New Kitchen and Functional Items

I have been busy and haven't had time to post photos of my new kitchen.  I am finally making the time.  I am also going to post photos of some functional items that I painted a long time ago and will still be using in my new kitchen.
The first picture is what the kitchen looked when we bought the house.  Actually, it is one that was posted on Zillow by the previous owners.

This next picture shows what our remodel looks like.  We kept most of the cabinets.  We relocated the refrigerator and added the pantry and cabinet above the fridge.  We also had crown molding installed on all the cabinets.  The appliances are all new including an over the stove microwave.  We had the windows removed and a dish pantry put in their place with new smaller windows above.  We plan to do stained glass in those windows.  We also had a large island placed in the middle of the kitchen. All counter tops were changed to quartz.  That is the only thing I wished I would have done different.  Mainly it is the color that I am not happy with.  We chose what we wanted from a small 2" piece and the sample had a lot more brown and less white and grey in it, or so I thought. The finished counter looks grey with just a tiny bit of brown.  There is no going back on something that big  so I am stuck with it.  What I plan to do is when we install our ceramic tile floor (which will probably happen in the summer)  is go with a grey tile to tie it all together.  Roger changed all the light fixtures and installed the glass back splash.  He will build the stained glass windows and also install the floor tile.  It is great to have a handy husband!

Since this is an art blog I thought I better show some art work.  The next paintings are functional items that I painted years ago and have used in my Arizona and Ohio kitchens and will now use in my new Michigan kitchen.

This is a napkin holder that I really love and that has special meaning to me because my Dad built it.

Next is the apple on a stick that I always kept in my utensil container next to the stove.  It was also made by my Dad and I have had it longer than the napkin holder....I had it in my Ohio house so I'm guessing it is 35 years old.

This item is even older than the apple.  It is a ceramic fruit stack that I painted in 1974.  It also has special meaning.  My mother used to own a ceramic school and she poured this molded piece herself.  I cleaned it and painted it back in the day! This will be in my dining room.

Now that I think about it...my dad made this tray too.  It goes back maybe 13 years.  The next few items are things that I bought at yard sales and while they don't have special meaning to me they are things that I used a lot in our AZ years.