LEMOYNE, PENNSYLVANIA

We've been looking at some new kitchen appliances and then thought of some other ways to improve our 20-year old kitchen. It's still in pretty good shape, but the counters and backsplash are pretty worn, and there's a "desk" in one of the counters that we have never used. It just gathers junk!

We also want to replace a microwave on the counter with a microwave/exhaust fan over the stove. Oh yeah, the stove will be one of those thingies with the two ovens, a small upper one and a bigger lower one for the turkey we will never prepare.

So today we crossed the mighty Susquehanna  to meet with Meredith at Ed Lank Kitchens in Lemoyne to see what ideas she had. A couple of weeks ago, she visited us and took measurements and listened to us moan about all the things we needed, including some sort of drawers or pull-out shelves so we did not have to fall into a tall, narrow closet to retrieve things.

We looked at countertop materials, tiles for a backsplash, and some under-counter lighting ideas, and found out what Meredith had in mind for replacing the "desk." She had obviously had done her homework and made a very nice presentation in her friendly manner. Susanne chose a large single undermount stainless steel sink, and we agreed on a possible countertop pattern. It's a man-made (person-made?) quartz material, I think.

We asked a lot of questions and came away with a lot of ideas. Since removing the current backsplash will require repairs to the wall, we'll have to consider painting the room. What color shall we choose? We'll keep you posted as the process continues.

Look, a cookie sheet fits in there!

We liked the curved valance at the right.

Meredith shows Susanne how the cabinet

above the microwave will be altered.

This is a sample of the quartz countertop.

We brought it home to see how it looks with the cabinets.

Some samples of cherry finishes and hardware.

The lower left cabinet on the left replaces the "desk."

Drawers will replace the tall narrow cabinet on the right.

A new microwave/exhaust over the stove.