A while back I wrote a true tale of the barter for our dreamy range. A bit later I wrote of our excited and surprise journey to an espresso machine. Would you believe I am here to tell the story of our kitchen sink?
Yes, you believe it. Believe it.
On the espresso machine post, there was this comment thread:
And I just want to thank Anne and my friend Caroline who saw those comments and decided to click right over to craigs list where she discovered a sink for sale. The sink we ended up bringing home the next day.
Perhaps I’m lucky in these things but I think it’s trust that the right thing will come along — meaning a sink like that or something else entirely or nothing at all because I have exactly what I need. I was fine with any of those outcomes.
july 2012 // july 2013
This sink was the *right* one simply because of the symbiotic reality of price tag + our means. I’ve seen many (over the many years I’ve been wishing for one, late-night ebaying for one) for $400-$1000, most without faucet or base. This one? The homeowner was totally shocked that we wanted such a small sink for our kitchen. He was very kind and repeated again and again that he couldn’t believe our family of four was choosing this sink. I’ll give you specifics because I know I’d want specifics: we offered $150 and dude said yes. Then when I went to write the check he said with a smile and a grip of my sink-adoring-shoulder, Honey, I’m not taking more than $125 for that thing.
Our sink sat for many months on our front porch. Through several seasons, it endured pinecones, snow and pollen (the whole thing cleaned up nicely with bon ami
The faucet and drain connection was pretty leaky but we managed to replace o rings and tighten and fanagle it into working order. Honestly, the faucet troubleshooting and drain fixing was pretty damn frustrating and funny — company in town, dishes in the bathtub, lots of back and forths to the hardware store — but it feels like nothing now, a statement afforded by several sink-swoony weeks having passed.
The shelf was framed and sheet rocked, mudded and painted (to match our walls). To finish the shelf top: we found an old piece of wood at our building reuse supply store. Sanded it down, applied a few coats of polyurethane.
Recently, we also tore down a kitchen wall and moved the fridge (as instagram followers may know). Little by little, as we can, we’re creating the kitchen we want. Up next: painting bottom cabinets (I am thinking a gray that kind of matches stainless appliances? Or white?) and building a bracket-less open shelf from reclaimed wood. The current open shelf is simply the existing cabinet, doors removed, holes patched, painted white. Some day: counters and floors.
june 2013
july 2013
I love beautiful utilitarian objects. I am smitten with this sink. I smile every single time I stand over the morning’s coffee mugs, over my daughters’ growing shoulders, over canning season mayhem, over watching the two baby fawns walk by every afternoon, over watering plants, over crusted oatmeal pots. I love this sink.
lemony pickled cauliflower, recipe from Food in Jars
41 Comments
LOVE. I dream of one day having a white cabinet kitchen mixed with an abundance of old and new pieces. Someday…..:-)
Dear Nici,
What a fabulous post – on many levels. You…
1. … remind us that anything can be made into beautiful art (with reference to pictures of plants and strawberries on/in sink)
2. … celebrate simple joys
3. … remind me – with the photo of Ruby watching her Mr Fixit Dad – of one of the real joys of my own childhood: hanging out with my parents as they did “real” things.
4. … just created an entertaining piece of writing about a SINK (world class!)
Thanks, as always, for sharing your life – and by that, sharing your joy.
Best wishes from my alps to your mountains,
Ali
Pretty awesome. Throw your wishes out to the world and the world will answer. Love the shelf!
Quite simply—I have sink envy!
LOVE this. Yes, there is joy in a sink. 🙂
-Lacy
My grandparents had that same sink in their NYC apartment. Seeing your picture reminded me of the times I would fly out to see them and then again when I lived with them and tried to give the ‘big city’ a try. It is an awesome sink and I would love to have one like that now, although it is too big for my tiny house. 🙂
I LOVE that SINK too…..xo
I love your sink!!!!!!
