Non fiber-arts project

Normally, I try to stick with just my fiber arts projects here, but yesterday marked the completion of a home project that I am very pleased with, and I decided to share it with you.  We have lived here almost 11 years, and the home was constructed in 1996, which meant our kitchen was 18 years old, and in real need of a remodel!  Last summer we had new vinyl flooring put in, because I couldn't stand the old floor any more... no matter what I did, it looked old and dirty.  Well, once we got the new floor in, the rest of the kitchen really began to show its age, so I decided this year was the year of the make-over!  The dishwasher, stove and refrigerator were replaced, then I had our contractor (who happens to be a neighbor - very convenient!) come over to help decide how to complete the renovation.  He did some preliminary measurements, then sent me over to Home Depot to look at what they had and see what fit my mental picture of how I wanted the kitchen to look.  I checked out what was available, came home with a chart of the cabinet components, and we started figuring out what would fit where.  Fast forward a little... I ordered cabinets and countertops, we set a start date, got someone over to measure for a custom counter top on our kitchen island, and work began February 10th.  Here are some 'before' shots:

And below, are the 'after' shots:

Here are Richard and Lawrence, the contractors:

These guys do a great job, and I can always depend on them... a real treat!

I still have a couple of finish up tasks to do, but I am really thrilled with the make-over!  It's beautiful, and I have actually added storage space so that my counters will stay uncluttered (she said hopefully!).  

So everything is put away, the work station I set up in my office (see below)

has been dismantled and boxes are empty and stored in the garage.  Now maybe I can get back to my studio and create some more art!