Saturday, October 1, 2016

A Tale of Two Kitchens


Just when I was almost ready to install the villa's lower-level ceilings, I made a disturbing discovery. I realized that when the ceilings were in, blocking much of the access to the back walls, I would be unable to reach in far enough to arrange all the tiny accessories that I needed on shelves, cupboards, and on the walls. My two previous styrofoam houses measure several inches less in depth than the Villa del Vigneto, so furnishing and accessorizing those rooms after completing construction hadn't been an issue. This was a new problem, and the only solution was to delay the ceiling installation and move on with accessorizing and partially furnishing the rooms. 




I decided to begin with the kitchen, since there were all those shelves waiting to be filled. Fortunately, I've been collecting kitchen things since before I began construction on the villa, so at least I was prepared for the premature "moving in." 



I had forgotten that I had SO MUCH STUFF packed away - all of it tiny, most of it slippery - and each piece required being secured in place with a dollop of sticky wax. That took much time and patience, and of course I loved every minute of it!



Well, I wasn't completely prepared to move in! I had all the pieces of kitchen furniture that I needed; but the hutch was unfinished, the table needed a different finish, and the icebox was damaged and needed new handles. I mended, refurbished, and refinished the pieces as necessary.



Here are the same furniture pieces after their make-over.



I found these very shiny chairs (the shine doesn't show so much in the photo) at an estate sale, but I can't remember where I bought the chopping block.



I aged the chairs and the chopping block along with an unmatched chair, a pie board, and a cutting board, but I forgot to take "before" photos of the last three items.



I first intended to only partially furnish the kitchen, but so many of the things would have been harder to secure (all the wall-hung pots, for instance) once the ceiling was in place. I finally decided just to do the whole thing and hope I don't make a mess of it when I install the ceiling. So I spent more time sticking down many more tiny things. (And I was still having a good time!)



A view of the hutch wall. I found the green platters in September during the annual Nebraska "Junk Jaunt" - 300 miles and 3 days of garage sales, including vintage, primitive, and antique items. The platters are slightly larger than scale, but I couldn't resist them. 



The sink wall and shelves from above.



A top shot of the hutch and the icebox...



...and of the range wall.

As you can see, the villa kitchen is very rustic and has not been modernized in keeping with the rest of the villa. Rudimentary plumbing has been installed, and electricity was recently added, but the old wood-burning stove and the outdated icebox have remained, at the insistence of Magda, the old cook who has been with the family for many years. Magda is an excellent cook, and if she chooses to nurse along the temperamental stove and deal with the regular deliveries of heavy blocks of ice, then so be it. Magda is a highly appreciated and valuable asset to the family; no one is willing to thwart her culinary preferences!

And so we will leave Magda to perform her wonders in the villa kitchen, while we move on to another time, another place, and another kitchen. 




Some of you may recall that I spent some blogpost time bemoaning the inconvenience of our real-life kitchen renovation. It wasn't even much of a renovation; the original kitchen is only eleven years old, so it wasn't necessary to change any of the appliances or cupboards. But my husband, like Magda, is the family cook, and an excellent one. Like Magda, he is the ruler of the kitchen; and I am not willing to thwart his culinary preferences! 



Robert's main preference was to have more preparation space. Our original countertops, shown above, consisted of a standard height counter abutted by a raised bar-height counter. Robert found that the raised portion prevented his "spreading out" as he worked. He also preferred to have more seating around the counter, since that's a gathering spot for friends and family while he cooks.



After the renovation, the new quartz countertop is not only flattened out but is slightly curved on the seating side, and is also 18" wider at the widest point. The end of the counter was also extended to allow room for two additional seats. Robert likes the backless stools as well; the space appears less busy. 



Another view of the four "old" bar stools. Our grandchildren (and sometimes adults, too!) were constantly banging the backs of the stools together as they swiveled. For my part, I was just thankful and relieved that there was still space to retain the loveseat in front of the window; that's my favorite corner to sit and sip wine when Robert is cooking. The space was intended for a "breakfast nook," but I prefer the loveseat to a table and chairs.



The six new stools swivel to adjustable heights, but they swivel so quietly! The color scheme for our very open floor plan in the kitchen, living room, and dining room is sage green (as you see on the walls,) deep red, and eggplant. We used an eggplant color to paint the new cabinet base. 



This is my "other" corner. Since I'm the clean-up lady, I admit that I spend as much time here as on my comfy loveseat. Robert is usually, but not always, a tidy cook. Sometimes it's a challenge to keep up with him. The above photo shows the old countertop.



This new view hasn't changed much; the sink is now under the countertop, which does make clean-up easier. The new faucet is taller than the old one, and the counter is now less cluttered and provides more working space. We moved all the coffee apparatus into the adjoining pantry, which now holds our coffee bar. 



