Kitchen Happening

French-kitchen

Our kitchen.

When you enter our home, you enter directly into the kitchen. This is what you see, a table, chairs, a black stove/oven, orange tiles, and a massive, wooden beam that borders the hood, over the stove/oven.

One thing is certain when you have an entrance that is a kitchen, you know what is cookin' and if the cook does the dishes.

Kitchen 

We are going to remodel the kitchen. We are going to change the 19th century orange tiles (I know, I know, how could I!!), add a black, granite counter (antique finish), replace the resin sink for one in inox, change the faucet and add Ikea cabinets. Plus we are going to lift the oven's hood because is so low, that even as short as I am, I hit my head on it nearly everyday.

Cafe au lait 

The main reason we are changing the kitchen is because I want something more practical, user friendly. I would like to have cabinets where I can actually store basic kitchenware, instead of having to walk to the other side of the house to grab a bowl for my cereal. 

I feel a ting of guilt taking out the old tiles, but not enough to stop me from doing it.

Most of all because I cook twice a day, nearly everyday for our family and friends. (The nearest fast food in our town is the bakery, and one can only eat so many baguettes, until one becomes a baguette. As for restaurants the nearest is at least a twenty minute drive away.) Cooking is something I do, and on a counter top the size of large mixing bowl.

I guess I feel I need to defend my desire to redo our kitchen. 

Back&white 

My brother Mathew (a designer) told me, "A kitchen needs to be first and foremost practical." Amen brother.

My cousin Judy said, "When you are cooking see what you need, what you use to cook and have it near you. Imagine where things need to go to make your kitchen work for you easier."

First, I need more than the three kitchen plugs that I have now. (One for the frig., one for the stove, and the other one is abused with every other thing.) I need at more plugs.

My cousin Doug (an architect) said, "If anyone deserves a new kitchen you do!" I repeat his words often to make me feel less guilty for diving into this project.

Annie-cooking 

(Annie cooking in my kitchen.)

The kitchen redo starts Monday. I'll give you one guess what I will be blogging about in the weeks to come.

1) How to cook in the bathroom?

2) How to eat a baguette?

3) Ikea cabinets and granite?

4) How to live with dust?

5) The bet places to eat in Provence?

6) When is it time to take a holiday?

Let the fun begin!



Comments

53 responses to “Kitchen Happening”

  1. Jend’isรจre

    Pot au feu in the new bathtub? That explains why you redid that room first.

  2. Christine

    HI Carey – looking forward to your adventures in the coming weeeks. Good luck with the renovation – your cousin Doug was right, no one deserves this more than you do. No need to justify.
    Let the fun begin!
    Christine

  3. Cristina

    Good for you Corey. Don’t feel guilty have fun. Get the kitchen you always wanted and enjoy the process. Cristina

  4. Can’t wait to see the final outcome….you deserve it Corey!!!

  5. Way to go Corey. I know EXACTLY what you mean about a kitchen needing to be practical. After 12 years in my VERY unpractical kitchen I’ve almost quit cooking:-)
    I’m slowly giving mine a lift. Won’t be perfect but a little better and definitly more fun to look at. I am ready to start putting my greys on my walls, wish me luck! I keep thinking how you said it took 20000 hours! I feel like it’s been that long just getting it ready for the grey paint, now I have that much longer?!!
    Good luck with your kitchen, can’t wait to ‘watch’ your progress;-)
    Jill

  6. I cannot wait to watch!

  7. I will not criticize your decision to redo your kitchen ever again. I have wanted to do my kitchen since we moved to this house 23 years ago. Everyone I mention this to says–oh, but it’s so wonderful. I love your kitchen. I see the old cherry cabinets that need refinishing. I hear the drawers that grind and squeak when pulled open. And I feel the cold that comes through the windows in the winter. But it is a charming kitchen. And one reason yours is so great, is because of all the wonderful things you have filled it with that say, this is me! I can’t wait to see the completed kitchen.

  8. Love you
    Happy Mothers Day
    Love Jeanne

  9. Betty M

    I’m happy for you Corey. Everyone deserves a great kitchen.

