They Call It Ubatuba

As promised to many people, here are photos of the new countertops! We purchased the counters through Ikea, which works directly with Precision Countertops. Once the lower cabinets were in place, they came and made a full-size template of the counters. Two weeks later, back they came with the perfectly-cut pieces. It took them about two hours to install, including doing the undermounting of the sink.

The counters are granite, in a color called Ubatuba. Black with dark grey undertones and copper-brass flecks (the flecks remind me of the gold flakes in Goldschläger...hmmm). We chose double-radius edges, so they're squared off and just slightly rounded on top and bottom.

The sink looks amazing--gigantic in comparison to our old one! And deep too because of the extra inch from undermounting. I'm looking forward to the seamlessness of the undermounting--it looks so sleek and it'll be so easy to clean!

On to the photos. Shiny, shiny! I am still not getting over the full length of the counter shown here. Also, take a look at the microwave, which Brian installed yesterday. Looks great with the matching oven!


The classic kitchen shot, now with counters. You can also see the new dishwasher, which Brian slid in today. We chose a Bosch Evolution dishwasher. It's one of the most highly rated by Consumer Reports, and also scores high for being super quiet. We've been told we won't even hear it when it's running! Can't wait to find out (and neither can all my dirty dishes).


Here you can see the shallow, shelf-like counter, wrapping into an extra-deep one with a raised shelf (made of the same granite) at the back. We'll put a couple kitchen appliances back there. Ray did a great job of maximizing the space left after removing the door to the stairwell. His designs turned out wonderfully!

The baking center continues to evolve. I've been dreaming of how many cookie sheet trays I can line up side by side on the new counter!


While the countertops were going in, Brian worked on putting in the railing he'd been building. I'd found a few photos online of some styles I liked, mostly Mission, and Brian designed and built it, staining the wood to match both the mahogany trim we have throughout the house as well as the new cabinets in the kitchen.


Here's the final product! It turned out far better than any of the pictures I'd sent Brian as ideas. I'm thrilled with the design of it and feel lucky to have such a beautiful piece in our house! I particularly love the design of the little crossbars in the middle.

Tomorrow will be Brian's last day for three weeks while he goes away with his family on hiatus. When he gets back he'll put in the backsplash tile and do the rest of the finishing touches on the kitchen. In the meantime, I get to start putting stuff away in my new cabinets!

Let There Be Color!

Not only are nearly all the cabinets done, but now the kitchen's a whole new color! We chose Porta Luca from Mythic Paint (purchased at Ecohaus). The color is almost like a dark cameo blue. For more on the paint-selection process, check out my earlier post on fume-free paint.

And, here are the latest photos! First, a shot where you can see the color really well. Note that the skinny cabinet at the back still has the old door. We're working on a cool new idea for the door front since Ikea doesn't make doors that size.


The standard long shot of the kitchen--lots of cabinets!


I really like the way the cabinets turned out here, with the glass fronts. The cabinets are only eight inches deep, due to space constraints, but they'll provide great storage for lots of things, including my favorite OXO Pop containers! Brian did a great job on these cabinets, which he had to custom fit--they look wonderful!


The "baking center" is looking awesome! I've already put away a few things. The right-side cabinets are all drawers and I love their design. The tall cabinet pulls out to reveal a tidy pantry. I'll have to take some more photos of it when I've put everything away.


Next up: Countertops! The installer comes tomorrow morning--I'm very excited to have the counters in and see all that beautiful granite! Plus, the sink comes undermounted on the counter, so we'll finally have a kitchen sink again and will also get to see the new faucet in action. I'm eager to see how it will all look!

Getting There!

Last week Brian put most of the cabinets in, the stove moved back in, and the countertop guys made the template (counters will be delivered on the 18th!).

A few snaps:
In the sunroom:

Also in the sunroom--I'm super excited about the tall pantry! I'll have to take another photo of how the door pulls out.

Squint and You Can See a Kitchen!

Brian started on the cabinets last week--they're going up fast!

The sunroom (soon to be known as the baking center):

Wyatt considers the new cabinets:

Put a Cork in It!

I've been pretty excited about my choice of flooring for the kitchen, and today was a great day because I actually got to see it in the kitchen for the first time! Like several of the other materials, we got the cork flooring at Ecohaus. They have many options for cork, and we went with the Vida cork planks in the Bamboo pattern. It looks very elegant in the kitchen, and adds a nice warmth in color--a big difference from the previous grey ceramic tile! Cork is well-loved by chefs for its softness on the feet and joints. It is also extremely quiet--when Linus walks across it, it sounds like a light pitter-patter of rain!

Here are a couple pictures from today:

Blue, Blue, or Blue? A Palette of Eco-Friendly Paints

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I picked up some small cans of paint at Ecohaus. I'd narrowed down the color choices to a few shades of blue that I thought would coordinate with the tile nicely. We really liked one color, Porta Luca, but we were worried it was maybe a little dark, so I also got a can of Country Bay, for comparison. You can see here the paint test, with Porta Luca on the left. Matt and I both agreed this was the one! It picks up the dusky-cobalt in the tile, while also going nicely with the olive and light blue. It also goes well with the rest of the house--all the rooms make a statement with color.

The paint brand I got from Ecohaus was Mythic, a nontoxic, "ultra low odor" paint. According to the Mythic website, "Mythic paint is the only zero-VOC, zero-carcinogenic, premium quality line of latex paints available." And, after slapping a whole bunch up on the wall, then staring at the wall for quite some time, I have to say that never once did I even think that the house smelled like paint. And when I did think about the smell, that was when I realized there was NO smell. Seriously, none at all. Seems impossible, right? It made me feel good about the dog and kid wandering about during all this!

Sunset just did a page on fume-free paints, highlighting Mythic, as well as these brands:

• AFM Safecoat
• The Freshaire Choice
• Green Planet Paints
• Natura
• Yolo Colorhouse

Mythic also does custom color matches, so I ordered the bedroom and hall paints. Still need to pick the creamy accent color for the kitchen, so I'm headed back to Ecohaus soon!

Walls Go Back Up!

Last week the first stage of the electrical work was done by Boley Electric. After several days of ripping out more walls here and there, Brian started putting them back up, which, frankly, was more exciting than I anticipated. More than anything, it was just nice to have the kitchen feel like a real room again, and not some decades-old war zone. Plus, as a special Memorial Day Weekend gift to us, Brian moved the fridge back into the kitchen from the dining room. Now Wyatt and I can both eat at the table at the same time again!

Here's the main view of the newly-drywalled kitchen:

Here's the area where the fridge now goes, formerly inhabited by the oven, and far too many soffits. Without the soffits, the space seems huge!

Stepping out of the kitchen for a moment, the Solatube is now hooked up and brings so much natural light into the stair and hall--it's amazing!