Working Around Those Pipe Chases

Older Homes often come with challenges, such as working around an existing pipe chase that can't be removed.   That doesn't have to be a deal breaker.  It also doesn't mean that cabinets need to be cut up on site to make it happen.  

In this nearly completed kitchen remodel we simply ordered the cabinets per the dimensions that we needed to work around that pipe chase.

Out With the Soffits

What's behind that soffit?  Often: nothing.  It was simply less expensive to build a soffit and install shorter cabinetry when the home was built.  Today, many manufacturers are offering stacked cabinetry to help us reach the ceiling.  Here in these before and after photos, we used StarMark Cabinetry to create feature displays with mullion glass doors and let all the cabinetry reach the heights this kitchen deserves.

Welcome to Kitchensmith's Blog

There needs to be a 'first' blog—the first subject—the inaugural blog. Where to begin, I asked myself this question when we first launched our website in December. The answer came only after we returned from our 18 day family trip to India this past Christmas.

Why India?  Meera's Dad is Indian; moving to the states as a young adult and marrying her mother Is Pennsylvania farm girl; and raising Meera and her brother and sister in Chelmsford. Although Meera's dad has visited India more frequently, it had been thirty years since Meera and her siblings were there. As well as attending the wedding of Meera's cousin, this trip would also provide the opportunity to rekindle old memories and meet family only previously seen in pictures. More importantly, Meera's dad wanted his grandchildren to visit their relatives and connect in a way that would endure for generations to come. He succeeded. We were welcomed with open arms—all fifteen of us—and were touched by our eastern family's generosity and hospitality. Now home, the internet —with Facebook and internet texting —makes it easy for all of to stay in touch until we see each other again.

Traveling to Mumbai, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi and Goa was an experience of a lifetime—with visits to bucket list destinations like the Taj Mahal—but it was also a bit over stimulating. India is crowded—a population that left me breathless—and is rife with poverty. When we returned home we found ourselves appreciating what we have; feeling blessed in ways that we'd previously taken for granted. It took us awhile to decompress, and after talking to the rest of our traveling family we realized that they too were reflecting and processing emotions that were difficult to put into words. But, family is family and there were parts of our trip that were absolutely priceless—including witnessing the wonderful meals pre-pared in kitchens that are quite different from the kitchens here at home.

As a kitchen designer I found it fascinating and began to ponder the possible reasons for the small utilitarian spaces that lacked the room to gather as we Americans often desire in our kitchens. My opinions formed around the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen as we gathered in the living room. Food is very much celebrated, but the meal preparation is not a social event; especially in a society with castes of people that afford even the middle class to hire maids to cook and clean on a daily basis. Tradition-ally, the woman (or her servants) prepares the meals alone. That, coupled with the style of cooking and the lack of real estate to allot for any one room seems to have shaped their homes and their kitchens. Even the younger generation males who love to cook have to disappear away from the action to do so. I was humbled by the wonderful multi-course meals that they executed to perfection in such a tiny space, but it made me appreciate home even more. We love our big kitchens. We love having our family and friends gathering around while Meera and I cook. We love how the kitchen is the 'hub' of our homes. We love our jobs!