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Hobby Homestead Project: Kitchen Design Inspiration

September 18, 2013 By Kara 1 Comment

kitchens

 

Our Hobby Homestead Project has been very intense and all consuming.  If this is your first time hearing about it, START HERE.  My husband and I have pretty much been getting up at 5 am and going to sleep at midnight every day for months now.  The kicker is that we haven’t even been doing physical labor for most of that time!  First of all, we both work, we homeschool our children, AND we are trying to work on this project.  Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT complaining.  This is a blessing and I am incredibly grateful that I am able to spend time figuring these things out.  A friend and I refer to my current dilemmas as “rich people problems”.  I don’t consider myself rich in the money in the bank kind of way but I am definitely blessed, my family is healthy, and our lives are pretty darn awesome.  I’ll take stress over floor plan layouts any day.  

 There are so many facets to this project to cover that I’m going to hit them one by one.  I’d have to write a book all at once to cover everything we’ve been doing at once.  🙂  The first focus is going to be on our kitchen design process.  

THE KITCHEN LAYOUT

Below is what the original plan called for:

OG Kitchen

I put the picture in there nice and big for you to see.  If you can make out the plan for the kitchen area through all of the crazy lines…  It is kind of tucked in the corner on the right near the garage and the peninsula juts out at an angle.  Below is a photo of what was framed when we bought it.  This design just wasn’t right for us.

IMG_2423

View of the kitchen from the dining room/family room area.

IMG_2438

The view from the front door down the hallway. You can see the peninsula in the kitchen.

Once we purchased the house, the first thing we did was knock down that peninsula so we could get our head around a design idea!

IMG_3029

My hubby knocking that wall down! 🙂

We drew up a quick plan to move forward with the construction loan and get things bid out in June/July and this is what our original design looked like (see below).  We just couldn’t get our head around what to do with the kitchen.  The kitchen was the most important space for us.

OP1 Kitchen

We had the floor plan set up so that we had to add a 16′ by 16′ space onto the back right of the home.  Just seems kind of ridiculous when there is quite a lot of space!  We went with it for the time being and then came up with this version of a layout (after enlisting the help of an architect of course!)….

OP2 Kitchen

As you can see in this plan, we would have to move the stairs!  That opened quite a can of worms….second floor bath issues, master bedroom issues etc etc.  We are not even going to talk about the master bedroom in this post.   All I’ll say is that I did not like having it on the left when you walk in the front door…  Throughout this process we spent a lot of time on Houzz.  Thank goodness for that website/app!  Every time we were stuck we would look at it and get ideas.  We didn’t like moving the stairs the way they are in the above drawing BUT we needed a pantry.  This photo changed everything:

 

Rustic Kitchen by Denver Architects & Designers Ashley Campbell Interior Design
 

No, I don’t love EVERYTHING about this kitchen but what I DO love is the overall layout.  Those symmetrical cased openings on either side with the transom windows above them, the large island, the school house lights, the long run of countertop near the sink…  The one thing my husband noticed from this photo is the depth.  You don’t just look at the kitchen, you see beyond it into a pantry and some other room.  That inspired us to head in this direction:

 
OP3 Kitchen

Hey!  Don’t peak at the other parts of the house that changed too…I’ll explain all of that later, focus on the kitchen for now.  🙂  I want to call this layout the “final” one.  I truly think it is.  We haven’t touched it in quite a long time.  We’ve even framed out the pantry/cooktop wall.  

THE ISLAND

The photo below inspired the kitchen island.  I just love the way the island became a breakfast table.  We live in our kitchen and I want a comfortable area for the family to gather, work on crafts or homeschool projects.  

  
Traditional Kitchen by Saint Louis Architects & Designers Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design
 

While I’m on the island I might as well address the lighting and the veggie sink.  First of all, I picked up the veggie sink at a Habitat for Humanity Restore.  Brand new for a FRACTION of the cost.  I am so happy about that!!  A prep sink is one of my dream options for a kitchen.  How great would it be to be able to wash and chop your veggies WITHOUT having to wash a bunch of dishes to make room in the sink?  

The lighting was so ridiculously difficult!  I wanted something other than a bunch of recessed can lights.  I never knew it would take me as many hours as it did.  WOW.  This photo became my inspiration:

 
Traditional Kitchen by Chicago Kitchen & Bath Designers Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab
 

I love all of the lighting in this kitchen.  I even like the sconces over the sink windows.  At this moment I don’t think I am using those.  Right now I selected three schoolhouse pendants for over the sink run of countertop with oil rubbed bronze finish.  I also have two schoolhouse lights going in where you look through the cased openings into the pantry on one side and the back route to the stairs on the other.  Over the island I have two lights very similar to the ones in this photo in an oil rubbed bronze finish.  I love them and found an amazing price as well!  That made buying them much more stress free.  

