What Happens Next

Sketchy

Design of any kind usually begins with a sketch. Or, most likely, a series of sketches. It is the way designers and clients communicate ideas and refine their visions.

These are the sketches that Kevin began the kitchen with. Well, he began with these, and ended with them as well. They were that good.

 

This is the "big picture". From the back wall, moving forward to the island where the drawers are visible from this elevation, and forward again to the curved eating counter that separates the kitchen from the rest of the sanctuary. A very nice beginning. The carved pieces on the front of the counter were salvaged from the back of the altar during demo and will be also be used on the sides of the island.

 

Never able to resist making a complicated endeavor positively monumental, we added a "Juliet" balcony to the space above the kitchen, offering easy communication between the second and third floors. It is a vast space up there on that wall, in need of a point of interest, and it offers the added benefit of more natural light to both areas.

And at this point in the festivities, I would just like to ask..."Wherefore in-the-heck art thou, Romeo??"... Oh, sorry, where was I again?...

 

This is a detail sketch of one of the cabinets that flank the back wall. These bad boys are 10-and-a-half feet tall. I have no idea how I will ever know what is in the top cabinets, but they really needed to be tall to fit the scale of the space. Maybe we could run a sliding "library ladder" around the perimeter?

The door on the bottom left, (with the handle on the top), is an old-fashioned potato/onion bin, that will pivot forward when pulled. Kevin loves to add these unexpected features. I don't really eat potatoes all that often, but I'm all about the onions. Although it will probably take about forty pounds of them to fill this up!

 

Here, on the opposite side of the room, is the cabinet that will house the double ovens and the warming drawer. Love, love, love having double ovens, and this will be my first time having a warming drawer. These bad boys are 36" wide, commercial size, so I am envisioning quite a bit of cooking going on in here when it is all said and done. Mostly because there will be no money left for eating in restaurants. I'd better start visiting here every day, and not just for the pretty pictures.

Thanksgiving at the church, anyone?

 

So here is where we are. Sigh. A million miles from where we began, yet still a few hundred miles from where we need to be.

This week the templates are being taken for the stone countertops. The appliances will be installed in about two weeks, as will all the doors and drawers. Painting/staining the whole thing will take place somewhere in the middle of all that. There is electrical that still needs to be finished. The copper sink is being manufactured as we speak.

The final design of the forged iron railings for the balcony is still "up in the air". See, I have managed to maintain my sense of humor through this process. (But don't tell my family I said that, cause they would probably beg to differ.)

I am dreaming of creating a fantastic glass mosaic for the backsplash above the sink. Because I am a glutton for punishment like that. Pray for me.

Amen.

Chasing Motherhood

I've spent some time today looking through recent photographs, caught up in my feelings about Mothers Day.

This one, of Daughter and The Boy, struck me as a poignant moment in the life of a young mother.

How often does a small child call out "Mommy, mommy, chase me!" So we do.

And in that joy, in that innocence and visceral delight, the bonds of love grow stronger.

"Mommy, chase me!"
"Please help me chase my hopes, my dreams, my self-confidence, my comfort, my spiritual center, my place in the world." And oh, yes, we do. With all our hearts, we do.

And in the doing, WE grow stronger. Then oh-so suddenly, as they develop strength and confidence, they begin to turn around and chase us with the same fervor. And the joy is still palpable every time.

So maybe we should celebrate today by "chasing" our babies, big and small, for a moment longer. Whether they ask for it or not. And go ahead and feel free to BE chased a little, as well!

It's the circle of life.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

 

I'm Floored

Alas, there is major progress afoot!
(Underfoot??)

Anyway, floors are being tended to, and that usually signals the beginning of the excruciatingly long end!!

Notice the serious nature of the nearly century-old grime on these floors! They could not have been in any worse shape without involving either a box of matches or an act of God. The issues did, however, include a rather large flock of pigeons. You can thank me for sparing you a close-up.

Here we have a test area, trying out the sander. (And by "we", I mean definitely not me.)

Okay, that's better! There really are beautiful wood floors under all that....um, dirt!

This was after sanding the area three times.

At this point the upper platforms have also been sanded and conditioned, and the stain is being applied. In these smaller areas, they prefer to do it by hand, with rags. (And by "they", I still mean not me.) Because this is really, really hard work.

In the light of day, it is decided that the color is a bit too red...

So it is darkened, and thankfully now it is just right!

This room is on the third floor of the building, and was originally used for choir practice. It's about 1500 square feet, including the large new bathroom in the far corner. That room was a sort of secret, non-functional office/storage room, and is undergoing quite the transformation. Stay tuned for that reveal on the forthcoming "Parade of Bathrooms"!

The "steps" around the perimeter could not be removed, as they are hiding some interesting construction quirks, such as the tops of the vaulted ceilings from the floor below! Weird.

The "risers" for these steps are an odd assortment of wood, so instead of being stained, they will be painted, probably to match the new crown molding, which is still white in these photos.

This area will most likely be used in the way that a "bonus" room is used in most homes. Some gym equipment, a pool table...

And definitely some roller skates! Woot!

 

The One Where I Finally Come Up For Air

Okay, okay, you can call off the search party. I've been right here the whole time. Just hunkered down in my workshop 60-70 hours a week for the past three weeks.

Let's just say that my hair has looked better, but it's getting harder to remember when.

Trying to keep my head above water here, people. Seems like I'm hitting the old proverbial wall on this project, so I have to drop a shoulder and just push through it.

Sixty windows completed at this point, and "I-don't-want-to-count-how-many-are-left-thank-you-very-much".

This is a nice, simple design. It almost doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out with a soldering iron that I've had to make fifteen of this exact same one. Three more to go. Ack.

But I do love my tools. Isn't this the coolest hammer ever? Rubber on one side so you can tap the glass in position, and hard on the other side for the nails. And dudes, these are horseshoe nails, which for some strange reason makes me happy. See how little it takes these days??

Regardless, there has been an awful lot of hammering lately, and some of it has been unnecessarily loud.

Just sayin.