We had no idea after the flurry on Monday and Tuesday that Wednesday and Thursday would be more of the same.
The different crews work together all the time so it was like a renovation ballet.
It was the big day for the counter tops to be installed.
I chose black matte Formica over stone.
Previously the kitchen had black Formica installed back in 1960.
No chips.
No cracks.
Good enough recommendation for me.
The door stood open to everyone bringing things in and taking things out.
Look the plumbers were working to install the kitchen sink and dishwasher.
I chose a deep stainless sink.
The stove moved back into position.
It had lived most of the time in the breakfast room and on sunny days out on the patio.
Look there are handles on the cabinets.
More about those later.
The cabinet guy designed the counter top to run the entire length of this wall of cabinets separating the upper and lower cabinets.
I cannot even describe how they were able to bring it into the house.
It's twelve feet long.
As you can see a peek of the laundry room way at the other end.
Not much done there yet.
Smallest part of the renovation taking the most time.
Thank you, Greg, of Southern Kitchen Designs.
I will be back with more renovations soon.
See y'all!
Week Three of the kitchen renovations was a one-day flurry followed by nothing.
Week Four started with electricians, plumbers, dry wall men, and painters.
It was a non-stop two days.
Gray primer went up on Monday.
You can see the previous paint color - Dover White - sorta creamy.
We only had to do without the fridge for two hours during the entire renovations.
One very small dent on the back but no paint drops.
The floor went in.
The back door went in.
THREE TIMES!
This old house no longer has square anything.
A lot of adjustments and now it fits just fine.
There are several things we love about this renovation - the floor being near the top of the list.
It does not show dirt!
Mannington Pewter Filagree.
Two coats of primer and the painters called it quits for the day.
Returned on Tuesday for the dramatic final coat.
Victorian Pewter.
This is the pantry.
Pantry to the fridge.
The main kitchen goes off to the right.
From the breakfast room through the galley kitchen to the laundry room.
After decades of a dark kitchen, there are lights!
From the laundry room to the breakfast room.
The rest of Week Four tomorrow.
This was the fourth week in May.
Are we finished yet?
No, but getting there.
See y'all!
On the same weekend as the Magnolia Ridge Gathering back in May, there was a Vintage Market Days event in North Augusta about a mile from Riverfront Antique Mall.
It was a boon for the sales at the booth.
I did not get to attend the first day, but after Ridge Spring on Saturday morning, I drove back to Aiken, unloaded, and headed to North Augusta.
I was searching for metal stuff for the kitchen.
This is not old but it is perfect for Chucks to have hanging over his coffee station.
Just a gentle reminder, you know.
A large sheet of pressed tin.
Have not used it yet, but it may not remain whole.
Pressed tin cornice pieces.
I have a project involving sheep for these.
I met Sarah Jane Fisher of Southern Boy Primitives and fell in love with the items she and Andy sell as they travel.
You can find them on Facebook HERE - Southern Boy Primitives.
These are pieces from a Makom chicken brooder.
They have a delicious rusty look.
I have them outside getting a little more rusty before I seal them.
I will probably use them in a row on the outside wall where there is currently a big hole in the brick where the old vent fan was removed.
My hope is it will cover the difference in the new brick and the old brick.
Chucks has gone around the neighborhood looking for old brick matching what is on our house.
He has amassed quite a stack.
When looking to see if I could find a picture of a Makom brooder I found an ad for an auction in the Hutchinson Herald in November, 1944. There was a Makom brooder listed under machinery. Auction advertisement - HERE.
Sorry, I could not find a photo.
I was able to attend the first Vintage Market Days in two places in South Carolina. The one in Ladson was cooler, but the one in North Augusta was closer. Several of the same dealers, but I will probably attend both of the fall shows.
I was impressed with each event.
See y'all!
Many of the changes in the kitchen were from my dreams.
One of my dreams was what the new kitchen table would look like.
It had to be crusty and rusty.
And distressed.
Yet usable as an eating surface.
Also it had to have an industrial look.
So here is my dream kitchen table.
It all started at a garage sale down the street. Melissa always has great things left over from her design business.
Two pieces of distressed wood were being used as tables for smalls.
My niece Leia spied them first and pointed out there was my kitchen table.
Alas, Melissa said they were spoken for, but she had one extra over in a corner.
1940's mason table top.
Years of mixing mortar.
Zinc-wrapped ends.
Carriage bolts to hold the slats together.
Genuine lime-washed pickled finish.
Rough from the embedded gravel bits.
There was only one person to make this a table.
Jerry Adams, a fellow dealer at Riverfront Antique Mall, is an excellent builder of rustic furniture.
He sanded the top and gave it the soft sheen of multiple coats of satin varnish.
He found old casters to use.
The top alone weighs about sixty pounds - I needed a way to roll it back and forth.
Then Jerry created this base and distressed it with gray paint.
The shelf and the angled legs add to the table's beauty.
The top can be unscrewed from the brackets underneath.
It took four of us to tote it around the house and into the kitchen.
We have enjoyed our meals around the table.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am obsessed with this table.
I will show it again when I reveal the breakfast room completed.
Thanks, Jerry.
It is my dream come to life.
See y'all!
Wow Us Wednesdays #345
Talk of the Town #81
The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.
Exhaustion from the kitchen renovation - yes, we are suffering.
Is it over?
No, not yet.
So on to the pleasant things I did manage to enjoy in the last two months.
Like the Magnolia Ridge Antiques & Art Gathering.
Because of the kitchen, I was not able to set up and sell, but there was time to shop.
No room to buy much.
The orange mail box is an iconic piece in Ridge Spring, SC.
It welcomes you onto the grounds of Magnolia Ridge which is a working farm and horse training site.
Familiar dealers showed up to sell on a glorious May Saturday.
All kinds of vintage items.
Yes, even the kitchen sink!
The back of the farmhouse with its red roof and deep back porch.
I was looking for crates and architectural items and there was no lack of them.
Among several small items was this pair of sidelights from a doorway.
They were mine!
(I was to first to spy them or they would not have been mine!)
Just needed a bit of cleaning.
Not sure what to call the type of glass - sort of lacy.
Looks like ice.
Beautiful green patina.
Unfortunately they are too long for over the counter in the new kitchen.
I am hanging on to them in case I find another place to use them.
On the way out of Ridge Spring we had to stop at Stuff & Things.
Found the old bench.
I posted it on Instagram as the perfect piece for the new laundry room.
Alas, after the washer and dryer were delivered, it was in the way of the dryer door by two inches.
C'est la vie!
Not sure if I am keeping it.
It may be headed to the booth.
I will admit to some laziness - I have gotten quite addicted to posting on Instagram.
However, every time I think about leaving the blogging world, something draws me back in.
Like friends.
See y'all!
Coastal Charm Show and Share No. 370
Wow Us Wednesdays #345
Talk of the Town #81
