Christine's Kitchen Renovation Pt. 2

Continuing from part one of our kitchen renovation plan, our plan includes the addition of a sliding door to a new deck with a pergola in the backyard. We recently received our permits allowing us to add an exterior door and build the new deck, so we are very excited to move forward with this new space plan for the kitchen:

new kitchen layout.png
new kitchen layout sketchup.png

Items that are on our wish list to incorporate:

  • pantry and fridge close to food prep areas

  • sliding door to the backyard

  • coffee bar

  • counter height peninsula eating bar

  • the new sink centered on a existing window

  • exposing the brick chimney between the kitchen and living room

  • compost and recycling station

  • lots of storage for small appliances

  • pet food storage

Below are the labelled millwork elevations. This was a very important step to make sure we design the right amount of storage.

It goes without saying that putting together these drawings has allowed us to feel confident in the space we are investing in, not to mention that having these specifications will help us plan a budget that won’t leave us with unwanted or costly surprises once construction begins.

In addition to these drawings, I put together a basic render to get a more realistic impression of what our new kitchen layout will look like.

kitchen reno render 2.jpg

And these are a couple renders that were discarded through the design process. We were wanting to avoid cluttering the peninsula with a sink that could look messy when dishes pile up, and a cooktop that could obstruct the eating area of the bar.

north glenora 2.jpg
13211 109 RENO 08.jpg

Stay tuned for part three, where I will share the finishes we chose and inspirations for the general look of the materials that we want to use!

Christine's Kitchen Renovation Pt. 1

Almost exactly 2 years ago, my partner and I moved into a 1958 bungalow in North Glenora. We love this location and the house has proven to be as strong and stable as we thought when we first bought it.


Part of our bit-by-bit home renovation (with charm preservation in mind) is to upgrade our kitchen. As part of an extension that we think was built in the 80’s, the kitchen is quite large with a dining area and lots of windows. However, it is also equipped with a tiled countertop (i.e. 40 year old grout), very old fashioned cabinets (though they are solid wood!), a corner wall oven that takes up way too much space, and a layout that has us feeling like we are in a cooking show where the pantry is across the room and it requires a basket to bring supplies to the food prep area. See our existing plan below:

kitchen reno 01.png

And this is what it all currently looks like:

kitchen reno before.JPG

My eclectic design mind appreciates that it feels a bit like grandma’s house with some modern pieces thrown in, but we are excited to make our mark on this kitchen while still appreciating and remembering where it came from. The care that the previous owners took in creating their home really shows… like, look at those well crafted solid wood cabinets! You sure don’t see that everyday.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of our kitchen renovation, where we talk about the fun stuff… new plans and inspirations!