Getting close!

As we get ready for our 15th (ugh!) week of reno, we have some hints that we will have a functioning new kitchen and bathroom in two to four weeks. Here are some glimpses of our cabinet crown molding (that echoes that in the rest of the house) and our new handles:

That progress is certainly reason to celebrate, but it also means that during weekends when the crews aren’t here, we have to do a bunch of prep so that we can be ready to enjoy the new spaces even while the team completes the finishing touches.

Our first priority while the crew are doing the work in the kitchen and bath is finishing the “morning room” between the kitchen and dining room. This had been Dan’s office, but as Dan’s work space alone, we couldn’t use it as more common space that fits with the location. Dan moved up to the small bedroom on the second floor that I had been using while studying for my Master’s—a very paper-intensive process. Now that I’m teaching at the University, I rarely use that space (because I have an office there), and my former office has much more desk space for Dan, who uses a ton of desk space. It is also a quieter space for Dan to work.

One key for our upcoming transition is that when the kitchen and bathroom are usable, workers will start demolishing our master bathroom. That means our only shower will be the new one on the first floor for several months—right before the school year starts and I have to get ready for teaching while crews are working in our bedroom.

So our “morning room” will also be a place to get dressed (there are two doors) and store everything we need for the 3/4 bath that has no storage. We have ordered some furniture from Etsy ( higher quality and less expensive than local retail) that has yet to arrive. We could not find a shelf that would look right without breaking the bank, so we repurposed an old dresser from my parent’s house to serve as towel storage and printer stand. Those of you affiliated with 801 will be amused at this. This chest of drawers is likely from the 1930s (any idea 801-ers?) because it was stashed in closets to store stuff well before I moved in in the early 1970s. It’s a wreck, but it’s a family wreck so I love it. (We will work on refinishing next summer.)

The closet in this room, which had been packed with Dan’s “I don’t know where to put these things” is now free of dust and cobwebs and “I don’t know what to do with these things” and is nearly stocked with everything we will need for the bathroom.

And at the same time, we have to get ready for other finishing! We ordered a mirror for the 3/4 bath that won’t arrive for at least three weeks—perhaps just in time. We will need protection for the new quartz counters, so we ordered some trivets and coasters that will blend in.

What we have NOT chosen are the stools for the island. We have guidance to get backless ones so as to be able to shove them under the overhangs of the island, but we really don’t know. South Bend is certainly not a Mecca of browsing by butt.

We would love recommendations for stools in particular. What do you love?