March 10, 2008
The installers from Cambria (www.cambriausa.com) spend the day putting in the counters. These tops reflect light beautifully and I can’t say enough about the color. It’s fantastic. Ron, one of the installers, poses for me in the pantry. Our contractor, Kevin, does what he does best: herding subs over the phone – always with a smile on his face. At this point, Kevin’s been in my life so long that we joke he’s my “other husband.”

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March 12, 2008
The Diamond Cabinet kitchen designer who worked so diligently on this project with me (Debbie Martin with The Design Center in North Lima, Ohio) imagined this solution to “build” the window in by using bits of stock to create a trim detail above and below the windows that mimics the door style of the cabinetry. Great idea!

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March 15, 2008
The backsplash goes in. We chose a classic here: white 3-by-6-inch subway tiles from DalTile (www.daltile.com). They have a great look and are really affordable. Tip: The grout color you choose can “age” your space, which is a great design option. A warm gray-ish or green-ish color grout would give this room instant history. But a brighter white is visually very clean. Just be sure to seal that grout immediately so it doesn’t stain. It’s a very simple DIY project.

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March 21, 2008
It’s spring break week and we’re getting close to wrapping it up. The electrician has been in and powered up our low-voltage halogen fixtures – an energy smart choice from LBL lighting. To save even more, we installed a lighting system from Lutron (www.lutron.com) and put every switch on a dimmer. We have 14 cans in the kitchen and they have a clear, bright quality of light. Over the kitchen island we installed a telescoping industrial-inspired light from Wilmette (www.wilmettelighting.com), a new line of fixtures with historic reference points. The online catalog is great. The plumber is also here installing the deep divided stainless-steel sink and Evoke faucet from Kohler (www.kohler.com). A great stainless sink is one of my must-haves in a kitchen. They’re so practical for people who really use and live in their kitchen. This faucet is a fresh take on a classic country gooseneck faucet.

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