It's beginning to look a lot like a kitchen, everywhere you stand....

I could go on, changing the lyrics, but Andy Williams might not be too happy with me.

Anywoo, the crew has cleaned up and cleared out for the week of the holidays,  leaving us with a taste of what the space will be.  The counter tops were installed this afternoon, and now, you can really see what the lay out is and how the space will function.

The widening of in the entry hall is a favorite change of ours.  Without the plastic barrier, you can now really see the new opening into the secondary foyer/bathroom area.   The doors of the  coat closet now close around a properly-sized space.  It invites you to walk into the house, hang up your jacket, and walk into this.....

The new kitchen sans tile, paint, and appliances.  But you get the idea with the cabinetry and the counter tops.  

After a few minor and some major issues, the space is coming together.  The hood cabinet is now  installed, with three glass shelves to come (two on the left side and one on the right).  The crown piece above the hood cabinet isn't fully set back in its final place, hence it looking like it overhangs the actual cabinet at the moment.

The monster of a stainless farmhouse apron front sink we purchased looks perfect now that it is installed and the behemoth of a faucet will fit as well (photos to come as it is installed).

The circular peninsula is begging for bar stools to be pulled up to it-- if only we could find some stools that we like!   And the window sills and alcove base look fantastic as it all pulls together.  What we found amazing is that the main counter tops are made in one piece.  So, the counter around the sink: one piece.  The counters underneath the double windows: one piece.  The counter top with the circular table: again, one piece.  The installers brought it in, laid it down and it fit perfectly.  They spent the majority of their time here fitting together and buffing the bits of backsplash you see around the walls near the dishwasher area and the area along the peninsula.

The material is silestone, a man-made material that is very much like granite, but doesn't have the care issues (staining, off-gasing) that granite has.  We chose the color "Amazon Grey."  It has some nice color and movement in the tops and looks spectacular with the tile and the wall paint we have picked.   

So, the crew is done for 2011.  They resume work on January 2nd, 2012.  They say that the whole space will be finished by mid-January.  In the first few weeks of the new year, we can expect: another round of drywall mudding and sanding (there are some issues with the finish work), painting, tiling, and electrical connection.   In the meantime, I am spending way too much time trying to figure out where all the pots and pans should be placed...