I think this is a good option for an upper dead corner, especially since I am not fond of upper corner cabinets. Also for those that want some open shelving but not too much/all open.

A teaser:

Some of you might recall me, I posted my almost finished kitchen about a year ago. We recently had some new photos taken when our architect hired a pro for the day for a shoot. I figured I'd pay everyone a visit and share the new photos since my old ones were incomplete. The old thread is to old to be revived, so I'll try to repost the old original post below my new one for context as well. Hope you enjoy!

As I posted in my original thread, thank you to everyone who has posted here - your amazing example kitchens as well as your willingness to answer any questions was THE source for our ideas.

Money Shot:

Kitchen Island:

Sink View:

Rangetop:

Fridge / Pantry:

Fridge / Pantry Revealed:

Bar Area:

Pantry / Freezer:

Layout:

Kitchen Design Summary:

• Cabinets: Painted Maple built by local cabinet maker - local is a suburb southwest of Boston. Inset doors, self closing drawers. The finish is a sprayed on pre-cat lacquer that is tinted to match the BM Ivory White color.


• Cabinet Options: Includes pull out trash drawer wtih two cans to the right of sink. "Magic Corner" pullout in corner of L perimeter cabinets. Wicker baskets underneath microwave for fruit / vegetable storage. Vertical dividers in cabinet above oven. Spice drawer insert in top left island drawer. Knife drawer insert in top drawer to the left of rangetop. Dish drawer inserts (pegboard with adjustable plate holding pegs) in island drawers. Utensil and gadget dividers in misc drawers. Specialized rack on dry good cabinet that allows for storage on dor but puts weight in cabinet carcass.
  


• Colors: Walls are Ben Moore Pittsfield Buff (HC-24) and the trim and cabinets are Ben Moore Ivory White (925).


• Countertops: 3cm Calacatta Ruggine on perimeter, 5cm Utile Mahogany (edge grain butcher block) for island, 3cm Minas soapstone for pantry. Slab backsplash on perimeter is 2cm Calacatta Ruggine and slab backsplash for pantry is 2cm Minas soapstone.


• Hardware: Mix of Restoration Hardware including Gillmore cup pulls (4in), Gillmore Knobs, Traditional Clear Glass Knobs and Bistro Pulls (8in and 6in). All hardware is polished nickel.


• Lighting: Pendants are RH Clemson pendants in 14" size. General recessed lights are Cree CR6 LED lights. Oversink recessed lights are Cree LR4 LED lights. Undercabinet lights are xenon dimable light bars. In cabinet lights are xenon puck lights. all lights are dimmable.


• Floor: Rift sawn white oak stained to match existing floor (seen in family room pictures.) Floor has radient heating underneath, hence the need for rift sawn.


• Bar Stools: Pier One Mason Bar Stool in chocolate.


• Rangetop: Wolf 48" gas open burner with grill and griddle. Model #RT484CG


• Ventilation: Wolf 48" Pro Range insert in custom wood enclosure. Model #462212. Fan is 1200 cfm remote blower located on far side of garage (~20 ft connected by 10" duct.) Model #801642.


• Ovens: Wolf E series double oven - convection on top, regular on bottom. Model #DO302FSTH


• Dishwasher: Miele Optima II mounted to the right of the sink. Model #G2472SCVi


• Fridge: Subzero 27" Integrated Fridge only - located on sink wall next to paired wall cabinet for dry good storage behind island. Model #700TRLH.


• Pantry Fridge: Subzero 24" Undercounter Integrated Fridge located in pantry area on wall with freezer. Model #UC24R-LH.


• Freezer: Subzero 27" Integrated Freezer only - located in pantry area. Model #700TFIRH.
  
• Wine Cooler: Subzero Integrated full length wine fridge located in pantry area. Model #427GLH.


• Microwave: Sharp R530 countertop microwave installed in custom enclosure within island. Cubbie for microwave is ~26" x 21" high.