  10. Gail Sullivan

    Dear Corey,
    I must add a practical question. How can you leave this project and come to CA and plan on Harley riding this summer? Can you get this done before you leave?
    xoxo
    Gail

  11. Jend’isรจre

    You owe it to yourself and readers to have a practical kitchen. My mother-in-law in France has similar kitchen which is so impactical that she must kneel to get into her fridge, thus neglecting its contents.
    Could you leave just a few of the original tiles, like those old painted ads remaining on sides of buildings? Sorry.

  12. OH, COREY!!
    My thoughts are with you! A new kitchen will be wonderful for you! rel & I are in the midst of a major bathroom redo- from top to bottom. The dust is EVERY WHERE!
    It will be great when we’re finished, tho!!
    D.

  13. I’m excited for you. Have fun, be creative, and I look forward to seeing the results.

  14. Congratulations, Corey. A new kitchen is the best.
    I look forward to seeing the progress. I am sure your kitchen will be beautiful…you have such great taste.

  15. Can’t wait to see the changes!

  16. I am new to posting but have been following your adventures for over a year. I had my kitchen redone in an 1870s house and it took 3 months. They found 3 chimneys hidden in the rafters. I set up a make shift kitchen on the porch but had to do dishes in the bathroom. Good luck.

  17. what a fun project…i do love the look of your kitchen now though(but i understand needing function)..that table & chairs is great…the cabinet with dishes …i’m sure you will be cooking lots in your new bathroom! happy mothers day!

  18. Wow, it’s going to be a few fun-filled weeks for you, but I can see it’s going to be worth it! Our last English house was just up the road from a traditional Fish’n’chip shop, and we ate so many of their meals when we were moving in that we didn’t actually WANT to eat any more for about a year afterwards! Enjoy your baguettes….

  19. Corey,
    Yes, a kitchen is a working room where aesthetics are secondary. We reno’d (is that a word?) our kitchen last year and here are my suggestions, as with all advice, take it for what it’s worth:
    We installed granite and I hate it. It’s tough to keep clean. It is always streaky. It’s porus and catches stuff (think flower in all those tiny cracks). And, despite being a natural igneous rock, it doesn’t take heat well and can crack. It also required resealing annually. Bleh. When I move into my new old house, I want to put in soap stone. Yes, it does scratch easily but that’s part of the beauty. It’s non porus, impervious to heat, and cleans up with soap and water. And only needs to be treated with mineral oil for upkeep (every 2 yrs or so).
    Set up a “temp kitchen” somewhere. Toaster oven, bucket for dishes, microwave/toasteroven/hot plate if you can.
    Patience is a virtue!
    Good luck. Having a new kitchen is very exciting!

  20. Good luck to you! I’m so happy you will be getting just what you want. Is there any way you can incorporate those vintage pumpkin colored tiles into your new kitchen?
    Emily

  21. Marie-Noรซlle

    I like that idea of the “pot-au-feu in your antique and as-heavy-as-four-elephant bath tub !!! ah ah… (good, Jend’isรจre !)
    By the way, did you have baths in the kitchen sink ???

  22. kimberlyhope

    six weeks on a Harley will seem like a breeze! Sending good wishes for an easy and speedy redo!

  23. How very exciting! We did our remodel nearly two years ago and I still absolutely adore how it turned out! I designed it myself based on what I needed to work. Ours was also incredibly impractical and now it is marvelous!
    http://mimicharmante.blogspot.com/2009/04/lens-love.html
    Bonne Chance!

  24. Niki Weippert

    Think of it as an excuse for not cleaning the rest of the house! The dust settles everywhere and you might as well wait until it’s all over. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!! I’ve been through several kitchen remodels and you have to breathe deeply and just try and relax. It won’t last forever.
    Niki

  25. Marilyn

    You absolutely deserve a kitchen that you feel comfortable in and one that works for you! I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with you. ๐Ÿ™‚
    I do hope that you will be able to re-purpose (if possible) some of the elements that you will be removing from your kitchen because you have some really charming pieces there.
    Marilyn (in Dallas)

  26. I’ve been down the road of one electric outlet and a counter the size of a postage stamp……I’m feelin’ your pain, sistah.
    Don’t settle for less than what you really want and most of all, have fun !!!!!

