First, I had to locate a replacement fridge that would fit in the existing hole specifically one that was the right width and depth. I had more freedom with height because the Sub Zero was so tall with the vent on top, most refrigerators aren’t that tall. I found what I needed in this fridge,

This fridge got great reviews and it didn’t break the bank even though it was counter depth. After shopping around and considering shipping costs, I found that Sears had the best price (by a small margin). I ordered it online and had it delivered to my local Sears store because fortunately I have a regular crew at work here with a truck and some muscle to pick the appliances up and deliver them to my house.

After ordering the fridge and knowing the dimensions, I met with my cabinet guy Bradie at Quality Cabinet Company, to discuss building a cabinet to fill the void that the Sub Zero vent left over the new fridge. He had to make an exact copy of the door design of the existing cabinets. I took several pictures of the upper cabinet doors, emailed them to Bradie and he got to work.

This is what we started with, here’s the old girl hard at work.

A closer shot of the vent on top.

The crew wrestled this very heavy and very tall Sub Zero out of the space but not without a little drama. They accidentally pulled the unusually short water line to the ice maker free and water starting squirting everywhere and fast –so we knew our water line had great pressure.

The installers from Quality Cabinet Company arrived and got to work placing the cabinet in the existing hole. The installation took much longer than I anticipated because the guys had to adjust the cabinet and the trim around the cabinet several times, adding thin pieces of filler and sanding here and there to get the perfect fit.

But by that afternoon the cabinet was in and it was time to move the fridge in the house and push it in to it’s new spot. It glides right in and I’m ready to celebrate but then Joseph says “Miss Sarah, we’ve got a problem”. We realized quickly that the doors wouldn’t open 90 degrees. After some minor adjustment the door still wasn’t opening and we couldn’t get the drawers open. The baseboard was impeding the doors from opening wide enough so the crisper drawers could in turn pull out.

So let’s cut the baseboard.

And we did and the door opened a bit more but not enough to get the drawers all the way out. So we had to cut it some more and that finally did the trick. After a a days work this is what we ended up with,

It really looks like it was always there and the cabinets are a perfect match.

And we actually have ice and filtered water dispensed right from the fridge, big time!

Beginning at the early stages of planning the kitchen for the Grout Cottage project I knew I wanted to do gray lower cabinets and white upper cabinets. These were the images I often referenced.

But before those finish decisions are made I needed to layout the kitchen and with the help of my cabinet maker, Quality Cabinet Company we got it done.

I tried to turn the corner with the cabinets and build the fridge in next to the window but we just couldn’t make it work. This was the kitchen in Apartment A after it was all primed.

Although we have a small pantry, we were really only working with the back wall of cabinets.  The appliances and a double sink took up most of the counter space there so we needed an island for both counter space and additional cabinet and drawer storage. We needed a functional island and I think we got just that. I doodled those goofy bin pulls on there. The end caps and the other side of the island have shaker panels much like the dark grey island in the inspirational photo above.

Of course I would love to do a quartz countertop that mimics carrera marble but this is an apartment and I needed to remain mindful of costs. First, I priced out granite tiles with custom bullnose at my local tile showroom and found that by the time I paid for the material and labor I was pretty close to a solid surface granite. So I opted for Level 1 granite, a nice River White slab.

Initially I had my heart set on a brick floor in a herringbone pattern. I priced out the thin brick pavers for indoor application and it wasn’t outlandish but again adding the labor in was outside of the budget so I decided on some affordable 12×12 tiles in a neutral cream hue from Lowe’s with light grey grout to pick up the grey lower cabinets. For a bit of interest I asked the installer to lay the tiles in a brick pattern so it doesn’t look so much like a 12×12 grid. I always make a point to use TEC Power Grout especially in apartments/rentals because it’s stain resistant and you don’t have to seal the grout, trying to keep the grout looking fresher longer.

I really like Pottery Barn’s classic pendant collection and I like the price point and I thought it would be fitting to use the Edison bulb because of the age of the house. I wanted a bit of an industrial look and for a while I bounced back and forth between the white shade and a silver shade but finally purchased two of the Easton pendants to mount over the island. I chose the bronze cord as shown in the picture for some contrast in the white kitchen.

Because its a rental we can’t exactly install a Rohl bridge faucet so I opted for something a little unique, the Portland faucet at a great price from Overstock. Rounding out the details are classic bin pulls and knobs from Lowe’s and stainless appliances.

