Kitchen Remodel or Refonte de la cuisine

When we bought our house we thought the kitchen was “acceptable.” The appliances were working and not too old. The cabinets were IKEA white laminate with bamboo tops. There was adequate storage and the floor was ancient tomette tiles with incredible patina (more than 200 years of use before they ended up at our place). Still, the countertop work spaces were too little and painfully low (short predecessors cooked here). The cooktop hood and vent was at the perfect height to gouge our heads or put an eye out and the “vent stack” stopped 3+ inches/8+ centimeters below the ceiling…it went nowhere but did a great job of blowing smoke directly toward the smoke alarm!

BEFORE: The vent stack to nowhere…
BEFORE: Limited work space on too low counters, but great old tomettes on the floor.

After five plus years, it was time to change the kitchen. Given the constraints on the size and location of the space, the design had to be maximal and minimal at the same time–more room for working, better flow, less clutter and quality materials. Sallie did a great job of visualizing how the room would best work for the way we live and cook. We decided to eliminate gas cooking (and the inconvenience and smell of gas bottles) and go with a large induction cooktop. We increased the capacity/size of the refrigerator/freezer while using less energy. The new cabinets are of oak, crafted by the artisan who did all of the work on the project. The old kitchen was carefully removed and completely “recycled’/upcycled to our friends who are building out a gite.

DURING: Demolition and dismantling the old kitchen. Sadly, the tomettes flooring could not be saved–they ahd been installed using concrete by the prior owners. Happily, that allowed us to install under floor radiant heat and gain space by removing a radiator.
DURING: The sacrificial radiator during the demolition process.
DURING: The entire old kitchen, including appliances (not visible), waiting for pickup and transport to its new location in our neighbor’s gite rental unit.

The best thing about doing this kitchen redesign/remodel was working with a great local artisan (M. Richey) who did great work AND had great communication skills. Before anything was built or demolished, we coordinated on the appliances to be acquired and installed (new refrigerator, dishwasher, induction cooktop, oven and microwave), new lighting and heating and scheduling. During the demolition (1.5 days) we learned that the old tomettes couldn’t be salvalaged and quickly (less than 24 hours) pivoted to travertine stone tiles. The room/job site was isolated and taped off from the rest of the house to minimize dust and prevent dogus interuptus. Our trusted electrician worked great with the kitchen crew and the job got done very well, very quickly. And we are VERY happy with the results.*

AFTER: The “vent to nowhere” is replaced a large workspace (quartzite counter tops) and new shelf. New electrics and thermostat. Oak cabinets have hidden, touch latch hardware.
Induction cooktop with LED task lighting. Storage for bread and miscellany behind the hob; pans, pots and knives/cooking implements below.. On the left, oven and micro wave, with integrated spice racks and storage for cooking trays, etc.
AFTER: Quartzite counter (with drainage cuts) and black splash; new sink and faucet . New dishwasher (with wood front matching the cabinets) below with drawers. More space, more light, less clutter. Success!
AFTER: The new cuisine, looking east toward the entry door. Magnifique!
AFTER: The view looking west; entering the house through the kitchen door. Superbe!

* NOTE–Of course, there had to be at least one problem, right? In our case, it was the induction cooktop, a top of the line ASKO. After being iinstalled by a master electrician, it didn’t work. At all. We contacted the company (in France and Sweden), the seller (online and the retail outlet) and the app creator (it is a so-called “smart appliance”). The app creators quickly concluded that the electronic “brain” in our cooktop was faulty and needed to be replaced, but they could not help us any further. Our first report of the problem was in mid-March. The first time someone arrived to fix the problem was mid April. The problem was finally fixed on May 22. That’s the short version, without the massive frustration(s) and communications issues. Customer service? Um…non. But the plaque de cuisson marche trés bien .

Published by Geoff