Misha Brings the Cabinets

Last Friday Misha brought down the cabinets he made for the kitchen at 151. It was clearly one of those filling in moments that are such treasures in a long project.

Once we were able to get the pieces into the kitchen from his van and cute trailer, he leveled the base for the long cabinet and screwed it in place. Working up from there everything was level, unlike the walls and floor.

He then scribed the units to the wall, which in an old house like this means, he made a way to have the cabinets sit level and plumb in a space where level and plumb have been defied for decades. To watch the process unfold has the appearance of magic, but it is mostly a manifestation of the skill and experience that Misha has in abundance.

He built all our kitchen cabinets at the Homestead, twelve years ago. We’ve been living with his fine craftsmanship ever since.

Not long after that time he retired from making a living as a cabinetmaker. I don’t think either of us were thinking of anything other than catching up when he stopped by almost a year ago. It was a delight as always to see him. I gave him a tour of 151. When he offered to help with the kitchen cabinetry I was overjoyed. He’s visited a few times since to talk about our vision for the kitchen and for him to take accurate measurements of the space. Friday was the day when I actually got to see what the cabinets looked like in the kitchen.

I have a hard time visualizing a layout when nothing is in the space. I’m much better at responding to what is present. I quickly know if it is right or not when I actually see it. I was smiling a lot throughout the day on Friday. When we temporarily screwed the upper cabinet to the wall above the base cabinet, I knew it was as it needed to be.

The farm sink that is currently in a box in the living room, will be in front of the east window. The wall cabinet to the left of the window will have open shelves that will hold our kitchenware. There is another open wall cabinet, narrower, to the right of the window. It didn’t need to be scribed and so wasn’t involved in the dress rehearsal. To the right of the kitchen sink cabinet will be the first dishwasher we have ever owned. The refrigerator will be at the end of that cabinet run, where Misha is standing.

On the north wall, we have a new induction stove in place. Misha made a single cabinet to the left of the stove that will have three drawers in it.

None of the cabinets were actually installed as I need to paint them. Misha will return to do the install when the painting is complete and then we will bring in the countertop people to make the countertops and the plumber to plumb. There will be a long table down the center of the kitchen that I will make. Then our kitchen will be ready to make its offering.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day on Friday. We work well together. The conversation is rich and the work felt so significant. It was also a beautiful day. The kitchen door stood open for much of it. We ate our lunch out on the porch. While we were eating, Misha spotted a doe down by the creek and when I looked, I saw she had a very young fawn with her, the first I’ve seen this season.

The sighting seemed symbolic of the newness we were creating on the inside of 151.
A fresh presence in the world.
A new life moving before the old.

Love and Peace, Glenn