A New Kitchen For An Old House In Santa Barbara

This is an old house. She's 92 to be exact.

What's that saying about not teaching an old dog new tricks?

I agree.

An old house is not going to budge when it come to certain things, especially at 92.

I can't change the footprint because of set backs and the usual rules governing a historic house.

And I can't mess around much with windows or doors and why would I? 

They are all really beautiful, with old arches and screens and large french patio doors

So that leaves us with the interior walls, which I had initially thought could be moved 

and reworked to 

 enlarge the spaces visually.

Then a few weeks ago, I had a visit from a person who used to live in this house.

She was in her 70's and her daughter had recently passed away.

She wanted to see if she could find this house again 

because she and her daughter had enjoyed it here so much.  

Her parents had moved to Santa Barbara from the Midwest and had rented this house from the original owner who was then very elderly.

She remembered the house was pink with sage green trim.  

I've found traces of the old pink paint every where 

and you don't often see a pink house these days.

She recalled, rather tearfully, sleeping with her small daughter in the screened porch area off the master bedroom.

We had recently completely gutted that part of the house and

I honestly felt guilty telling her it was all different.

I made the decision then and there to leave as much intact as I could 

going forwarded to preserve what I think will enhance her old bones 

and put some spring back in her step.

Which now takes us to the kitchen:

The kitchen was remodeled at some point in the early 90's

I'm showing this photo of my Thanksgiving morning crazy woman cooking mess because I love a good "before" shot!

The tile is sort of faux Spanish and although it has held up pretty well it's really orange!

Sort of like orange sherbet ice cream...remember that stuff?!

On the opposite side is this massive old Thermadore

This was one of the first commercial grade stoves for the home chef and it's a beast.

I have repaired and cleaned every burner so it cooks evenly but there is no such thing

 as a simmer setting.

On is on and on is 18,000 British Thermal Units of hell.

Same goes for the oven,

Burnt everything.  

Tops, bottoms sides, you name it 

Me and my big girl oven, we have fried many a meal to a blackened crisp.

So she will now have a home at a local homeless shelter next week, because, well they needed a new oven and they wanted it.  

Hopefully they will have better luck with her and keep the burnt cookies to a minimum 

I've decide to use Bosch for some of the new appliances.

I like the minimalist clean look of them.

I'm also going smaller.  

I love to cook and yet I never really use more than 4 burners at once on a stove top.

So the new range will only be 30 inches wide 

which will give me more prep area on either side as well.

The stove area is inset so it will have some nice spots for open storage, spices and crocks 

and a little pot rack for a vintage copper collection

All of the new counter tops are Ceasarstone.  

I chose Raw Concrete, honed, with an 1.5 inch mitered edge detail

And yes it is counterfeit, but it looks like the real deal only better!!!

By the way....all three of these colors are beautiful.

 I'm still tossing around paint colors, like darker grays.

The kitchen walls will all be re-stuccoed and left raw 

as we have done throughout out the rest of the house

Tile will be kept to a minimum.  

All the tile is hand made and hand glazed and somewhat irregular.  

Fingers are crossed that we get it some time before the 4th of July.

Reclaimed wood, raw steel and whitewashed terracotta  are a few of the other details.

A small china cabinet will be outfitted with wire or wired safety glass

 for some additional texture.

I found these safety glass pendants at Restoration Hardware.  I love these.  

Even better was the price

Originally $890 each I scooped them up for under $300 dollars

A few trendy things like a black faucet and some brass 

hardware will probably sneak in too!

Gray and brass in kitchen design is definitely having a moment but  

in the back of my mind I want it to look at least something like it did in 1925  

and more importantly I want it to feel like an old-ish kitchen.

I'm especially fond of these classic English kitchens by Devol.

I think they look somewhat similar to what this kitchen may have looked like.

Small and compact but warm and inviting and a fun place to cook.

Demo starts next week...bring on the trash cans! 

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xoxo

Getting Ready For Spring Gardening: Tips & Inspiration

 Nothing is better than that first sunny warm weekend in early spring.

You slip on the grubby garden shoes like a broken in pair of bedroom slippers and grab the pruners and your old friend the garden hoe.

My favorite small perennial shovel is so worn the wood handle feels 

soft and smooth from hours of digging.  

And while I don't have nearly the amount of chores as I have had in the past, every thing is pretty much the same....like riding a bike...just on a smaller scale.  

I usually hit the vegetable garden first.  

These are Sweet 1000's from last year and I have a few cherries already planted.

If you think you can't grow a vegetable to save your life, just try a cherry tomato plant.  They will grown in spite of your brown thumb....trust me on this one.  

If you're just starting a vegetable garden try to give yourself at least 18 inches of well composted soil.  

Depending on what you want to grow, most plants take about 3 months to get to the harvesting stage, so that gives them plenty of time to develop a really robust root system. 

Challenge yourself to come up with creative trellis and supports.

Unless you're really short on time don't just settle for the usual junky stuff 

from the local garden center.

It barely lasts a season and will likely wind up in the trash.

Here I used bamboo and willow and it worked wonderfully.

This year I have bulbs and flowers planted among the veggies.   

I like the look of it and it helps to keep the garden bright and pretty.  

Or hang a basket or and old bucket near by just for fun

In the rear of my garden I hung a set of harvesting baskets.  

Not only useful but a cheerful addition to the kitchen garden space 

A little bench is used for small containers and for working on topiaries and arrangements 

which come into the house from time to time

Usually spring is the time I like to tune up the irrigation system. 

 Emitters and sprinkler heads get replaced and any thing leaking or that has become too small for the area is upsized.  I always stop in at the local pro-irrigation store near me and chat it up with the guys behind the counter.  You can learn a ton and they are always helpful if you are a new gardener. 

 Now for the good stuff....plant what you like to eat but....

I have had some epic failures trying so hard to do it all.

 I typically steer clear of  things that are  plentiful in my local farmers market

 and take up way too much garden real estate 

I have planted lots of carrots but mine never look this good.

We eat them anyway!

And I always have some sort of onion planted but usually the smaller green scallions

and chive, both of which are super easy

A few things I've tried and will probably never repeat:

strawberries

corn

celery

tarragon

asparagus

artichokes

just to name a few

Lettuce and greens are an excellent choice for any new vegetable garden.

Lettuce doesn't necessarily need intense sunlight to do well either.  So if you have a partially shaded area go of the lettuce varieties.

I always include radicchio and endive

 as well as arugula and some of the spicy asian greens.

 And no great kitchen garden is complete without herbs.  

I love the idea of the dedicated herb garden 

and will try to repeat something like the pretty one I had in Ojai.

 But if you're short on space (like me) plant herbs among the lettuce and tomatoes

My tried and true favorites are Italian parsley, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, chervil and of course no herb garden should be without basil

I plant the big Sangiovese style basil as well as purple 

and some other odd varieties that all have great flavor.

Lettuce and greens can be self sown into the beds directly and will produce an amazing amount of yield from a small seed packet.  

Remember, the soil must be warm and damp consistently or the seeds won't germinate. 

Small turnips and beets are a great choice and super easy.

You can harvest them early and toss into a salad for some crunch just like a radish.

And do try some radish...easy and usually great results.  

My favorite is the D'avignon 

Perennial beds are always a challenge for me, especially because 

my garden style is full and sort of messy.  

To keep things in check, I prune and deadhead and clip....a lot!

And I didn't plant sweet peas this year either.

I know I will miss them

Instead I think I'll focus on some small little pockets for annuals and summer bulbs.

Bulbs are a great way to add color without a lot of work.

One of the garden chores no one ever like to do but is probably the most essential is to focus on the quality of your soil.  

Adding in some big bags of compost will really change how your plants look and will save on weeding and water down the road.

I know pretty boring right?!

And when I'm not in the garden....

I'm actually starting a much needed kitchen renovation in about a week so I'll try to post a little more and share some new ideas, products and a few new discoveries.

 

Hope you are enjoying the beauty of spring

xoxo