I haven't been around the forum much, but the change of seasons has me thinking of remodeling - especially because there's work I really should be doing! So, a question: For those of you who are, like me, not naturally neat and organized, are there features of your new kitchen that have made a real difference in how easy it is to keep on top of things? Maybe in unexpected ways?

In my eventual remodel, one giant mess problem will be solved in that my tiny kitchen currently has the only door to the back yard is thus the staging area for shoes, coats, dog leashes, misc. gardening equipment, etc. etc. In House Version 2.0, there will be a separate mudroom and a proper vestibule inside the back door, well away from the kitchen.

But I'm thinking of smaller, kitchen-specific things. Here's one: With all the messy kitchen chores to chose from, my downfall is that I hate to empty the dishwasher. No rational reason for this, but it's been that way for 40 years and is unlikely to change. In my previous house, I replaced my dishwasher with a pair of DishDrawers and it revolutionized my life, because I could use the clean drawer as the source of clean plates and cutlery and put them straight in the dirty drawer after use. I almost never put away the things that were in daily use. Not the way things are meant to be, but it had very positive effects on the whole kitchen experience.

How about you?

Carin

We had an extra outlet installed and then had the cabinet people cut out the bottom of the sink cabinet and toe kick. It works like a charm. It can be set to manual, where you turn it on once you sweep to it or left on auto, which is how we have it (with a sensor to activate suction). It is bagless, the front panel pops out for easy emptying. It has a filter, too.

I have always used the bags for veggies and inexpensive Ziplock type bags and a cordless hand vacuum. I don't get freezer burns with my food.

dcarch

First measure how much water your grass is getting. Put out a tuna or cat food can and collect the water for the time you are watering. Eventually you will be applying on the order of an inch per week in the summer and an inch per month in the cooler seasons. My sprinkler, hose, water pressure combination applies 1/8 inch per hour over 900 square feet. That's not much. I have to water for 4 hours to get 1/2 inch.

I would wean it off the daily watering. Since you are only wetting the surface, the roots will only be at the surface. You need to encourage them to dig a little deeper every time you water. Start by watering twice as long and skipping a day. Do that for a week watching it for signs that it is wilty. Don't let it wilt. Then try every third day and water a little longer. Remember you are toward once per week and only enough water so that the turf will survive for the next week. How much you water and how often is determined by your soil, shade, clouds, humidity, rainfall, grass type, mowing height (short grass needs more water), and wind.

When you are increasing the amount of water you apply, don't let the water runoff. If you see runoff, stop watering and let it soak in for 30 minutes, then resume watering. If it never seems to want to soak in, then before you water the next time, spray your lawn with baby shampoo. I use a hose end sprayer and adjust it so you just see foam coming out. Spray it evenly and then irrigate. You are not trying to irrigate with the baby shampoo, just get it out there. Baby shampoo is a good way to open up the soil and allow it to absorb moisture better. You might have to repeat every other week for a few months. Or not. For me one app is enough to last months.

You can try seeding but know this: crabgrass seed is looking for moisture right now. If you seed regular grass you will get crabgrass, too. If you can tolerate this until the end of summer (which might be right after the 4th of July for you), then you can seed safely for next season. Do you know what grass you have now (fescue or Kentucky bluegrass)? Fescue is somewhat shade tolerant. KBG is not.

Here are the basics of lawn care.

1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.
   


2. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above.
   


3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.
   

First, have you sanded the area you want to paint smooth?
If you sand the area smooth and wipe the area down with surface prep, that will help ensure you have a smooth surface. Look at the surface after you sand to see any imperfections, if any, and sand those smooth.

Second, you can use Penetrol to make the product flow better. Penetrol is used by painters to aid in the flow and leveling of oil based paint. It helps to give a smoother finish. It does more than regular paint thinner and slows the drying time down. If the product dries too quickly, it will not level. Chalkboard paint tends to be rather thick so you cannot use a lot of Penetrol to thin the product without making it too thin.

Third, what kind of brush are you using? If it is oil based product, you should use a china bristle brush. How much you brush this product will affect the products ability to level itself. You want to put it on and leave it alone. Overbrushing will cause you more problems. You should only need one coat of product. You must use a light touch with the brush. Many painters prefer the Yachtsman brush by Wooster because it is reasonably priced and produces a good result. There are more expensive brushes, such as a badger hair brush that may be softer and help you, but they are much more expensive.

