It amazes me how, in a place as small as ours, there can still be so much home improvement that we want to do. We got our first real taste for it when we upgraded our bathroom.
Our big move this weekend was to finally get our microwave off of the kitchen counter by fashioning a shelf. A little sawing, leveling, and drilling later, it actually looks like an undermount microwave—only it’s more compact than most of the undermount microwaves we found and doesn’t scare me with visions of our upper-cabinetry crashing down.
But by far the most exciting news is that we are going to re-do our countertops! In a manner typical of us, we mulled over and priced out every option and alternative at various stores around the city before deciding that dark granite would be the best choice for our brief tenure. That included going out to Red Hook on Sunday (by that I mean we took a long walk through the ugly part, by the elevated subway, the freeway, and the canal in the rain) to where they charge less per-square-foot but, we then discovered, only if you live in Brooklyn. Still, success: hours of online research and in-person comparative shopping (not to mention two-and-a-half years of discussion) has finally resulted in a decision!
We’ve ordered the granite countertop, bought our sink online, and we’re close to buying a faucet (that last part is proving to be far more difficult than anticipated), and to maximize our dollars, we’ll be removing our old counters this week! (We’ll leave the installation to the pros.) Look for photos soon…
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations on the microwave placement. Great job! (Trust the oven vents to the front.)
I look forward to seeing the new counter top. Granite is the way to go! cmb
Thank you! Yes, it made the most sense this time. Carrera Marble the next time…
Great space saving tips!
Looks great, good job and exciting about the contertops. In our next kitchen I'd also like dark/black granite, or the silestone stuff. You guys do not have a hood for the stove then.. Just noticed that.
This sounds like me and my husband. It takes us forever to get anything done because we have to look at EVERY option! But the microwave looks great there! Nice blog
Did I miss something? Where did you get a stove that cool looking ? It actually fits in that small space??!?
Let me know….anyhow it all looks great. If we ever move back to NYC, I'm writing to you for tips.
Jen Ramos
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Hi, Jen–
Thank you! The stove was a Christmas gift last year from Aron's parents–we got it early, just in time for last Thanksgiving, actually! It's a 24" stove, which isn't standard, but is more common in Europe. We came across this one after lots of shopping online and then it turned out to be available at a store about two blocks away from us.
Thanks, all! The measurements have been taken for the counters and we've painted the walls… looking forward to the stone arriving!