Bread, Salt, & Wine: An Immoveable Object

First things first. That sink has got to go.

After we passed papers my husband sat down with some grid paper and a pencil and began planning the layout of the kitchen. After we passed papers I started shopping. In my marriage we are nothing if not gender stereotypes and since I'm the cook in the family my husband was delighted to have the opportunity to create for me the kitchen I've always wanted. While I'm not an incredibly picky person, I do like what I like and there were some things that weren't negotiable for me when we were looking for a house. I wanted a big kitchen. My husband wanted a big barn. Living at the lake house was dreamy in a lot of ways but ultimately it was a summer cottage and as such, it had a summer cottage kitchen, meaning it was small. The only real working kitchen counter space I had was an island my husband built for me using a salvaged cabinet he had originally purchased to use in his (some day) workshop in the (some day) barn. That island was now earmarked to be the cornerstone of our new kitchen island in the new house. So while the new house was only offering a Naked Kitchen at least it was a big Naked Kitchen.

But back to that sink. Yes it was an old-fashioned porcelain sink that is common to farmhouses but this girl had certainly seen better days. I played around with the notion of repairing her and sewing a little skirt to hid her silly legs and extended belly, but on the list of things I knew I really wanted was a slate or soapstone sink, so Bessie the porcelain sink was destined to live out the rest of her life as the barn sink or perhaps a garden sink. The placement of the sink in Naked Kitchen was one thing that wasn't negotiable because we didn't have the resources to move the plumbing, nor was there any real need to do so.

As mentioned, we were working on a limited budget so my shopping was not based on casually flipping pages in a catalogue or making pilgrimages to Ikea or Ethan Allen. No, I was hardcore, camping out at salvage shops, foraging at local antique stores, and feverishly clicking away on Craig's List and eBay. What I realized while I was bargain-hunting was that I was not only looking for good deals but I was being "green," a term I really kind of hate because for some people being green means using their plastic grocery store bags more than once, like to pick up their dog's droppings or lining their bathroom trash can. For people like my parents, who grew up during the Depression, being "green" is just common sense -- don't throw something away if there's still some life in it. I was remodeling a kitchen during the Great Recession so I liked the idea of being both frugal and reusing items that were still useful.

My first major score in that regard was a slate sink I found on Craig's List.

This sink was listed on Craig's List for $850 at a location about an hour north of the new house. The owner discovered the old girl on the floor of his garage behind an antique car. I found a similar but longer sink a couple of hours away in Maine for only $600, so I used what little persuasive charm I had to talk the guy down to $600 for the sink that was geographically closer. It worked! So my husband and I hopped right into the truck and picked up our first major purchase for the new kitchen.

Of course all recycled items need a little TLC before you can lock and load, but this sink proved to need remarkably little work. There are a couple of significant nicks, but in our opinion it adds to the old house charm we're looking for. Some Brasso on the "Monson Maine Slate Company" plate on the front of the sink and a good rubbing with mineral oil brought out her natural rich beauty.