Sunday 22 January 2012

CAKEBRAIN’S NEW WHITE KITCHEN

NIK_2679

Happy Happy Day!  Cakebrain’s Kitchen Reno is complete!
Join me for a personal tour...



NIK_2657

Today I moved the last of the glassware into my cupboards.  I was surprised at how long it took me to wash and move things back in.  I purged some items and donated them along the way.

Let's start the tour of my brand new kitchen.  I’ll even let you look in some of my cupboards and drawers!

NIK_2687

My marble counter feels wonderful.  It’s a honed Statuario Marble. 

NIK_2661

Everything tastes better cooked on the Wolf Range!   See that copper pot on the range?  A few years back I travelled to France all by myself and toured Normandy, the Alsace region and practically half of France that summer staying with friends and relatives of my lifelong friends V & P (V is a penpal I have been corresponding with since high school!) I purchased the copper pot in a little town in Normandy called Villedieu-les-Poêles that specialized in making these heavy duty gems!   It’s got a Mauviel Villedieu stamp on it.
This information is from the Mauviel site:   “In a Normandy village called Villedieu-les-Poêles, which is located near the Mont-Saint-Michel, Mr. Ernest Mauviel established the Mauviel manufacturing company.
Villedieu-les-Poêles, “the city of copper”, has an 800 year heritage of copper manufacturing. The strength and foundation for Mauviel's manufacturing expertise is based upon this rich tradition of copper manufacturing that has been handed down from generation to generation.
Since the very early years, by offering the highest quality products, Mauviel has been a fixture in the professional and commercial markets.
Today, Mauviel continues to offer the professional chef, products that are unsurpassed in quality and design. These same products are now also available to household markets.
Throughout the world Mauviel products are used by many famous chefs and professionals. With 1,000 products, Mauviel offers several ranges of high quality products made from copper, stainless steel or aluminum. Each range is crafted with elegant style and is designed to meet the needs of the most discerning professional and household cooks.
All ranges of Mauviel cookware products bring performance and pleasure to successful chefs, and to all those who aspire to become chefs.”
I lugged that copper pot in my luggage all through France, by myself (along with a backpack and carry-on) as I travelled the Paris underground.  No elevators or escalators…c’est dommage!  I heaved the luggage above my head onto the trains, the subways and all sorts of transportation on the continent and in England until it came back with me to Vancouver.  Now it has a lovely little spot on my new range and I am loving using it.  It’s one heavy sucker.

Friendly French men would stop mid-stride as they saw me lugging my stuff and ask me if I needed assistance.  Ça va? they would ask…and I smiled, nodded and replied Ça va. merci!  This happened more often than I could count.  I must have looked like a mule (and obviously I was just as stubborn as one as I was determined to get that pot back to Canada!)  One day, remind me to take a picture of my special bowls…purchased in a little village in France and made by some nuns from the convent nearby.

NIK_2671

The lighting under the cabinets casts a lovely glow and highlights the glass mosaic tile backsplash.  I am very happy with the backsplash.  It’s a nice contrast to the all-white kitchen.

NIK_2670

I didn’t decide on my cabinet and drawer pulls until the last minute.  In the end, these pulls from Richelieu were perfect as they went well with the Sub-Zero handle and the Wolf oven handle.

NIK_2681

These are “blum” drawers.  The cabinets all have a “soft-touch closure”.   So you can’t slam them hard even if you wanted to.  A good thing since I have kids.

NIK_2684


NIK_2682


Stomach insisted on buying a new pot.  He wanted a 4qt All-Clad.  I told him to buy the steamer insert for it too since we always steam veggies.

NIK_2680

The flowers in the foreground on the marble island have lilies in them.  I detest the smell of lilies and was clipping off all the stamens from the centres that I could find.  But the sickly sweet smell still lingered in the air. The flowers are my mom’s…for her bday; so what could I do? generally my girls and Stomach know not to buy me lilies for me or I’ll have a fit. 

