I love the results of the remodel of our vacation cabin in Fort Bragg, CA! It turned out even better than we had hoped. The entire house looks brighter and larger with the new flooring, but the biggest changes are in the kitchen and bathroom.
Yes, my blog is about cooking and gardening; but also it’s a record of change. Changes in your home ripple and have an effect on your life and mental state. A change in your immediate environment changes you as well. A revamped (even cleaning out your cupboards, pantry and fridge) kitchen will make a difference in your life. That difference may include what is prepared in your kitchen, who comes to dinner, and the general mood of the cook. But it could be bigger. Experts have found that a messy and unorganized kitchen promotes overeating. Think about it, it’s stressful and feels out of control. And if you’re stressed you are much more likely to reach for the chips or the cookies. Ok, enough with the lecture.
Bear with me while I first talk about the new bathroom, but feel free to jump directly to the kitchen.
The “old” bathroom had a sunken tub and a clear glass window immediately to the right of the front door, necessitating a privacy screen. This picture of the front of the house is a little dark and it’s hard to see. I took this one the first week we had the house. It’s amazing how much bigger the bushes have grown over the past four years.
Fort Bragg “old” front as it looked when purchased
The new window is frosted, it lets in tons of light but gives privacy to the person taking a shower. We wanted a large walk-in shower with a flat entry and frameless shower doors, you can see how much light that new window lets into the room. Increasing the size of the shower meant that we needed to move the toilet and reduce the size of the vanity. We purchased a dark blue molded glass sink from our friend John Lewis at his yearly seconds sale and found a small piece of marble at a close-out sale.
First, here is the “old” bathroom:
Fort Bragg “old” Bathroom with Sunken Tub and Privacy Screen
Fort Bragg “old” Bathroom Vanity and Sink
New Vanity and Sink
New Shower Window From the Inside
And we have a new front door as well as the new bathroom window.
New Front Door and Bathroom Window
Ok, it’s time to show the finished kitchen. Some of you may have already seen some pictures. The sliding glass door off the kitchen has now been replaced with a French door.
Kitchen
Center Island
Center Island
Remember that raw redwood board?
Old Growth Redwood
Here it is on the finished cabinet.
Redwood Top to Cabinet
Wood is so amazing!
If anyone in Fort Bragg, CA is considering a remodel, I am happy to share the names and give recommendations for the appliance store, custom window/shower glass store; not to mention our painter, cabinet maker, and contractor. We are extremely happy with the quality of their work and found them very professional to work with.
But you can’t have our contractor until we complete phase II, an addition on the back of the house.
The Architectural and Engineering Plans – Phase II
Thank you everyone for your encouragement and comments along the journey!
It’s a fantastic renovation Liz. The house looks amazing it’s like night and day. Love your choices, all of them!💕💕💕
Thank you, it is just starting to feel like home to us. At first we were afraid to put anything on the counter in case it makes a ring. Now, there are a few rings and we feel more comfortable.
Wow. Impressive! When did people ever think those old tiles were pretty?!!!
I know, really! The worst thing was that the grout was wide and badly worn. It collected sand, dirt, dog hair, and you name it. Even steam cleaning didn’t get it clean.
We moved into a house with tiles on the kitchen counters. Can you imagine kneading bread on that? With little bits of dirty grout coming up? Needless to say it was one of the first things to go.
I know, I hate tiles on counters as well. Everything gets stick in the grout. I cannot imagine. I got these huge cutting boards from Ikea which helped. I am still lusting over a large marble slab for pastry though.
Wow, the change is amazing Liz, you’ve made some smart and good looking choices. Good luck with phase 2
Thank you! Not sure when we will be able to start phase 2. The first phase was just a remodel and we didn’t need permits, we will for this next phase. And, our contractor has moved on to other jobs so we need to get on his schedule. But this will be our retirement home, we need to “down size”. It’s too much to keep two households and gardens going plus work.
It turned out wonderful Liz!! Every change make a big impact!! Great job 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you Linda.
Oooo – we need a love button – your cabin is gorgeous. And your kitchen makeover is perfect! DELICIOUS!!! 😉
Thank you!
I actually saved the photos of your kitchen as we’re about to renovate the kitchen in our 1840s limestone townhouse!
I am honored! Let me know if you need the names of any materials. Your home sounds lovely, 1840’s, wow! Our little cabin was built in the 70’s and hadn’t been remodeled since. It really showed.
Congratulations Liz – It’s gorgeous.
Thank you Cathy!
It all looks fabulous! Well done 😀😀
Thank you!
I hope you enjoy the time you spend there xx
We do, but it never seems to be enough. It’s about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from the bay area, which is far enough to feel very removed but difficult to manage for only a day or two (although we do it).
Will you eventually move there full time?
Hi Elaine, we have deep ties to the bay area so I’m not sure if we are ready to sell our house here yet. But, we’d like to spend 90% of our time up there. There is room for a huge garden, and it is a place with passionate gardeners and cooks. I’ve been a volunteer at the Botanical Gardens up there and would like to do more. Until we both retire, it’s a bit too far away. The internet is slow and clunky, the area is fairly rural (but beautiful). Not far from the Anderson Valley wine growing region.
I don’t know anything at all about any of the areas you talk about, but I do enjoy seeing your photos and hearing about them 🙂
Remodeling is fun isn’t it? Just like buying a new home and you get to choose what you want. I absolutely love that bowl 🙂
It is fun, especially when it’s done. We picked that bowl up in a gallery in Tennessee past June while visiting relatives. It was made by a retired surgeon, woodworking is his new vocation. It does look lovely on the counter.
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