• Sink/Disposal: Franke Bowl and Half - model #PRX-120. Insinkerator Evolution Excell 1hp disposal. Bar sink is Franke KBX-110-13.


• Faucets: Main sink faucet is Rohl U.4702 in polished nickel. Bar sink faucet is Rohl U.4759 in polished nickel. Filtered water faucet is Rohl A1365 in polished nickel.


• Misc Appliances: Air Switch is Rohl polished nickel button with Insinkerator switch. Water filter is Watts Premiere UF3 from Costco.


• Backsplash: once installed the backsplash will be Ann Sacks Glace tiles in Ice. The tiles will be 1x6 sticks in a running bond pattern.


• Ceiling Speakers: 10" loudspeakers from Monoprice linked into Sonos wireless home music system (this system is amazing!)

kitchen

excuse the dirty windows. i haven't had much luck locating a reliable person to clean them. i'd like to get romans for the windows, just as soon as i decide on a settee and upholstery for the adjoining breakfast room.

please also forgive the missing pot filler at the range wall. waiting for backsplash install to put it up.

baking center, open. it's kept open most of the time in the evening since dh likes to sit at the island with his computer and watch tv. i don't like this arrangement at all since i end up closing it up every. single. night. and since it's open most of the time, it also gets pretty dusty. i plan to remove everything on the shelves and replace with my cookbooks instead.

this is the fridge/freezer wall. when i started to design the layout this wall was to house the baking center and a wet bar. being as we don't drink -and already planned for a second sink in the island, i nixed the bar and began to rethink the space and revised the drawings -six or seven more times until i came up with this solution. it works very well.

this is the open position showing microwave, toaster oven and coffee maker. breakfast room is also shown here.

the breakfast room. planning on linen drapes here, along with an upholstered settee -and maybe switching out one of the benches for a couple of chairs. it's a work in progress.

the day after the remodel in our old house was complete, i swore i'd have two dishwashers in the new place. sometimes i think i should have gone for three.

and never let it be said that i did a lot of careful planning. behold this. i am contemplating having a door type thing made to hide this mess, that will open out and up -by those side hinge thingys. i don't know. i kind of like it open. it's a matter of deciding what i would hate more.

i need seven more cookie jars and lots of salt and pepper shakers to fill my collection spaces. if you care to send a gift, just let me know and i'll send my address. no? well, you can fault a girl for trying.

as far as the backsplash goes, anna c. is visiting me on thursday (!) and will accompany me to the tile store. i definitely need some hand holding here. i really don't feel like making a very costly mistake. i'd like to stick with whites, either marble or porcelain ...if i knew, it would be done already. help!

A couple of inspiration kitchens that seem close to the rustic-modern look you may be trying to achieve:

(seems to me no tiles to the right of hood here)

Here is a link that might be useful: another thread

Those walnut drawer interiors are so beautiful.
How are you liking your bread drawer? So beautiful!

To the right of my refrigerator is an oversized walk-in pantry. There are temporary shelves in there now... someday soon we'll have cabinets and nice shelving and I'll share those pics as well :)

I am not trying to be "timeless" or "classic". I have tried to be true to my own contemporary aesthetic. I'm saving a bit of personality for the backsplash, which is on order and won't be installed for a couple of months.

When the last few bits are finished, I will also post pictures of the eating area, mudroom, and family room, which were all part of the renovation. Plus I'll add some before pictures and some pics of my favorite gadgets and accessories. For now, I'm just so excited that I had to share!

bath

The cabinets are a blend of stained cherry and paint, counters are walnut and Kashmir Creme. While searching for the granite, I found this Glazzio (formerly Mirage) mosaic in the Flower series. It immediately caught my eye and I have had it for months - just waiting.

My first thought was to do the entire backsplash in the mosaic. Perhaps this is a bit overkill as it is a pretty bold pattern. Though I must say many GWer's have a fantastic BS with bold color and pattern that make me swoon. Thought number #2 is to be safe and pair it with a nice "subway" tile. And, I must admit I have always loved subway tile - long before it came in style - again.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated from the many talented GW members! Thanks so much in advance.