NIK_2685

The Le Mans corner unit.  I have two corners with these units.  This is way too cool!  It swings in an “S” pattern so you can access everything easily.

NIK_2666

Couldn’t figure out where to put  my KitchenAid.  This seemed as good a place as any.

NIK_2662


NIK_2675

The roll-top drain board on my Franke sink has been proving to be extremely useful.  I love it.  The stainless steel faucet is locally made by Valley Acrylic and is all ceramic inside.   Supposedly, most faucets are plastic inside.  Ceramic is supposed to last longer.

NIK_2676

I had to buy a new bread bin because having all those piles of bread on the counter just wasn’t looking so great.  We purchased this one from Williams Sonoma on Granville St.

In the corner is my Gaggia Titanium.  Aaaah!  Finally I can have espressos again!  Next to it is my Penguin Soda Charger.  I drink an inordinate amount of club soda everyday.  All I do is use the Co2 cartridge to inject bubbles into plain ol’ filtered Vancouver tap water.  I like it plain but I can add syrups like Cola, Gingerale and whatever the heck I want to, to taste.  I’ve saved myself a lot of $ and dealing with empty Perrier and San Pellegrino bottles.  I drank tons of club soda too.  All the empty cans are a distant memory.

NIK_2673


NIK_2663


NIK_2664


This SubZero fridge is the price of a small domestic vehicle.  It apparently has an air filter and water filter in it that helps with ensuring no icky smells develop inside.  As well, this helps preserve the freshness of veggies and other foods.  So far, it has proven to actually do that.  I buy Costco bags of veggies and they are still fresh looking though they’ve been in there for 2 weeks. 

NIK_2668
My kids have been drinking more water because the fridge has easy access for water and ice on the door.  I like the convenience of the ice maker and love my soda water ice cold.  It’s a good thing.

NIK_2677

Here’s a view of the Wolf microwave oven and oven.

NIK_2690

Above the microwave is storage for my sheet pans and bakeware.  Really handy-dandy.  Love it!

NIK_2667

Here’s my new pantry.  The mechanism inside slides everything out as you open the door so you can reach things in the back easily. 

NIK_2669

Here’s the pantry door opening up to show you all my goodies.  As you can see, the shelves on the door are stationary but as you open the door, the shelves on the left slide move out as you open.

NIK_2691

These shallow shelves are under my island.  The other side has cupboards.  I use the shallow shelves for easy access to all my cake decorating junk.  As you can see I have a lot of cake decorating paraphernalia.  Actually, I have another area of my home dedicated to storing all my other cake decorating tools, bakeware and whatnot.  It all didn’t fit into my kitchen believe it or not. 

NIK_2692

Look closely at my shallow shelves.  See those metal grommets lined all the way up inside my cabinet?  Those are for the adjustable shelves.  There are little stainless steel pegs that fit in them and support the shelving.   I was pleasantly surprised that Chris, my cabinet maker had added this detail. 

NIK_2686

NIK_2688
It's raining outside...


NIK_2689

I intend to start baking again very shortly.  There’s still a 4mm depth of construction dust all over my house.  See me back in February for a reinvigorated baking fervor!  I might even post savoury foods now that I have better light in my kitchen for taking photos!  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my new kitchen!

          26 comments:

          Anonymous said...

          Oh my gosh! It's so beautiful, I love it. Congrats on the new kitchen, I can't wait to see what you bake in it!

          Chandra said...

          Beautiful work from Build Momentum!

          Ashley said...

          Holy smokes. This is everything I wish my kitchen to be when I get my own house! Beautiful reno job, absolutely drool worthy and there's no food this post either ha!

          Char said...

          There's so much to like in your new kitchen. Did I say like? I meant love. Everything looks so well appointed. And so functional. You are going to love baking in it. My favourite thing, though, would have to be the window above the sink. Pretty!

          Anonymous said...

          Beautiful Kitchen, nicely done especially the window view. Love it

          Connie the Cookie Monster said...

          oh my freaking goodness! i love love love love love LOVE your new kitchen! may i live in it? please??!?!?! it is my dream kitchen!!!

