Kitchen Update (Getting Ready For Counters!)

A kitchen update is long-overdue!  After the excitement of demolition, it took us a couple weeks so slowly start putting things back together again - a lot of time was spent fishing wires while my electrician Father-in-Law was giving us directions via speakerphone.  Even though it doesn't look like much, it was important to do before drywall repair and backsplash tiling.  After all this behind-the-walls work was finished, it was time to get ready for countertops!

This is a very real "before" picture. Drywall has been installed but not mudded yet.  Cabinet doors (still in that lovely original finish) haven't been removed yet.  No painting has been done. And the original light fixture is still in place.  But here's what has been accomplished: the new opening is framed.  And the peninsula's cabinets are starting to take shape!  See that corner where the chair is (the only way we could reach the ceiling there)?  The corner has been squared off and a lazy Susan will be installed, making much more efficient use of formerly wasted real estate.  To the right is the dishwasher's opening.  We're replacing the mini 80s dishwasher and made room for a full-sized one.  And the opening at the end of the peninsula will become an opening for the microwave, a pull-out drawer and a skinny cabinet for storing baking trays and cutting boards.  Need a poorly-rendered visual?  I have one:

Voila!  Here, you can see the plans for the peninsula, as well as the plan for open shelving to the right of the sink.  Three pendants in the dining room and a huge piece of art (which you've already seen!).

 And here's a better shot of the cabinets starting to take shape: dishwasher opening, microwave shelf with a pull-out drawer below, and a tall, skinny cabinet for tall, skinny things.  That cabinet door was saved from the above-the-fridge cupboards that we tore out.  We trimmed it down on a table saw and used it for the face of the big drawer.  Being able to reuse parts like this really helped tie the old and new together.  And a good coat of paint will cover up any inconsistencies. We worked hard to keep everything as level and flat as possible, as our counter fabricators warned us any height differences greater than 1/8th of an inch could cause problems (and we must have done a great job because they ended up saying our work was better than many professional custom cabinetmakers they've worked with.  Shout-out to my awesome Dad and his work here!).