The "Before" kitchen

It all started with a plumbing problem. We were getting just a trickle of cold water in the kitchen, due to the crud and gunk built up in the old galvanized pipes. We wanted to replace all the old pipes, but due to the unusual configuration of our faucet coming directly out of the wall (see pics), in order to do that, we'd have to bust through the kitchen wall tile. And as long as we were going to do *that*, how about remodeling the entire kitchen?...... and so the story goes.

First, it helps to know what the kitchen used to look like. The 1930s kitchen had not been updated much over the last 80+ years, except for perhaps adding the lovely linoleum floor. The birch cabinets were in pretty good shape (and currently for sale, btw!) and it had a lot of character with the arches and the breakfast nook. What was great for character was less than desirable for storage and counter-top space. Here's a view of the old kitchen: