Kitchen

A Malaysia resident wrote and asked me for some current photos of the kitchen because he and his wife are embarking on a kitchen remodel at their home in Penang. So here are some photos.

A search of 'kitchen' on the right sidebar will provide you with links of all the posts of when ours was being designed and installed. We do love cooking in it and working together to prepare meals, there's enough space for us to move around and it's designed functionally. Our favorite part is perhaps the wood shelves where we put dishes out. I like to pull various dishes right from the ledge while cooking.

We are also very happy about the real Corian we spent the extra money on. It was a much better choice then marble because we didn't have to deal with seams.

The one thing we aren't thrilled about is the Stainless Steel table. While it looks fantastic and fills the space, it gets rusty if you don't wipe off the water. Actually all the stainless steel items (except the refrigerator which isn't really stainless steel but some kind of stainless looking material) get rusty if you don't keep them up. I never had this problem with my stainless steel appliances in New York.

Panasonic MX-900M Blender

So I have been putting off buying a Blender since we moved to Malaysia. Every time I'd see them in the stores I couldn't decide what to get. I was looking for stainless steel to go with the kitchen or black to go with the coffeemaker. But many of the SS models are imported models and just way too expensive. You see I bought a blender back when I lived in New York . It wasn't that expensive maybe $75 USD (but you can get much better quality appliances in the US for less cost than Malaysia). I bought it to mainly make frozen drinks like margaritas, etc. And when I used it, the thing barely could crush the ice to make the drinks, in fact, I don't think the ice ever got that small it was more like shaved ice. This was disappointing. I figured I had to spend a lot more to get something that would do the job but never go around to it.

So being in Malaysia, I immediately thought... oh there are good fruits here, we can make all sorts of frozen drinks!!! Every time I was in a store, I would think about my bad blender in New York and not be sold on any of the Malaysian blender options.

Well, my parents from Virginia were just here to visit R and I for the first time and they thought I really needed a blender so they said they were going to buy me one as an early Christmas present! We went around the shops looking and I was still being fussy. One day we happened in my favorite appliance store in Seremban called Syarikat Hoong Bee (Jalan Tuanku Antah Jalan Rahang) where R and I bought all of our Panasonic products for the house. We have been pretty happy with the Panasonic refrigerator, washing machine, fans etc. we have bought from the guy Jimmy there.

Jimmy said that the best blender is the Panasonic MX-900M Blender (now R said Jimmy just says that because he sales mainly Panasonic, which is probably true), nevertheless, he said it is the model that all the commercial businesses use.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of buying a white blender, but I was trying to be flexible because my parents were buying. But I did like that the model had a plastic container instead of glass because many of the real glass models just seemed way to heavy. He said the blender was made in Malaysia which didn't excite me (although strangely the plug is not a Malaysian plug and needs an adapter?). So I said OK to this blender to put a rest to the whole situation! I bargained him down to 140RM (about $46 USD).

Right after buying the blender we stopped by a fruit stand and picked up some fruit. All the fruit above cost 2oRM (under $7 USD). One Papaya, two mangoes, bananas and some strange small fruits on a stem. Does anyone know what they are called? They have a white fruit and taste pretty nice. I mainly bought them to try with my parents as they were trying all the local fruits (they liked Durian!!!).

So we decided to make some Papaya drinks in the blender using the whole papaya, some ice, sugar and rum. We put all the ingredients in and turned the blender on it blended it in like 2 seconds! It was amazing, there must have been something wrong with that New York blender. I can't wait to blend tons of things like pesto with my Thai basil ...

Sweet Home Vol. 31

The issue of Sweet Home Magazine featuring our home is available now!

As I mentioned previously, they came to the house to shoot our home and interview R and I about living in Malaysia.

They shot some of the antiques we had out which are mainly Persian items. It's fun to see these items in a magazine!

Pick up a copy if you can. It's in Mandarin, if you can read it. Otherwise, the rest of the magazine is great just to look at the pictures as it features a number of contemporary homes in Malaysia/Southeast Asia.

Kitchen Before Making Dinner

Here are a couple photos of the Kitchen before making dinner last night. The stainless steel table is great for preparing the food and really finishes off the space. All that is left is the installation of the Ikea light fixture above the table and finding 4 stools (looking for dark wood) that will fit under the table towards the left side.

