She is considering gutting her own kitchen and starting over and wanted to know what we’d learned; what, if anything,  we would change and most importantly…would we do it all over again?

I told her, without hesitation, that we’d do it again. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my kitchen. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think Wow, what a gorgeous space. Lucky me!

Would I change anything? Maybe just a few of the appliances…and maybe not for the reasons you might think…but more on that later. I did have some advice to share.

PLAN your cupboard space
If you’re using a professional kitchen design company (and I highly recommend it), your designer will design the overall layout of the space and help you make hundreds of decisions–from cupboard and countertop materials to lighting and paint colours. One of the most important decisions you will make has to do with the setup of your cupboard space. Do you want drawers or shelves? How many of each? How big or how small? Where will they go? (You get the idea.) This is both an exciting process and a terrifying one. If you’re redesigning your kitchen, chances are you’d like to organize your space better. I know that was one of my top priorities. I was sick of bending over and leaning into cupboards. I wanted great big drawers and lots of them!

My regret: I wish I’d planned the rest of my shelves (mostly the upper ones) out better.
My advice: Take the time to think about what you’ll be storing where. Don’t just assume everything will fit.

LISTEN to appliance salespeople
I have a five-burner gas cooktop with a brushed stainless steel finish. It works like a charm and I love how gas offers instant heat. It was love at first site when I saw the cooktop at the store. So blinded was I by its beauty, I ignored the saleswoman when she said to me “It can be a little difficult to clean.” Oh, phooey, I thought. I’ll never let this thing get dirty! I’ll wipe it clean every night. And I did. And I still do, for the most part. But you know what? It’s impossible to clean. I’ve tried everything and it no longer looks anything like it did in the beginning. I’m thrilled by its performance but disappointed in its declining appearance. My husband says I should get over it! And I am…more or less…because I am pleased with how well it works.

My regret: I should have listened to the saleswoman. Because even if we bought the same cooktop, my expectations would have been more realistic.
My advice: Decide beforehand how important this kind of thing is to you. And listen to the salespeople.

FIND a temporary home for your pet
We were very lucky to have someone to look after our dog when the teardown and construction got really intense; however, if I were to do it again, I’d try and have him out of the house even more. A house under construction is a danger zone–for humans and for pets. Your stress level during this time–even if every last little thing is going smoothly–is high. We are capable of understanding what’s going on. Our pets are not.

My regret: Our dog is an important member of our family and I should have considered his needs, as well.
My advice: Find your pet a temporary home with someone you trust.

Cooking meals.

Entertaining.

Cleaning up.

Helping our kids with their homework.

Bonding as a family over our evening meal.

Teaching our kids how to cook and to bake.

Reading the newspaper.

Just hanging out, enjoying each other’s company.

50% of our waking time.

After our anniversary in August, we’ll celebrate the two year anniversary of starting our kitchen renovation. Next to having our beautiful daughters, doing a kitchen renovation has been the biggest investment of time and money we’ve made since getting married.

And while it may seem odd to compare renovating a kitchen to raising children…I think our new kitchen has helped bring us together as a family. Sure, we’d be happy wherever we gathered…but shouldn’t the place you spend the majority of your time, the place you enjoy and cherish the people you love…shouldn’t that place–that room–be a reflection of your time together?

Obviously, we thought so.

Renovating a kitchen–the heart of your home–is not for the faint of heart. You have to embrace change. And dust (and more dust). And take-out dinners. And the many different workers that come in and out of your home for weeks at a time (okay, you don’t literally have to embrace them). And, if you’re anything like us, you also have to get comfortable with the inflated balance on your credit line.

If wasn’t always easy. If wasn’t always tidy. We weren’t always happy to come into a house that looked more like a construction zone than a home.

But it was worth it.

And I’d do it again.

Because being “happy together” in a place we love with the people we love…everyday…is what makes us…happy.

