Revelations and Renovations
I spent a great deal of my weekend thinking about blogs since I am the first person to contribute to the Nicely Done Kitchens blog. Let me explain that first, I had to read a blog since I haven’t done so before. My 14-year-old son can’t believe we are biologically related since his whole world revolves around computers. As for me, I feel like the Susan Boyle of the blogosphere: a diamond in the rough when it comes to technology. Now that I have a taste of what’s out there, I think this will be a snap. I’ve written poems, letters and journals over the years and this will just be an extension of my creative thought process.
As a long time Interior Designer, I had done commercial work but only starting designing kitchens after I decided that I wanted to remodel my own house. I talked to a couple of kitchen firms, looked at their designs, and realized the world of kitchen design needed my help! Two years – and multiple plans later – I was ready to set my plans into motion. My plan was to move the laundry upstairs, cut back a wall, move the refrigerator as well as the range, and add proper ventilation. I also wanted to add a classic, timeless look to my home.
The renovation process went smoothly (translation: we managed to survive) for the most part and we bonded as a family over the electric frying pan and microwave We even hosted Easter that year, in the basement, with the help of family and friends. We were encouraged by the daily work progress and the elimination of our tired, lime green Formica countertop. Lime green made a comeback a couple of years ago and I had to chuckle – thirty years is a long time to live with a trend.
Eventually, we completed the project and were able to move back into our beautiful new kitchen. Not only did I get a real sense of the whole kitchen remodeling process, I have used my own experiences repeatedly when working with other people on their projects since then. My only regret? Not having the work done two years earlier when I first had the idea.