Stainless Steel Table installation

The Stainless Steel Table company came and unwelded (is that the right word?) the tabletop from the bottom legs and shelves and managed to get all into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen they re-welded it and put it in place!

Kitchen Almost Complete!

The Kitchen’s nearly complete, B has to do a couple more things and the custom made Stainless Steel Table which is over 9 feet long has arrived but can not fit through the doors (after we had them measure twice and they promised it will fit). So tomorrow they will take off the metal legs and then re-weld it together in the kitchen! We plan to do our cutting and a lot of food preparation on the table and on the far side by the door to the wet kitchen add a few stools so we can sit around it while we cook, maybe eat in the kitchen if it’s not too hot. It will be nice to get it in place. I added a few plates and asian bowls on the shelves as a sample how it will look, but need to get some stacks of plates and bowls (like I see in the cooking shops in Thailand and Malaysia and some places in the Middle East). The idea was to have it look like a working kitchen where the plates and bowls could be grabbed as needed, not as a ‘display shelf’ so I guess I better take down those display plates on the top shelf because they aren’t looking right at all.

Table badly needed in center of room!

Above is a close up shot of the Hava handles used on some of the cabinets. The other handles are Ikea Lansa (not our favorite design, but the only ones we could find which were long enough for the tall pantry doors).

The Stainless Steel Table sitting in my Living Room

Corian Glacier White Solid Surface Countertops and Sink Faucets

On Thursday the Corian Glacier White Solid Surface Countertops were installed. Had we known we were going to use Corian all along instead of marble, we would have had B build the cabinet doors lower so we could have had a wider Corian edge at the front. The Corian Distributor cut and fabricated the curved edge for the undermount sink in KL and brought it to the house sealed in place, but it still took them nearly a full day of work to get the countertops placed and the seam removed.

After the countertops and sink were in B’s plumber fitted the Sink Faucet and the Water Filter Faucet. When we first started looking at faucets, we wanted one with the industrial type hose attached even if they were too trendy or already passé because our kitchen would be having stainless steel accents throughout including the stainless steel industrial center (instead of an island) which we thought would look great with one of these big faucets, but they were too expensive running 1,500myr and over. After looking for a long time, we finally found a smaller version at a more reasonable price of 400myr at our hardware store (Shong Heng the best Hardware and supply store in Seremban). The model came in Satin Nickel which looked better than chrome with the Bareno (Model UM 2039) sink we bought. So we ordered the sink faucet and it was sent from China; when it arrived it was this larger Genova Faucet Model (and Shong Heng gave it to us for the same price!). As for the VRH Water Filter Faucet everyone told us that in Malaysia you need a main water filter for the house and an additional filter in the kitchen for the drinking water as the water is very dirty. At first we thought we would get the water filter in the kitchen right away, but we have just hooked up the small faucet to the cold water for now as we are still thinking about if the water filter is really reliable enough, we aren't sure so we might just keep drinking bottled water.

B also installed the lower cabinets and handles... photos soon!

Bungalow Exterior Paint and Property Walls Color

The first coat of Nippon Cement 9507 has been painted on the exterior of the house. They still have to paint one more coat, but the house is looking a bit lighter than we thought it would.

So in trying to determine the exterior property walls color, we have opted for a very dark grey, nearly black Nippon color S 8500-N (accent base). We think that the dark wall on the side and front of the property will give the house some color and character. With the bright flowers and greenery we will add to the flower pots on the exterior side wall and up on the second floor flower planter, we should get more color around the house.

S 8502-Y on the left (the lighter color) and S 8500-N on the right

Other Progress- the Roof painters are now painting the tiles on the lower roof and 'after lunch' (this is a very vague time in Malaysia since lunches can run up to two hours!) the Corian Countertop should be arriving as well a B to oversee the installation and install the Ikea Stainless Steel handles and Hava handles. If we are lucky maybe the Bareno kitchen sink and Tuscani standalone cooker can be hooked up today, tomorrow or Saturday and we will be ready to cook!

