Home accessories: Highlights from Foodie Friday and the Rattlebridge Renovation

I hope everyone is having a peaceful Saturday.
Are you still looking for recipes? Or do you just want to relax for a few minutes?
Come on in, and I'll show you what's been going on this week.
We'll start with highlights from the home renovation
and end with a sampling of Foodie Friday links.

Here's a peek at our new window.
It's so much bigger than the small laundry room window. Bandwith is coming up with some solutions.
I can't wait to dig in the herb garden!

I love the wider opening between the kitchen and family room.

I haven't shown the upstairs bedrooms in a while.

This is a guest room. Love the color, so I won't be repainting. However, the ceiling fixture will probably get an update.

Bandwidth's room has been repainted.

His room faces the pond.

(We're not sure who made the bed--but thanks!)

Bandy, who loves to blow out walls, thinks this
is the solution for two tiny bedrooms. So, we'd
end up with one large room (or a Bandy Room).

We finalized the kitchen layout with Jimmy, my

wonderful cabinet maker.

As you can see, the footprint is a bit tight, and

it can't be changed. The old stove hood wasn't aligned with the new beams (the vent itself was aligned, though). To create symmetry with the beams and vent, we were going to move the range several inches to the left. But we decided this

would make this wall seem lopsided.

How to balance this wall?

A 48" inch cooktop would fit perfectly.

No matter what, we agreed that the cabinet on the left needs to go, along with the microwave and wall oven. A drawer microwave will be installed below the counter.

Also, we'll have room for two pull-out spice drawers on either side of the cooktop (or range). Jimmy made drawers for my present kitchen, and I just love them. Use them every single day.

A look at the opposite wall.

A 48" refrigerator will go here.

(You may remember that the right wall was removed?)

I'd love to have two wall ovens.

So Jimmy and Mike (our contractor)

came up with an idea to place the ovens on the staircase wall (we'll lose one pantry door).

I was a bit worried about function. I tried to imagine myself opening an oven door, my squishy self backed up against the wall. I

asked Bandwidth to try it. He thought it felt tight, too. But a kitchen counter will replace the present "oven wall," and I could imagine taking a pan from the oven and placing it on the new counter.

Mike said we'll be losing a bit of the cabinet wall.

It will be pushed back to the beam.

The ovens can be set back into the pantry wall, too.
Mike whipped out his tape measure, and then Bandy and I pretended to open the door.

Yes, this will work.

Dr. Will said, "What's going on this wall?" (see below). We'll have to brainstorm.

I wanted to show you part of the garage.

It has a wonderfully functional area--the sink is perfect for washing up after gardening. Around the corner are coat hooks and an intercom box.

I would love to bring my garden cabinet to Rattlebridge. Jimmy designed and made it for me in 2005.

If you've followed the renovation diary,

you know about the master bath makeover.

I'm going for a quasi-Renovation Hardware look,

but I didn't want to replace the cabinets.

The wall color is SW Macadamia, so we went a few shades deeper,
Thatch Brown.

It was almost in the "Goldilocks Zone."

Glaze wouldn't be dark enough, and the next color on the paint strip,
Umber, could be too dark.

I tried a small sample of Umber.

One thin coat gave an "antiqued" effect.

I'm ready for Easter food.
How about you?

Let's take a look at some Foodie Friday links.

March 29th Foodie Friday

Butteryum showed us how to color Easter eggs the natural way.

Don't you love this pretty color?

The Lady Behind the Curtain made French Toast Cupcakes with bananas and nuts.

Sweet Nothings made an Easter arrangement (and she's in the process of moving!) by shopping her house. She offers a step-by-step for creating a compote. I love her cupcakes, too!