THE KITCHEN SINK WALL

For the kitchen sink area I wanted a place where I have plenty of room to do dishes and layout food.  Since we purchased this property with several acres of woods, I wanted to be able to look out over the property while I wash dishes.  Some sort of large window was a must.  We are ordering a combination of two casement windows which will flank a large picture window for above the sink.  I’m in heaven.  There were so many pictures for inspiration but I love this one with the windows that almost disappear.  I don’t quite live in the right climate for these windows.

 
Farmhouse Spaces by Duxbury Design-Build Firms ARCHIA HOMES
 

Don’t you just love the little pendants over the sink in this photo?  I am excited about the ones I selected.  Don’t worry, I’ll post photos!  

 
Traditional Kitchen by Norwich Architects & Designers Smith & Vansant Architects PC
 

Did you notice that we don’t have any wall cabinets on the sink wall?  Our plan is to flank either side of the large window configuration with open rustic cedar shelving.  I’m not looking for it to be incredibly functional.  I have no intention of dusting my everyday dishes ever time I want to use them.  I’m planning to place more decorative and useful kitchen items on those shelves.  Another exciting feature!  This photo gives you an idea of what I’m referring to.

 
Traditional Kitchen by Santa Fe Interior Designers & Decorators Jennifer Ashton, Allied ASID

THE COOKTOP WALL

 Let me remind of you of the inspiration for the kitchen:

Rustic Kitchen by Denver Architects & Designers Ashley Campbell Interior Design
 

The cooktop wall is going to have a GE Cafe Series vent hood with a 36″ GE Cafe Series 5 burner LP gas cooktop.  I was trying to go with a fancier range or cooktop but I decided I really wanted a screened porch.  No, for real, that is how much money some of those things cost!   The GE Cafe Series cooktop even has a griddle option.  How cool is that?  The big burner in the middle is great for large pots too.  I’m happy with the “downgrade”.  

 
cooktop
 

Slimming down on the range/cooktop option gave me some room for the double wall oven too.  Check it out in this picture below.  Love it.  SCORE!

 
wall oven
 

While we are in the kitchen I might as well tell you a little bit about the dining area.  Three words: SIMPLE, FUNCTIONAL, CASUAL.  I have no intention of having the fancy table that can’t get scratched.  A big part of the design for the kitchen/dining area involved planning for an 8 foot farm table.  My hubby is making one for me!  We even bought this special tool to make it easier!  I’m excited about this project.  It will pretty much look like this one…

 
 
Traditional Kitchen by Dawsonville Furniture and Accessories The Louden Furniture Company
 

What would you like me to tell you about next?  The master bedroom craziness?  Kids bath?  Family room?  Basement?  Every room has its own story.  🙂  Subscribe to my blog to get the latest posts!  I promise, no spam, no junk!

Thanks for reading!

 

Filed Under: Hobby Homestead Projects Tagged With: Hobby Homestead Project

Comments

  1. beds says

    February 1, 2014 at 11:27 pm

    I realize it sounds cheap, but I recently found a beautiful classic outdoors lantern on
    a hard rubbish collection over the weekend! At this
    time I am trying to find wrought iron outdoor chairs to match.
    You know just what they say, one mans trash is another mans treasure!

    my blog post beds

    Reply

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kara.cozier

KARA COZIER
“People are sleepwalking through evil. They hav “People are sleepwalking through evil.

They have become so accustomed to the behavior of the dark and demonic that they hardly notice it, much less recognize if for what it is. 

So many people have dismissed the existence of evil, recoiling from the very word. 

Such arrogance is evil’s greatest asset.”
-Caroline Myss

This excerpt is powerful. Caroline continues to share more on this and what she says resonates with me and things I’ve been sharing here via FB Live and others posts. I’m also sharing over in my Telegram Channel.

When we get quiet and really listen we can see, hear, or feel the evil at work within us and within others. 

We can also see the good working to overcome it.

Every moment we get to choose.

Each small choice illuminates our next steps. Our steps create a path. 

Are you choosing a path of sleepwalking with evil or walking in faith with good?
Who needs a blast of positive energy? ✨ Our pri Who needs a blast of positive energy? ✨

Our privateTelegram chat group is having a zoom meetup tonight.

Michele and I are going to chat with you and share some experiences we’ve had that helped us BE THE LIGHT. ✨
You know how I talk about how God whispers to us? You know how I talk about how God whispers to us? It’s like whispers of divine inspiration, warnings, ideas, encouragement...

God: “Hey Kara, do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: “Kara, you’re doing it again. How did that work out for you last time?”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: “Kara, third strike, you’re doing it again...it keeps not working out this way...”

Me: “Hold my beer.”

God: [Throws brick to upset my plans and wake me up.]

Me: “Oh snap, what was I thinking??? Maybe it’s time to try a new approach...”

What’s a brick look like? 

