While we were in Spain, things progressed at Hildring House – evidenced by grass, knobs, and the unfitted kitchen. This phase of the renovation is nearing an end (please!) and it’s turning out well, we think. Right before we left, the grey decomposed granite had gone down in the sitting area out front

and some staking had been done in the area of the screening bed:

And now for the progress:

Grass

Sod is down

we put in the first couple of many, many more plants to come

The next two pics show the shade bed under the red oak on the north end of the yard and the configuration of the screening bed at the south end – to block the “poison arrows” coming from the busy intersection in that direction.

And we’ll put some Big Blue liriope in the space along the front of the house – it runs the entire distance of the front.

But the most exciting changes have been in the knob and unfitted kitchen areas.

Knobs

First – the new laundry room. The knobs are on those lovely blue cabinets:

I think Debra did a great job selecting these knobs. They’re almost translucent and they have just the right feel of casual-ness for the laundry room. But she did an even better job in the kitchen, which is our segue to the

Unfitted Kitchen

As you can see, the unfitted kitchen is coming along very nicely and we’re just tickled with it. As I’ve mentioned before, we’re cooks – we use our kitchen. This configuration is much easier to actually use. Far less “Debra! Where is the – (fill-in-the-blank?)” But it will require a bit more organizational effort. I’m okay with that.

The articulating light on the shelf won’t stay there. We’ve ordered some wall-mounted lighting for that space and the corresponding one on the other side of the vent hood. We’ll need some electrical work at some point in the future to deal with the aesthetics of the plugs. Eventually, the coffee will move to the new coffee bar – but that is a completely different project, for the future.  It’s coming right along and, like I said, we’re really happy so far.

And the “pretty” stuff in the kitchen? Well, the island has its jewelry:

Pretty, aren’t they? You might notice that the drawers are framed in unpainted birch. That’s because the original drawer faces warped. All of them. Very weird. But they’ve been replaced now and will be painted sometime this week.

The mix of the brushed gold of the hardware, the honed marble counter tops, the stainless appliance handles, and the rich white of the painted cabinets makes for a very pleasing palate, don’t you think?

So glad that we’re nearing the end of this phase but even happier that you’ve shared the journey With the Barretts. Please keep reading – and like, and share, and invite your friends – we love the company!