Adventures in Maine

We packed up our duffles last week, put the kitchen renovations on hold, and headed to the land of lobsters, wooden boats, and moose.  Andrew and I got the chance to sail in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta for the better part of a week. The ERR has been an annual tradition for Andrew now for 16 years! I have only been able to go up once in 5 years and I was so grateful to have a break in my work to escape and be out on the water. The race is a feeder race where you sail from one port to another. It starts out in the quaint town of Castine, Maine, home of my in-laws and Maine Maritime Academy. Then we sail to Camden, one of the most charming, classic, and beautiful New England town. And finally we spend 2 nights in Brooklin, Maine at the famous Wooden Boat School.

It was 5 days of limited cell service, camping out, beautiful sunsets, gorgeous classic yachts, and time away from reality. IE. Heaven. As Andrew said on the ride home, I was very present for the first time in awhile. I couldn't have agreed more. I find it increasingly tough these days to be entirely present in life - between social media, work, and all the other distractions, its easy for me to lose focus. I guess it's the world we live in. So for me, this time was precious. It was time for Andrew and I to spend quality time with each other, and refocus on our marriage, while also spending time doing the thing that brought us together - sailing.

Even though I feel like a camera has been in my hand every day of this summer, with 8 weddings and 20+ family sessions so far, I was determined to capture this time away for myself. I think you can tell from these photos that this trip to Maine was anything but ordinary.

Life without a Kitchen

If we were ever going to renovate our kitchen, now was the time. Summer is the time. The grill has been our savior. I'm keeping my bikini body as I never feel like "cooking". The freezer is stocked with ice cream 24/7. There is no need for china - plastic works just fine. It turns out yogurt, peanut butter, chia seeds & fruit is a staple food. And Moose's bathtub has turned into the perfect kitchen sink.

This is life without a kitchen.

We are about 6 weeks into the renovation and Andrew has been rocking along. After my parents visited and we finished gutting the original kitchen, it was time to spend a week or two figuring out the design and what we actually wanted in this new space. The big question was, where do we put the downstairs 1/2 bath? It was originally in our kitchen and frankly, it was just weird. Real weird. But, with 3 bedrooms upstairs and only one bathroom, we knew we had to keep a bathroom downstairs. The question was, WHERE?

We came up with a plan to take the bathroom out of the kitchen completely and move it to our now dining room. Before you say, "ok, that's even weirder"...we are moving the dining room to the room beside the kitchen, allowing for the most logical flow. The now dining room, located just off the front entrance to our house, will be transformed this winter into a half bath and an office. Another project, but hopefully a pretty easy one!

As for the rest of the kitchen design, Andrew blew out the wall that was in between the kitchen/bathroom and the back living room. We spend 90% of our time in the winter in that living room and my goal has been to connect the kitchen to this space where we can better entertain and live on a daily basis. With the wall removed and a smaller half wall built, this space is taking on a whole new look and I am so excited about it.

Here are some of our design thoughts and ideas...

• Kitchen Island - Butcher block top with a small bar sink and disposal and two large silver pendant lights - drawers for silverware + storage for trash bins + microwave stored underneath
• Light grey Soapstone countertops
• White cabinets & trim with silver hardware
• Light grey/blue wall color to coordinate with the living room
• Sea-foam green glass tile for the backsplash tile
• Yellow leaf pine floors
• Inlaid cabinet doors  
• Built in pantry surrounding the fridge
• Kitchen bar with stools and a nice countertop for serving food
• Command center desk for keys + family calendar + purses + cookbooks etc. 

As we wait for the walls to be sanded/mudded this week, Andrew is busy installing a new fence for our backyard and I am busy designing the interior of the kitchen & living room. 

I have settled on 3 colors - navy, sea-foam green, and hints of light coral with lots of tans and silvers in the mix. The middle fabric I've already purchased for my curtain panels and plan to pair them with bamboo roman shades. The other fabrics I am contemplating for throw pillows and accents. Both our couch and 2 arm chairs and light tan linen or twill. I also purchased a BEAUTIFUL jute/sisal rug from Home Decorators that I think will really tie the space together. Andrew is worried its going to look too beachy, but I assured him that my goal is "the Nantucket classic chic". 

I think we are in the home stretch for this renovation - I am hopeful that the floors and appliances will be in in 3 weeks and I can get back to using an oven and dishwasher!

Kitchen Demo

Last week was a productive demolition week at the Coughlins thanks to Andrew and my sweet parents who came up from Virginia to help out. The 20 yard dumpster got filled up in a matter of 3 afternoons and hauled out first thing Tuesday morning. 

Andrew & Dad spent the better part of last weekend ripping out the old plywood, sheetrock, and plaster walls (yes, all 3 kinds!), cabinets, countertops, and that fabulous 1970's bathroom. It was incredible to see how much extra space we had in our kitchen without the bathroom! 

I wish we could keep those quality baseboards - said no one ever! 

With the walls back to studs and the old wiring removed, the boys tackled the wooden floors. These were original to the house and we LOVED them, but there just wasn't enough to fit our new layout, so out they went. The boys also ripped out the original subfloor and put in 2 layers of plywood for an even, fresh start. One of the reasons my parents drove up from VA was to deliver some beautiful yellow leaf pine floor boards that my dad had accumulated from some rental property of his! They will match perfectly with the back living rooms' floors. Score! 

The BEST part about the demolition was ripping out the wall in between the living room and kitchen. We really have envisioned a very open kitchen and living room combo. The rooms in our house generally have nice flow, but they can seem small and a little cramped, especially when we are entertaining. 

In removing the wall between the kitchen and living room, we also decided to shift the doorway closer to the back door, allowing for better flow. In order to remove the wall, which is load bearing, we got some help from friends putting in a laminated beam and 2 6x6 pine posts. 

Moosie Moose has been having a bit of a rough time with the kitchen reno. Like his mama, he hates the loud noise, dust, and make shift kitchen. Although all the attention from my parents and extra treats has helped:) 

The demolition was somewhat bittersweet, though lets be honest, mostly SWEET!!  This will be our last interior demo in THIS house!  And I am thankful to be minimally involved in the manual labor aspect this time around, and focused on the design aspect instead! Super thankful also for the 

Stay tuned for our design layout and the windows we installed today! 

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