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Emily A. Clark

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Our Kitchen Reno: Demolition & Dining

March 16, 2016

The new kitchen is officially underway, and we’re three days into the process of being without one. I slipped in yesterday afternoon to take some pictures of the progress. It’s amazing how big this space looks without that wall in the middle—and the old pantry. (Here’s all the details on the new layout, in case you missed it.)

kitchen_renovation Standing where the breakfast table was. . .

 

kitchen_before_2_thumb IMG_5389

kitchen_renoThis is where the pantry was; inset area will be where fridge/freezer goes.

IMG_5405Standing in entry by front door.

(Good thing I took the pictures of our black room last week!)

 

We’ve moved the fridge into the front dining room and set up a makeshift kitchen in there. The kids think it’s like living at a hotel. I feel like we’re camping—or at least the only kind of camping I ever want to do. . . I have my little coffee station in the corner and a microwave on the buffet. We made rotisserie chicken and cheese quesadillas in the sandwich maker last night, and it was fine.

IMG_5415

The down side: the twins think it’s like one, big 24-hour buffet. :)

IMG_5402 IMG_5406 Forgive us for not being environmentally friendly. . . Survival mode.

 

Fortunately, the weather has warmed up right on time, and we’ve moved into our screened porch, as you can tell. . .

screened_porch

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Filed Under: Colonial house, kitchen renovation, our home Tagged With: colonial

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AVA WERSTLEIN says

    March 16, 2016 at 8:47 am

    You can find great recyclable and even compo-stable plates, etc– even at Target! A great alternative when you need a little relief from dishes but still want to be eco friendly:) Can’t wait to see the final product!

    Reply
  2. Christina says

    March 16, 2016 at 8:59 am

    Eek!!! I’m so excited for you!!!

    Reply
  3. marcie says

    March 16, 2016 at 9:26 am

    I’ve done the camping kitchen/remodel thing more than once… but not with 5 kiddos!!1 Thank goodness for warm weather and the screened porch. This stage just makes the finished kitchen all the more appreciated! can’t wait to see it!!

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    March 16, 2016 at 11:17 am

    So excited for you! Your kitchen is going to be amazing! Does it make you a little sad to demo the black room you just recently finished? Good luck!! :)

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 16, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      Nope, not one bit! :) So ready for this kitchen.

      Reply
  5. Jenny B says

    March 16, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    One thing we did was get those little red plastic take out baskets and a box of waxed deli paper (500 sheets in a box) – I think all from Amazon. We used those for whatever meals we could, so we were just throwing a sheet of waxed paper away. I got the idea from Darby at Fly Through My Window when she used to blog…

    Reply
  6. Alison says

    March 16, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    It’s going to be a nice, big space when it’s finished! Where you able to save your old cabinets and countertops to reuse elsewhere or sell?

    Reply
  7. Mary says

    March 16, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    I commend your contractors on leaving the space so clean. At least that’s how it looks on my tablet.
    Your “24 hour buffet” comment made me chuckle.

    Reply
    • jennifer says

      March 16, 2016 at 2:40 pm

      I thought the same thing! Our kitchen reno was a dusty, cluttered disaster for 6 weeks!

      Reply
  8. Carol @ CAD INTERIORS says

    March 16, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    We just lived through a full kitchen reno. Your starting kitchen was in much better shape and appearance than ours. Excited to follow the transformation! With spring in the air, you can bust out the bbq grill to make meals. :)

    Reply
  9. Kristi says

    March 16, 2016 at 1:30 pm

    Wow! This is Kristi, (the mauve carpet chooser), I can’t believe how big it looks without the wall and pantry! I can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s done. I’ve loved everything you’ve done with our old house so far!

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 16, 2016 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Mauve Carpet Chooser :) (It’s still there. Ha!) I know, can you believe how open it already feels?

      Reply
  10. Heather says

    March 16, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    It’s refreshing to see real life craziness. I think pictures of perfection leave us moms with kids feeling frustrated at times . . .

    Reply
  11. jennifer says

    March 16, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    Having recently completed a kitchen reno I can say without a doubt that it will be worth it. It will be hard to grasp that sometimes but grit your teeth and order some take-out. It REALLY will end and it REALLY will be worth it.

    Reply
  12. Tiffany says

    March 16, 2016 at 2:47 pm

    So exciting!

    Do you have a plan for how you’re going to handle meals? My friend has just started this process and she’s now panicking about feeding her family.

    Reply
  13. Heather says

    March 16, 2016 at 2:59 pm

    Good call getting this done while school is still in session…much less chaos having a few little bodies gone for a good portion of the day! Totally saved my sanity when we did ours 3 years ago. Actually just had a TimeHop FB memory pop up the other day of our house in all its construction-zone glory…SO totally worth the 3 months of inconvenience!!!

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 16, 2016 at 3:15 pm

      Yes! That was definitely intentional. I feel like they eat 24/7 in the Summer.

      Reply
  14. Vicki says

    March 16, 2016 at 4:00 pm

    How exciting! You look well set up for the reno. Not too much inconvenience.

    Reply
  15. Amber B Design says

    March 16, 2016 at 4:26 pm

    So excited for you, Emily!! The time is here. Woo hoo!! And I am with you on the camping thing. :) That would be the only kind of camping I would like, too.

    Reply
  16. Betty says

    March 16, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    I am thrilled for you. So many exciting things happening in your life right now. Perhaps we can learn from our children. Kids seem to adapt to all situations and find fun in the process. Maybe we should view things thru the eyes of our children and learn to just take things as they come along . Love your blog.