These posts make me ache for the day when I have a house of my own. Someday, someday. A little sigh, a little dream. Nici, I really think you need to write a cookbook/upcycle-decorating book, with all of your crafty and creative ideas. I would never think of some of the things you think of, but I end up loving them all. I would buy that book in a heartbeat.
oh hey, glad I could help! true story: right after reading about the espresso machine and commenting I was like “wait, I really need to start manifesting for our new kitchen” (we are deeeep in a to-the-studs full reno of a victorian)…a week later we walked into our local appliance store and snapped up our dream range and fridge for waaaay below retail. Early in our remodel we traded a friend for a similar farmhouse sink and pretty much everything we’ve gotten for it has been from craigslist and tag sales: nearly new furnace, cast iron radiators, antique utility sink, countertops, lighting fixtures, etc.
Speaking of countertops, you’re probably not looking for suggestions, but I just want to mention how we got soapstone for less than stock laminate for a recent apartment remodel (and we’ll be doing the same thing in our own house): my husband went to the quarry (they advertised sale slabs on craigslist), thew some slabs in his truck (and by throw I mean he built some a-frame thing out of 2x4s and threw a strap over it), cut them himself with a skil saw w/diamond blade + a hose, installed. If I ever update my sadly neglected blog you can see it, but it looks amazing. With your kitchen setup I think there would be only one seam anyway (corner by stove judging by instagram pics? does that make me a stalker? ). We are renovations 24/7 here between work and home, so my mind never. stops. remodeling.
I have floor and cabinet hardware suggestions, but I’ll bow out now before this becomes an epic unsolicited advice column!
Hey look! I found you comment in the spam folder. I love the soapstone idea. We are also considering concrete although leaning away lately. Please update your blog! I would love to seeeeeeee.
welp. thats one nice dang sink! and nicely done to your husband! you two are quite the pair!!!
also:
i love fawn
i love cauliflower
and strawberries
and little girls in chicken dresses.
🙂
I absolutely love the sink and the story that goes behind it. 🙂
Love it. Also, as a designer, I definitely think you should go with gray for the lower cabinets.
oooh why???? Curious because I think gray too but I am way outnumbered. Would appreciate your designerly thoughts.
Hey, no problem! LOVE The sink. Funny thing is, right after I posted that comment, I remembered that I needed some new kitchen appliances for our remodel, and walked into an appliance store a week later to score my DREAM range and fridge at way less than retail. I always forget to use LOA, though I believe in it above any other “law”…and then when I remember and believe, everything always lines up. So thank YOU for the reminder! Also, craigslist is amazing and we’ve gotten a majority of the non building material stuff for our current remodel on it (and traded a friend for a farmhouse sink similar to yours!…but I suspect they are maybe easier to come across here in Vermont)
I wrote a whole long comment that didn’t post for some reason that included lots of unsolicited remodeling on the low cost/high awesome (our specialty) advice….But I should have asked: do you have specific plans/desires for the countertops and floors?
Hi! Happy to hear from you. 🙂
I’d love to hear your advice/ideas solicited or not! For the floor: we are open. Wood would be awesome. We have wood floors in the rest of our home. But we are also looking at linoleum. I’ve posted a few ideas to pinterest but, honestly, it’s a ways out and I’m not too honed in just yet. I know I do not want vinyl. The tile we like could happen if we strike gold in our back yard. What are your ideas?
So pretty! I love how simplicity of design can make everyday tasks more joyful.
I really love your kitchen – it’s sings “welcome home!” – I instantly thought of a kitchen counter treatment when I saw your sink… http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/07/diy-concrete-countertops.html
Thanks for your wonderful words!
Ellie
DUDE! I love the last photo with the strawberries in the sink. GORGEOUS.
That sink – like so many *just right* things – came along in its own good time. Congrats 🙂
We have that same sink! Only minus the cool metal bottom part! We got ours for free (it was in a friend’s backyard for years) BUT we had to pay to have it re-enameled, which I believe cost us around $300. So you got an awesome deal! Yay!!!
