built for crowds {GE Café Series}
Two weeks ago we passed our final home inspection, which means we can occupy the new space….because we absolutely haven’t been using it for the past year while building it ;)! There is still a ton of things left to do. The master bedroom and bath aren’t finished, the game room isn’t done, the boys’ room still has work to be done, the breezeway needs paint and trim, and the exterior needs to be painted.
Its all good though. We’ve filled the kitchen with friends and family over and over and over again the last few months. We’ve stretched tables from the front door to the back door time and time again. Someday all the finishing work will be done and it will be wonderful.
The kitchen is the heart of our home – for our family and all those that come in our door. Long before the cabinets were painted and the counters installed, we installed the appliances so we could begin using the kitchen again. Cooking in the trailer and using a mini-fridge for 7 people was an adventure (to say the least).
Through my partnership with Wayfair, I was able to collaborate with GE appliances. I selected my favorite GE Café appliances and GE/Wayfair provided them! And ‘yes’ – I am fully aware of how incredible it is to have the opportunity to work with these companies as a blogger!
This is one of my favorite pictures from the remodeling season. We were so anxious to get cooking in an oven again…we were also a bit perplexed on how we were going to get the range where it needed to go!
Before the plastic was even off the handles, she was baking cookies. 
When selecting the range – we went with our dream range, the Café 48″ Slide-in Dual Fuel Range with a griddle. I wanted gas for the stove top and electric for the oven. It also comes with a smaller side convection oven and a griddle. Over Easter we had 30 people over for dinner. Both ovens were going and there were pots on all 6 of the burners. It is definitely an oven built for cooking for crowds!
Another feature that has been incredibly handy in our home is the sliding oven racks. It is easier for both kids and adults to avoid burns from reaching in too far.
We designed the kitchen for hosting large and small groups. If you come over and Chris is home, he is bound to ask you if he can make you a coffee. On the side of the kitchen with the espresso machine, we added a 19-inch Undercounter beverage center. We keep milk for the coffee in it and ‘mom drinks’ as my kids call them (Zyng, Ningxia Red, sparkling water, green tea – not alcohol). The kids wish I would keep pop in there, but that is a no-go for me. Sorry kids.
The shelves are removable, so it makes it easy to add larger beverage containers if we are having a big group over and need the extra storage for gallon jugs.
The best happy-accident of our kitchen design was placing the 24″ Built-In dishwashwer across from the cabinet that holds the plates, cups, and silverware. We can stand in one spot to unload the dishwasher and put the dishes away. It is awesome.
The selling point on the dishwasher was the third rack. It is a shallow rack that can hold all the little stuff, utensils, knives…so much!
We chose the 22.2 cu. ft. Energy Star French Door refrigerator. We’ve always had refrigerators with the freezer and fridge as a side-by-side. I was crossing my fingers and hoping I’d like having the bottom drawer freezer. Thankfully, I do. The game changer for the freezer is the sliding dividers and extra drawer compartments. Those features allow me to keep things very organized, which is my love language. The water dispenser notes exactly how much water is dispensed – a helpful bonus to avoid using extra measuring cups.
Since January we’ve had a couple gatherings each month of groups ranging from 20-75 in our kitchen/living room. When we dreamed up our kitchen it was with the goal of sharing it with others. During the initial planning phases, it never crossed my mind that blogging would allow me to work with companies like Wayfair and GE to build out our kitchen. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with them and I look forward to the years to come of sharing the gifts I’ve been given with those that gather in our home.
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