Here is the old pantry - actually a mud-room sort of coat closet that I could sometimes keep organized. I sometimes lost control.



The folding doors on the closet were always at loggerheads with the door into the kitchen. 



The entire closet was torn out and the kitchen door removed. The above photo shows the new plumbing for the bar sink. Electrical outlets have been installed for the coffee makers.



All the old wire shelving was removed from the upper portion of the closet as well.



And at last we have a new coffee bar, which saves much space on the kitchen counters. There is also ample space to store many of our large pieces within easy reach and in plain view. No more searching, rummaging, and shifting objects around to reach what we need! The tile backsplash was made from tiles that were left over from the original construction in 2005. We knew the number of tiles required would be very close to the number available - but when the backsplash was completed, there were TWO tiles left over! Too close for comfort!




Whew! What a lot of work to create/renew two kitchens at the same time! There's a surprising amount of effort involved in planning, organizing, watching, and waiting for first one thing and then another, whether the kitchen is life-size or miniscule. But the important thing is that all the effort was definitely worthwhile: both Magda and Robert are happy in their respective kitchens, and their culinary creativity is unthwarted. So I'm issuing a standing invitation for you to come visit either kitchen, whatever its size, and whatever its place in time or space. I promise you a memorable meal!

20 comments:

  1. Wow, Marjorie, what a lot of work, and what a wonderful post!!! Both kitchens look Fantastic! It is a bit hard to decide which one would be the most fun to visit! LOL! But I bet the RL one wins because the food comes in bigger bites! ;)
    I love your new pantry, what an improvement that must be! And the level counter surface make so much sense to me...(I have never liked the multi level ones either)and it surely looks sleek and beautiful. And both your kitchens come with a "cook"!!! You are very lucky!
    As for Magda's kitchen, the old fashioned appliances have a huge amount of charm and old fashioned appeal. It really looks like a farmhouse kitchen from a hundred years ago! I am glad you were able to fix and attach all your pieces before you had installed the ceiling! It all really looks wonderful.... and I also hope you don't run into trouble once the ceiling is attached. Keep up the fantastic work! This house is looking great!

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    1. Hi, Betsy - Thanks for your comments on my two kitchens, although I suppose that I can't claim actual ownership of either one. I agree with you that I am lucky that both kitchens come fully equipped with a cook! And believe me, I NEVER take these cooks for granted; I just appreciate and appreciate! I'll alert Robert to start preparing some BIG BITES just in case you're in our area - so come hungry!
      Marjorie

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  2. ¡ Qué maravilla ver de nuevo tu trabajo!Me he quedado impresiona con tus dos cocinas. Comienzo por la cocina mini, me encanta el toque rústico que has conseguido , lo bien que has pintado los muebles y los pequeños detalles como los utensilios de cobre. El diseño de la cocina real has conseguido que sea más funcional y ese rincón tuyo muy confortable. Felicidades por esos dos trabajos fantásticos. Besos:-)

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    1. Hello, RosaMaria - I'm so glad that you stopped by my blog. I appreciate your comments about my painted furniture; I had such a good time refinishing those pieces for the villa kitchen. And Robert is definitely enjoying his time in our real kitchen - now he enjoys cooking even more! (Thank goodness.) So I can just sit back in my comfortable corner and watch him having lots of fun - we both win!
      Marjorie

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  3. Wow both kitchens look amazing. I love the new counter tops in the RL kitchen and the coffee bar is fantastic. The kitchen in your Villa is gorgeous. I love what you did to the furniture and it is filled with so many wonderful items. Fantastic job.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Hello, Maria - Thanks for those nice comments on my villa kitchen. I had fun redoing the furniture. When I was taking stock of the furniture pieces for the other rooms in the villa, I realized that almost every piece I have will need something done to it. I think I'm going to be as busy refinishing furniture as I will be building the villa! I'm glad that you like our RL coffee bar; obviously, Robert and I enjoy our morning coffee! Making coffee is so much easier now that everything is close at hand.
      Marjorie

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  4. Que cocinas tan bonitas!!! Las dos,la mini es perfecta,tan rústica y cada detalle perfecto en su sitio justo,tiene un ambiente muy cálido!!
    Y la de la vida real,es una señora cocina,que grande!! envidio tanto espacio y es preciosa tan luminosa!!
    Besos.

