DH was my one armed helper. He broke the head of his humerus 2 weeks ago so is in a sling. He was in charge of stacking the crepes with waxed paper and also in charge of keeping me calm :) He did a stellar job !! Oh and he snapped a couple pics...one-handed !!

Enough chatter...here are the pics !

very cheap non-stick skillet and brush with scant butter:

remove skillet from heat and pour in scant 1/4 c batter...note consistency

swirl to cover bottom of skillet thinly ..need DH to take pics of this :)

cook till lacy browned at edges :

flip and finish for a few seconds on other side :

stack with waxed paper...need a sweet DH for this !!

kefir cheese filling :

spread on crepe and fold in triangles :

serve with sweetened strawberries and dust with powdered sugar add cafe' au lait ....ohhh...ahhh..yumm !

A while ago I posted for help deciding on what to do with the BS. Here are pics of my ABB kitchen:

You came up with lots of great ideas in that thread, but the one that just seemed right was donaleen's suggestion of a vintage-vibe BS with pencil liner. (Thanks, donaleen!) I might take artistic license with the height. Here's the photo example she posted (sorry, I don't know to whom to give credit!):

Do any of you have other examples of this type of simple BS with pencil liner? I think it would really help me envision what it'll look like in my space.

Many thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: my old backsplash thread

This is a 1952 ranch that we're slowly rehabbing. We decided to do a refresh rather than a gut for a few reasons - the cabinets and appliances were in good shape, the two original bathrooms are going to need a full gut at some point so we need to conserve money, and neither DH nor I were anxious to lose the kitchen for 3 months with two hungry boys around. With this project, we were only moved out of the kitchen for about 2 weeks, which was bearable.

The pre-reno kitchen was from 1998, and although the layout is not great, it was just going to have to stay. The finishes were beat up - paint yellowed & peeling, stains & burns on the counter, stains on the floor, scratches and gouges in the sink. DH liked the backsplash, but I was not a fan.

The only new cabinets are the island and the bar. We needed storage for pots and pans by the cooktop - I hated the open shelving of the old island. Our only budget-busting splurge is in the bar - the fridge/freezer drawers. We entertain a lot and the counter-depth fridge didn't always provide enough storage. It's been fantastic, totally worth it. OTOH, we decided not to splurge on a new micro drawer after much consideration, but maybe someday. Not enough functional improvement for financial outlay!

Wall & cabinet paint - BM White Dove
Sink & perimeter counters - custom fab stainless
Faucet - Grohe Concetto
Island and bars - luce de luna quartzite from WZ
Cabinet doors - Scherr's lyptus stained dark walnut
Floors - Marmoleum sheet in Volcanic Ash
Backsplash - Fireclay Debris in Crater Lake
Fridge/Freezer Drawers - Subzero
Stools - CB2
All other appliances - existing

Thanks again to all who helped, and to the many of you who have posted gorgeous inspiration kitchens. I wish I could say this design fully sprung out of my imagination, but the truth is most of it is copied from many of you!

Kitchen Before:

Finished Kitchen:

kitchen

Details:

Custom QS Oak cabinets in custom stain
Hirsch Glass tile backsplash
Samsung Fridge
Sharp MW Drawer
Danby Beverage Fridge
Same 5 y.o. Kenmore DW and range we had in old kitchen
XO Ventilation hood
Elkay faucets (both kitchen sinks and laundry sink)
Julian 30" stainless apron front sink
Hickory Hardware pulls

So, here we go:

Before, just for perspective. This looks into the direction of the new kitchen. Our dining table is now in this location

We added on a new family room. Used the former family room and dining area space for a new laundry/mud room and new kitchen, then moved the dining area to the old kitchen. Here's a general plan:

Here's a tour working counter clockwise starting with the fridge wall:

Sink wall - no window, and we don't miss it at all.

Range wall - see new family room to left

Prep sink/bar/peninsula area

Our GC built a custom mantel surround to match the cabs. Matte black tile is from Sonoma, with more Hirsch glass tile to tie into kitchen

Overall view from family room

The new laundry/mud room - sorry this is the only pic I took, and it is in use constantly, so I'm probably never going to take more!

