Table Set Complete

As I was heading out the door for an appointment the other day, the Fed Ex truck was pulling up!  The benches I ordered arrived one day early!!  I had the driver set them in the front entry...until Mr. Seventies was able to unbox them later that evening!

I am so pleased with the weight and quality of the benches!  They look and work perfect with the new table...

The sun was beaming through the back door...as you can see in the back ground...

The top of the table has a rough, farmhouse texture and feel to it...and being able to slide the benches underneath has been a space saving venture.  The traffic flow in and around the kitchen is much easier these days...and suits our needs perfectly.  While I loved our previous set...it was just not the right fit for our needs...taking up valuable floor space.

When this 70's split was constructed...there was little thought of design.  We're not sure if the builder ran out of funds to complete the house thoroughly or what was the issue...as the kitchen was not a "workable" space...measuring 22 feet long and only 9 feet wide.  Great space...for a bowling alley!  And to add further insult...there was a short 8 ft piece of cheap plywood cabinets stuck on one wall....while leaving the other walls bare.  No...that would never do!

You can see in the above photo...the pantry is behind the table set.  A great use of space...and just to recap how the rest of the kitchen looks...after spending many hours with the kitchen designer, working with her to gain the maximum use of the footage and space we had...I'm still very happy with our end results...(first photo was taken prior to the new faucet being installed)..

The cabinets are in a U shape form...cabinets, sink, counter space, dishwasher on one side...with the counter range and microwave being housed in the middle....with cabinets and drawers above and below...

Upper and lower cabinets continuing on the left side of the kitchen...with the built in wall oven..and refrigerator (not seen in photo) housed in that area....

The granite countertops and tile backsplash have been more recent upgrades...along with pot lighting, new faucet..and the dishwasher, wall oven & microwave have all been replaced with the ones shown in the photos.  The countertop range and refrigerator are still going strong!!  

While this is still a "one bum" kitchen...it works for us.  Being so narrow....it is difficult for more than one person to be working in the kitchen without getting in each other's way.  But is is 1000 time better than it was when we first purchased the house!  I still love my cabinets....the pulls are simple, polish chrome finish....matching the new faucet...and a great deal at Home Depot!    Even the floor tile..with approximately 200 square feet required....could have easily broken the bank!  But on clearance..it costs us only $200 for the whole kitchen.  Since the kitchen was a total gut job....a new sub floor was installed...then the tile laid prior to the cabinets being installed.  

During the planning stages, we had to make one slight adjustment to come in on budget.  There was a corner cabinet to be installed next to the refrigerator...and since I neither wanted or needed it...it was axed...to keep us on budget.  The only slight modification required and we couldn't be happier.   The kitchen looks as good today...as it did when we first did the remodel 16-17 years ago! (with the updated granite countertop and backsplash in the past couple of years).

Working with an older home...certainly has it's challenges.   Don't even get me started on the lower level...which at one time...was one large, unfinished concrete space!  

We'll save that conversation for another day!  Hope you have an awesome day...it's going to be a beautiful one on our Island today!!