I sanded lightly between coats which makes all the difference. They also have a straight chalk board paint (they're quart pails in green) with an oil base (which our faux painter dude said was the best way to go).

I use a roller and a brush because the doors I did had detail. The light sanding took out all of the brush marks.

I do not have Ikea cabinets but I found liner just like she explained at Bed Bath and Beyond. I don't remember the name but it is transparent and has ridges in it. It is not sticky but is thick enough to lay flat and because its transparent it is not obvious like some liners.

The ridges are nice because they allow air to circulate up under my glasses if they did not dry completely in my dishwasher.

I have been very pleased with it.

I went through my pictures and picked out a few that sort of show the overhang.

We're DIYers so there are no labor costs. Was planning on going with a local custom builder with a dollar figure in mind, but fell in love with a Kraftmaid door. We were quoted $20,000 for cabinets which is pretty much what we were planning on the whole project. I nixed a bank of cabinets that were intended for liquor and wine storage in order to be able to afford my dream countertops. I haven't actually picked the soapstone slab yet so I don't have a dollar figure on that.

The cabinets are a partial overlay cherry shaker style door with walnut pegs in the corners and honey spice glaze. The drawers are all blumotion glides. I sprung for two double trash pullouts because we recycle everything. I'll be picking out glass at a stained glass shop instead of getting the pricey cabinet co. glass. The new cabinet total came to $14,000. Although DH wants to know why we spent so much on the panel for the back of the penninsula.

We got our stainless-look appliances on Black Friday last year for $1400 for the standard depth frig, dishwasher, and range. Ideally we would have gotten a french door frig, but again I want my counters.

The internet was invaluable. 16-guage stainless steel 1 1/2 bowl sink for $180 at cbsinks.com. Clearanced pendant from Bellacor for $60. E-bay was my playground. ORB gooseneck pullout faucet w/ soap dispenser for $80. Insinkerator Evolution for $140.

I got a super duper clearance find of undercabinet led lighting for $9.47 each at Lowes.

French doors were $1000 and garden window was $500. Cork floors were $2300. Drywall materials, paint, etc. $100.

And then there are all the miscellaneous expenditures that DIYers have like a 6ft level, new sawzall, belt sander because dumb brother "borrowed" ours never to be seen again, etc.

We obviously are over budget, but I'm still getting my soapstone if I can just find the perfect slab(s)

Hi all,

Well, we've finally got a (mostly) finished kitchen! This kitchen's been in the planning stages for 8 years and I've been in and out of this forum for just about that long-- wow, time flies! Whether I've posted or just lurked, the information I've gotten here has been INVALUABLE.

I can unequivocally say that my kitchen would not look anything like what it does without this Forum, and for that I offer my profound gratitude-- there is, quite literally, no way I could have done it without all of you, past and present.

So, here are the photos of the finished result:

For the entire album with detailed photos, just click on the link below any of the photos above!

Here are the details:

Cabinetry: IKEA Lidingo White (with glass uppers) for the perimeter, Tidaholm Brown/Black for the island
Island Knobs & Pulls: Anne at Home Farm Collection and Lewis Dolin Glass Cup Pulls (from Myknobs.com)
Perimeter Knobs and Pulls: Anne at Home Horse Collection, generic polished chrome knobs, cup pulls, and bar pulls (from Myknobs.com)
Wall Paint: BM Revere Pewter
Trim, Hood, and Fireplace Paint: Valspar Bright White (from Lowe�s)
Perimeter Counters: IKEA Butcher Block, stained Black with India Ink and sealed with Waterlox
Island Counter: IKEA Butcher Block, sealed with Watco food safe butcher block sealer
Main Sink: Whitehaus 36" farm sink (from Vintagetub.com)
Island Sink: IKEA single Domsjo, undermounted instead of the usual overmount installation
Faucets: IKEA Hjuvik
Refrigerator: Because we grow a lot of what we eat (so we don't need to store much) and have a large fridge in an adjacent laundry room, we chose a generic small undercounter fridge (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Wine chiller: Sunbeam (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Dishwashers: Kenmore and Hotpoint, both existing and 5-7 years old
Microwaves: 8 year old Kenmores
Island Oven: IKEA Datid 30"
Hood: ProLine 36" range hood (from eBay)
Range: IKEA Praktfull Pro A50
Backsplash Behind Range: Handthrown Williamsburg brick (local brickyard, left over from another project)
Flooring: Lumber Liquidators, Hand Scraped Teak
Island and Sink Pendants: IKEA Ottava
Cabinet lights: IKEA Grundtal single puck lights
Chandelier over the Table: Progress lighting, black 5-light chandelier (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Fireplace: Style Selections 36" Vent Free LP fireplace (Lowe�s, off the shelf)