As for general gift ideas, last year my SIL gave me three bottles of different premium olive oils. So thoughtful and delicious.

Here is a link that might be useful: GF muffin recipe

That way you can keep similar items together even if they aren't a similar size, yet you don't waste lots of space above short items.

Now, for the questions you actually asked ...

I like the idea of sectioning off a corner for brooms, step ladder, etc. The shelves leading to that area will have some kind of side support that will form narrow walls that will help you put hooks & stuff in that area so everything stays tidy. Looking at the floor where the big water bottles are, I would probably stop the shelves in between the first & second water bottle we see.

That would give you a sort of trapezoidal area to corral utility closet things, and if you wanted to put up a curtain to hide it that'd give you easy access & screen it from view.

The other advice I have is to take all the stuff you have in there now OUT and look at what you want room for. Like those water bottles - do you like storing them sideways or would you rather store them upright? Do you want a dedicated space for bulk paper towels? A space for the baskets?

It's a great sized pantry, I'm envious :)

Then make the shelves along the back adjustable and sturdier - they are sagging.

That would increase the usability a lot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Big lazy susans

kitchen

Before: One wall of cabs and appliances (everything was falling apart) left from the prior owner and one wall of IKEA shelves/storage/counter that I designed and lived with for 4 years as we saved for our renovation. Although I liked the accessibility of the open design on the IKEA wall (and I loved the SimpleHuman trash can and recycling can), the cleaning was difficult (thankfully, my brother-in-law doesn�t mind the cleaning and that entire wall is now in his new apartment). I also had very little counter space with this old plan. I vowed that my new kitchen would have very little open wall space and next to nothing on the counters. We would also have efficient appliances (including a DW � after 12 years of hand washing) that didn�t need to be velcroed together.

After: HOORAY!

42" wall cabs: right to the ceiling; the extra space and the look are just what we wanted

I put an open shelf next to the window to keep my fruit (bottom shelves) & garlic, onions (top shelves) off the counter and to let in more light from our awkward window.

All drawer base cabs except for 30" sink, 15" trash & 9" pantry: drawers rock and have changed my life for the better. Love the pegs and double-stacked utensil storage.

Trash/Recycling: I finally figured out how to get 4 separate spaces. I had my husband cut one of the pull-out cans to fit my compost pail; one of favorite elements. Under the sink is glass/plastic on the left, paper on the right.

Spice drawer: I like my spices are right in front of me (literally) as I chop and prep. In my old kitchen, they took up counter space and were hard to clean.

Tall/Skinny Fridge: everyone should have one. It�s only been a week, but I can�t seem to fill it! I love that I can see everything.

Tall/Skinny pantry: I opted for this instead of a larger fridge. Love the storage and ease of accessibility. Still have yet to fill it.

Range/Skinny spice drawers: I am a huge Berta Fan! The spice drawers are skinny and long: perfect for cooking utensils, knife sharpeners, grill supplies, etc.

18" DW/Deep Sink/Pull-out Faucet/Sink Storage Tilt: 18" is perfect for our family of three. The sink/faucet/tilt storage: highly recommend.

Green: a color that we love and have all over our home. The pictures don�t do the colors justice (especially the counter which looks rather greyish in these photos). And in case you�re wondering, the textured porcelain tile floor feels amazing � not like other hard/cold tile that I have read about on GW (apologies for the renovation dust that is still on the floor).