[IMG]http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y535/msnichols1978/Kitchen/IMG_2450.jpg[/IMG]

Range: Bluestar 6 burner RNB
Rangehood: Broan guts under DIY hood cover
Countertop: Honed Carrara marble
Sinks: Kohler cast iron
Faucets: Nickel Kohler Purist line
Frig: SubZero 48"
Floor: Dalle de France Massangis jaune limestone, Exquisite Surfaces
Cabinets: locally harvested white oak, local company
Walls: white painted yellow-poplar shiplap boards
Knobs: Baldwin brass in antique brass with black finish

Range view

Range close-up

Main cooking area near range

Kitchen table

Far end of kitchen

Frig and DW, clean-up sink

Microwave area (DH still needs to work on recessing the microwave better so the door can close - or we can get a smaller microwave)

Pantry

kitchen

Our home was built in the mid 60's and the kitchen used to be on the back side of the house, facing north west (never any sun). Our architect suggested relocating the kitchen to the front of the house, and came up with a very functional new plan, which included a mud room and pantry. We found a builder to perform the demolition and manage the construction. We built a temporary kitchen in our family room, moved the fridge in there with our camping gas burners on a card table, and started the long process of renovating. In the midst of this exciting and frustrating roller-coaster ride, my mom passed away. She was an amazing cook and would have loved watching the progress and seeing how everything turned out. This reveal is dedicated to her.

Cabinetry quotes for all the new areas (kitchen, island, desk area, bookshelves, pantry, mudroom) ranged from $35,000 to $75,000, uninstalled. Long story short: in order to economize, we went with an online Conestoga reseller (Brian Long/theCabinetJoint), who sold a ready to assemble/RTA cabinet, for around $23,000 (delivered). While we've been very pleased with the quality and functionality, I wonder what the final effect would have been with different cabinets and/or a different cabinet style. DH and I assembled the cabinets ourselves and our builder's crew hung them. DH installed all the appliances (several, multiple times), built a steel bar support system for the island, and did so very much electrical, plumbing and carpentry work. He is one in a million.

As you look at these pictures, I would welcome finishing suggestions. What did we, as DIY-ers, miss or mangle? What stands out as unfinished to your eye and what could I add to a punchlist for a finish carpenter or DH and me? I won't be offended, but to be totally honest, I am not posting any of the bad pictures :)

When it came time to pick a backsplash, I found I had too much white and disliked how the upper run of cabinets looked. With a ton of help from the forum, I picked a bold tile which draws the eye away from the cabinets. (Special thanks to Hollysprings for reminding me that I liked a lot of contrast in my inspiration pictures and to onedogedie, for introducing me to kj patterson).

Before
The kitchen was small and my countertops were always crowded. Still, I feel the need to acknowledge how many wonderful meals came out of that space.

We bumped out the front of the house 5 feet, replacing the foot print of the old covered porch.

We learned we could replace a structural post which would have been out in the middle, with an LBL beam. (Huge thanks to jeff_from_oakville, live_wire_oak, remodelfla, sjmitch, karen_belle and bmorepanic).

Assembling and installing cabinets. There was no magical truck pulling up outside and crews bringing in beautiful, assembled cabinets....

After

Bookshelves flanking the desk - houseful, you gave me the idea of using 2 of these, to balance the desk area, and I love how this works. Nothing warms a room like books! We also keep the phone and answering machine here.

Birds' Eye view, skylight dormer:

We love our recycling center and the inset composter:

Custom wood hood built by DH. Upper cabinets are 18" deep.

Recycling center on island and shallow cutting board cabinet:

Fire Extinguisher Niche. This is located behind the ovens; countertops are 30" and ovens were pulled forward by 6".

Upper cabinet knobs:

Baking Area with 30" countertops: (we keep things out on them and still have room to roll out a pie crust or make biscuits).