I realized a few months back that I used to cringe every time I walked into my old kitchen. Seriously. I lived in it for eight years, so you do the math (8 years x 365 days)….that’s a lot of cringing! Now, my kitchen brings me nothing but joy, peace and contentment.

Some more of my favourite things:

1. Two big pot drawers underneath the gas cooktop. All my pots and frying pans–and even my really big stock pot–exactly where I need them!

2. Great BIG drawers, perfect for all my Tupperware and Rubbermaid containers. Ask any mom what cupboard in her kitchen gives her the most grief and I’ll bet you it’s the one she stores her Tupperware containers in. My new tall drawers have saved me hours of frustration and allow me to stay organized with ease.

3. My garbage bins.  I know this probably sounds lame, but my pull out double-drawer garbage is perfect. Located to the right of my prep sink on the island, the pull-out garbage has one huge bin for recycling (no more ugly green bin on the counter or under the sink) and one huge bin for garbage. So when I’m peeling potatoes or carrots, I just pull out the drawer and peel directly into the recycle bin. So easy and no more mess!

4. My broom closet. Conviently located to the right of the fridge, our broom closet is a little piece of heaven for me. (Strange, the things that make me happy…) Reduced in depth because of floor-to-ceiling duct work, the cupboard space was the perfect size for a broom closet and some shelves.  Organization has never felt so good!

5. My handy-dandy pull-out step stool. Since my new cupboards now go all the way to the ceiling, reaching the top shelves is impossible for even the least of the vertically-challenged people I know. My handy-dandy, pull-out step stool is discreetly located under the pantry cupboard beside the fridge. Can’t reach something? Just pull it out, pop it open and up you go!

We’ve been singing this song ever since we saw The Sound of Music in November. (It was wonderful, by the way.) And I can’t think of a better way to describe my kitchen than to say that it is chock FULL of my favourite things. We have hosted three dinner parties since the majority of the renovations were completed two weeks ago and I must say that people have been blown away by how incredible our kitchen has turned out. The dust and  disaster of the renovations now seems like a bad dream and in the spirit of the “12 Days of Christmas,” I’m ready to share my 12 favourite things about our new kitchen.

12. A place for everything and everything in its place – There is a ton of storage space in this kitchen and so many opportunities to store things in logical places.

11. Hidden Spice Drawers – I love the two sliding spice drawers underneath my gas cooktop. No more rifling through my cupboards; everything is at my fingertips.

10. More Countertop Space – With the addition of the island, I have a ton of countertop space. This means I can now store my mixer, espresso machine and toaster on the countertop and it doesn’t interfere with my food prep area — the island.

9. Lowered workspace – Speaking of the island, not only is it HUGE but we had the counterop made lower than usual to accommodate our height deficiencies (translation: we’re short!). Friends, family and even Nick (in the early stages) questioned our decision to do this, but this is definitely one of our favourite features of the entire kitchen.

8. Lowered cooktop – We also had our cooktop lowered and this makes preparing food so much easier. Instead of grabbing a stool for the final stages of my wok cooking (stop laughing, it’s not easy being short), I can actually stir big pots full of pasta or soup with ease.

7. Gas Stove – Oh, how I love my gas stove! Of course, the fact that I spent the past eight years cooking on a 30-year old almond-coloured stove may contribute to this love…but only slightly. Instant heat is a beautiful thing.

6. Breakfast Bar – This is a family favourite to be sure and a great place for guests to congregate while we mix drinks or prepare dinner. Love, love, LOVE it!

5. Lights – We have gone from three lights (in total) in our kitchen and dining room to over 20 pot lights, four pendant lights, under-cabinet lighting and a chandelier-type light fixture over our table. Needless to say, we see things a little differently now

4. Two Sinks – While Nick may have briefly questioned the lowered countertop on the island, I questioned whether I REALLY needed a prep sink on the island. Thank goodness I decided to keep it; I love having a sink specifically for washing fruits and vegetables…right by my food prep area. And the main sink is huge. I can stack a pile of dishes in there and it doesn’t even look full! Having two sinks is an indulgence, but hey…go big or go home!