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 16, 2016 at 8:53 pm

      Thank you, Betty :)

      Reply
  17. Susan Carter says

    March 16, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    I am so, so, so excited for you!!! That space is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to follow along!

    Reply
  18. Corbie says

    March 16, 2016 at 11:01 pm

    You are amazing!!! I love the make-shift kitchen!! I am so excited to see the progress! It will be so worth it :-)

    Reply
  19. Lindy says

    March 17, 2016 at 7:40 am

    Hi Emily, Wow, I cant wait to see the finished product. Would you share where you found the wicker chairs on your screened porch?

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 17, 2016 at 8:16 am

      We ordered them from Target a few years ago–their Belvedere collection.

      Reply
  20. Jennie says

    March 17, 2016 at 9:18 am

    2016, using Styrofoam plates AND people voted you as a best blog? This will be my first and last visit. It is this kind of unfortunate ignorance that will settle the demise of the human race.

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 17, 2016 at 9:44 am

      Jennie–you’re welcome to come over and wash dishes for our family of 7 in the powder room sink. :) Thanks for visiting.

      Reply
      • Carrie says

        March 17, 2016 at 12:01 pm

        I love you, Emily Clark. <3

        Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 17, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      Please do stay away if you can’t be respectful.

      Reply
  21. Jody says

    March 17, 2016 at 9:37 am

    Another hidden benefit of the reno for us was that because we used our dining room for 8 weeks straight to eat all our meals, after the reno the kids still wanted to eat in there. We use it now for Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinners. Constant use during that time made it feel more casual for me and my kids locked on the habit.

    Reply
  22. Angie says

    March 17, 2016 at 11:34 am

    So exciting!! We are about to start a full kitchen renovation as well (we have 4 kids). I hope you’ll share each step of the way with us. I’m so excited to hear all your tips and watch the process! And for the record, I’ve read your blog for years, it’s my favorite and well deserved of the award!

    Reply
  23. Maggie @Maggie Overby Studios says

    March 17, 2016 at 8:05 pm

    So much fun, and not fun. Good thing the weather has been nice for your outdoor dining room. The suffering will be worth it when you have an amazing new kitchen though.

    Reply
  24. Shauna Beltramo says

    March 18, 2016 at 12:05 am

    Hey Emily! Finally popping in to say I just LOVE your blog and I’m the worst with commenting! Seriously you inspire me on a weekly basis and boy do I learn a lot from you! Can’t wait to see your new kitchen! Ps. I’m digging’ the black wall…totally doing that!
    xo

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 18, 2016 at 7:18 am

      Thank you, Shauna! The black wall will go away in the kitchen, but I liked it so much that I might paint another room the same color :)

      Reply
  25. Kim Lubs says

    March 18, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    I am so happy for you! I’ll be following this every day so post lots of details!!!

    I’m shopping for outdoor furniture and like yours — your brown wicker set. Where did you purchase it?

    Thanks!!
    Kim

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 18, 2016 at 4:10 pm

      Thanks, Kim! We’re excited.

      We bought the outdoor furniture at Target a few years ago–the Belvedere collection.

      Reply
  26. Susie says

    March 19, 2016 at 6:26 am

    Excited for you!

    Reply
  27. Kay says

    March 20, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    Love your blog and attitude. You rock in my opinion.

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 21, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Thanks, Kay :)

      Reply
  28. Drew says

    March 22, 2016 at 9:40 am

    I can tell it is going to be a nice space when you’re finished. It looks like it will be very open. Hopefully you don’t have to live like this for much longer.

    Reply
  29. Loren says

    March 22, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    What color cabinets did you decide to go with? White or a different color?

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      March 22, 2016 at 2:54 pm

      White AND a different color :) Details to come!

      Reply
  30. Charlotte says

    March 23, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    Great post!!! I love this series! Fascinating to be able to see the kitchen’s many lives. Our building was built around 1700 and the apartment was last renovated ten years ago. They didn’t keep anything. I always wonder what it looked like before! Good luck! Thanks for the post.

    Reply
  31. Gwen, The Makerista says

    March 29, 2016 at 12:09 pm

    God’s speed, my friend! ;)

    Reply
  32. Sarah says

    April 8, 2016 at 5:09 pm

    Emily, Can you share what type of counters you’ve selected? I’m THIS close to pulling the trigger after a TON of research but sure wish I knew what my favorite blogger was doing in hers first :-) It’s a big investment! We have very similar styles. I just don’t know if I can wait for your big reveal to go “oh yes of course she picked that!” :-)

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      April 10, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      Hi Sarah, It’s not here yet, but we went with the honed black granite.

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        April 15, 2016 at 8:43 pm

        Thank you for your response! Love love that choice. I have dark cabs and dark floors and no budget to change those big things now. Looking at Cambria torquay or something with quartz qualities (hello red wine) and a marble look to brighten things up.

        Reply
  33. Sue says

    May 5, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    What are the dimensions of your new kitchen/keeping room? Your pictures are inspiring! My kitchen is 20 years old and due for an upgrade. Thank you also for including the real world pics of life without a kitchen. :)

    Reply
    • Emily Clark says

      May 7, 2020 at 4:06 pm

      Hi Sue, the area of my “keeping room” is approx. 12×10. That’s the space from the end of my island to the wall with windows. Here’s more details on the entire kitchen layout: https://emilyaclark.com/2016/02/our-kitchen-reno-the-new-layout.html

      Reply

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