One of the more interesting (and difficult) things we've tackled in our kitchen design is selecting new appliances that integrate with the vintage Thermador ovens and cooktop we found on Craigslist.Bosch 24" Integra 800 I'm a side by side fridge girl... not real excited about the french door design with the pull out freezer that is so popular with the kids these days. Everyone I know who has one loves it, but it's not for me. So with a short criteria list in hand—stainless, side-by-side, ice/water in door, energy efficient, counter depth—we headed down to Riegelmann's, the local appliance store in old town Gresham. AND there it was... love at first sight. I instantly knew that was our fridge.A beautiful Electrolux IconSharp Microwave Drawer to our appliance "must have" list.I have yet to see this in person, but I will be hunting for a floor model in the Portland area to test out. (I've gotta kick the tires before simply purchasing online.) Home Makers of OregonFuller SpacesWith this I was able to draw up a new floorplan and perspective elevation.

We made a couple of measurement adjustments (those silly beams really get in the way), but the basic design is the same.Note from Steve- Dig Haley's mad Illustrator skillz! She's working on a living color version of the perspective elevation... the plan is sliding frosted glass doors on top, birch doors on the bottom (I wanted those to be sliding, too... but I think this design works just fine), white countertops (Formica today, maybe solid surface white later), white-ish VCT on the floor (matches the loggia), and happy people milling about. We're still not clear on what to do with the backsplash above the sink. Maybe mosiac tiles in mostly white with a random color here and there? hmmmmOur new design includes unique features inspired by original Eichler/Rummer kitchen designs and Case Study #22's kitchen. Overall, we are pleased that the design appears to be a nice blend of then and now without losing functionality. Here is a quick punch list of a few specific features we are excited about:1.

Vintage Thermador double ovens and cooktop with built in griddle. Built in spice cabinet above the cooktop with sliding doors. A common feature in Eichler/Rummer kitchens.3. ninja blender bl660 canadaElectrolux Icon counter depth side-by-side refrigerator (built-in look without the built-in cost)4. black decker crush master blender walmartMicrowave stainless trim package tucked away at the end of cooktop cabinet (with drawer underneath for popcorn!)tribest blender target5. Wall between dining room and kitchen removed with pass through bar6. cuisinart blender cbt-5000Raised lower cabinets (stainless legs)7. nutone under counter blender

Remove walk-in pantry to allow more counter space8. Floor to ceiling pantry cabinets (next to refrigerator and office nook)9. Sliding frosted glass doors on upper cabinets10. kitchenaid stand mixer layawayUp-lighting and down-lighting on upper cabinets (hidden as much as possible)11. margaritaville blender milkshakesBuilt-in kitchen center by TCC (very similar to NuTone food center)12. Vintage drawer pulls (or cool ones from Rejuvenation)16. Built-in office nook (lots of storage)17. ...and ball lights, of course!We haven't said much about the family room, but in a nutshell it will have VCT tile that matches the kitchen, new trim, and a media cabinet of some kind (I'm thinking maybe an Eichler/Rummer "coffin" style cabinet mounted low on the wall, or something cool from Kerf or maybe IKEA). This is our kitchen.

These photos were taken by the previous owner before we bought the house and for the most part still looks pretty much the same today. The view from the loggia looks through the kitchen, out the glass wall/slider and into the green space on the side of the house... too bad the huge breakfast bar peninsula add-on blocks it! (Note: see previous post on lattice removal!)To the left (where the plant shelf is) was originally a doorway from the family room into the dining room. It was closed off for some reason. Since this photo we have opened it up again and plan on keeping it that way. The Italian tile will be replaced with VCT as in the loggia (maybe with a color added... maybe not).ball lightsball lightsCase Study House #23Thermador Here are a few examples of things we love and want to incorporate into our kitchen. I'm hoping that our final kitchen will be a mixture of all of these with a few added surprises of our own.Here is a view of a typical, fairly stock Eichler/Rummer kitchen with the section of wall between the stove and the dining room removed.

On this one we like the traditional ball lights and the use of frosted glass on the upper cabinets. Really like how the cabinets are lifted off the floor with simple metal legs. Don't know how practical this is, but it reminds me of the kitchen in Case Study #22.We're not crazy about everything in this one, but do check out the tapered supports for the counter bar. Do you think we could incorporate this on the bar between the kitchen and dining room? Hmmmm. OK, this is a strange one, but we need to add extra lighting above the cooktop... what do you think of a track lighting options? I could live with it as long as it was really subtle and hidden behind a beam. White floors, green counter top, vintage oven and cooktop, glass upper cabinets, built-in fridge look, but lose the flower-power throw rug. This is nearly the exact layout of our new kitchen design (sans the open shelves and window above the sink.) Interesting lighting effect waaaay down there over the fridge. Not sure if I love the whole bump-out lighting effect, but we desperately need more light at that end of the kitchen.