Last July we bought an 1820 stone house on the Chateauguay River in Dewittville, Quebec. Thr previous owner was an absolute purist and so little has been done to update the house. The kitchen is very unusual and is on the first level of the house. When one enters the house, one enters on the second level. One must descend stairs to go to the kitchen. Here there is a huge cook fireplace, exposed stone walls and a working area at the far end of the kitchen. My problem. There is little cupboard space as the previous owner did not want to cover up the stone wall with cupboards. The counter surface is about 17 feet at the end of the kitchen but in it is a sink, (no dishwasher) and a stove top, as well as the microwave. The side of the the counter there is a minute wall oven and I have a table and armoire where I store food, In the center is a butcher block and another working table beside it. The fridge is in the storage place on the other side of the kitchen!!
I would like to put a gas oven in the kitchen however that presents a problem as the walls of the house are very thick. In addition, an island in place of the butcher block, but given that the kitchen is virtually in the basement, where do you put either plumbing or electricity, depending on what you put on the island, I would like to replace the counters with granite to bring out the colours of the stone, The cupboards were and old green, but I just painted them a pear colour to accent the colour in the stone, It doesn lighten up the room.
I would like to reintegrate the fridge into the kitchen. My husband feels that by not having it, it allows the room to keep its antique charm, Help. I will send pictures to accompany this letter, following.
[email]lindsay_strachan@hotmail.com[/email]
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if you go into FFA, there is a post there where jeep explained to me how to make pics smaller, it worked well for me and is easy.....click on edit, go to paint, click on images and sketch and skew and change the horizontal and vertical to 20% and then save it....i have done it many times but im not good at writing instructions down...anyway is this is wrong post to jeep, she will help you
smiles
janetc
Hmmm...from Montreal - interesting, my mother's father and his family also lived in Montreal. Andrew Bryce Strachan was my great grandfather- the family plot is at Mont Royal Cemetery. I don't know enough genealogy to go back further however.
Hi Everyone
Here I am again and I tried to send pictures but they didn't seem to fly. I will try again. Image apparently is too large. Gaad, I had better find someone who is more computer savvy than I. Will try again later.
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
I feel you would be best served through finding an interior designer who is experienced in [B][U]structural changes [/U] [/B] to these types of older homes. I'm sure there is probably someone in your vicinity who has dealt with these types of kitchens. (I love those old homes in Quebec). Perhaps you could send an email to CDECA (Canadian Decorators Association) and ask them to send an email to their membership with your dilemma. They will then send a mass request to the membership with your locality noted and ask if there is someone available to contact you directly.
The email to send it to is [email]info@cdeca.com[/email]
Good luck. I would love to see pics of your kitchen.
thanks everyone for the help. I tried to send pictures but had difficulty. Will try again. My father was Corneil STrachan, an only son of 4 sisters. He was from Montreal however and I don't believe there are many Strachans there. I am going to try to send pics again. Thanks
just an aside - my mother's maiden name was Strachan - I don't see many around so maybe we're like distant distant cousins *grin*. Anyhow - without seeing pictures, the first thing I thought of was for your kitchen space was that the cupboards should look like furniture. So whether you use lovely old Quebec armoires or new reproduction cabinets - make sure they have feet and details which would make them appear to have been placed rather than fixed. Another thought is to use colour and finishes to reflect furniture, so lowers could be darker woods and uppers could be a lovely old creamware colour. I agree that you should consult with a plumber and electrician - in fact an interior designer and/or architect might be able to assist with both the asthetic appeal you want, as well as building codes and the practicalities. I'm sure you can achieve both a modern functioning kitchen within the limits of the home, but it certainly may take some ingenuity. I'm not sure what your budget is - but the Elmira Stove works in Ontario ([url]www.elmirastoveworks.com[/url]) make really awesome reproduction stoves and kitchen appliances. They are pricey however, but may give you some ideas to consider.
Lindsay, that is a huge project on your hands but it sounds like a wonderful home! I'm anxious to see what it looks like, nothing can compare to the charm of an old home and a stone one at that! Wow!. I don't have any knowledge on the questions you're asking but I'm sure there is someone here who might be able to advise you or direct you better than me.:) All I can say is to get a good electrician and plumber to take a look at the kitchen and then you might get a better idea at what your options are in placement of the appliances and sink.