Renovation - June 29

We are getting closer to the end. Yesterday and today brought us a lot closer to the finish line. Our new refrigerator was put in place and a green panel replaced the cabinet that was in the original design. I am kind of glad the other refrigerator didn't work out because this one looks so much better.

In addition to the main refrigerator, we have two refrigerator drawers that we will use for beverages next to the bar (which isn't installed yet).




















The hood was installed yesterday. It is made by Faber. I liked it because it isn't big and bulky like some hoods are. It has 4 bright halogen lights and 3 fan speeds. It vents to the outside.





The faucet was put on the kitchen sink at the end of last week.


The steam oven is in, but they are having some issues with the trim kit that are yet to be resolved. Here is what it looks like inside. There is a container (on the right) for water and many steamer bins to hold the food.

I can't remember if I talked about the induction cooktop by Miele. It heats up the pans using magnetic energy, so we must use pans that are magnetic. But otherwise, it is very similar to electric but has the favorable qualities of a gas stove. There is no warm-up time for the burners. You can adjust them instantly to a new temperature, like gas, and when you turn off the burner, it is instantly off. In fact, you can put your hand on the burner after it has been on high and you only feel the residual heat left over from the pan. Only the pan heats up, not the cooktop. This is nice because food cannot burn onto the burners. Here is a link to watch a demonstration:

http://www.hgtv.com/videos/induction-cooking/9488.html

Also installed today were the Shoji screens in the dining room to hide my entire wall of storage. They can glide back and forth and nest behind one another. I think we will have a small tv inside so we can watch the news in the morning when sitting at the table, or when doing craft projects and things.





Annie finished painting the musical staff that my dad made and we hung it on the wall in the entry way. We also hung the picture that we bought in Middlebury in April on the wall in the dining room.


There is a roll-top hiding a cubby with outlets and a phone jack that we will use to keep cell phones and things that are charging out of sight. I really want a clean, uncluttered kitchen.



And a cabinet with vertical storage:



Here is my trash and recycling bins (I used to recycle in a paper bag under my sink)




And a personal favorite - the baking center. I am short so I find it hard to roll out pies and cookie dough on the counter. I used to use my kitchen table, but our new table will be wooden (instead formica) so I needed a lower counter area. But I didn't have room for a really large island. We designed a pull-out baking counter that extends the low counter-top for baking and pushes in when not in use. The cabinet below the counter is on wheels. I love it! It actually extends much farther than the picture shows, but it is not finished yet and we cannot extend it all the way, but you get the idea.



That's all for now! Annie and I are headed to the William Sonoma Outlet in Wrentham, MA later in the week to look for odds and ends.