A few notes about the remodel, just to hit some discussion points I see come up a lot in this Forum:

Our kitchen lives in a big old 1840 farmhouse, which has been part of a working farm since the day it was built. Originally it was soybeans, but now it's part of a gentleman's farm (horses, heritage gardens and poultry), so everything has to be hard wearing and practical. It needs to stand up to heavy traffic, mud, hay, tools, and the occasional chicken (though usually when they wander in, they don't go much further than the family room, because they like the television). That definitely informed our choices for surfaces-- they needed to be hard cleanable, and ultimately easily refinished or replaced down the line.

Because the entire house already has strong architectural elements (huge moldings and built-ins), we worked within the style we already had-- all the kitchen moldings, mantels, panels and cabinets match (or are closely styled after) what already exists in the house. We definitely didn't do a period kitchen (we wanted a 2010 layout with all the conveniences), but we wanted the kitchen to look like it belonged in the house.

The big thing for us was budget-- believe it or not, the entire kitchen was done for UNDER $20K. Four big things contributed to that:

1/ We DIY'ed the ENTIRE project, start to finish. The only thing we hired out was the gas line install for the fireplace and range, because state law requires it. Other than that, all planning, demo, sourcing, and construction was on us. Might be why it took us 8 years. . .

2/ We reused what we could, and scrounged a lot, especially construction materials (which could have been buckets of money, considering all the custom work we did in the space), and kept what appliances we could. It was also a great way to be environmentally responsible on a project that, let's face it, has a lot of non-necessities involved.

3/ IKEA, IKEA, IKEA. If you're anywhere reasonably close to an IKEA, and you're on anything approaching a budget, go check it out. The cabinet quality for the price can't be beat (except for a few pockets of custom cabinet makers), and there are a lot of great accessories, appliances, lighting and other things to be had for a terrific price. As always, you have to pick and choose your items for quality and value, but at least in our experience, it is definitely there to be had for the buyer with a good eye.

4/ We didn't go for major appliance upgrades. Our whole family LOVES to cook (and eat!), and we wanted a great looking, functional space to do it all in, but we just weren't convinced that we needed more than the basics right now. If we want to upgrade down the line, it's easy enough to do, but right now our Wolf budget is standing in our barn eating hay, and our LaCanche budget is steered towards this Show Hunter prospect I have my eye on . . .

So there's our formula for a great kitchen that works for us considering the (kind of odd!) parameters we had. Hope you all can take at least something useful away from our experience.

I've submitted the kitchen to the FKB, and I'll answer whatever questions you've got. . .

Thanks again, everyone!

Details:
DW, Fridge, microwave/convection oven (Kitchen Aid)
6 burner dual-fuel 36" range (Thermador)
Thermador Traditional Silent 42" Hood w/remote blower
Perimeter countertop Black Minas Soapstone from Dorado Soapstone
Island Countertop Honed Statuario Marble
Perimeter Cabinets custom built with BM Simply White paint
Island Custom Built Alder
Floor Owens PlankFloor 6" Walnut with Satin Water Based Polyurethane
Delta Allura Faucet and soap dispenser
Danze Pot Filler
Cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware

I posted on the Bathroom forum for one of the baths, search "gray and white".

Here's a few other pics:
Before, living room:
After:

Before dining room:

After:

My DD bathroom:
Before:

After:

(ceiling speakers to be added)

island outlets behind faux drawers

cabinet order screw-up (I didn't want this kind of pullout), but it's working fine. I will probably take out the other shelf, too, and just use the two

still need to paint over vent below refrigerator

cookie sheet/vertical storage (faux drawers)

refrigerator drawers in hutch (usually have lunch/kid stuff, still extra party beer in there now)

microwave in hutch

I ordered several samples and all were within the price range you mentioned. I just sealed mine over the weekend.

My sink went in a 36" sink base with no modifications. Our cabinets have 1/2" walls, so it is possible that if the cabinet walls were 3/4" thick it might have needed modifying, but I don't know that for certain. When I bought mine, the description stated it needed a minimum 36" cabinet.

Later, the site said 39". Then it went back to 36". It looks like it's back to 39"!

