River House Diary

Our kitchen appliances were installed earlier this week. It’s starting to look like a kitchen now. The Thermador columns without their skins look like something my brother’s custom refrigeration company would make. Refrigerator, freezer and wine chiller; personal collection I very much wanted the microwave above the double ovens but the cabinet designer was having none of it. I imagine for safety reasons. Wall ovens; personal collection Microwave and dishwasher in the island; personal collection

When I ask Zuniga Interiors a question, I always get a beautiful answer. Here's the solution to my cabinet conundrum. Cabinets over refrigeration columns; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors (source unknown) What was the problem? Those short, squatty upper cabinets above the refrigeration columns that don't align with the appliance widths. Elevation drawing of refrigerator/freezer wall; courtesy of JAK Moulding & Supply Those cabinets really bothered me. When we visited the cabinet supplier in May to complete the outstanding items related to our order, we talked about the squatty cabinets. Working under the premise the cabinets would be operable, there just wasn't a good CabCraft solution. So we didn't change anything. But they continued to bother me, and I finally did what I should have done in the beginning. I emailed Zuniga Interiors. They pointed out the appliances were 7 feet tall and those cabinets would be difficult to access. They suggested using ...

I did not want to move the microwave, but for safety reasons -- and I am a klutz -- I understand. The original plans called for the microwave to be above the double ovens. Cooktop kitchen wall with double ovens and the microwave above; courtesy of House Plan Zone And we even saw this configuration when we started appliance shopping in New York, though the ovens were not the same size. Double ovens and microwave configuration at Earl B. Feiden, Inc.; personal collection But our cabinet designer was having none of it. So I caved after puling just a bit, and we moved the microwave to the island. New location of the microwave; courtesy of JAK Moulding & Supply

Pete and I have never had a front-loading washing machine and they are lovely. Erika Powell designed laundry room; courtesy of Urban Grace Interiors We read a lot about the pros and cons, and we learned they are more expensive, the wash cycles can be longer, and water can get trapped in the drum, causing a moldy, mildewy smell. Several bloggers wrote the smell can be managed with frequent cleaning. That sounded like extra work to us. So we decided to purchase a regular, un-sexy Whirlpool large-capacity washer and dryer. Whirlpool 5000 Series washer and dryer; courtesy of Affordable Sales & Rentals

When we renovated our Oakton home we had at 48" Subzero refrigerator/freezer installed. Our New York apartment has a regular residential-grade refrigerator, and we really miss our "beast." I am throwing away more food now than I did when we had the Subzero. Isn't it funny? When you upgrade something, it's hard to go backwards. I remember when intermittent wipers were first introduced. I thought they were the bee's knees! Then I got a company car without them, and whined about it a lot. We both decided we wanted a professional-grade refrigerator. Our builder steered us to Thermador because service is available if anything goes wrong. So we were introduced to Thermador refrigeration columns. Just devine. We'll take three -- refrigerator, freezer, and, of course, a wine chiller! Thermador refrigeration and freezer columns; courtesy Thermador Natural gas is not available where we are building so we had to go with an electric cooktop and ovens, which a...