Kitchen Remodel-Phase 1

This summer our big project is remodeling the kitchen.  We're going down to the studs and taking out a couple walls.

The walls between the kitchen and dining room are coming out to open the two rooms up.  The soffit will come out and the cabinets will go the the ceiling.  And, most importantly, the hideous, can't keep it clean, black and white floor is coming out!  I know, everyone says the floor is so cool.  It looks great in pictures, in magazines.  But it is the worst thing invented in the history of color.  Don't do it!

In 1967 when our house was built the little area next to the dishwasher and microwave cupboard was a little breakfast nook.  I don't know how they fit a table in there, let alone put people around it.  I'm not real sure how the Betty Homemakers functioned in kitchens like this.  How on earth did they roll out pie crusts with only a combined 7' of counter space and no dishwasher?  (I finally had one installed after 5 years.  It's wider than the counter so we have a drop-off onto the top of it.)

We're taking out the window on the left and putting in one the same size as the window above the sink.  The cabinets will go to the corner and make the turn and end about where the micro cupboard ends and the pile of shoes starts.

When we moved in the door to the very right of this picture was just a window.  We took that out, put in the door and added the deck.  Before we took out the window things seemed even more crowded.  Hopefully taking out the walls will open it all up and give us some extra room around the table, you know, for bikes and rollerblades and such.

Our kitchen isn't usually this messy, but I was in the process of cleaning up while Landon was working on the windows and I remembered that I hadn't taken any 'before' pictures.