  27. martina

    You definitely deserve and need a new kitchen! Do you have an electric teakettle? Very handy to have if the kitchen will be out of commission for a while. How did you come up with the glass cover cloche dish holder? Sounds like maybe the pizza shed will get a lot more use in the next couple of months!

  28. Corey:
    Where will the coffee pot be while this going on? French press?
    Please e-mail me so I know what you want for your prize.
    peace Girlie
    carole

  29. msmezzo

    ooo, renovation! I can’t wait to read all about it. How about saving some of the tiles to use as trivets, spoon rests, or perhaps in the garden somehow? I know a a lot of them will be broken in the process, but some will come out intact, and saving them sounds like something you might want to do! Have fun!

  30. Jeanette

    Cory I just finished my kitchen remodel! I love my kitchen and am now trying to put thing back….this is hard because it is our busy season at work (planting rice). So I am doing a little every evening slow and steady it will get done. The DUST is horrible we put plastic up, but it is still in every room of the house. At this point I don’t know what I want more everything in is it place or ceciling to floor cleaning!??!! I love my new kitchen! Last night (Wed) was the Little Miss Lamb Derby and Sarah handed the cape over to the new Little Miss Lamb Derby 2009! Sarah’s words as we are leaving Memorial Hall “I am glad I gave the cape to her.(I look at her funny) Mom that thing is hot I was sweating and it is heavy too!” A big laugh and hugs! Done with Lamb Derby almost still have parade on Saturday. Now she starts her journey as a second side maid up to Past Queen in the Chico Fest this is a four year commitment….but when she is Queen her little sister will be ready to be in the drawing then the process will start all over again for Big Queen!(Oh Lord this might be a 13 year commtiment for both to get though LOL) It is fun and the girls enjoy it alot. Plus Dad and Mom like it because we don’t have to wait in the long line in the heat to eat! LOL

  31. Corey, no need to defend your decision – just because something is from the 19th century does not mean it has a place in your home! It isn’t as if the tile is in it’s original setting…and to have set it in two ugly rows like that??? So, onwards, and trust your taste ๐Ÿ™‚

  32. You deserve to have it just the way you want. Maybe you can save the tile pieces for a mosaic piece in the garden …a pot, table or birdbath?

  33. Loretta

    More power to you, Corey! You may be getting rid of 19th c tiles, but let’s face it, just because something is old doesn’t it mean it was design worthy even at the time. I have no doubt that your kitchen will be a gorgeous, stylish, and very vintage French.
    Can’t wait to see it and get some ideas!

  34. Corey, I love your kitchen now and I especially love the silver domes. We attend an auction here in Toronto full of merchandise that comes containerized from France. I’ve bought dining chairs, amazing postcards, cutlery, plates. It only happens a couple of times per year unfortunately.
    Your blog is great. Just found in through French Blue

  35. It is your kitchen,do what you want, without guilt. I mean, some 19th century cook isn’t in there doing all the cooking, is she? Or he? Nope. You are. So, it is yours, do what makes you happy. GUILT-FREE. This is my new mantra…no guilt, no guilt,no,guilt……..Too bad it took me 51 years to figure it out!
    Julie @
    thekitschentable

  36. Corey
    Not too shabby for a Mother’s Day gift–
    The Heart of the Home– your kitchen
    Your marriage has survived many tests, & your most recent bathroom adventure, I take it everyone in the house loves the “new” bathroom—
    Now on to a bigger test for the marriage — remodeling, “the Kitchen”…
    Using your outdoor oven –nice ,,,tasting the cuisine at your friends houses–Yum Eating out sounds enjoyable,,,,,,you can tell us which ones to try when we visit France….
    Happy Mother’s Day
    Joanny

  37. It won’t be fun but just think of how nice it will be when it is all over. I hope you enjoy your new functional kitchen.

  38. Linda Hanselman

    IKEA how could you?!???

