Loblolly Manor Kitchen Update

I can’t believe the last time I updated you guys on Loblolly Manor was over the summer. All of the bedrooms have been completed save for a replacement dresser and a few minor decorative details that still need to be worked out. Since we’ll be spending a lot of time there over the next few weeks, I thought I would show you the progress we’ve made in the kitchen.

Initially, my parents wanted to install new cabinets. But after almost the entire house had to be taken down the studs it was no longer an option. They had to replace the flooring, the sink, the faucet, range hood, oven, microwave, refrigerator and even the dishwasher in the kitchen. As you can imagine, all of those things really ate into the budget and made replacing the cabinets look like an unnecessary expense.

My Mom enjoys a large kitchen island at Bliss Barracks and she wanted an island at Loblolly Manor as well. You may remember she found a photo of a kitchen island she loved and gave it to my dad to build. Part of their garage has enough room for a workshop so despite the rain throughout most of August he was able to build her an island. When he got finished we thought he had lost it. Loblolly Manor is the size of a carriage house and we thought no way is that beast of an island ever going to fit.

After the wood glue had dried and all the screws were in place, we used the Home Right Finish Max Sprayer to paint the island. We honestly have nothing but praise for this sprayer. You can read about our experience here. It was so easy to use and we loved the results. I gotta say, we were a little worried about transporting the island from Bliss Barracks to Loblolly Manor given it would become the focal point of the kitchen. We loved the beautiful finish and didn’t want to mess it up.

A few weeks later, the island was safely installed in the kitchen and my parents headed out to find the perfect piece of granite. They contacted the same company that had installed the countertops hoping the same lot of granite would be available. Unfortunately, it was not available. Additional weeks went by and still there was not a suitable piece of granite to be found.

With all hands on deck, they were finally able to locate a piece of granite that had been quarried at the same location as the countertops and we held our breath as it was installed. It was perfect.

Of course, we had to add a few decorative touches, even though we’re still on the fence about painting the cabinets white.

My aunt made the window treatments, which was so sweet

and you know we have to have a coffee bar.

I seriously want to take this rug back to my house on the island.

We still have a few more things to accomplish like hanging pictures, installing the lighting fixtures

and adding the hardware to the island drawers

before we’ll be able to consider the space completely finished. But we’re well on our way…

I’ll be back tomorrow to wish you guys a happy Thanksgiving!

Many blessings,

CoCo