This is what the dimensions were when I bought mine...it looks like it's 1/8" wider now than mine was...but I'm sure you can still fit it in a 36" sink base.

The sink grids were fine...no need to get smaller ones. The hole in the grid is slightly bigger than the drain, including the "frame", so it works fine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Current S405D at Galaxy Tool Supply

We didn't go totally white/white as we have soapstone on the perimeter counters, but we have a large island with white calacatta marble. We chose Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray for the kitchen and the adjoining family room. I love, love the color. Fresh & crisp & airy with the white.
A few other blue/grey tones we throughout the house that look great with white trim: BM Cashmere Grey, BM Quiet Moments. Good luck!
Katie

Color is mostly visible above sink:

During construction, not a great shot of the color.

2) I wish I'd gone with a bigger tub. I am glad I chose a narrow--1 person tub (for less water per fill) and it IS very comfortable, but when I want to relax & lay back, it is just 6" short for MY comfort. Wish I'd spent the extra$.

What I DID do right---and I think it has saved me a lot of money AND helped a ton with problem-solving is documenting EACH stage of building with my little digital camera!!
~~I probably have over 2000 pics!! I took pics of every inch--all filed appropiately: Walls as framed (then filed by each room), Plumbing (each room--EACH wall), Electrical (which shows plumbing again) for each room/EACH wall, Walls AFTER drywall....you get the idea.

**I can't tell you how many times my pics solved problems; like "I thought I put a plug there.." "NO mam, I can't feel it, so you didn't." "But I thought I did." No lady, you didn't." (I just showed pics and the contractors fixed stuff.) It helped as I was building and even now, a yr later, I've referred to the pics with electricians & especially the security/speaker guy AND even my plumber...)

Actually, I did this for the first one we built (15 yrs ago) and gave a disk of pics to the new owners. They added surround sound so the pics, of inside the walls, were helpful to the new GC.

Seems like SUCH a hassle... but it really doesn't take that much time once you start. And at first I started trying to label each pic but you don't need to--amazing how you can recognize each area--but you do need to create files for each room (within each stage of building).

I'm rambling on...LOVE this site--I lurked for a yr BEFORE we built, then thru the building process. It helped more than ANYTHING else I did!!

Tks to all, CB

I wish I had not installed under cab lights, I never use them and they get way too hot. After being on for a few hours, the butter which I had stored in a glass butter dish in the upper cab was totally melted. And I have Xenon low voltage that are supposed have have less heat. Maybe I will use them this winter but I doubt it.

I wish I had a outlet on each end of my island instead of just 1 end.

I wish I had put in another small farm sink in my island instead of the deep copper sink. I like my copper sink but I love my farm sink and because it is under counter the lower depth is so much easier to use.

I wish I did not have the small open shelves in my Butler Pantry. Although they look good in the over all design, they are just dust catchers and a pain to keep clean.

Michelle

On to the pictures.

So far the kitchen is working out really well for us. Other than not loving the performance of my wall oven, I am happy with how it all turned out.

The details:

Perimeter cabinets: Decora (Chantille finish on maple)
Island cabinets: Sorrento (Hermosa finish on alder)
Backsplash: Walker Zanger Gramercy Park (Heirloom White and Pipe Smoke)
Granite on perimeter: Antiqued Nordic Black (love this!)
Granite on Island: Alaskan White
Pendant lights: Schoolhouse Electric
Knobs & pulls: Amerock Highland Ridge
Barstools: Restoration Hardware (bought during Friends & Family sale--20% off--yay!)
Wall color: BM Revere Pewter
Flooring: walnut w/ Waterlox finish
Sink: Shaw's farmhouse sink
Sink faucet/soap dispenser: Danze Opulence
Range: NXR
Wall oven: Kitchenaid
Fridge: Bosch
Dishwasher: paneled Bosch
Micro: cheapo GE

Thanks again!

To show wallpaper detail:

I’m finally posting pics of our long dreamed about kitchen renovation! We didn’t add on to the space at all but we moved stuff around to make better use of the space. We moved the sink, heat, removed one window and changed another one. We took down the dividing wall, removed the front hall closet to expand the area for the relocated breakfast nook and moved the range and fridge to opposite wall. We now have a long L and it’s so much better. We’re very pleased to have a vent hood and dishwasher for the VERY first time and way more counter space than before. And wow, having landing spaces on either side of the range is such a simple luxury we missed in the old kitchen.

Then plan is to put a TV above the microwave, and we need to plan on a window shade.