For me, bricks usually show up as an illness, or some sort of physical ailment like stubbing my toe, slipping and falling etc. Sometimes it’s my laptop or phone breaking. Bricks are meant to wake us up, snap us out of the hypnotic rhythm so we can choose to pivot.

I’m seeing God throwing some boulders right now. 

I prefer whispers. Apparently the time for whispers has passed...

#holdmybeer #holdmybeerandwatchthis #godwhispers #throwingbricks #lifelessons #learning #faithoverfear #wegotthis
We got this 💯. Double tap if you’re ready to We got this 💯. Double tap if you’re ready to slay your dragon. 🔥

#stepoutofyourcomfortzone #faithoverfear #quotestagram #freakingdoit #bringiton #wegotthis
Don’t leave Social Media. Shift the narrative. Don’t leave Social Media.

Shift the narrative.

Flood the feed with what you WANT to see.

Post and go. 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃

I love you.
I accept you.
I see you.
You are worthy.
You are enough.
You are deserving.

We get to choose to shift the narrative.
Before you post, before you consume content; CHOOSE.

What are you feeding? 
What do you want to starve?

Starve what you don’t want, feed what you want.

Collectively we could shift everything today. 
We get to choose.
What will you decide?

#lightworkersunite #msm #narrative #cbsnews #npr #foxnews #cnn #msnbc #abc #faithoverfear
We all get to make decisions about our life and we We all get to make decisions about our life and we also get to live with the consequences of our choices. 

All choices are on a journey of learning and growing—even the ones that make our journey a little harder. 

I saw that a friend made a choice I am not in alignment with—it actually triggered me emotionally quite a bit.

I didn’t comment on it, I just sat with it for a while and examined WHY I felt the way I did. It revealed a lot to me about how
I feel about choices I’ve made. It was like looking in a mirror. I’ve been there before myself.

Now, hours later, I’m at peace with my friend’s choice. I won’t make the same one but I support my friend’s right to choose their path.

I will not shame my friend.
I will not argue with my friend, what is done is done, we simply move forward from here.
I didn’t I friend or unfollow, I just digested the feelings, received the lesson and moved on. 

We all have choices to make in every moment and do the best we can with the information we have accepted. 💞

Choices have consequences and other people’s choices are not my responsibility.

#unfollow #friendsforever #consequences #quotestagram #triggered #almostlostmymind #betterthanthat #riseabove
Dear God, I’m so grateful for every... challeng Dear God, I’m so grateful for every...

challenge, 
success,
failure, 
decision, 
experience, 
person,
laugh,
tear,

and every single moment along my journey that has brought me closer to you and to the beauty of the one I’m living right now. 

Amen

💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Ever wonder how to pray? How to dive deep into that place where peace washes over you, where you feel cleansed, where your healing light can expand from within and touch the hearts of those you hold in prayer? 

I’m arranging a free zoom to discuss this topic with someone who has guided and helped me deeply in 2020. Comment below and I’ll make sure you’re notified when we set the date. 💞🙌🏻🙏🏻

#powerofprayer #feelinglost #feelingalone #lookingforanswers #drowningindespair #whenwillthisend #covidlife #quarantinelife #onedaycloser #heartbreakquotes
I’m done. And I’m saying NO MORE. No more loc I’m done. And I’m saying NO MORE.

No more lockdowns.
No more masks.
No more curfews.
No more social distancing.
No more va (( ines without liability.
No more election fraud.
No more lies from the main stream media.
No more manipulation.
No more fear mongering.
No more discrimination.
No more destroying our livelihood.
No more corruption. 
No more darkness.
No more human trafficking. 
No more rewriting history.
No more faithless, evil people pulling our strings. The lightworkers of the world see you for who and what you are and we are not having it. 

UNITED WE WILL STAND 🇺🇸
United we say #nomore 

We say no more for not just ourselves but also for our children.
We say no more for our nation and for every other nation. 
We say no more together. 
Together our voices are loud.
Together our voices will be heard.
Together we can end this before 2021 even begins. 

The power has always been ours, we just needed a reminder. 

What happens next? That is for you to decide.
One simple option? Call, email, and write your elected officials.

Another? Stop complying. 
Another? Stop getting tested.
Another? Pray.
Another? Spread truth to others, encourage them, love them, support them.
Another? Share this with friends. #nomore
Seriously...double tap if this is true in your hou Seriously...double tap if this is true in your house. 😂
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About The Author

Kara grew up in Massachusetts. After attending college at the University of Minnesota and serving six years in the US Navy, she and her husband moved to Waxhaw, NC. Kara has run businesses of her own and now homeschools her 5-year old twins. She started living a healthier natural lifestyle in 2008. Kara currently blogs about her journey to a more natural, self-sustaining life by eating real food, gardening, and making her own cleaning and personal care products.

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The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

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