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    1. Hello, Pilar - I'm so glad that you took the time to visit the Villa del Vigneto! Thanks for your comments on the kitchen. There are so many things in the kitchen that I feared it might look too cluttered, so I appreciate your remark about everything being in its right place! Actually, one of the things I love about a miniature house is that once all the tiny things are in place, they stay that way! I only wish that were true of my real-life kitchen. But I do appreciate its brightness - it isn't really a chore at all to clean and organize now.
      Marjorie

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  5. Hello Marjorie,
    Goodness, where to begin. Firstly, I am happy the real life kitchen enovations are done. I think the new workspace is fantastic. I studied restaurant cooking and worked in restaurants for a few years and I think the kitchen improvements will make it a much more functional spac3e to work in, not to mention it looks beautiful.
    And now the mini-kitchen. I think I'll just say wow! It is beautiful. I love the finishes you did and corrected on the furniture. Every piece looks terrific. The way you displayed the items on your shelves is lovely and it really feels like an Italian country side kitchen. The butcher's block is one of my facvorite pieces and I love your collection of copperware. The sink and the hutch are also stand out pieces for me. It is so charming and has so much character. Bravo Marjorie, one again your work enchants me!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Hello Giac,
      And once again, your comments warm my heart! I appreciate your thoughts on both kitchens. Our new real-life kitchen has already proved to be much more functional, and we really like the extra space afforded by the flat counter top.
      I'm so glad that you like the chopping block and the hutch in the villa kitchen; those are two of my favorite pieces as well - and what a good time I had working on them!
      Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to make such lovely comments.
      Marjorie

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  6. Hello Marjorie...jealousy is an awful thing but I must admit to being jealous when looking at both your real life kitchen and the miniature one! How delightful to have both kitchens looking so perfectly appropriate to the cook's who will be using them! How smart you were to do all the arranging of miniature accessories before the ceiling is positioned. This removes a challenging if not impossible task if you had not done so. Love the colour scheme and the finish used on all the pieces...so appropriate and appropriate for the villa. Thank you for sharing both of these beautiful kitchens!
    Cheers, Alayne

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    1. Hi, Alayne
      Thanks for stopping by and leaving such nice comments. It was very fortunate that I realized in time that I needed to furnish the villa kitchen before the ceiling went on, because it would otherwise have been very difficult and probably very discouraging. So now I know that I'll need to repeat that process in the other rooms of the villa, although I won't furnish them all completely as I did the kitchen. (If I can muster enough will power to just STOP!) I always enjoy your input on my projects - thanks again.
      Marjorie

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  7. Both kitchens have turned out great! great job on aging the miniature pieces and making them match. Now that your real-life project is done, maybe you will have more time for minis? (Great photos too0 Thanks for the post. Troy

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    1. Hi, Troy - Thanks for commenting on my kitchen post; I appreciate your input. Yes, I should have more time to get on with the Villa del Vigneto - especially now that I can reclaim my garage space. I need to cut, stucco, and sand many large pieces of styrofoam for the upper-level rooms. That is definitely an "outside" job - very messy and dusty. And now I have to hurry before cold weather comes!
      This is off the subject of minis, but I always forget to mention to you that I was born and grew up (at least until I was a teenager) in Muskogee, although I never visited Tulsa until many years later. Anyway, this world of miniatures is "a small world" in many ways!
      Marjorie

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  8. Your Villa del Vigneto kitchen looks like it has been in operation for DECADES! Wonderful Atmosphere and a Terrific Arrangement of all of your kitchen wares, Marjorie!
    I KNOW how gratifying it feels when you begin to pull out all of the tiny treasures which have been waiting so patiently to come out to play; and yours DID NOT have to wait in vain! Your placements are PERFECT,- for the furniture, the appliances and All of the accessories!
    And your Real Kitchen looks New and Improved and Very Workable, too!
    2 Big Jobs- and both WELL DONE!:D

    elizabeth

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  9. Hello, Elizabeth - I just this morning saw your lovely comments on my kitchen post! Real Life, with all its roadblocks and difficulties, interfered with my mini world for a while and I haven't been back to my blog until now. As always, your comments are so encouraging, inspiring me to get on with the next thing - which is also running behind time. But at least it's up and running after much delay. Thank you for a nice start to my day!
    Marjorie

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  10. Im a bit late to the party but I wanted to tell you how much I liked your kitchen. it looks like a tiny person lives there...very realistic

    hugs
    Marisa :)

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    1. Hi Marisa - How nice of you to visit my blog and leave an encouraging comment. (I'm sorry that I didn't see your comment earlier.) Thank you - I hope you'll come again!
      Marjorie

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  11. I missed your post last month but I'm glad I saw it now (better late than never!). Your kitchens are fantastic!

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    1. Hi, Lori - Thanks for your nice comment - I appreciate your stopping by my blog, whether sooner or later!
      Marjorie

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I'd love to hear your comments!