Our kitchen

Our kitchen is coming together- and true to the impatient child that lives inside of me- I've moved in. 

 I found a bunch of my vintage oil paintings & hung them above the sink as I've been planning to do for months and it makes me soooooo happy.  Yes, I know, there's still painting & electrical to be done & cabinets to attach, but my artwork is up.  I try to ignore the blue painter's tape, open electrical outlets & such and just focus on the finished parts of the kitchen.  (It works surprisingly well when you are cooking for the first time in 3 months!!! yay!!)

Our island- which will be covered in reclaimed wood from the Lorimer Workshop in Rhode Island- and topped in honed marble- will be finished in a few weeks.  For now, I got a piece of navy gingham oicloth to put over our plywood.  (I think I'm going to keep it for really messy days- ie kids' art & craft projects & pizza parties ;)

{Our contractors worked really hard to make our kitchen functional for us on Thanksgiving & stayed late -when I know they wanted to be at home with their families- getting the appliances hooked up the night before.  We did a turkey (rotisserie style ;) in the oven & are just so thankful for everything.  I know there are many out there who are dealing with storm damage & who are trying to piece back together their homes, which is really tough & our thoughts have been with them.}

Here's a photo of the main wall in the kitchen, where the range is (and hood will be)...


{I love my range.  I didn't think it was possible to love an appliance but I sort of do.  It looks good and cooks food faster than any oven/stove we've ever had before.  We've always inherited our appliances with our houses and so this house is the first time we've done research & purchased what we really want.  There is SUCH a difference, I had NO IDEA. Crazy.}

Here's a picture of a beef (before we cooked it) on Saturday for some friends...


Now, more about this range.  (The Smeg Opera--- discontinued but I was able to find one.  There is a newer model available, but as far as I've been able to tell, it doesn't come with the rotisserie function.  BUT...  there are stands you can buy to put in any convection oven to make rotisserie-style food.)  It's Italian as was pointed out to me.  (I thought it was Australian because in my serach for rotisserie Smegs, I could only find them on the Smeg Australia site so I got completely confused.)  BUT-  THIS THING IS AMAZING.  Again, I've never purchased my own appliances before and I've never cooked on any high-end appliances before so what I'm comparing it to is generally the lowest available range from Home Depot, but hot damn!!  It's crazy!!! 

We overcooked the scrambled eggs on the first morning because we didn't know eggs could even cook that quickly.  We turned around & they were done.  (We had gas burners at our last house too but this one has much higher BTUs I guess...  I got it because it was pretty. ;)  (And came with good reviews.)



I searched for hours for this thing and looked at lots of different brands- all online- before coming to my decision.  I wanted an affordable professional style range (which for us, ruled out many of the higher-end brands like Wolf or LaCanche- MY DREAM ;) that looked good & had good reviews.  Having a rotisserie function was something on my dream wish list and I pretty much flipped out when I found one that had it all.  (To check out some more ranges I found that looked good, go here.)

I am really liking some of my other appliances too, so when I get the chance, I'll post on them too. 

And finally, just wanted to share a quick pic I snapped (when I was in my Norman Bates rocker holding the baby this morning) out our loft window...  Watching the sunrise with the boys has become one of my favorite things...  It's so peaceful and recharges me somehow:



I hope your Thanksgiving was special & that you find some quiet time in the holiday whirlwind we're now entering into!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

19 comments:

Cricket said...

I too used Lorimer for my kitchen/dining table. He is such a pleasure to work with- David came personally to deliver the table to us! Looking forward to seeing the kitchen completed!

Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns said...

Lauren,

You make me laugh, I love that you put your art up in your kitchen! I think they looks fabulous and if they make you feel at home then I say go for it!

Love the range, looks great. Funny you mentioned the BTU, we had the same experience when we got our new appliances, everything cooks so much faster. I love it.

I am excited to see all of your progress. Have a great week, Elizabeth

pve design said...

I love how you moved right in....even if things are not 100% complete. Looking good and our new oven really did help to make things taste better. It is the higher btu's - and funny, we thought our old oven was just fine....ha ha.
pve

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

Haha! I love that your artwork is up before the reno is complete. Something I totally get!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

Tawna said...

Can't wait to see the rest of it! And love the paintings....shelves don't need to be up before you display such things :).

EDYTA & CO. INTERIOR DESIGN said...

Love this! I bet it feels so good to see everything come into place :) I'm the same way, I just can't wait :)
Happy Week! xoxox

~Edyta
http://www.edytaandco.com/blog-4/

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Your art makes your kitchen home! I hearya on the great oven...I went the other way, had a great commercial one with a griddle...and now have a ridiculous glass one (no gas here)...Enjoy and experiment with it!

Annie Vincent Interiors said...

Such a big difference with the art amid the chaos! Your kitchen is turning out beautiful! Thanks for the review too on your new range, she is a beauty!

Windlost said...

hi lauren, looks like things are shaping up. we are not in our "forever home" yet, so i sent your range photos to david so we know what we can dream about haha.

it sounds like you are loving your new space (and light) and that is the important thing. it will be a delight to make it all perfect but it sounds perfect already in many ways...the happy factor is already there!

xo terri

Natalie said...

I know that wasn't written for me but I feel like it was :) thanks for answering all my questions and you might have swayed me to the smeg side!
Have a great week

Tiffany Leigh said...

I love that artwork! It looks so wonderful and adds so much charm to a newly renovated space! I can't wait to see it all done.

Unknown said...

All those artworks gave life to the kitchen. It's a great addition and very inspiring too. I want one of those grilling thing. It's so cool.
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Ms.A said...

What is the countertop? Also that photo you took is magnificent. Congratulations on your beautiful new home!

Lauren said...

Hi, Lauren. I love reading your blog because your style is natural, earthy and real. I think the last picture you took looking out of your loft window looks like the beautiful oil paintings hanging in your kitchen.

Blessings from San Diego,

Lauren

Unknown said...

I love the art you added in your kitchen. We always seem to add art last in our home for some unknown reason. lovely!

Maria Killam said...

You are always so good at posting the in-between shots. Love the art in your kitchen Lauren!
x
maria

Anonymous said...

I have recently discovered your blog and have fallen in love with it! Your kitchen looks like it is going to be fabulous, your style is so unique and interesting! Please post pictures when it is finished!

Liam x

Naomi@DesignManifest said...

love love love the art wall!!! It's going to be fab. CANT wait to see this island.

lori said...

Lauren- are you still loving your SMeg? After seeing this post I looked into them and I am planning on ordering the 48" for our remodel. If you have a chance let me know.
Thanks!