Kitchen is done!

From the top: Icestone windowsill & millwork radiator grilles. The new radiator is a svelte little number that is mounted flush to the wall. Again, Mr. Chen worked his magic and created three panels that tilt out for service and look gorgeous.

We learned the hard way that Prestige makes each range hood to order, even if it's in a standard size. Trevor at Eurostoves was our wonderful salesperson and advocate throughout. If you are even thinking about getting a Bluestar range, talk to him first. Now we have both the firepower & the venting (1200 cfm) to cook up a storm. Can't wait.

Note wine cubbies in final shot. Mr. Chen's handiwork again. We'll be raising a glass to him & the rest of the crew.

My new favorite spot

I told Leo that I will be buying a little stool to sit in the hall & admire both sets of blue tile. They just make me happy.

Island improvements

The millworker is another genius and made two drawers where the wine fridge used to sit in the middle of the island. It looks original (pardon the dust) and will be very handy for storing small appliances (there's a power strip on the top) and mixing bowls. Last photo shows where we grafted a strip of extra granite (originally part of the backsplash) to the island.

Foodie porn

Here's the kitchen, almost ready to cook in. LOVE the Schoen faucet, a brand I'd never heard of until the umpteenth time surfing efaucets.com. Undercabinet lights are in & make the glass tile sparkle. The Bluestar range (which the saleman likened to a Ferrari) is hooked up & waiting for its "racing tires" (Prestige 1200 cfm hood). See how a wok will fit perfectly when the grate is removed? The front burners are 20,000 btu's (about 6-7 hotter than what we have now).

To stain or not stain...

When you've got old floorboards, they retain some color even after they're sanded. That makes it tricky to match the new floorboards (where walls used to be). In the second photo, you can see one of our several Minwax testing sessions. Mr. Chen, the foreman, lobbied for a darker stain to hide the difference in tones. Steve & I wanted a lighter color to open up the space and provide contrast with the kitchen cabs and Raydoors. We hit upon a compromise by leaving the original floors untouched and only staining the newer sections. Then all topped off with waterbased poly sealer. We were pretty nervous when we opened the door to the apartment on Saturday morning then breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The floors look glowing & warm but not too dark. And the parquet pattern really "pops" now.

Backsplash & replacement cabinet doors

Here's Leo, our contractor (with his everpresent Bluetooth earpiece), showing how well the replacement cabinet door matches the originals. Other than the name of the company (Oriental Construction), we love Leo & his crew. They've really gone the extra mile and care deeply about doing a top quality job. Not only that, they were the low bidders!

The glass mosaic backsplash just makes me smile every time I see it. It injects movement and levity into the otherwise zen walnut kitchen. No, the tile guy hasn't been working round the clock. I'm just way behind on blogging.

Later I'll post pix of the two beautiful drawers Oriental built to fill the 24" gap in the island. They also cut a piece of the extra granite to create a second overhang on the window side of the island. Now it will seat people on both sides, which Erin says makes it much more of a hangout. I don't doubt it.

Maya's bathroom

Now we're really having some fun. This is the funky Italian tile we found in one of those huge discount tile warehouses that's always at the outer reaches of the five boroughs. I came up with the pattern to make sparing use of the pricey circle tiles.

Again, the god of tile is doing his thing & it's looking spectacular. The room used to be painted midnight blue and it swallowed the light coming from the small window like a black hole. Now there's tons of light bouncing around & it's much cheerier.