Thanks to everyone here for all of the invaluable info I was able to receive! I spent tons of time here… my husband thought I was nuts… but now that the kitchen is done and he didn’t have to stress at all (I handled just about everything from the planning to the shopping to the managing the GC and subs and cabinet people, etc. This kitchen was MY baby) he realizes what a tremendous help gardenweb was to me! A special shout out to my new friend cat_mom who has a kitchen I drool over and who helped me a lot throughout the reno!

Details:
Cabinets: Brookhaven Vista frameless slab in Maple veneer, stain: Sierra
Countertops: Silestone in Gedatsu
Backsplash: from CANCOS TILE; Mirage Glass color MG-05 (glossy) in 6x12 and 3x6 (over bench)
Faucet: JADO Coriander Collection Single Handle Pullout in polished Chrome w/ matching soap dispenser
Sink: JULIEN Urban Edge 3607 21x16x10 zero radius w/Grid
Floors: REFIN CERAMICHE in Satin Wenge 12x24
Range: WOLF Gas 30”
Hood: FARBER Stilo 36”
DW: GE Monogram
Fridge: GE FD CD “Café”
Microwave: GE Spacesaver with built in kit
Pulls & Knobs: Top Knobs
Wallpaper: hermitageisahome.com from the MISSPRINT collection MUSCAT in Stone

And a favorite memory during the renovation… the day the appliances were installed, my contractor and his team literally made fun of the fact that the dishwasher has a light in it. They thought it was such a silly thing, to have a light in the DW. This is our very first DW and well the Monogram came with a light (which I didn’t even know btw)… I have to admit, I felt a little embarrassed as they were laughing at me. They made me a little ashamed to have a light in the DW! Well, let me tell you something. One of my very favorite things in the new kitchen is that darm light in the DW! I love to keep the lights very dim in the kitchen when I can and it’s dark in there. The counter and floors are both brown, and the inside of the DW is dark. Having that light is a real perk! You wouldn’t see anything in there if the light wasn’t there. So to my contractor and his crew (who I really like btw)… pffffffffft! Yer just jealous cause my DW has a light and yours doesn’t ;)

And might I add at this point… I didn’t mean to have 3 GE appliances, it just turned out I liked the looks and each appliance had specific features we were looking for. I was a little scared the GE might be crap, but we’re actually very pleased with all of it!!

Things that Inspire

Stacey Bowers Butler's Pantry

EGD Kitchen Winners

Skaker Cherry Butler's pantry

French Doors

From Willow Decor

Moxi

DP Zaveloff Traditional Kitchens Pantry

English Blue pantry

Willow Brook Park

Ella and Baba blog

Details:
Cabinets maple painted white dove; end piece - cherry wood
Countertops: honed antiqued Carrara marble
Sink blanco
Faucet- hans grohe
Fridge - Kitchenaid
Ovens and cooktop Thermador
Microwave drawer - Sharp
Hood - Best
Backsplash - Ann Sacks
Paint - BM Silver Marlin

Here it is: I tried to arrange photos before and after...

I agree with laxsupermom....go with what you love, even if it means waiting for a while until you can afford it.

We store trays, rack, & pans in after-market vertical racks above our steam oven. Over our Advantium, we store big casserole dishes & platters at the bottom of the cabinet, with a shelf set just above them for vertical storage of sheet pans, wire cooling racks, trays, etc. I'm 5'2" & can pull out everything without a step stool. We're also doing the low shelf trick in the cabinet over the refrigerator for roasting pans, but I do need a stool for things on the next shelf up (big stock pots). I put cutting boards in a rack & store it under my prep sink. We have two pullouts flanking our range for vertical storage of broiler pans & skillets. We also utilize a narrow pullout for storing extra oven racks. These are just a few ideas to deal with shallow items without using drawer space.

Couple of pointers:
read the installation directions OVER and OVER. Be prepared for lots of "dry fitting" before the final mount.

Some unexpected "things" that came up during my install.
1)If your putting in a stainless backsplash that runs from the range up to the hood...put it in before you mount the hood..you can hide the upper and lower ends of the stainless behiond the appliances that way.

.BUT be careful when putting up the hood, cause stainless scratches REALLY easily when your pushing sheet metal around.

I purchased a brushed stainless steel panel, cut to size from a local sheet metal (HVAC) fabricator..cheaper than buying from Viking..be sure they cut it with a machine cutter, and not by hand..cutting by hand leaves a "wavy" ripple in the stainless panel. Only the machine can cut it flat, without distorting the stainless.

We remodeled, and had custom cherry cabinets built. The carpenter put them in square and plumb...but the wall behind the cabinets WASN"T plumb! So I had to get some cherry colored silicone caulk to fill in the gap behind the cabinets.

Then, when i mounted the hood, plumb with the cabinets, there was a 1/4 inch gap between the backsplah and the hood..oh well..it's not really noticable.

when i created the appropriate cutouts in the cabinetry above the hood, where the right angle duct work ended up, it was a very cramped area to work in. I found a cheapo mini-sawzall (Handisaw by Black and Decker http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=15523) that was critical in cutting out the cabinet, drywall, and plywood sheeting behind the wall. It was small enough to fit inside the cabinet, and allow me to get the cutting done. I also used a chisel and a drywall saw to get the job done, but the Handisaw made life much easier.

i placed a 90 degree angled vent pipe directly to the top of the hood, and ran it straight out through an exterior wall. I was lucky because I did not have any wall studs in the way..if you run into a stud..i'm not sure how best to proceed. I cut out a circular hole through the drywall, the exterior plywood sheet, and ran into the exterior brick. I drilled a hole through the mortar to the outside. stuck a piece of paper over the brick marked the location of the finder hole (which was off center, and marked out the circumference of the duct on the paper. I made a mark on the paper to indicate which end was up. This allowed me to outline on the brick outside, where i would have to make a hole.

I had never cut brick, so i hand a neighbor do it for me..he basically used a small circular diamond blade (3-4" i think) on a small handheld saw, and cut out the brick. it wasn't very pretty, but it was all covered up by the exterior vent hood.

Duct tape to connect all the pieces together.

i finally used some expanding urethane foam to "caulk" around the duct to seal off the exterior from the house. Be sure and buy the foam that has "low expansion" and use it SPARINGLY. The foam expands LIKE CRAZY and can actually distort or collapse the vent pipe!! Put i WAY LESS than you think, and give it 24 hours to stop expanding, then add more foam with a second application, if you must.

when you cut the brick, tape off the inside of the tunnel you've created to the vent hood, because brick grit will rain into your new appliances, and you will have a hard time getting all the grit out of your hood/vent/range...

good luck and god speed!

Here are a few more cute quirky, fun, differnent or tiny
kitchens. I love all kitchens. ~boxer

White

Country Living old sink

Butcher block and fabric covered cab doors

Willow Decor

French Fantasy (all the little people wash dishes, a
perfect rule in my house for kids...)

Brazilian kitchen

Carnival

My favorite. Beautiful and fresh

Very earthy South African Kitchen

Beach Mag

Concrete Kitchen

AZ Central

Kutch Craft

We got bench cushions , 2 on each side (about 40 inches long each) 3 inches thick. They're upholstered w/sunbrella outdoor fabric (good for kids). They're striped and I think look great -- I'll try to post a picture later. I ordered some extra fabric and was trying to figure out what to do w/the backs, but may end up doing nothing. We just got one throw pillow, but maybe will make a few more with the fabric, I don't think the seats need back cushions (they're a lot like gglks above).

Oh- we ordered them online, they have zippers so they can be washed. I think the website was benchcushionsource.com. It was out of Alabama and the bill is from "Online Commerce Group". I think the cost was a little over $100 per cushion (which is about half of the cost of a local store doing it).

What's shocking me is the cost for the cushions! Anyway, maybe it's worth a bit more looking.

I'm attaching a photo of it in his shop.

Here is a link that might be useful: Banquette

Hats off to my fantabulous DH for his perseverance with the arced wall and making the drawer work!!

Of course, many will recognize the inspiration from kitchenkelly and her fantastic morgue drawers : ) Our drawer is very tall so I think of it as the coffin drawer. Okay, so we keep the dog food & treats in it - but everyone needs a little levity in with their storage solutions.
NOTE: The bench isn't trimmed out yet, I'm posting now 'cause marilyn234 was asking for help with bench plans.