In the kitchen window above the sink was some stained glass in a 1980s replacement window that may or may not have been original to the house. Whether or not it was original it had been there with the house for many years so we decided to preserve it. After some discussion about creative ways to mount it to look as if it was part of the window, we decided the best/easiest thing to do was to re-frame it and suspend it in front of the top half of the window on a small chain.

Stay tuned…the painters are there today doing their final touch up. The downstairs apartment is about a week away from being photo ready.

via House Beautiful

You can find these at thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets etc. I just passed one up recently at an estate sale and I want to kick myself!

                                 -House Beautiful 

 

see the rest of their home here.

Tia Zoldan’s kitchen today, featured in High Gloss 

Zoldan made a few changes.

Still like it? Absolutely.

 

Do I need to explain why I love this, Canadian House & Home

double, light-filled shower, Nicola

that tile, very sweet, styling by Jessica Thomas

I’m a sucker for these black + white bathrooms, Canadian House & Home

this is easily one of my very favorite kitchens, Steven Gambrel

New England Home, photography by Michael Partenio

the fabric, good together also good alone, I need to know where its from, Sarah Richardson

I think about the piece of furniture in this picture a lot, Angie Hranowsky

this is an oldie but goodie, a long rustic library table, Martha Stewart Living

 

I’ve been helping Kristine a bit in both of these pursuits.  Kristine has chosen IKEA cabinets in the new Ramsjo door style, which is a shaker/traditional fusion. By electing to install IKEA cabinets she and Fred will save thousands of dollars without having to sacrifice quality.

Here is the space after drywall repair and floor installation,

Kristine completed the demolition herself to save money and when I say “herself”…I mean just her. She rented a dumpster and went at it! She hired a plumber and an electrician to come and terminate the connections and to relocate some of the plumbing and install recessed lighting. For the new floors, Kristine chose  4″ wide white oak which was continued from the kitchen in to the living area, down the hall and in to the master bedroom.

After Kristine and I talked through the layout using a measuring tape, a pencil, a calculator and a little painter’s tape, Kristine got to work and downloaded IKEA’s kitchen design software and begin putting the layout on paper. She and Fred travelled to IKEA and loaded it all up themselves. The couple is lucky enough to have a contractor friend who is experienced in installing IKEA cabinets. 

I have been encouraging Kristine along the way to wrap the island with wood. The reason why–because we (I’m) are shooting for a modern rustic, Southern California aesthetic. Kristine really had her heart set on white cabinets and so in order to warm things and play up the rustic vibe, I have suggested wrapping the living room side of the island in teak or another warm modern wood material. It also acts as a compromise between the natural finished wood cabinets I wanted her to get and the white kitchen she wanted.

Some images to illustrate,

Living Etc

Real Living Australia

Jeffrey Alan Marks, Elle Decor
 

Talking about replacing light fixtures with spray painted brass chandeliers from the thrift store. An easy find, and a good idea for renters, especially if you don’t break your landlord’s piece that you are gonna stash. It is a great way to replace some lacking style with your own cheap trick for the temporary.

I’ve created this AWESOME photoshop sketch to map some ideas for my new tiny kitchen.

As I plan a rental version of an update, I am wondering if a kinda tiny interesting chandelier is what needs to hang above the sink??? I like the idea of the ornate fixture being in a less expected location – rather than the trad placement over the dining table. Can you envision it here?

Eh.. I’m not totally sold…. just thinking of options…. Meanwhile, take a look at this great collection of spray painted chandies. (an image that i grabbed directly from Apartment Therapy). Yay!!

I also want my boyfriends to stack up a bunch of mis-matched vintage stereo speakers and line them up against a wall. I recall a time when Urban Outfitters had speakers all over their stores. I really loved the resulting aesthetic. I was just reminded of this by one of the blogs in my reader that I most love. There’s Something Hiding in Here.

Okay, just one more. We’ve talked about chalkboards and chalkboard paint quite a bit here at TEOT. Perhaps we’ve talked about it enough…. after this. Cause, I’m making up fantasies about what my boyfriends’ homes could be like, and I imagine that at least one of them should have a room that is fully painted as a chalkboard (like the boy from 500 Days of Summer). Then I can draw on it in my PJs when I go for sleepovers.