  39. Hi Corey,
    I am totally with you on the practical for cooking kitchen. I too cook everyday, (mostly from “scratch”) and usually run 2 loads of dishes through my dishwasher. I washed dishes in a pan in the bathtub while we remodeled. I suggest grilling outside as much as you can stand to eat!
    Can’t wait for the transformation!

  40. I would love to read them all from #1 to #6 ๐Ÿ™‚
    Good luck with remodeling!
    Irina

  41. I agree, practical is best. In the last 6 years I have lived in 3 different kitchens, in 3 different houses, one too small, with only one outlet, one too big with enormous counters, and this one now, which is perfect. I cook so much more now, because I can get at everything easily. The more outlets, the better, and good lighting, and lots of it, so you can see what you are doing. I don’t have a vent, which I wish I did, when I cook bacon the whole house smells of it for weeks…good luck to you!

  42. Good luck with the kitchen redo, Corey.
    We did ours 4 years ago. The best thing we did?….put in an oversized really deep sink. The worst?……too much counter space. Yes, you heard correctly, too much. Things start to, shall we say, pile up.
    Our trip to Paris was pure magic. We loved every moment….plus, the weather was perfect. I got to the Vanves market with Tara. I just posted what I purchased, in case you are interested. It was more expensive than I thought it would be. I could have spent days there……I just had shoulder surgery when we returned, so I have to wait to make something with everything…..I am not a patient person…… Thank you for all of your suggestions.
    -Karen

  43. Corey, yes it is lovely as is but not very practical unless you put in an enormous island where your table stands and use only your dining room. I love the orange tiles (one of my favorite colors) but sometimes change must happen. I know that you won’t make the mistake that most Americans do. Why on earth do they want spices above their stove where the heat will diminish their flavor? You do such a marvelous job of remodeling that I know it will be stunning!

  44. I know this is a silly question to ask when you’re in the middle of a kitchen re-do, but I got to reading out on a tangent on your blog and came across the post about the Chocolate Kisses … is that recipe written somewhere on your blog that’s hiding from me? If not… can you share it with us? (: Vicki

  45. Elaine L.

    Remodeling a kitchen is hard, messy work, but when it’s done, you’ll be so jubilant.
    I can’t wait to see your photos as you progress.
    ~elaine~

  46. Charles

    My first question was going to be: You have Ikea in France? But then I was thinking, France is way closer to Sweden then the U.S. (OK I just looked it up and Ikea has taken over the entire world.
    OK… Second question: Are you getting a dishwasher?
    I guess a twenty minute drive isn’t that bad to eat out. I’m looking forward to hearing about the places you’ll be eating out at in Provence and of coarse your remodeling!
    I never said, but your washroom turned out GEORGOUS! I love iron claw tubs! The fact that the French have a separate toilet room from the washroom is ingenious. Now I can’t stop thinking how gross it is that we Americans do the dirty in the same place we wash. Ick! I guess we really know how to rough it huh?
    Vive Marie Antoinette!

  47. I want to hear more about #5 & 6! And the remodel, of course!

  48. Julie Ann Evins

    All of the above I imagine. I shall watch with interest as I did your bathroom. Will particularly look forward to your critique of Provencal restaurants. The necessity to eat out will be an extra hidden perk of the building work ! I predict that when this phase is complete we shall see some more recipe blogs and I shall also look forward to that. I adore your recipes and the way you write them, Jx

  49. Been there – done that! We did our kitchen about 10 years ago. It was supposed to take about 2-3 weeks. Try six! I didn’t think I would ever eat at Taco Bell or Sonic again!
    Someone earlier commented about a deep sink – I have to agree. We put in an extra deep sink and it was my favorite part of the kitchen. I really miss my sink here in this apartment with the ‘maybe’ 5″ deep sink. ๐Ÿ™

  50. Just can’t wait to see…. XO

  51. what style Ikea cabinets are you getting I started to redo my kitchen here in Taiwan last fall, and I’s still no done.I’ll take your old tiles cant find anyone one who imports that style to taiwan
    Kevin

  52. Keep us posted! Can’t wait to see the finished product! I never pictured you as an IKEA cabinet girl?!? LOL.

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