We used to own a 4-unit apartment building and 3 of the units had similar sinks, but with legs versus a base and double sinks versus having the drying board on the left. Your sink brings back memories of us lugging these around while reworking the kitchen spaces. So glad that it’s bringing your family so much joy. Who knew a sink could making dish duty a true pleasure???? It would be cool to see grey cabinets and maybe a contrast turquoise color for the sink basin.
Your repurpose is a terrific addition to your evolving kitchen. Thank God for Craigslist and to handy, handsome men!
Everything is perfect, as it always has been. Our lives rain gifts. Thanks for the reminder, Nici!
I love old sinks. It’s fun to see your kitchen transformation. Thanks for sharing with us!
I too have sink envy. What a way to take gorgeous photos of fresh food in a sink!
,,,she’s beautiful! thank you Nici for supporting my thoughts that all things come at the right time. and if they don’t come it wasn’t right or the time,,,
wow – that Caroline friend of yours is a pretty good friend. Throw Anne in and you three make a pretty powerful team.
fer real!!! Let’s sail around the world?
Ha, now you’ve got everything on this blog AND the kitchen sink. Har har har…har….
Something about that strawberry picture is so visually pleasing you could sell it!
xoxo
lina
Love the sink. My folks are building a little lake house now and she’d love to have that. Definitely go with white cabinets. With your knack for finding funky accessories, the white background will really make them pop.
I saw a piece in an art museum years ago with an old farm sink and fell in love with it. Yours might just rival that one in my ranking of “best sinks ever.” I love the combination of art and function in your kitchen, all wrapped together to be welcoming and warm and homey. And the best part seems that you are enjoying it immensely, which obviously means it is the best kind of art ever. Thanks for sharing!
Art and function! That’s my home dec motto. 🙂 xo
We currently have a sink similar to this. The condition of the inside of the metal cabinets is so crappy that it makes me want to rip it all out and start fresh. I would really hate to lose the character, though! Seeing this inspires me to figure out a way to fix it up and add extra cabinets around them. I love seeing the metal cabinet added to the wooden ones. That’s what we’ll have to do because we have no cabinet space except the ones attached to the sink.
Was (inside) bottom shelf in good condition or did you have to replace it?
It was good but we had to cut it up to reposition the plumbing pipes…it was a mess! So now there are big holes and the cabinet is set out further than intended (so we could show off the curved corners!) so we will rebuild the internal shelf someday. It will be a simple plywood number, most likely. For now, we have cafeteria trays holding the under-sink items.
It looks wonderful…like it has always been there.
I have been totally MIA like crazy the past few months because I had our 3rd daughter… dude, I can’t believe how much more busy I am with one more kid. For real, it’s insane. But it’s freaking awesome too.
Anyways, I’m glad I popped in and saw this post. DON’T paint your bottom cupboards white until you can dedicate the time once or twice a weeks to wipe them down. We’ve got all white cupboards and damn, do they ever look dirty about 90% of the time! Not so much the top ones, but definitely the bottom ones. Just thought I’d share. But really, if when you are wiping down the counters at the end of the day, you include the cupboards… shouldn’t be an issue. But I don’t do that. So… yep. 😛
I swear, I’ll catch up with all the posts I’ve missed one day. I’ve read random ones here and there. But I feel so outta the loop. Thank goodness for Instagram. 🙂
Oh we will NEVER be the type to wipe down cabinets once a week (or month…). I appreciate your input!
I love your new sink! I love it! Insipred!!!
We used to own a very old apartment building and three of the units had have similar sinks – double sinks supported with 2 legs. Those old sinks are durable and boy, so heavy! This version with the cabinet and the single basin is gorgeous. And I love seeing your kitchen evolve, a corner at a time.
I can somehow see this beautiful base cabinet in a contrast color to whatever color you decide on your cabinets – maybe a turquoise against dark grey. But the turquoise should show some wear just like your shelf.
Happy. That’s what it is.
I vote for goats milk white …. Lowe’s has it I think if I remember correctly. It really should be a “food color” paint. Christal