Top drawer: (note my new XMAS presents, my pink thermapen and my yellow lemon juice squeezer, thanks to zelmar and Breezygirl!)

Middle drawer:

Bottom drawer:

Next drawer stack over to the left, fun storage:

Bottom drawer:

I like the Rev-A-Shelf pull-outs (DH HATED installing these with a passion) but they are flimsy (wobbly) in comparison to my Blum Blu-Motion drawer glides.

In the upper cabinets, DH has built custom spice racks for us:

We were able to find a caulk which matched our grout. We dealt with a local metal working shop to create our stainless steel surround and custom hood liner:

Pantry:
Linen closet at left, eventually washer and dryer at far end. The base cabinet at the end has a single large pullout; this will be for clothes sorting bins.

Filing cabinets

Cabinets: Conestoga RTA Cabinets and Doors, Crystal White, Door CRP-10875, Cordovan stain on island.
Counters: Cambria Torquay
Bar stools: Carrington CourtDirect Mitchell 26" bar stools, with COM and custom stain.

Tile: kj patterson, Fireclay Debris

Cabinet hardware
Upper Hafele Knob Clear/Polished Chrome - HAF-135-75-420
Lower: RH Bistro Pull

Lights:
Varaluz, Nevada (table)
LBL lighting monorail, Lava II
Undercabinet: Philips powercore profile LED strips

Appliances/Fixtures:
Kohler Karbon faucet
KWC Sin Faucet
48" Capital Culinarian
Solon Inset Composter
Sharp 24" MW Drawer
Hood: Prestige insert with remote blower
Franke Peak SS Sink
Silestone Silgranit Sink, Biscuit
TapMaster
Hafele Food Pedals
Miele Futura Dimension

This post was edited by oldbat2be on Fri, Dec 28, 12 at 8:43

home

BEFORE:

AFTER:

THINGS WE LOVE:
--Our cabinets were so reasonable and they work beautifully. We LOVE Precision Cabinets! Their install was immaculate and perfect. When we had a glitch with the warming drawer, they fixed it perfectly! While I couldn't afford every "bell & whistle" inside the cabinets, I love them.
--White Princess honed. It's gorgeous and I no longer have the OCD urge to constantly wipe my counters (our old granite was polished). I also love my backsplash done in the same material--I am attracted to visual simplicity so couldn't pick a tile :)
--Cheap dishwasher. Paid $500 and we love it.
--Deep cheap sinks. Our main Ebay sink is awesome($500)! Love the 10" big single bowl. The island sink was cheap too, and is the perfect size, $150.
--White everywhere and one big room. Not for everyone, but my DH and I love the big open light-filled room. Far cry from the dark rancher that it was. We tore down two walls and raised the ceiling.
--The soapstone buffet. It was a remnant piece and I love that it doesn't match the rest of the kitchen. Sets it apart and boy does the texture feel nice!
--The papertowel niche. Not important, but I like that the towels are off my counter and totally accessible.
--The two hidden cabinets in the island near the stools. All my Xmas dishes, Thanksgiving platters and everything fit in here!

THINGS WE WOULDN'T DO AGAIN:
--The Vent Hood: Modernaire was a NIGHTMARE to deal with here in the NorCal area. You have to go through a distributor who will upcharge you $2,000 to order a hood. Modernaire won't sell directly to anyone who is in the area of one of their distributors. The rep here was a complete idiot, ripped me off and in the end didn't deliver what I had ordered. I had to then hire someone else to fix the goofs. Not worth it!

--Order our range through AJ Madison. Total pain to get this stove delivered. The rest of our appliances came without a hitch but the delivery of the range was a disaster. They refused to deliver it until we had a concrete pathway, but our city had some issues with solid pathways and the runoff, etc. Had 4 delivery dates and they turned around each time and refused to bring it in the house. In the end I would have purchased this through our local store (there was no discount on this by buying on internet, unlike the other appliances).

THINGS WE STILL NEED TO DO:
--Help me pick kitchen table chairs! Those pictured are folding chairs for holidays. Our old ones were falling apart, so we ditched them in the move. What should I put there?
--Shades ordered and we are waiting for them to come and be hung.
--The stools (CB2 Vapor) are too tall and we need to have the legs cut down. They only come in 30" or 24" and one is too tall and the other is too short. Sigh.

THE DETAILS:
Cabinetry—Precision Cabinets, Brentwood, CA; painted in stock color which matches Simply White
Walls—BM Simply White
Kitchen Counters—White Princess granite, from DaVinci Marble & Stone in San Carlos, CA, with 2.25" mitred square edge
Buffet Counter—Brazilian Black soapstone from Texeira, SF, with no edge finish
Door and Drawer Pulls—Top Knobs, Square Pulls, Polished Chrome; ordered off the internet
Main Sink—Ebay purchase 36" SS Farmhouse w/apron front , single bowl, flushmount
Island Sink—Dawn 19X17 single bowl, undermount
Main Faucet—Blanco Meridien Semi-Professional in Brushed
Island Faucet—Santec Penza pull out in Brushed
Refrigerator—Electrolux WaveTouch; ordered off Homeeverything.com
Dishwasher—Whirlpool Gold Quiet Partner III; ordered from AJ Madison
Microwave Drawer—Sharp 24"; ordered from AJ Madison
Range—Viking Range w/6 burners and griddle; ordered from AJ Madison
Hood— Modernaire custom hood
Trash Compactor—GE Profile in SS; ordered from AJ Madison
Warming Drawer—Kitchenaid Architect Series II; ordered off Homeeverything.com; panel from cabinet co.
Backsplash—White Princess granite
Windows—Semco
Flooring-DuChateau pre-engineered floors in Lugano
Big Slider Door—Custom made 10’ bypass doors by McFarland Doors, w/custom screen
Island Pendants—Hudson Valley Pelham 13" ordered from Butler Lighting
Breakfast Table Pendant—Round 26" linen chandelier by Restoration Hardware
Buffet Sconces—Boston Library Sconces by CircaLighting.com

Before:

Family room:

After:

We finally got the Culinarian hooked up and going and I've been playing around with it a bit. Don't have any pots and the kitchen is a gritty mess, so I'm not cooking, just adjusting and getting to know how things work.

I know this is a lousy photo, but until the crew stops putting tools on the soapstone and sawing inside, I mostly leave the blueboard on the soapstone and the hood is staying covered.

First... I can't get the burner heads to come off the assembly. I can lift the entire thing out. But the head seems to be firmly attached to the body. Is this something new?

On the videos, Trevor shows the round head coming easily off for cleaning etc.

Second he ignitor is attached to a metal plate (not round like in another photo that I've seen) and I'm not seeing anyway to adjust that. I've got one ignitor that's very low.

A third question is how much "travel" do you have in your knobs? All of mine do absolutely nothing to the flame between HIgh and 90 degrees (or about midway through the rotation.

Then after midway when the knob is at about 90 degrees, I get some change... a quick down to about what I'd call medium and then down to the flames lowest level. The knob continues to go about 1/4 of the turn farther but there's no further reduction in the flame.

Its like this on all knobs and burners.... nothing for 1/2 the rotation, with a small window of change, then to it's lowest flame level and then the knob will spin farther. Any thoughts on whether there's anything that can be done to get some change especially at the beginning of the spin?

I'm new to gas and can't wait to get cooking... it's a beautiful machine!

towel

I THINK katieob has the 6" on hers and the 12" ones on and below the fridge...
THESE ARE FROM KATIEOB'S KITCHEN:

You were all so helpful during that time and more recently too with lighting decisions.

My number one priority was seating for four and also being able to have the kids work with me - the peninsula allows both of those and it is working out SO well. I also love having so much more natural light coming in with two new windows (although the windows mean less wall cabinet space but I love having the light so I would still opt for this).

Here are some before pictures:



And After Pictures

so hopefully i can answer all of your questions. the easy one first: my ceilings are 9' tall. the island, FYI is 10'x6'. it's hard to reach the center to clean so i'm wishing i didn't spec it as deep, but c'est la vie. it is what it is and i still believe i needed the size to fill the space. another aside: you can't see it in the layout, but my turbo chef oven is located under counter in the island directly across from dishwasher #2, facing the windows.

note: the walk from the range to the refrigerator is 8-10 steps, depending if i'm standing right or left. it's definitely closer than it appears in the drawing. it's a large space but i the zones makes it work nicely.

this is a general layout of the kitchen. the dimensions are 22' wide x 17.5' (i think) deep. the breakfast room is off to the right and is 14' square, with a porch right outside for outdoor dining. formal dining room across the hall, other side of fridge/freezer wall.

this is the fridge/freezer wall. the center panels open up to reveal toaster oven, microwave (coming soon), coffee maker. also kept here will be cereal, bread, etc, ...your basic breakfast items, plus pop corn, et al. silverware is out and scattered waiting for the cabinet maker to come back and install drawer inserts. fridge is shown open on the left, freezer is on the right. here is it is in the closed, and open positions:

i'm not finished setting this up yet but to get a better idea of my zones, this is the baking cabinet. it houses -or will house my mixers, food processor, etc.; bowels, condiments, baking pans and all things baking will reside in the four drawers below. they're not set up yet so sorry no pics. the baking sheets will live in a base cabinet just to the right.

some of the shots are old, but i will update when i give my reveal -hopefully sometime within the next four years. interesting to note: i was not menopausal when we started this project, september 29, 2009. i guess it finally through me over the edge.

Thanks for asking. The movers arrived on Monday with our stuff. Very exciting to be reunited with my things. What a thrill to have more than one pot to cook in! Got the kitchen unpacked as they were moving our stuff in. So, it was great to get one room "done". Of course, there is some tweaking to do regarding items and their locations.

Builder still has a punch list to complete. But we are so happy to be out of temporary housing. Here are some pictures.....I'll post more later.

the cabinet maker came in today to work on the folding doors for the baking center and breakfast bar. i love the hinges we found for the baking center (non operable) but we need a few more for the upper glass front cabs.

i think the appliance garages for the breakfast bar look cool, but i can tell already that i went a little crazy with all the doors. while it will be nice to hide that section away when company is here it will no doubt remain open for business the other 363 days of the year!

we're waiting on the flooring to be completed to install the legs for the island. while i initially thought it would be a little too big, i find the size is comfortable for the space. it affords a lot of extra storage as well as houses my turbo-chef oven. while i HAD to have that oven, i'm not hot on the look of it. -i know, everyone loves it. except me.

i also thought i'd include a pic of the mudroom pendant. i bought it from an ebay vendor. it may sound crazy, but it is one of my most favorite things about the house! it's absolutely stunning IRL!

they finally started doing the millwork on the fireplaces and our stairs are being installed. as soon as they're complete we'll go over our punch list, paint and do the floors. while some lighting is in, i wouldn't let them hang any more until the floors are sanded. yeah, i'm crazy like that.

i'll be back soon. i have to break into my bottle of happy pills.

We are almost done. Just a kitchen table, island stools, desk area chair and accessories to go. Our project started in June and was substantially complete a few days before Christmas.

Unfortunately, I don't have before photos handy and used my iphone to snap these shots. Sorry for the quality. Our old kitchen was L shaped as well, a galley style with eating area. We had white 80's cabinets (solid door) with soffits. Counters were white square tile. Our worst feature was the powder room in the kitchen space and window that faced into our neighbors house (current range wall.) We expanded our kitchen by pushing out the range wall. Other than that we had to work within the space. Our main goals were moving the powder room out of the kitchen, storage, fitting in an island and eating area and respecting the age of our home (1906).

I am happy to share any details if anyone is interested.

Thanks again to all esp. those who helped me through a mini-marble crisis.

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I guess what I'm saying is that my concerns over 'red fatigue' have thus far put me off it but there are some really awesome red kitchens out there and if you like it, go for it. Your first inspiration pic is beautiful!

I envy you being choosy about what inspires you, hang around on here long enough and you'll have inspiration overload!

A bit of context: this is kitchen in a 1891 shingle style house (the traditionalists might be a bit horrified - my renovation style tends to be a bit more 'honor the past without being forced to repeat it'...I was going for something a bit more contemporary that still makes sense in the space )

So, I'd really like your comments and suggestions (well, except for the 'how the #$& are you going to keep dark floors and white marble CLEAN...we know, we know...a potential disaster in the making, but hopefully a very beautiful disaster)

I understand my taste is not everyone's taste, it's just a chance to get fresh perspectives and I will probably not interact much other than to THANK YOU for your unvarnished opinion. Thoughts, links to photos, ideas on remaining color choices...anything and everything welcome.

Background

Cabinets - Farrow and Ball Cornforth White

Floor - Ebonized white oak (the photos read dark, but there is definitely grain showing through...will probably do a matte finish on final coat). One option that we are considering is to restain the floor (perhaps a mid-tone brown with some red) to pull in from the rest of the house.

Countertop - White Rhino marble.

I simply cut and paste the "HTML for Websites" code. If you need more help embedding images in threads, see the link below to read the Posting Pictures portion of the New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me! thread. (I had to reduce the size of your first image using html code. Other image reduction info in the thread linked below.)

I have no design feedback to offer (sorry, not my strong suit) but I had to tell you that I'm in LOVE with your range wall! And I'm totally green with envy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Posting Pictures info

I'm going to post a few pictures sequentially because this seems to be the easiest way.

Perimeter counters are soapstone.
Island counter is white quartzite.
Island paint is SW porpoise.
Cabinet paint is BM revere pewter.
Range is Bluestar (love it!)
Kitchenaid dishwasher and fridge.

So nice to have a kitchen again!

Some things GW inspired: Drawers (see spice and baking drawer pictures--super convenient). Zones--prep at one end of kitchen, clean-up at other. Rangecraft hood off their discount rack. Blanco sink (love the black anthracite sink-it always looks clean).

I also found the suggestions on FAQs to have a vision and stick to it very helpful. I wanted a very functional space that looked like it had evolved over time. Peaceful, neutral colors since the kitchen is always filled with vegetables etc to add color but with enough contrast to not be monotone. Not too much brown wood! Having a vision in mind gave me the confidence to argue with my kitchen contractor whenever I was going against the norm.

And if you are looking for a kitchen that won't show dirt, take a close look! I chose the floor tiles with a piece of paper with a muddy pawprint on it in hand :)

I wouldn't put yours in your pantry. It's already on the smallish size. I've had spices in a drawer now for several months, and I LOVE IT!

Don't laugh at the blue tape labels. My label maker still hasn't been unpacked...

I decided I use them more during prep than dumping them in, say, a pot on the stove already cooking, but I didn't have room in the primary prep area (island near the prep sink) so I put them just across the 42"ish aisle near the rangetop. (Spices don't get hot in a drawer near the rangetop.) So easy to pull out, see what you need, use, and pop back in!

Tins are from Specialty Bottle. Lids fight very tighly.

Overall, I love this kitchen. It's proving very family friendly and I haven't had any issues with the primed shiplap as a backsplash. The marble island top DOES etch, but we're closing our eyes and hoping to make it to patinaland sooner than later. With 18 years of school fundraisers ahead of me, I'm certain we'll get there. But there's NOTHING like making pastries on it and I'm going to try my hand at fudge and candies soon!

Our FAVORITE spot, where we spend 70% of our time, is firmly planted on the BOOs block. Chop chop chop. Walnut end-grain... can't say enough. A quick sudsy soapy wipe after each prep and a once a month oiling and it's beautiful.

So here are the pics of our very lived in by a young family of five new kitchen!

