I like to think that what we're doing "references" our home's age and style, but we're definitely not purists. As I type, my butler's pantry oak window frame is being painted white. Gasp! Our house's kitchen was originally about 15x9. It had a free standing farmhouse sink, a large stove, and possibly a hutch-like cabinet on one wall. There was a single light, probably hanging over a work table in the middle of the room. There was a pass-through pantry connecting the kitchen to the dining room, and a second butler's pantry behind the porch, and both pantries had a couple of built-ins. The "laundry room" was a three-basin soapstone sink in the basement and a clothes line in the backyard. I have thought a lot about what it would be like to be the "woman of the house" in 1910 and making due with what was available. I am convinced that Mrs. Original Homeowner would think I was crazy if I tried to recreate anything much like that first set-up with so many great new options available. Still, we tried to pick materials and finishes that were in use in homes at the time - wood (painted and stained), marble, soapstone, slate, subway tile. We had our cabinets built to look similar to the originals, and we are using the blueprints to replicate one of two missing china cabinets in the dining room. We are installing push-button switches and some period-appropriate lighting, and we repurposed a sewing room as our new pantry (which is right behind and very similar to the original pantry). In short, we have a grand old house that had a tiny, dismal, minimally functional kitchen. I like to think that if our house had a choice, it would pick the one it's getting! ;)

Here are our cabinets and island furniture-style toe-kick area: I will admit, when the cabinets first went in, I was shocked...I wrote about it here, because I hadn't realized this was the style our cabinet guy had gone with until the cork floor was being installed, and I realized there wasn't a "notched-in" area. Our contractor told us this is what the cabinet builders had said. So---now that we've lived in this kitchen since November, I really don't notice the lack of space for a toe-kick recessed area at all. It's worked out fine. HTH!

Did a 1959 ranch galley last summer, 8' ceilings, took out the soffits and took 42" uppers right to the ceiling, no crown or molding. Doing a 1979 ranch galley this summer, 8' ceilings, took out the soffits and just got my cabinets with 39" uppers. Going to start installing this weekend. After I ordered though I realized I blew it and will have to be creative. I have a shaker style cabinet and want a simple look on the crown. The company's simple crown is only two inches tall so I am going to be an inch short of the ceiling. So I thought I could just push the uppers up an inch but NOOOO, I had to order one of those taller uppers with an appliance cabinet in it so it sits on the counter top and will set the top height of all my uppers! So I either have to leave the inch gap or I need to build up my crown which shouldn't be too hard and I can keep it simple looking like I want.

Did you stop blogging? Was hoping to see the finished project.