Hanging Table

The kitchen is finally coming together. We tiled last weekend and installed the table this week. The table idea came out of a predicament. When tearing down drywall we discovered that the wall between the kitchen and dining room was load bearing. Never something you want to learn after demolishing the rooms. So we had a two choices. First choice was to hire a structural engineer to design and hang a beam from wall to wall. Big bucks and a lot more time. Second option was to install a post. Against the pleading of family we decided to put a post. I think they did not like to post because they thought we'd walk right into it not noticing a huge post in our way. We knew we had find a creative way to incorporate the post into the kitchen. So we installed a second post thinking to install a table making it a permanent fixture in the kitchen.

Finding a table top was the fun part. I like the decorating and shopping, not particularly the hard labor. Steven had the great idea about a year ago to make a table out of a door. The problem with that is most doors have holes for the door knob already cut out or they have the door knob installed. Luckily on an afternoon drive we came across Passport Imports. They had dining room and coffee tables already constructed out of doors. So we purchased one, sawed off the legs and with the help of my parents (the table weighs as much as a baby elephant) hung the table between two beams.

The hanging table is colorful and unexpected. Just the touch we are always looking for!

Kitchen Update

With all the construction workers out now we're in control of finishing up this project. You can see from the update a few days ago that the pink tile is out, the wall is gone and two posts were put in its place. It room has drastically changed. Steven and I sit on the floor of the kitchen and try to imagine what it use to look like. It is almost a figment of our imagination. Luckily we remembered to take before pictures to remind us (this is the step we usually forget).

We had a few hiccups with the remodel but now were back on track. One of the major hiccups was finding out the wall between the kitchen and dining room was a load bearing. We replaced it with one post to hold the beam but decided to add a second post to even out the room. Between the posts we plan on hanging a table as a built in. We purchased a table top that is actually an framed antique door. The goal, as always, is to put something where it is least expected. I've started looking at chandeliers for above the table but I know there are a lot of things to get done before we even get to the table, let alone decorative lighting. The next step though, now that we're done painting, is to put the cabinets in and then tile this weekend. By the way we discovered some exceptional paint called FastHide. It dries in an hour which allowed us to paint the whole room twice in one evening. It saved us some of our lost time for our contractor woes.

Sewing Table

Since we're in the middle of a remodel I thought I would share some of our past projects every few days. Here is one of our first projects. It was a drafting desk purchased at ASU Surplus. We took it apart, painted, added a new top and some useful accessories. The cutting board and ruler are screwed to the table and then we had fun with checkered upholstery. Enjoy!

Renovation Chaos

Things are a bit chaotic right now. We decided, out of nowhere, to remodel the kitchen. I took a nap and woke up to Steven proposing that we redo the kitchen. This is despite being midway through updating the yard. I guess I have more time to wait for (stalk) Ahmed Hassan from Yard Crashers at the local home improvement stores on Friday afternoon. Here is where we left the yard a few weeks ago. We bought a Pencil cactus and two Totem Cacti (they look like a giant melted candle as they grow). Add to that a mango tree, two Fan Tex Ash and a quickly growing Cottonwood (I think I want another Cottonwood because they are absolutely beautiful). The rocks are almost gone and we are slowly filling in with a few other small plants.

Back to the kitchen. The remodel was supposed to be a 3.5 possibly 4 week project but it has turned into a 6 week project. At least that is the projection right now. It took 5 days to demo the entire kitchen and we’re on week three of waiting for our handyman to finish up. So six weeks if our handyman decides to finish in the next few days. Hiring him was a huge mistake and we're paying in time for his speed and blunders. Home improvement lesson 17 is do your homework on hiring out and lesson 18 is be more specific in a contract. Hopefully we'll be able to paint and tile this week but we're not holding our breath anymore. I've been living and working in a construction zone and it's driving me nuts.

Before:

After demo: