While building has gone on at a smooth and steady pace, with a few highlights in the progress, there's now a feeling of immediacy and a higher level of coordination between the subcontractors. As the cabinets have gone in, I've had the various sinks delivered, so the stone fabricator can make his templates. The painter is waiting in the wings. And the staircase carpenter works around everyone trudging up and down his stairs. Today I noticed the heat is actually on in the house. Which means a push to get the last exterior doors installed. It's beginning to feel a lot like HOME.
Here's the pantry. I have no extra dish storage in the kitchen, so this is where non-everyday dishes will be stored. Yes, I have quite a few! In the middle of the corner is my loathed appliance garage--which I'm hoping doesn't look typical.
This is the view of the kitchen from the family room fireplace. It's exactly the way I envisioned it--a casual, hub for family and friend activity, with rooms radiating from it. The door on the left is into the pantry. On the right is the bar. From where I stood, my office is on the left and the sunroom is on my right. Matching hallways leading to the living and dining rooms and the front door are in the distance (my comforting symmetry). The stairs to the bedrooms are behind the kitchen wall. A microwave goes in the left space of the kitchen, a range goes in the middle, and the refrigerator goes on the right (see, no space for dish storage). There will be stools on this side of the island.
Here's the bar with the upper cabinets in place. Outside windows back the cabinets and leaded glass doors will be in front. I actually bought a couple vintage leaded windows (while still in California) that the cabinets were to be built around. But in my storage unit/house, I can't readily find them, so I'm having new leaded glass made. I'm sure my vintage windows will show up the minute I move in! The raised bar in the foreground is just for standing, no stools.
My office. You'll notice three work stations. That's so I can have various projects going (like photos) and not have to put all the stacks away when I want to use my computer work area (center). Extravagant, yes, but I had the space since this room mirrors the sunroom, on the opposite side of the family room.
The garage cabinets will have a washer and dryer and a deep sink for dog baths. Behind the cabinets are stairs to the basement. The doors on the left go to the breezeway and then into the family room. The right doors go to the south patio area.
This is the entry to the third garage stall. I intend to use it for my crafty projects (lofty ambitions). It was supposed to have a barn door opening, to close it off from the rest of the garage. However, plans for a dutch door out of the kitchen--using this steel and glass surround--didn't go as planned. We had to make a wood surround for the dutch door, so this glass was left over. I couldn't have it go unused (too maddening and too expensive) so I abandoned the barn door and now my project room will be open to the garage. So it goes with the best laid building plans.
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