Some Kitchen Cabinet Doors in and Rubine Microwave

Yesterday while we were at Ikea in Selangor, B was installing some of the Kitchen Cabinet Doors, the built in Rubine Microwave (from the Stainless Steel Uno Series) and the shelf lighting on the long wall. Our trip to Ikea was to pick up Stainless Steel handles for some of the cabinets and drawers. The only place we could find long handles for the tall pantries was at Ikea (Signature Kitchen wouldn’t sell us their long handles unless we bought our whole kitchen from them and other stores in Seremban didn't have anything). We already bought some cool special order Hava square stainless steel handles for the upper cabinets and the cabinets under the shelves (photos after they are installed) which are a great design.

Day 5 Onsite Staining

Staining Kitchen Cabinets

As I mentioned, B has opted to stain the Kitchen wood doors and cabinets onsite. They have set up shop in the living room and front patio. It is day 4 and they are still staining (first it was sanding). Soon, they will begin to put 3 layers of shellac on the top. We have asked for a matte finish.

Marble No More

A couple days ago we received bad news from the showroom we were buying the Vietnam White marble countertop from. They were calling to tell us that they couldn't find one piece of marble big enough to fit the countertop under the plate and bowl shelves to the left of the refrigerator on the long wall in the Kitchen. The countertop was built based on their confirmation that we could make it up to 7 feet long. B made it under 7 feet by a couple inches. They called and said they wanted to make the top in two pieces and we could not agree.

counter section under shelves

It is an important part of the kitchen and it was based on their measurements!!! This is after they wanted us use a smaller piece on the side by the sink which meant the seam would be right down the center of where the future dishwasher will be (or now where the two shelves under the counter will be) and we first reluctantly agreed to that. Worse though, earlier, they told us they weren't 100% sure that they could make the curve of the undermount sink look good. I was already very skeptical of the whole transaction so this final call turned me off totally and we asked for our deposit back and sink (which had been sent to Malacca).

As we anticipated some issues with the marble (both marble and granite here in Malaysia tend to be harder to get contrators to do a good job, and hard to find nice product... most of the granite available that we saw was ugly 80s style speckled granite in gross colors and small slab sizes). Our backup plan if we ran into problems was to use Corian Solid Surface in Glacier White (see http://www.furnishism.com/elektra-glossy-ice-lacquered-by-ernestomeda/) if the marble didn't work out. But it means that we will be over budget. Fortunately, we located the official Corian installer in KL who had workers in Seremban day before yesterday. They came to the house and measured and we are waiting for the quote. It should be about 1,800myr more than what we were paying for the marble. Hopefully, not more. But, what it will do is make the kitchen look better and no seams will show and the sink should be curved nicely. Plus there was no guarantee that the marble wouldn't have chipped or discolored, at least with Corian we have a 10 year guarantee.

Cabinet Doors have arrived

The Nyatoh wood cabinet doors have arrived (photos show the back sides - there will be no border on the front of the doors). B said that next they will stain the cabinets and doors onsite. We think it is a bit odd that they are staining the items at the house, but we go along with it.

Sink and Countertops

A few days ago the measurer came to measure the Kitchen for the Vietnam White Marble Countertops. Everything seemed fine, except that he told us he was concerned that the marble cutters would not be able to do a good job on the cutting the curves for the sink (as the sink is an Undermount Sink). This Bareno (at the time of writing, the Bareno MY website was down so no link available, but here is a image of the product... we paid 679myr http://www.on-2u.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=43&product_id=248) sink has been the source of a few problems. Initially we weren’t sure if we should buy it because B told us that the standard countertop width for countertops in Malaysia is 23 ½” deep, which is too narrow for this big sink. He said that getting granite or mable wider than 23 ½”would be hard in Malaysia. Not true we thought, because we found a showroom in Seremban selling “table-top” countertops which are slats of 3 feet wide by 7-8 feet long pieces. So we could just use a number of table-top pieces to form the kitchen countertops or we could always order Corian solid surface which could be made in a wider size (for more cost)... so we went for the Bareno mainly to have the side sink where we can add a metal basket for drying dishes (this is temporary until we get our dishwasher installed later). Now we have given the sink to the showroom and they have sent it to Malacca where they will cut the marble trying to match the curves in the sink. I am very skeptical about the whole thing, but Corian would cost an extra 2,000myr and technically marble especially this pretty white pattern we found is very beautiful and will look great in the kitchen. If it is done right, it will make the kitchen look a lot richer for less cost. If cut wrong, the marble will be a disaster. We also weren’t given any assurance that all of the marble pieces will look nice next to each other. The marble, they tell us is predominantly white 95% or so, with slight areas of grey mixed throughout 5%. We aren’t sure how grey it will actually be, or if the dark parts will be near the seams causing bad match of pattern. With all of the crappy workmanship we’ve encountered, we brace ourselves for the worst.

