Are you in the kitchen?

2008: my kitchen was remodeled. This is one of the "after" shots.

I have a feeling I know where many of you are today - in the kitchen. That's not a bad place to be on Thanksgiving Day. This year, my friend Roberta has invited me to dinner. I always love a good home-cooked meal, but won't be spending as much time in my kitchen as usual. Although I'm planning on making a big pot of stock and Ina Garten's famous French Onion Soup over the weekend, today my kitchen will get the day off. Not cooking on Thanksgiving made me realize I've become very attached to my kitchen since remodeling it two years ago.

2000: A "before" shot of the kitchen, as it looked just before I moved in.

The house was built in 1980 in the hilly northwest Cedar Mill neighborhood of Portland, and when I moved in the kitchen was workable but in need of an update. Many of the appliances, including a scuzzy Jenn-Air cooktop, were original to the house. The cabinets, floor, and countertops had been redone at some point, but it wasn't really my style. There was bad fluorescent lighting, whitewashed oak cabinets that looked pink, a white linoleum floor with little pink flowers - impossible to keep clean - and difficult-to-maintain gray tile countertops with dusty rose and teal accent tile. 

I made do for a while, and after many years of watching the Food Network and HGTV, I had some ideas about what I wanted to do. I decided to have the space remodeled in 2008, and it was a dramatic transformation. In July, the whole space was gutted to the beams. Windows were removed, the floor plan flip-flopped, new windows and doors were added, and all new appliances, cabinets, countertops and floors were installed. The whole project took about three months from demolition to move-in.

The new floors are hickory, the cabinets are maple, and the appliances are all stainless steel. The countertops are two types of granite, backsplash is slate with bronze and frosted glass accents, and the way we reconfigured the the floor plan really opened up the space. The remodel was actually more like a half-house remodel and included the dining room, front foyer, powder room, roof, a new heating and air conditioning system, and entertainment area connected to the kitchen. There is a built-in desk and bar with cabinets, a whole wall with bookshelves, gas fireplace, and plasma TV, and a large wall designated for displaying quilts.

In 2009, the remodel was showcased on HGTV's Rate My Space with Angelo Surmelis. In 2010, the house was featured as part of Portland's Tour of Remodeled Homes, and was highlighted on the local morning news in two segments of "Out and About with Drew Carney" on KGW channel 8, Portland. 

The remodel was a game changer. I can cook most anything I want, from Spanakopita to homemade thin crust pizza to braised pork shoulder roast carnitas. I've even roasted a turkey or two. It's a dream kitchen, easy to work in and easy to clean. So, while today may be a quiet day in my kitchen, it has served me well and definitely deserves a day off. Happy Thanksgiving!