The table is a soapstone top support by 2 oak planks and a 4x4 table leg. The planks are 12" and 8" wide. It's 30 wide by 60 long. The table is rounded at the right end and the left end is flat and sits into a wall/frame on the peninsula end. The face of the peninsula is covered in bead board that was scored in the back to make it curve. The effect is a left curve to the table top. The leg against the peninsula is a half leg. The idea was to have the peninsula hug the table and not look like two squares butted up against each other. The soapstone on the peninsula was cut to arc in to mirror the curve on the outside end of the table. The top of the arc is 4" deep by 30 wide.
We got BM satin impervo matched to cabinets and painted everything to match.
Here's a picture of the bench frame. The heal kick is tall - the seat hangs out to create the heal kick. The drawer isn't centered because we would run into the wall if we did - or we'd only have a shallow drawer. The back of the bench is 30" tall. We wanted it short because the chairs face a fireplace. It is good height - very comfy. the bench is 54" long and 17.5 deep (finished seating depth). A detailed plan with measurements is below.


The bench is very comfy with the angled back and the foam padding. The bench seat is plywood with 3" foam & batting and the back is plywood with 2" foam & batting. The foam was angle cut where the seat and back meet. I used a bread knife because I could NOT find the electric knife - word of advice - FIND THE ELECTRIC KNIFE!!!! I used sharpie to draw the angle and lines on the foam. You may notice that I screwed that up the first time and had to glue it back together and re-cut it (with the freakin' bread knife!). The foam also hangs over each exposed edge by at least 1". I would have it over hang the sides more so we could use a wider trim. The foam stops 1-2" from the seat inside edge so the back can rest there. You need to affix the foam to the plywood with a spray adhesive - I used 3M adhesive. We covered the foam in upholstery fabric using a stapler. It's a bit tricky to get the pattern to line up so make sure you have plenty of overhang to adjust up/down & left/right. We laid it all out - both seat and back - taped everything down - stapled the back - then lined up the seat again - re-taped and stapled it.

The drawer is a big box of pine planks that are screwed together. The screws run perpendicular to the force so it's very sturdy. We used orange shellac and lacquer to finish the wood. You can see in the photo above the 1x4s that run horizontally inside the frame bottom to hold the drawer glides. The drawer box is 48" long x 10.5 tall x 16.75 wide (outside measurement). We got a drawer face from our cabinet company. It's wonderful!!!!! (Can't wait unit the drawer pulls arrive!)

We keep the dog food, meds and treats in here. I got bins from the container store that each hold about 20 lbs of dog food. Maybe I should call it a trough drawer!

In this picture you can kind of see the wall/frame that is attached to the peninsula to support the table.
a href="http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh108/bvanney/?action=view&current=bench1.jpg" target="_blank">

IT still needs trim along the sides and bottom of the seat (beaded screen trim) and base board on the bottom of the bench and peninsula.

Here's the plan:

Sources:
Fabric: fabricguru.com
Drawer glides: schockmetal.com 037 series 47.24 full extension 255lb capacity - $105 a pair - great deal
Legs: Osbournewood.com

(1) The cabinet box/carcass is what's 24" in a 24" cabinet.

(2) Doors & drawer fronts are approx 1" thick so now you have cabinets + doors/drawers = 25"

(3) You don't want things to spill from the countertop and into your drawers or cabinets nor do you want things to spill down the fronts of your doors or drawer fronts...so you add another 0.5" or so, giving you a total of 25.5"

(4) It's also nice to have your counter cover most, if not all, of your drawer pulls & knobs not only for cleanliness' sake, but also so you don't bump them while working at the counter. Rounded pulls/knobs are probably only an annoyance, but if you have a knob or drawer pull w/an end, it might be more painful (or you could catch it on pants/shorts pockets).

With inset cabinets, the doors & drawer fronts are inset into the cabinet, so they don't stick out that extra 1". However, I would still go with at least a 0.5" overhang to protect cabinets, doors, and drawer fronts.

BTW...flush counters are usually for more "modern" or "urban" kitchens and usually with non-wood cabinet materials (like metal)...at least from what I've seen. I could be wrong, of course!

I priced virtually the same kitchen in Kraftmaid from Lowe's, and with the glaze, the prices were almost identical. But I thought the Shiloh cabinets were better quality - all wood construction vs. MDF boxes, reversed-panel recessed doors vs. the very thin center panels on the KM. On some of the upgrades, Shiloh actually had a price advantage. For example, the upgrade the Blumotion soft-close feature was $40 per drawer on KM and only $8 per drawer on Shiloh. I have 23 drawers, so that was significant. (I also had Mariposatracionera's bad KM experience from a couple of years ago ringing in my ears - though I know that others on this forum have had good KM experiences.)

