the shape of things to come

Our friend, K, has drawn up architectural drawings of our remodeled house. I say house instead of kitchen because we're making minor changes all over the downstairs which will cause a dramatic change in the way we live in the house.

She gave us A, B and C. A being the most modest and C the most dramatic. We've chosen C with modifications, and hope that drama isn't necessarily expensive.  We will meet with the contractor and get that settled soon I hope.

Here is a Before of my kitchen.  The eat-in area opens to both the backyard and the garage and has doors to both a half-bath and a laundry room, as well as an opening to our den. The table will go, replaced by a round one, maybe with a window seat, regardless of which design we choose.

The cooking portion of the kitchen will change more. The counter will extend further toward the bay window without a corner bend.  The sink will stay put but the dishwasher will move to the opposite side. The oven wall will be gone, taking the door to the dining room with it. Vamoose. Instead we will see all the way across the house. On the other side, across from the sink, the fridge, oven and pantry will share the wall space. The pantry will actually go in what is now the doorway to a hall. On the reverse side will be a coat closet since our home does not currently have one.

But the biggest changes really, seem to be in the rest of the house. We aren't making huge structural changes. We're enlarging the opening from dining room to living room and removing one section of the adjoining wall to remove the hallway and add that space to the living room. The main difference is in the space usage. We'll move the piano to the room with the seldom-used fireplace and kids' desk. The futon-sofa and one chair will make the room a music and study room. The living room will be several feet bigger and will gain the television. We'll have three armchairs and a large sofa in there, making socializing a bit easier.