Harder Kitchen

eHarder's Euro Kitchen Design

As most houses this age, it needed the kitchen upgraded. Going through the kitchen cabinet catalogs at Lowes, Home Depot and web sites, I could not find anything that was agreeable to both of us and the budget. I wanted something that was low maintainance, durable, efficient, functional and cosmetically pleasing. Most of all I wanted something unusual and different. Most commercial kitchen cabinet builders just make cookie cutter cabinets. Their material, methods and craftmanship is on par with each other. I wanted something better.
We both prefered the European-Italien contemporary style. With shipping costs and possible communication problems, I was not comfortable to go the import route. Since I am a designer, I decided to tackle it myself and designed our own.
I wanted all easy-reach-full-extended drawers, no "on-your-knees" base cabinets. NO commercial cabinet maker would offered that. I also wanted a 26" symetric cabinet width and the continious horizontal grain look. No local commercial cabinet maker wanted to do that. Luckily, I found a local craftsman that would work with me and build the kitchen the way we wanted it. I drafted the shop construction drawings and drew a few conceptuals for my wife. Most women have a hard time visualizing from prints.
My specs were: * AWI 400A-S-10 Frameless design boxes doweled, glued and screwed , * All Drawers in base cabinettes were to be wood with dovetailed drawers. * AccuRide 100lb. full extended drawer SS slides * Euro adjustable hidden hinges * Wilson Art white and Rock Maple Laminates. * Custom Continious Grip Flush drawer pulls.

Original Kitchen
These are basically the "before" pics.
Typical cheap Early American cookie cutter laminate & particle board kitchen . Lower cabinets that you have to crawl into to retrieve things. Uppers that need hinges and are too small in depth and mold problem under the sink.

This was the condition of the kitchen during construction. The ugly yellow/tan lanolium had to go. I removed an adjoining wall to the dining room and extending the kitchen floor 3 feet and layed ceramic tile down. Cutting an arch in the tiles was an interesting procedure.

Sink and Window Counter
The new cabinet boxes have arrived.
All the plumbing was changed to copper and ball valve shut-offs.
Doors were temporary and will be replaced with Pull-out slides for easy access and those were installed.

All Cabinet & Drawers are doveltailed construction of solid wood (left of sink)
All upper cabs are 14" deep inside. Typical uppers are 10 1/2" deep and most plates, etc. don't fit.

Lower Sink units, sank & counter are installed.
The missing window sill will be made out of the Corian cut-out from the sink. Trash and Cleaner stuff pull-out drawers

Oven and Pantry Wall
Pull-out Pantries in instead of a lazy susan, offers more usable space.
Pot and Pan drawers under the oven. Right of that is a cabinet with full lenght doors for larger items.
Over the oven is a cabinet for seldom used items.
Full height pantry for for quick and easy access.

Fridge and Cooktop Counter
Cook Top and Microwave units are on the opposite side of sink. I ran some new 110vac. circuits to this wall for the new appliances, outlets and lights. I polished the Corian to a high gloss, gives black Corian a whole new (wet) look.

Spice Rack Pull-outs on both sides of the Microwave.
Stailess steel backsplash for cooking splatter.
Both upper units have low voltage under cabinet lights installed and a finished panel with switch.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Complete kitchen.

The wall I removed was opposite of the left wall about where the arch in the floor starts. It really opened up the kitchen and dining room. The project took a bit longer then we expected since our cabinet builder was working full time at another job. However, we came well within our proposed budget (including appliances) and at 25% of the cost on an Italien import kitchen.
Doing all the engineeering and labor ourself's was a learning experience but, it saved a bunch of money.
More important, the wife and I are very pleased with it and we got what we wanted;
Beauty, functionality, low maintenance, easy clean, easy access, structural longevity and ....

"someting different."

SOMETHING DIFFERENT
	Complete kitchen. The wall I removed was opposite of the left wall about where the arch in the floor starts. It really opened up the kitchen and dining room. The project took a bit longer then we expected since our cabinet builder was working full time at another job. However, we came well within our proposed budget (including appliances) and at 25% of the cost on an Italien import kitchen. Doing all the engineeering and labor ourself's was a learning experience but, it saved a bunch of money. More important, the wife and I are very pleased with it and we got what we wanted; Beauty, functionality, low maintenance, easy clean, easy access, structural longevity and .... "someting different."

Bathroom project (prelimpage)

office project

Multimedia Room project

Any questions or comments please eMail me

Any questions please eMail me

Original Kitchen
					These are basically the "before" pics. Typical cheap Early American cookie cutter laminate & particle board kitchen . Lower cabinets that you have to crawl into to retrieve things. Uppers that need hinges and are too small in depth and mold problem under the sink.
					This was the condition of the kitchen during construction. The ugly yellow/tan lanolium had to go. I removed an adjoining wall to the dining room and extending the kitchen floor 3 feet and layed ceramic tile down. Cutting an arch in the tiles was an interesting procedure.

Sink and Window Counter
					The new cabinet boxes have arrived. All the plumbing was changed to copper and ball valve shut-offs. Doors were temporary and will be replaced with Pull-out slides for easy access and those were installed.
					All Cabinet & Drawers are doveltailed construction of solid wood (left of sink) All upper cabs are 14" deep inside. Typical uppers are 10 1/2" deep and most plates, etc. don't fit.
					Lower Sink units, sank & counter are installed. The missing window sill will be made out of the Corian cut-out from the sink. Trash and Cleaner stuff pull-out drawers

Fridge and Cooktop Counter
					Cook Top and Microwave units are on the opposite side of sink. I ran some new 110vac. circuits to this wall for the new appliances, outlets and lights. I polished the Corian to a high gloss, gives black Corian a whole new (wet) look.
					Spice Rack Pull-outs on both sides of the Microwave. Stailess steel backsplash for cooking splatter. Both upper units have low voltage under cabinet lights installed and a finished panel with switch.