Built-Ins!

Empty wall before desk went in

Our beautiful Kitchen desk!!!  What a labor of love this project has been in terms of arranging for everything from the cabinetry to the electrical (our printer is plugged in in the top shelving and I wanted under the counter lighting) to the painting, the glass top, and all of the hiccups in between.  It turned out so gorgeous though, and I could not be happier.  I took a risk and went with our trim color rather than matching the cabinetry of the kitchen.  I was a little worried, but I love the results.  It makes the space look so much bigger because it expands the kitchen.  I am sitting here at the desk now typing.  I feel like I can be in the middle of all the family action whereas before I was tucked in a little corner when I was using the computer.   I have everything I need right at my fingertips, but all my files are tucked away out of sight.  Now comes the fun part ... accessorizing it with shelf decor :)  I need to wait though because I blew all the budget on the projects themselves.   Alright, here comes the next project ...

Here was the empty space before the butler was built

Tad-Dah!  The space is too narrow to photograph well, but it looks so great.  The cabinetry and granite are a perfect match.  You would never know this wasn't built with the house.  I did so much research on the fridge, but love the one we got (from Lowe's).  Now we just need to fill up the bar :)  

Here are two phone pics I took in our kitchen when trying to match the granite stone and bevelled edging.  Like I said, we were able to get a perfect match.

Of course, the bevelled edge we have in our kitchen is the one they charge extra for.  I haggled a bit and got the extra cut for half price.  I've become quite the negotiator with all these projects :)

The pictures just really don't do these built ins any justice.  Hopefully all of our friends can see them in person soon.  We went to Trader Joe's tonight to buy some wine so that the wine rack would not be so bare as it is in the pics above.  CHEERS! ~ Jessica

PS: I may be able to coordinate built-ins, but I can't for the life of me allign photos in blogger.  Sorry for the randomly arranged post.  I'm still learning.  I miss iWeb!


Oh ... 2 more pics ...

This was the desk before it [finally] got painted.  The painting was a HUGE ordeal.  He had to build a huge tent that took over our entire room so he could spray it.  Seriously, an ordeal.  Great results though.

Painter's Tent: not fun to live with (with 2 young kids) for a week

Ok, thanks for looking at our new projects.  Here is your reward ... 2 sweet Gavin snaps ...