          Tammy said...

          OMG! I absolutely LOVE your new kitchen! All the new stainless steel appliances and new sink/faucet. My fave has to be the tiled backsplash! LOVE it! I'm so jealous now! You're gonna so love baking/cooking in that kitchen now!

          Thanks for sharing!

          Cakebrain said...

          hey everyone,
          thanks for the kind words about my kitchen! I love it too!
          Connie,
          If I could sleep in my kitchen, I would. I think that I'd lie down on the marble island. It feels so good!

          t. said...

          Incredible!

          scribbles said...

          I LOVE your new kitchen! It looks so bright & cheerful, plus I've always wanted a pantry...when I get my own kitchen I want one like yours!
          Looking forward to the yummy stuff!

          amlamonte said...

          wow...oh i love it. the brickwork! the light! the space! the quality appliances! you my friend, are my kitchen hero. you enjoy that puppy, and get baking soon!

          Kate said...

          Thanks for the tour! Absolutely a cook's dream kitchen. We have the same faucet and it's great. Thanks for posting the manufacturer's info... I am in need of lighting at the top of our cupboards as they upper most doors are glass for display. Can you let us know where the tiny pot lights were found? Thanks.

          Kate said...

          Specifically, the lighting under cupboards that shine on your grand mosaic tile.

          Cakebrain said...

          Kate,
          My cabinet-maker got the under cabinet pot lights for me. They are definitely higher quality than the ones we had in the previous kitchen. You can contact Chris at Build Momentum about it.

          Jayanthy Kumaran said...

          looks heavenly..;) cant take my eyes from the eye catchy captures..
          Tasty Appetite

          Bailey Ana said...

          Beautiful kitchen, I would certainly be proud if I were you!

          xx

          Anonymous said...

          WOW, I am JEALOUS!!! Great pictures, great decor. Congratulations! I am sure you will eat well and enjoy.
          -From your fellow CIEL partner in crime, Wendy.

          Cakebrain said...

          Wendy,
          So nice of you to drop by for the tour! hope all is well with you! Wish I could bring some cake for the CIEL cohort in July. Trying to figure out how to incorporate cake into my presentation but I'm thinking it's not going to happen! c'est la vie!

          Dora said...

          It is a Luxury your new kitchen!!!
          Wonderful!!! all the things need the best Chef, of course YOU, Congratulations.
          I am mexican women my name is Dora, I love read your blog, first becase your have a nice space for share with us all this great recepies and second because you remind me my 4 months I spend in Vancouver, was the most wonderfull time, the best people, places, food and weather (I remember, my frien LOUSE, Granville Island, comercial drive and the rockies)

          Cakebrain said...

          Dora,
          It's so nice to hear of your fond memories of Vancouver and I am only too happy to share our awesome city with the world. Hope you are able to visit again!

          Unknown said...

          WOW! Now that's a swanky kitchen. It's almost exactly like my dream kitchen. Congratulations. I'm not jealous at all :P

          cwahlye said...

          What can one say except that you're one lucky lady!!

          Cakebrain said...

          avanika and cwahlye,
          i feel very happy with my new kitchen and now we're saving up more money to do our hardwood floors and window coverings. it's a never-ending cycle of saving $ and spending it.

          irene said...

          Wish I can have as big kitchen as yours..must show this to my bf :D

          thanks for sharing, I really love your kitchen.

          Cakebrain said...

          Irene,
          Thank you! Yes, I rather like my white kitchen too!

          Unknown said...

          Thanks for taking us on a tour to your wonderful new kitchen! Being organized complements white color and makes the place look more spacious than it already is. How is it now? And how long did it take you to have it looked like this? A good kitchen can bring more than just a place to cook. It help you create dishes that are enjoyed by loved ones who will cherish the memory forever. I can see yours is just that.

          Ryann Hoyer @ Yancey Company

          LinkWithin

          Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin