We completed our kitchen seven months ago, but I've procrastinated on posting finished photos. Here they are at last!
Thanks to all for your many helpful ideas and comments as I went through the process.
I planned the kitchen myself-- a little tricky as the room is not rectangular. I originally planned a white/soapstone kitchen, but ended up going with a more earthy scheme because the kitchen is open to the FR, and also I thought the colors would be more family and pet friendly-- we have 5 kids, a dog and a cat. We are all very happy with our new space, and the surfaces are indeed forgiving.
We remodeled mainly because I disliked the downdraft range on my island. Plus, the cabinets were looking pretty shabby and some of the doors were splitting. I cook a lot, often for a big crowd, and I am loving the efficiency of my new kitchen.
Here are the details:
Cabinets: Ikea Tidaholm oak in black/brown, and Adel birch in medium brown (in pantry area and planning peninsula). I chose Ikea because I love their organization systems and their Blum tandembox drawers and glides. I assembled all of the cabinets myself and changed the edgebanding to match the door/drawer fronts. I was kind of excited to find "Made in Italy" stickers on all the Tidaholm doors. My GC's carpenter installed the cabinets. All drawers are full extension with soft close.
Pulls: Hickory Hardware
Granite: Madura Gold
Backsplash: Jeffrey Court's Fire and Ice, enhanced, kashmir grout (thanks Jodi in SoCal for the inspiration)
Range: Bluestar 36" RNB with island trim. The cabinet run on the range wall is pulled out 3 inches.
Hood: Futuro Futuro 48" plane (980 cfm)
Ovens: GE Monogram Advantium over ZET
Dishwasher: Bosch Integra 800 series
Refrigerator: Samsung French door RFG297. We pulled out surrounding cabs to make the fridge look built-in.
"Kid fridge" 24" LG LRBP1031 in Titanium-- love it! Holds the kids' yogurts, drinks, fruit, ice cream, frozen baked goods, ice packs-- and keeps the kids out of my way. In the same footprint as refrigerator drawers, I got twice the space at half the price. Between the Samsung and the LG, I have almost 40 cu. ft. of refrigerator/freezer space.
Faucets: Grohe K4 (prep sink) and Alira (main sink)
Tapmaster at main sink
Soap dispensers from Never MT web site
Sinks: Zero radius, 15 gauge stainless from Ebay-- 30" at main sink and 23" at prep sink
Table: Oak from reclaimed antique floor joists, from Ebay (barnseeker.com)
Chairs: Bonded leather from Overstock-- love them
Floors: Red oak, Refinished and stained Minwax golden oak, 3 coats of oil-based poly
I kept my old kitchen light fixture and ceiling fixture. I'm still planning on adding a couple of puck lights to the shelf behind the hood-- I have outlets at the tops of the high cabs, with a switch next to the range.
Thanks for looking!
Here is a link that might be useful: Morton5's finished kitchen