Details:

Size: 8.75� long x 6.75� wide x 8� high
Design: me (inspired by the slate fish etchings mounted on tent stakes, by the fridge, that my husband made in a printmaking class before I met him)
Timeframe: Due to a cracked cabinet (which Kraftmaid replaced � no questions asked � very easy to work with), our 3-week renovation turned into 5 weeks, but well worth it. Our contractor was amazing. The only structural change we made was to the kitchen entryway.
Cabinets: Kraftmaid � Maple � Hayward style, Honey Spice stain
Countertop: Rosemary Caesarstone (see my other GW post on this topic � thanks to GW I was able to find this recently discontinued stone)
Range: 30" SS Bertazzoni Professional Series X304GGVX
Refrigerator: 24" (80" height) SS Liebherr CS1311
Dishwasher: 18" SS Bosch SPX5ES55UC
OTR Microwave: 30" SS LG LMV2015ST
Floor: Daltile Continental Slate (porcelain tile) � Brazilian Green
Tile: American Olean - Legacy Glass � Celedon (ordered from Artwalk Tile � GW tip � thank you!)
Knobs & Pulls: Satin Nickel � 1" diameter knobs (K-12), 4" pulls (BN-3) - Horton Brasses (another GW tip � thank you!)
Sink: 23"SS Elkay Lustertone ELU2115
Faucet: SS Grohe Concetto Pull-Down 32 665
Track Light: Satin Nickel - Eurofase TK-5VTX3-34 Vortex 5-Light
UC Lighting: Super Bright LED strips

The "doors" below the sink? They are really pull outs – one for trash and one for recycling.

Soapstone looks absolutely beautiful on floors but we would NEVER use it on a kitchen floor again. While it's true that soapstone doesn't *permanently* stain, it does change color with spills of oil, grease, coffee, dog chewing a bone, dropped food on the floor, and sometimes even with water. I can tell you those grease stains don't come out even when using Dawn or 409. The stains may lighten but you can still clearly see them for a few weeks to a month or more.

It makes the floor look dirty and raggedy even when it's clean. Sigh... We explain to guests that soapstone doesn't stain and they look at the floor and ask about the stains. We say, oh those aren't stains; they're not permanent, they'll come out in a month. LOL.

But it feels great with the floor heat underneath.

I would use soapstone on the floor in a heartbeat in a bathroom (there is no better stone for wet areas), entry hall, or den, but there is no way in the world I would ever recommend it for a kitchen floor. My hope is that the entire floor will develop a darker patina in a couple of years.

We love our soapstone countertops and sinks but for some reason they are much easier to clean than the floor. Perhaps it's because the counters have become darker because of the mineral oil. We've never oiled the floors, of course!

In a future thread I may ask about steam cleaners.

Billy

In the photos below the darker stains are new (uncleaned) and the lighter stains have been there a while after scrubbing and several cleanings. The soapstone is Barocca, just like the counters.

They show every drip, even water rings, and in order to clean I need to clean the whole thing, I can't just clean one part because you can see the streaks from one cleaning swipe to the next. And it is a three/four step process. Wet/wipe with dish soap, wipe with water, wipe again to get the soap off. Wipe again to even out the drying. PITA.

We oiled at the beginning (mineral oil), but it was messy and dried too quickly and having to empty the counters of everything was too much of a hassle.

So now i'm thinking about one of the wax/oil combos. I've seen some of the newer walnut oil/wax products that the soapstone dealers sell - maybe something like that?

But...it if I use that, will my 'cleaning' clean off the wax/oil?

I do love the look of the soapstone but not the maintenance issues. It is an hour long process to clean all the countertops.

And what then is the best product to clean the countertops. Earlier I had read that soap and water was the best, our soap is Dawn and it seems like maybe that is the problem.

and how to I get rid of the water rings? And why is water 'staining' my countertop?

thoughts? Ideas? help!
thanks!
CosmoCat

It is a 9x6 room, with the door in the middle of one of the 9 foot sides. The pantry side consists of 6 shelves in a U shape 3 feet wide and 6 feet long. The laundry side is 6 feet long with a 33" deep counter and shelves above.

I am ecstatic to have this room done. I sit in there nightly with the door shut and a glass of wine.

View into the room:

Pantry side:

Laundry side:

Hamper between the washer and dryer:

Both materials will be gray rather than black.

Concrete countertops are an option, but they do etch.

Tina

Side view from hall:

Please share your pictures, please????