This past weekend we had new neighbors over for dinner. It was the final meal we made in our kitchen. It was a simple menu, basil and spinach salad with pine nut dressing, mushroom risotto, and a white chocolate, raspberry Charlotte – with homemade lady fingers. Entertaining is something we enjoy, so knowing it was our final meal was bittersweet. No more entertaining for a while. I thought of titling this post as The Last Supper, but no doubt someone might take exception to the biblical references.
The evening light washes out the color of these plates. They are a pleasing lavender color. The are antique presentation plates. They are removed from the table before the first course is served. These plates were hand painted by an artist for the Ahrenfeldt company, a French company that decorated Limoges pieces. The plates were probably made in the first quarter of the last century. I purchased them from an estate sale in Scarsdale, New York. Ironically, I have bowls I purchased 20 years ago in Colorado, painted by the same artist.
The reason for our last meal is that we will be renovating the kitchen. We have now taken everything out of the cupboards and are awaiting the contractor to begin dismantling the kitchen on Monday, January 19, 2026. The renovation is long overdue. The dishwasher stopped working months ago. The lights do not work in one of the ovens and the temperature seems to fluctuate. The sink leaks, even though we have tried to fix it. It was just time for a new kitchen. The last work we did on the kitchen was back in 2019 when we removed the drop ceiling and had new lighting installed above the sink.
It was such a mess to remove can lights that were installed in the drop ceiling and patch holes that had been put in the real ceiling. Now we will have the entire ceiling removed to redo the lighting throughout the room.
This is a photograph of the kitchen after I stripped all the wallpaper and before painting the walls, in 2018.
Before beginning the project, I met with a well-regarded contractor in the area. He gave me a fantastic estimate to renovate the kitchen, literally the cost estimate was the equivalent of one third of the price we paid for the house in 2018. Our friend Andy remodeled his kitchen last year and referred his contractor. I am acting as project manager and have sourced everything for the renovation. Fingers crossed, the renovation will cost substantially less than the estimate I was given by the first contractor.
The following photographs were taken today. They show the kitchen with everything removed. I took a photograph from each corner. It is a good-sized room. The island takes up a lot of space, so we are eliminating the island in the renovation.
Our new cabinets will be relatively simple in design with a white stain over hickory wood. I opted for a stain as I have seen many kitchens, with all white cabinets, where the paint has chipped over time. I also wanted something different than just stark white. We will have granite counters and an oak floor.
The following images are the cabinet drawings from our cabinet supplier. They are made in the United States, so we avoided tariff impacts on the purchase.
My next post will show the results of our renovation. We are hoping it will not take months. Of course, having renovated houses and built a house in Denver, I know one must always allow for more time and costs than anticipated. We already have our first guest booked for dinner, once the kitchen is finished. Wish us luck!
Andrew, my favorite cook in the kitchen,
A kitchen remodel – how exciting! With your (plural) love of cooking, you need a functional (and lovely) workspace. I hope the project runs smoothly (I know how it can go from experience!) and look forward to lots of pix upon completion 🙂
Colleen
Portland, OR
Thank you, Colleen. I appreciate your thoughts. We do enjoy cooking. I am looking forward to photographing the kitchen and returning to a normal routine. Enjoy your day!
Kitchen renovations are the number one most expensive thing to do. Kudos for doing some of it yourselves. We have been puttering away at ours for a number of years. Just cabinets left but my husband wants to make the doors so could be a while yet. Hope your reno’s move more quickly. Look forward to seeing the finished product.
Elaine, you are obviously much more patient than I am. I want to measure this renovation in weeks, years would drive me crazy. If we are successful, maybe you can show your husband, and he will be motivated to finish. Have a wonderful day.
Paul, thank you for putting all of these photos of the kitchen up. I cannot begin to tell you the memories recalled in that space or the dining room for that fact. Other than the family room, the kitchen was where we congregated. Where deep conversations were had. Where our family united to have thousands of meals and of course all of the holidays. And Pebbles our dog lived in that kitchen for nearly 16 years as most of the other rooms were off limits to her. The memories are so vivid of what were contained in each of the drawers and cabinets. The kitchen was designed by Carmen (Carmelo) Cavoli of Marlboro who custom built all of that cabinetry which was all so functional. As a side note, Carmen’s son Richard designed a science experiment that went up in the space shuttle along with Christa McAuliffe and the other astronauts that perished 40 years ago on Jan. 28, 1986 and Richard sat next to Nancy Reagan at President Reagan’s State of the Union address shortly after.
Your posts continue to make me reflect on a wonderful childhood that I experienced and cherished in that wonderful home.
Also I really like the new paint job on the house. A great subtle contrast color that brings new life to the outside.
All the best to you and Andrew in the new year!
Hello Seth,
Thank you for your comments. Wow! You always have such interesting memories. This is quite the backstory related to the cabinets. I knew they were custom made, as they have so many pull outs and special features. We will be donating them to Habitat Restore, so they will continue to be enjoyed by someone. Do you recall what year the kitchen was renovated? The paint color on the house – this was a few years ago. The paint is peeling and needs to be redone. The prior painter did not do a very good job. Within 6 months the paint started peeling. I am glad you like it.
Happy New Year to you and your family.
You have fantastic plans! Good luck on your renovation. We redid our kitchen on Baseline, and it was quite the experience, but so worth it!
Gayle
Thank you, Gayle. I remember your great kitchen and the many wonderful meals you prepared. You are such an incredible cook!
Paul,
How wonderful to see your update thoughts and photos. I have worked in that kitchen! It will be wonderful.
Thank you for sharing.
Best wishes to you and Andrew for the new year.
Thank you, Suellen. I remember well you boiling hot dogs for the picnic. Fun times. Happy New Year to you too!
Wishing you a seamless and wonderful kitchen renovation!
I learned the zen of renovation with each redone room of my house!
Just remember you are creating a beautiful sanctuary to create your amazing meals….of course that will take time! Can’t wait to see the redo!
Thank you, Amy. You are always so organized. I am sure your renovations were smoothly executed. I am looking forward to showing it to you.
Lieber Paul,
I can’t wait to see the results. Patience is not my forte and I would, like you do, want to get through it as fast as possible – once I put my mind to it.
I keep my thumbs pressed (German saying) that all goes smoothly and hope that you two don’t starve in the meantime (home cooked meals are so much better than restaurant meals).
Much love from here 🙂
Liebe Sophia,
vielen Dank. I think of you as a very patient person. You do things that require much patience. We are trying not to eat our too much, but it is inevitable, we want something to eat that we cannot make. I am looking forward to showing you our progress. Wishing you a good start to the week ahead.
Hi! I recently bought a house in New Paltz that was designed by Gordon S Marvel and built in 1936! I was charmed by your 2019 post about your home. I’m about to embark on some repairs and updates. I am new to the area and in search of general contractors to get quotes. If you have any names to pass on (even if you didn’t use them), or just want to share notes on houses, feel free to email me. (I think you’ll get my email via this comment?)