Remodeling the Perlow Kitchen

[Rachel Perlow]

wow.  that looks really nice.  what are the things behind the stove top?  those faucet looking thingies. 

They are faucets for filling pots so that you don't have to struggle back and forth between sink and stove.

Could someone please suggest an answer back to my mother about the pot filler? She says, "sure, but don't you still have to get the pot back to the sink to drain the water?" (assuming pasta or blanching veggies, not stock)

I say I usually use a pasta scoop for the pasta and wait for the water to cool before bringing it back to the sink, and it is lighter because pasta absorbs some of the water. I'm glad we got the pot filler, but that bit of nit picking aggrevates me and I want a better come back.

Also, ACK! Someday when I actually get organized (ha ha) I'll take more pics and include the poodles.

Edit: Another thing, the hand on the cabinet door(s) to the left of the stove bangs into the wall slightly, suggestions for covering up current dent (about a 1/4" mark) and preventing future ones?

PS - we did get some $ back from EXPO for all the hassles.

Edited May 29, 2003 by Rachel Perlow (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

More info on the pics, they are cinematic lithos by Guy Buffet. Here are links with better images:

Sushi Chef

Les Chickens

[Allie D'Augustine]

Could someone please suggest an answer back to my mother about the pot filler? She says, "sure, but don't you still have to get the pot back to the sink to drain the water?" (assuming pasta or blanching veggies, not stock)

I say I usually use a pasta scoop for the pasta and wait for the water to cool before bringing it back to the sink, and it is lighter because pasta absorbs some of the water. I'm glad we got the pot filler, but that bit of nit picking aggrevates me and I want a better come back.

Rachel, I'm a master at comebacks to a nitpicky mother. :) I think you should appeal to her desire for safety.... with half the trips, there's half the chance of an accident... You've slashed that risk in two! (Sure, ok, the hot water trip is obviously the more dangerous one, but don't mention that part.)

[FoodMan]

Very Very nice kitchen Perlows...Congrats.

I don't mean to be nit picky, but is there enough counter top space for chopping, dough making... especially with two people in there?

Sorry if this was mentioned before but I did not read all the previous pages of this thread

FM

[Rachel Perlow]

I tend to tidy up before cooking, there is a bit of a clutter shown in those pics. I've used the peninsula for pastry, the counter top is Silestone (aka man-made granite). Anyone need the marble pastry slab I don't need anymore? The Kitchen-Aid is perfectly situated there in the corner. It is the kind where the bowl goes up & down, not the (hmm, what's the right word?) head, so it doesn't have to be moved to be used. We cook together occasionally, but not frequently. When we do, the prep work gets done by the peninsula while someone is at the stove. And there's countertop on both sides of the double sink as well.

[snowangel]

Could someone please suggest an answer back to my mother about the pot filler? She says, "sure, but don't you still have to get the pot back to the sink to drain the water?" (assuming pasta or blanching veggies, not stock)

I say I usually use a pasta scoop for the pasta and wait for the water to cool before bringing it back to the sink, and it is lighter because pasta absorbs some of the water. I'm glad we got the pot filler, but that bit of nit picking aggrevates me and I want a better come back.

Rachel, I'm a master at comebacks to a nitpicky mother. :) I think you should appeal to her desire for safety.... with half the trips, there's half the chance of an accident... You've slashed that risk in two! (Sure, ok, the hot water trip is obviously the more dangerous one, but don't mention that part.)

Another tactic would be "resale" value. "We were told that this could be a real selling point to an affluent buyer..."

Your kitchen is beautiful. And, I love the fact that you keep the stuff out (small appliances, condiments) that you use most often. When I see pictures in magazines, I always wonder "so what do they do with their stuff? Do they not have any stuff?"

[tanabutler]

When we chose our contractor, we certainly did not pick him out of the Yellow Pages.  In fact, he does absolutely no advertising at all.  He has been in business for many years, and he gets all his jobs through word of mouth, that is, satisfied customers -- of which there are many.  The person who gave me his name is someone whose opinion I could trust totally.  She and her husband are extremely fussy, and all the work that was done for them was done to a "T".   Also, we did make financial comparisons with other contractors, and ours was far from the least expensive.  But he was not out of sight either.  You never want to do these kinds of renovations on the cheap.  By making comparisons, we were able to get a good idea of what was realistic.  And his estimate was.  

A good, trustworthy, responsible builder is worth his weight in emeralds. I know, I'm married to one. I've heard so many horror stories of job's he's had to clean up after, and I cannot believe how some people do business. Bob is so meticulous in his work (I wish he were that meticulous at home!) that he's taught me things about being a professional.

He says over and over, "They pay me the money to do the worrying for them." Anticipating how sub-contractors will perform, making his crews understand the importance of pristine work habits (draping furniture, cleaning up everything at the end of a day's work), and so on, is just part of the responsibility. Unfortunately so many builders are slapdash.

Rozrapp, yours is a great post with so many important little details.