
This is NOT entertainment. That is sick. Foul.
Not to mention idiotic.
No one wants to watch an elderly arthritic elephant proded around a ring.
We understand what we are seeing: grotesque cruelty.
If we use our voices, we can help… case in point: Nosey the elephant!!! THIS has haunted so many animal lovers for SO LONG… and because of VERY DEDICATED HUMANS, they freed her. Nosey hadn’t been allowed to walk free or socialize with other elephants in over three decades! Now she is safe.
But so many others need our help.
Here is a post I wrote about one traveling tiger act: Mitchel Kalmanson… I wrote an entire post about his grotesque heart-wrenching treatment of the big cats… NINE MONTHS ON THE ROAD AND THEY NEVER LEAVE THE TRAVEL CAGE. rotten food. open sores.
Here is another post to understand ways that BIG CATS SUFFER IN CAPTIVITY AND HOW WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
In the wild, tigers can travel up to 20 miles a day… In the circus, they live in tiny travel cages.
The unmitigated despair of this existence is horrifying to me.
LOUDLY for the animals,
🐯❤🐒🐾🦁
xoxo,
VEB
May 20, 2018 @ 8:38 am
We had a 10 month long kitchen rehab which during that time, we cooked on a portable induction cooktop on a card table in our parlor. I don’t know what you guys have been doing prepping/cooking wise during this renovation but I’m hoping it doesn’t cloud your judgement on the utility YOU really want in your kitchen. You may be making due with limited counter space now but can you foresee that as permanent? Lemme ask it this way, could you chop and can 100lbs of harvested kale in this layout? Yes? Then proceed with gusto.
May 21, 2018 @ 12:57 pm
I am late to the party, and if I wrote a blog, it would have to be named exactly that. It’s pretty much my state of being. That is a truth about myself I have learned. Here is another truth, which I will share with you. It’s your house. It’s your kitchen. Do what makes YOU happy. If that means a mirror on every wall, no cabinets, and cooking by campfire in your backyard, do it. THE END.
May 21, 2018 @ 7:15 pm
You know I love your GFT’s and your writing, but your layout does not meet code, the biggest improvement you could make in this kitchen is to match those windows, you have no venting for your stove and your going to have to do an interior surround on the bottom of the piano in order to hide your wiring. Good Luck the best rooms are ones you have to be innovative with!
May 22, 2018 @ 10:50 am
Random Question: Where’s the microwave going now?
Also, for workflow purposes, I would switch the dishwasher and oven. If I’m imagining this in my head correctly, the cooktop will be on the piano island, so when you’re at the stove cooking, your back will be away from the holy awesomeness mirror. Correct? If so, I’d put the oven closer to the side, so if you need to go back and forth between the two, you won’t have to walk around the entirety of the island to get to the oven. It seems like a small thing and not that big of a deal, but functionally, I think it would make a huge difference.
May 23, 2018 @ 3:54 pm
Your kitchen will mirror (get it?!) your overall style. If you think you will have enough storage then you will. And if for some reason you find you truly NEED more space for more stuff, you will add something. Much easier than over building it, filling it with things you rarely use and regretting it.
Keep up all your good work, especially in the animal support area; they cannot speak for themselves.
May 24, 2018 @ 8:47 am
This is lovely. I like the details of your new kitchen layout. Thanks for sharing this post.
May 30, 2018 @ 2:40 pm
I am totally with you telling us about the persistent use of Huge wild animals-kept in the most base cruel conditions- for the shallow amusement of a few hundred people per venue, but the ongoing existence of this abomination in the year of our Lord two thousand and eighteen is really beginning to piss me off! My former response was -my heart cracking,my soul wincing and complete bafflement at we- the human species- still tolerating this nonsense-this offencive rement of the old country fair where the galkers could see the fat lady,the 2 headed boy – etc. a crass cruelty for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver. It isn’t like the petty profit is worth this disgusting practice no matter how souless these owners must be. The SPCA- to prevent cruelty to animals was created before an organization to prevent cruelty to children. Isn’t this against our Laws in this a modern???? age. I am so mad I could spit. We humans must evolve to a kinder more gentle people if we are to survive and prevail into our future.. we can turn away from nastiness in general -and most people do- but today’s zeitgeist seems to be trending more and more to a blatant hostility.
Given the hair trigger nukes and every nation spending more and more lives and treasure on the art of killing I wish there was some way to see our small place (in a Universe that spans one hundred million light years) on a beautiful little planet and realize that the human race can only survive and thrive united in mutual care…any other course leads to mass extinction. Will we be the snake that devours its own tail? War is a lucrative business-there is no reason to fear one another, it is the leaders who gin up fear and the need for bigger and ever more expensive War machines. How do we head for happy for all? Only with a kind heart and a logical mind to resist divisive propaganda.
I doubt if this will be posted-if it were my blog I wouldn’t post it.
May 30, 2018 @ 6:11 pm
I feel like I shouldn’t comment because I would literally DIE for the aesthetic(tm), and thus would be nothing but gasoline fueling your mind fire, but…
I love it. Don’t forget, though, this is Crazy Person talking who doesn’t care about storage or anything else in that same boring neck of the woods.
The reason I’m commenting, though, is because I thought I might know a way to help (or make you ten times crazier, if you’re like me, which, yeah, but we’re all mad here, let’s pass around the fun). Instead of trying to draw up plans in Photoshop, you might try Sketchup. It’s free and I use it all the time to design insane houses that live only by the light gleaming from my incredibly warped view of my own income. But anyway. It’s pretty much just 3D drawing with distances, so you always know how things will look/fit before doing it in real life. But it’s okay if you don’t want to jump down that rabbit hole/endless pit of torture!
June 18, 2018 @ 5:29 pm
WHAT if you put the giant mirror in front of the refrigerator on hinges? Hidden fridge, glorious mirror plus you still get a whole wall of cabinets?
October 16, 2018 @ 12:29 pm
You go girl!! I LOVE the mirror in the kitchen, it’s a magnificent GFT and it should have a prominent spot in your kitchen. who needs more cupboards, besides, i didn’t even notice the two windows that are different heights because of the GFT Mirror. Your kitchen will be an awesome achievement when it’s done. I love all your mirrors, i have a thing for mirrors too, only not so large ones. We only have 8′ ceilings. The storage cabinet is beautiful, but like you said, keep the mirror the same as it’s been for since 1874 and repurpose another, i’m sure Craig’s list has many other mirror frames that are missing their glass.
Poor Circus animals, that must be a very sad existence. I am glad that you are protesting and trying to save them!