Sometimes during a remodeling project, things can feel a little overwhelming. You begin to feel a little like this guy at National Harbor just outside Washington, D.C. It has occasionally felt that way with the SoMoToHo kitchen project – particularly when we got a weekend of record rainfall and the (new) roof began leaking in several spots, the new kitchen being chief among them. (We’re still waiting on a resolution of the roof situation – I’ll keep you updated.)
But things are moving along rapidly and I can see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. Here is the surprise for the range wall that I mentioned in the last post:
Hand painted Moroccan tile. This shot shows it un-grouted. The next one shows it with grout in place, as well as a bit more of the wall. Later, you’ll see how the range fits in. 
Right about the time the rain hit, the floor was scheduled to go in. We (read “Shawn, the contractor”) decided to go ahead with the floor installation, so as to keep things on schedule. So that’s what we did. 
As you can see, Debra opted to continue the same wood floor from the rest of the house into the kitchen. The warmth of the wood makes a great foundation for the cool white of the cabinets, softens the mixed metals, and generally classes up the place. The blue painter’s tape holding the slats in place while the glue set 
made an interesting contrast that our newest grandson really enjoyed.
The backsplash tile, while not as dramatic as the tile above the range, turned out beautifully. I think Debra outdid herself with this selection. 
You can see how it adds a textural dimension that would be lacking with virtually any other choice.
As promised, here is a shot of the range slipped into its appointed space.
It’s a 30″ Bertazzoni and is gorgeous. While we still have some gas line work to do in order to make the cook top work, the oven is electric and works just fine, thank you. Here is a shot of our first meal cooked in the new kitchen:
Despite the fact that the kitchen isn’t finished, Debra has been chomping at the bit to unpack the boxes sitting in the garage and picked up some drawers for the pantry for me to install – bamboo for the middle shelf, chrome wire for the top. (Yes, we could have had the cabinet maker install them but, since we pushed the budget a bit with the Moroccan tile, Debra figured that I could do it more economically.)
Bamboo drawers are in – next, the chrome wire ones up top.
Like I said, things are moving along. The dishwasher is in and working but it lacks the panel on the front to make it match the cabinets, so I’ll wait to take its picture. Speaking of panels, here is a preview of the fridge, panels installed, while it was still in the dining room. We moved it yesterday, but that reveal will wait until the next post. 
Let us know what you think about the way things are shaping up – we appreciate the feedback. And, as always, many, many thanks for reading!