A Little Demolition Before Bed

Not sure what it is about Sunday evenings that brings out the demolition is us, but tonight as we stared at our perfectly functional kitchen, we decided it was time to bring back the chaos and bash out some more cabinetry.

The kitchen was a big selling point for the house. Considering the other 50′s style houses we were looking at, the kitchen was fairly spacious with lots of cabinetry and counter space. We knew at the time that we’d be taking most of it down, but we loved that we wouldn’t have to move the plumbing/gas lines or take down any walls.

In this round of demolition, we’re actually giving up storage by taking down cabinetry, but in my defense the cabinetry was not functional considering how impossible it was to access, plus I know the storage those cabinets offered will pale in comparison to how nice it will look to have a clean, open, shiny-tiled wall with a large, industrial chimney-style, vent hood. Mmm chimney-style.

Here is a before:

A cherished 1950′s original decorative piece, now living in our backyard:

The demo was as always, a ton of fun. I served as the hammer assistant/clean-up girl while Will did his own version of “Max” in Where the Wild This Are.  Lots of battle cries, and flailing arms. Here is a shot of him taking down the existing vent hood.

Now that the grunt work is complete, I plan on replacing the cardboard style drywall with cement board and tiling to the ceiling with white subway tiles.  Although I would love to whip out my check book and be done with it, I plan on completing the job solo and I honestly foresee success. Given my year of learning and watching the experts, I think I’m ready! Here are some “after” photos – Don’t forget to use your imagination.

After:

Still more demolition to come as we take off the one cabinet to the right and replace with open shelving. I’m also envisioning a white, billowy roman shade hung at the ceiling to make the window look extra tall.

Next up, I’ll screw in the cement board and purchase the subway tile at Home Depot for a fantastic price of $22 fo 12.5 square feet if I remember correctly. I’m also on the look out for a schoolhouse pendant light to hang above the sink.