In 2007 the kitchen was professionally remodeled. The existing original 100% real wood cabinets were painted, and a few new cabinets were added that were custom built to match the old ones. That way all the cabinets would be solid real wood. The cabinets were professionally painted, and the paint they used was an industrial oil paint. Even though the cabinets are white, marks and spills wash off very easily, so it's easy to keep them clean. The cabinets were also fitted with new invisible hinges, and under cabinet lights.
The insides of two of the lower cabinets also got a make over with custom built sliding drawers and shelves for better organization and storage.
Pull out shelves under glass cook top |
The Kitchen has a Lazy Susan, and added during the remodel, a pull out trash and recycle bin right next to the sink.
During the remodel, the pass thru bar area between the kitchen and dining area, was turned into a full kitchen island that has a wall oven, and an extra cabinet and drawers for more storage. With the addition of the large granite counter space on top, it's a nice space for baking.
As shown in the above picture, a space was created for the fridge to slide back into next to the pantry and a deep cabinet was added above. The space has two small wall sections that could be removed in the future to accommodate a little bit of a larger sized fridge if needed.
Next to the fridge is the pantry, it's a very nice size and with shelves and a little cabinet inside, it also has a space behind the fridge large enough to store an upright vacuum, brooms, and mops.
Kitchen Pantry |
Area behind the fridge in the Kitchen Pantry |
Another custom feature added, was two little pull out spice cabinets on either side of the vent hood.
The wall oven, dishwasher, glass cook top, and refrigerator, were all updated and new in 2007 they are Sears Kenmore and have a sleek black mirror finish. The dishwasher has special jets for cleaning pots and pans, the oven is self cleaning, the refrigerator has pull out shelves, ice maker and cold water dispenser. The glass stove top cleans easily and blends in nicely with the granite.
All of the kitchen counter tops are granite, and it is the traditional thick granite with an expensive decorative bevel edge, they were hand picked and professionally installed from a local stone company in Rockford, the color is Uba Tuba.
The kitchen floor is not your average laminate, it's a vinyl laminate, which is a newer product that is 100% waterproof. There are no liquid worries with snow, spills, or cleaning and it came with a 25 year warranty. You can leave the laminate in a bucket of water for a few days and it won't affect it. We know this because we tested it out before purchasing. Pet stains are also not an issue with this floor and it is fairly scratch resistant. The floor is floating, so it can easily be removed in the future, should someone want to install something else.