Here are pics and the details:

Perimeter Counters: Calcatta Gold
Island top: Black Walnut with vintage walnut stain
Cabinets: Custom
Paint on cabinets/trim: BM Swiss Coffee (color tweaked by paint store)
Wall color: Pratt and Lambert Pearl
Wolf 48" Range with double griddle (love this!)
SubZero s/s 48" Fridge with icemaker
Sharp microwave drawer
Bosch D/W (we have 2 and it was a great decision if considering this)
GE Monogram hood blower
GE wine cooler
Perrin and Rowe Faucet - PN
Shaw Farm Sink 30 x 18
Pantry: custom built
Paint on Pantry: Farrow and Ball Pigeon
Hardware on Pantry: Restoration Hardware Felicity in Antique brass
Kitchen Hardware: Restoration Hardware Aubrey Knobs - PN
Restoration Hardware Bistro Pulls - PN
Rejuvenation small latch - PN
Backsplash: Arctic white Daltile with platinum grout
Bell Jars - JV Imports - 11"D with bronze finish
Bar Stools: Crate and Barrel Pullman Leather Counter Stools

I will get pics up of laundry and bathrooms soon too!

Everyone said WhiteDove was the way to go. But, I found a
color I fell head over heels in love. It is called
Powdered Snow by Behr. Ben Moore mixed a paint color that
is exactly like this Behr shade. And I am thrilled with
the look. It is a soft, creamy white that is not too
creamy but not stark white. It feels like a snowy day.
For me and my space with the natural light, the floors,
walls, counters... it makes my heart sing. Love it.

Get what you love and don't be afraid. You will find that
color that makes it all come together.

~boxerpups

Some white kitchens that are not all BM dove white...

BM Oyster Shell and Linen White

BM Cloud White

BM Cloud White

BM Woodland Snow

BM Linen

BM Super Satin White #2

BM Dove White

BM Dove White

BM Sea Shell

www.pinkroots.blogspot.com

Thanks!!

And here are a few other clever ideas that hopefully
someone can make work in their space.

Ebenstein kitchens

IKEA

Island with giant pot drawers and trash pull-out:

Liquor "cabinet" consisting of 2 pull-outs:

Sink organization (also has tilt-outs):

Top drawer holds cutting boards, bottom holds cookie sheets:

Roll-outs for canned goods and slot next to oven for cooling racks:

I don't have this, but I think it's great for baking pan storage. I built 14'' uppers, so I put my infrequently used pans in the cupboard over the refrigerator.

First, my tray storage (muffin tins, roasting pan, broiling pan, cookie sheets, cooling racks, pizza pans, etc.)

This cabinet is above my double ovens. Two things about this I like:

(1) The slots allow me to store everything in such a way that I can quickly and easily get exactly what I want w/o having to paw through a stack of trays, etc.

(2) Platter storage...Because this cabinet is 24" deep, I can store all my longer platters and griddle lengthwise here.

Also, notice the location of the shelf...removing a tray (or cookie sheet, muffin tin, cooling rack, etc.) only requires pulling out by a bottom corner, access to the top of the trays, etc. is not needed. So, to increase "reachable" storage, the trays are actually on the shelf and the platters & griddle are on the floor of the cabinet. This way, the platters & griddle are easily reached as well as the trays, etc.

Second, my trash/recycle pullout with Junk Drawer above. The dogs can no longer get into the trash and I no longer have to find floor space for a stand-alone trash can. This also gives me room for two bins...the front bin holds trash, the back recyclables. So no more piling up of recyclables on the counter for a recycle run to the garage.

OK...there are three things that are my favorite...my knife storage. I was never particularly happy storing my knives in a knife block on the counter. It took up too much space. I like this much, much better!

I also like how I now have most of my prep & cooking utensils & tools organized so no more pawing through a drawer looking for just the right tool.

Here's my husband's favorite...our "Pet Zone". In our old kitchen, we stored the dog food in the pantry and the other "doggy items" scattered around the house. Now, everything is in one place and right next to where we feed them.

One thing though...this was supposed to be a pullout w/the bottom "shelf" attached to the door and a roll out tray shelf (ROTS) inside. It was something I missed in the final cabinet order. B/c it's against a wall, we had to put in filler to allow the left door to open 90 degrees...and that's about all it opens. The other problems w/the configuration we ended up with, is that we have to pen two doors completely b/f we can pull out any of the ROTSs. If they're not open all the way, they ding the doors. Ditto for making sure the ROTSs are completely inside the cabinet b/f closing the doors. Oh well!