3. Back Splash - I wanted tumbled marble, but Nick had something else in mind. We took the advice of a good friend and went to Tile Zone in Ajax and found long, narrow porcelain tiles that our pal Christian installed with black grout. The result? An urban feel that makes the cabinetry pop. I love it and I love my husband for having such great taste.

2. Roll out drawers in the pantry cupboards – I had a walk-in pantry in my old kitchen, so space wasn’t really an issue…except for the fact that I could never find anything! I love being able to pull out a drawer and see exactly what I have. It’s really quite basic…but very important.

1. Room to Move, Cook, Party and Enjoy – I had to laugh at one of the electricians that came into our home. He had been there many times since the renovation began, so he had a good feel for the space. But once the cabinets and countertops were installed, he commented that “this isn’t a kitchen, it’s a banquet hall!” Yes, our kitchen is big. One might even say huge. And this is what I love about it most. We had 12 people for dinner on the Sunday before Christmas and as everyone stood around the island and sink and stove, I realized that there was still room to move! Lots and lots of it! One of the things that I hated most about my old kitchen was that, despite its size, it didn’t make sense. The layout didn’t allow for more than two of three people in the prep area at once. I’m starting to realize that our ‘dream’ kitchen isn’t just a room for us to enjoy, but instead, it’s a place we can share with our family and friends for years to come.

I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN!!!

Is it my dream kitchen?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes it is!!!

Here are some preliminary pictures.

Nick finished painting the ceiling tonight and that means I can start moving our stuff back into the kitchen. Well, first I have to CLEAN the kitchen…but even the thought of doing that makes me giddy! I am SO ready to be out of our temporary kitchen and SO ready to get rid of the layers of filth in my house!

The back splash gets installed this week…stay tuned for more pictures!

I’m not planning on posting any more pictures until Nick finishes painting the ceiling. Our cabinets are draped in drop cloths and covered in green painter’s tape; the cork floor has disappeared under huge pieces of spare carpet, drop cloths and cardboard. Not exactly the makings of a pretty picture. Soon, though…soon!

Thanks to Jeff who spent all day Sunday installing our gas cooktop, hooking up the water filter for our new fridge and getting my sinks and faucets running. (And thanks to his wife Joanne for being so patient!)

We chose our back splash last week and if all goes well, it should be installed by Friday.

Another week, and MAYBE I’ll be able to break open the Christmas decorations!!

On Monday, a gentleman came and templated for our countertops. It was pretty neat watching him do his stuff, but I’ve got to tell you, I wouldn’t want to have his job. There’s no room for error and all I kept thinking was “don’t screw up, please don’t screw up!”

On Tuesday, I had a house full of people. Dan was here doing some finishing touches on the cabinets; Gary and his two helpers were here installing my kitchen windows; and our electrician was busy hooking up the power to our island and cutting holes in our ceiling for the speakers.

Wednesday was fairly peaceful–my first day alone in the house in what seemed liked months. We hauled the cork flooring in from the garage (where it has been stored for the last month) so it could return to room temperature before the weekend. Nick also started painted the ceiling in the hall. On Thursday, I picked up the sinks and faucets from the supplier so I could bring my (undermount) island sink over to Monarch. The company that is doing the countertops wants to attach it at their factory. Nick did more painting on Thursday night.

Friday, Clint from Monarch dropped by to pick up the wooden shelf from the corner cabinet. They need it to template three glass shelves for that cabinet.

And today, Saturday, is “floor” day. Nick and his best buddy John have been busy installing the cork flooring all day. So far it looks incredible–I can’t wait to see how it will look when it’s done!

Eric Herder and Steve are also here to finish up the “support” process in the basement that the building inspector insisted on.