Kitchen Boasting more online choices than any other room in the cabin, the kitchen might easily have become a design-by-committee disaster, but DIY's online voters did a fantastic job mixing rustic and modern elements for an inviting kitchen for this lakeside retreat. Simple Arts-and-Crafts style wooden cabinets help create the warm feel of the kitchen and are decked out with rustic wrought-iron pulls. Light-colored granite countertops and backsplash augment the room's warm tone. The undermount sink sits just below the surface of the countertop for an unobtrusive look. Each of these kitchen features was selected by the online voters.
Continuing the list of winning choices were the Kenmore stainless-steel appliances, including a warming drawer (the "kitchen luxury gadget" item), double-drawer dishwasher and a side-by-side refrigerator with bottom freezer. A metallic-finish subway-tile backsplash ties together with the stainless steel finish of the appliances and provides a striking design element behind the deluxe six-burner gas range. The featured light fixture, also a voter choice, mimics a traditional schoolhouse design. The vote-winning teak floors, also featured in the great room and dining area, were continued into the kitchen along with the "Granite Peak" paint color selection. Also, a garden window from Simonton was added to spice up the kitchen. The bay-style window features a double-hung window design, also a voter selection. The floor plan of the kitchen and adjacent area underwent a few modifications during the planning stages of Blog Cabin. The laundry room was moved into what was once the laid out as a small office, and the space that was originally planned as a laundry closet was turned into an enlarged pantry. Both of these revisions were decided upon early as enhancements to the original design.
DIY host and Weekend Handyman Paul Ryan was a busy guy when he came to help out with the Blog Cabin 2008 kitchen. Not only did he fashion a distinctive wine rack/shelving unit from an old canoe (featured in the adjacent dining room), but he installed the kitchen cabinets, the tile backsplash and even showed the Blog Cabin crew how to create a simple butcher-block cutting board made entirely from reclaimed wood. Dining Room Although the dining room ended up being little more than an eat-in kitchen add-on, it nevertheless gives off a comfortable and a custom feel. A one-of-a-kind wine rack designed and built by DIY's Weekend Handyman Paul Ryan and cabin contractor Simon Hodshon is a main attraction. It's made from half of an old canoe and outfitted with shelves and racks to accommodate wine, cookbooks and glassware. Suspended over the dining table is a rustic metal chandelier, in bronze finish and a sculpted "twigs" design, which was chosen by the online voters. Handscraped teak flooring, another voter selection, continues from the adjacent kitchen and great room into the dining doom. Double doors off the dining area provide access to the side deck and to the patio below. The large, glass-pane design allows plenty of natural light into the dining area and kitchen. View a slide show of these rooms. View the tallied results from the Blog Cabin voting. Shop for products featured in these rooms.
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