Riverview Redo

The Kitchen

The Kitchen is the heart of any home.  We build these big homes and when we have people over, everyone ends up in the kitchen!  The before images of our kitchen included the original oven from the 1970’s!  That oven would preheat like nobody’s business but it was not big enough to cook a Thanksgiving turkey(not that I would ever attempt that because that is what my mom and mother in law are for).

The original electric range top was there too.  The kitchen had a breakfast area and a kitchen desk so there was a lot of space to work with when we started the rebuild.  I had lots of pictures of kitchens that I had saved and the key items that I hoped to have were- a six-burner gas cooktop, double ovens, a large island that could seat 4 because we have 4 kids and my wish list items were a full size refrigerator and separate full size freezer.  With a family of 6, we can fill up a regular refrigerator pretty quickly.  I really hoped to be able to make sure we had plenty of storage throughout the home and food storage was no exception.

I sat down with both our architect and a designer that helped me with the entire process.  This is a time to surround yourself with the smartest people you can possibly afford and let them help you.  With a kitchen, you have to consider how you work in it.  I think most people are familiar with the old triangle rule- you want to be able to access your cooktop and sink without walking around something.  I wanted my kitchen to look good but I also needed it to function well.

One of the first decisions I needed to make is whether to have a large, professional range which would include the 6-burner cooktop, griddle and one large oven and a second smaller oven OR choose to have the professional range top and two separate full size wall ovens.  This is a function over form decision.  I do cook in my kitchen.  I do use my ovens often in my kitchen.  In our previous home, we had double wall ovens and a separate cook top.  I liked having the two full size ovens.  We were in a rental before we started the rebuild and it had a professional Wolf range in it.  It was gorgeous.  When I tried to cook with both ovens, you needed special size pans for the second oven and the larger one took what seemed like forever to preheat so it was only because I got to test drive the professional range that I decided against it.  I chose function and went with the 2 wall ovens and professional range top.  I do not regret my decision at all!

In choosing to have the professional range top and not the full range, I am able to put in four drawers for pots and pans and I love having that storage in that spot!

I see lots of people put really cute, decorative plates above their cooktops or a nice picture but with four kids, my world is ruled by what time I have to be somewhere to pick someone up or drop them off so I have a clock where it can be seen from anywhere in the kitchen!

The original breakfast area was very small and could not handle a table large enough for our family.  We actually put an addition across the entire back of the home and one of the benefits of doing that was gaining space for a proper table.  We added tons of windows to increase the amount of natural light the home has in it.  I choose not to cover them up on our main floor with any sort of window covering because we paid a lot of money for those windows and that light and I am not about to cover it up!

The table was made by a friend of mine too so that makes it even more special in our home!

I was able to get my wish list items. These were a now or never type thing.  Sometimes, when you are faced with a building decision, you can try to put items into a “Now or Never” box or “We can do it later” box.  Let’s be honest.  The “we can do it later” box rarely is ever opened again once you go through this process so if you really want something included in the remodel/build/rebuild, my advice is to find a way!

I really wanted the full size refrigerator and freezer.  It was my one splurge for the home.  Subzero makes a kind that when you put the cabinet fronts on them, you really cannot tell what they are.  It’s fun having a baby sitter over for the first time.  It’s like Where’s Waldo when a kid asks for a glass of milk.  The other item that was both a form and function item that I really wanted to incorporate is a place to hide all the uglies.  The “uglies” are my coffee maker, toaster, microwave oven and all of their accompaniments. With one wall, we were able to secure everything in one spot.

Monty, show me what’s behind door number 1!

Monty would have actually opened Door Number 3(Let’s Make a Deal for anyone under the age of 30) and that would have been our refrigerator.  Door Number 2 is the freezer.  Door Number 3 is the cabinet we use to hide the uglies.

I did not see the need for a fancy built-in microwave and this cabinet holds my Target microwave and the Keurig coffee maker.  We have a simple toaster too.  Nothing fancy about it.  The top drawer is sized for a warming drawer.  The bottom holds large items and extra baking sheets.

I’ll update this with the rest of the kitchen pictures including the island and the rest of the cabinets later.  Right now, mom duties call and I have to go pick up my kids.  Thanks for reading!

The rest of the main floor tour is here on this post- https://riverviewredo.com/2016/09/24/main-floor-tour