Kitchen Progress

All of the main kitchen cabinet bodies have been installed in the kitchen, as well as the wood top which will hold the Vietnam White marble countertop. A stainless steel skirting along the floor still needs to be added to the sink and stove side of the room.

B created the three thick shelves for my dish and bowls. Other kitchen contractors who we met weren’t too excited to make these, it is one of the reasons we chose B to make the cabinets.

What R and I find interesting is that B has opted to stain the cabinet bodies and Nyatoh solid wood doors onsite when they are ready. He said staining the doors when they arrive will allow him to better match the cabinet body nyatoh wood with the cabinet doors (we wonder how staining onsite will work... the smell and the mess etc.). One other interesting thing, if you look at the photo under the shelves you can see the electrical outlets which in my opinion are pretty high up above where the countertop will be. If I hadn't asked, B would have placed these plugs immediately under the first shelf. I asked him to place them a couple inches above where the backsplash will be located, but you can see he still placed them higher. He said it is because the plugs in Malaysia have a thick heavy cord at the bottom which go straight down and can not be twisted; this is true, but it does not require the electrical plugs to be placed halfway up the wall. He then told me that Malaysia construction regulation requires all kitchen electrical sockets to be 5 feet above the floor (he said my lower plugs were ok because this isn't a new house, but a renovation). I asked him if the height requirement has something to do with keeping the sockets off the ground or away from water or why? He said he didn't know why, it is just the way it is in Malaysia.

The Hood and Upper Cabinets

Last week the Hood (Zen TSC HD 636 D from the Tuscani ‘Zen Collection’) was installed along with a plaster duct leading outside. We couldn't go through the back wall or the ceiling, so we had to make a plaster duct. Also the upper kitchen cabinets bodies were added.

Dulux Sealer Problems

After spending a huge amount of time spackling the imperfect (by our standards) plaster walls and sanding the Master Bedroom walls down, we attempted to apply a coat of Dulux ICI Wall Sealer on the wall in preparation for adding the Dulux brown paint. It was a DISASTER; even after we added water as the product and hardware store suggested it was still too thick and caked on the wall in a chunky mess before we could even re-roll over a stripe. We finished after adding more water, left the house and can only hope when we return tomorrow morning it will have miraculously flattened out to what we were expecting from the expensive product. We haven’t been at all convinced about the Dulux products so far. Our experience with Nippon in the Laundry Room and Kitchen was pretty good.

Move in Date Set

We recently decided that we wouldn’t extend another month at the rental condo and gave our landlord notice. We now have to move out by the end of the month, so the plan is that we will be living in the house starting on JUNE 30th!!! It doesn’t give us much time to get it habitable and we already know that the Kitchen won’t be finished when we move in, but we think it is best to get into the house because trips back and forth from the rental to the house are becoming tedious and we can better monitor the work at the house when we are on site.

Today there was a rush of activity mainly because of yesterday's heavy rain when no roof work could be done and the wood kitchen cabinets could not be transported to the house.

This morning R and I were at blind/curtain stores picking the blinds for our Master Bedroom as we need to try and have them installed before we move in. I’m not sure they will be ready in time. A few days ago we decided that we wanted to paint our bedroom (and the walk in closet if possible) before we move in. So we spent some time picking the color for both rooms. R wanted a dark color so together we finally picked Artisan Brown RM 71YR 08/119 from Dulux (ICI). We painted a test sample of the color in Dulux Supreme in the bedroom because it is so dark to try and get an idea if it would be too dark for both rooms. We like the dark color, but the paint on the wall does not match the paint sample swatch from the hardware store... the color on the wall is not as rich as the swatch and more of a run of the mill 'chocolate brown', the hardware store had Dulux come out to the house yesterday to check it. The color specialist said that hardware store was not using the most current base and that we should do another test with a new sample mix. So late this morning R and I were working on getting the bedroom prepared for painting while the roof repair was underway and B brought the cabinets on site. The blind company came out to measure the windows late in the day. And now we are resting for the night. Tomorrow will be another big day on site.