By the way, Bee...one of the things I love MOST about my kitchen now? Pull-outs under the sinks instead of regular doors. There are two drawers under the big 33" sink and one under the small prep sink. The backs have cutouts to accomodate plumbing and disposals. NO more dark nasty caves!

and then tonight i'm googling and find these and my heart stops. do you think i could use one of these?? very different from my original vision but then again, my original vision didn't take my breath away.

i want to do all the walls the same tile. i'm not one to pull out a panel at the range. so i'm talking about one of these tiles ALL over the kitchen. yes? no?

or this

here's the kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: cliffside ice box latches

Some details:
Countertops - Donna Sandra Marble... love love love this! But even though it's technically a marble it looks a lot like Super White and White Vermont granites
Cabinets - M.A. Miller custom-made Amish cabinets. Can't say enough great things about them - fantastic to work with and very affordable. They are out of Cleveland but travel the country (have done jobs in Boston and San Fran)
Appliances - subzero fridge, wolf range, bosch paneled dw and f&p single dishdrawer paneled in island. Got some great deals with getting floor models and love them so far.
Sinks/faucets - Franke farmhouse sink, Kohler prep sink, Rohl country faucets
Paint - walls are BM Wickham Grey and cabinets are BM China White

I think that's the big stuff. Again - thanks so much and I'll be hopefully posting more soon!

It is "light restoration" glass, so it has a slight waviness to it and a few minor imperfections. (SEE link) I am very happy with it, but it is hard to see in photos (You just have to trust me, I always seem to be saying ... you cant see my wavy marble, my wavy glass, or the light distress on my cabinets!)

Here is a long shot of the only part of my kitchen with uppers:

Here is a shot of the doors between the kitchen and DR, which have slightly heavier restoration glass.

Here are some close ups of the cabinet. I chose glass sliders because I had seen them in an historic home and like the function. They are constructed so that I could put curtains in them in the future. I like the look of them sitting on the countertop, but it also makes it so pleasant and easy to get things and put them away. Even the little house urchins can do it. We have ample counterspace throughout so I dont mind the loss here. We decided not to raise the ceiling in this old home, and so it is also easy to reach the top shelves, too.

The cabinet backs are beadboard in a distressed color wash of BM Woodlawn Blue. One thing DH thought of that I really like --- none of those holes pockmarking the cabinet innards --- our shelves are permanently affixed on cleats. I experimented with dishes first, before I committed to the shelf placement.

My cabinets are distressed. What that really means is you can see paintbrush strokes (umm, trust me) and the paint is worn off on some of the edges (like below, look vehhhhy closely at the edge on the right hand door below). In my old kitchen, my Rutt cabs looked like perfect auto body paint, even 8+ years later. For this home, we are going with a more gently worn, dowager-down-on-their-luck-look.

Here is a link that might be useful: restoration glass

Here is a link that might be useful: Marble edge dilemma: advice would be very nice

Aokat, the butler's pantry is the original, 100-year-old ones with its (battered) copper sink intact. We didn't touch it, and can't take credit for it, but photos below:

Beckysharp, I hope the pictures below are better for the rounded shelves:

Johnliu, I like the image of travelling ?however many leagues under the sea in that range hood.

Natschultz, we initially were reluctant to paint the ceiling, too, but realized it would have been an oppressive amount of wood, like living in a cigar box. I wanted to sort of "unroof" the kitchen by making the ceiling pale and bluish gray, like a cloudy day -- the light spill out the monorail lamp heads makes it look cloudy, and in a room that is so matte, I'm glad to have the slight gloss of the ceiling. At least, so goes my thinking, whether or not it works that way.

Staceyneil, the vertical grain fir stools were made in Rhinebeck New York by a company called Sawkille, which has a terrific website. I believe the wood is recycled, and they adjusted the height according to the dimensions of our island. I don't know how the price compares with Thos. Moser, though. I love their tractor-seat stools, too.

The floating shelves are fir veneer over MDF, with Kichler LED task lighting cut into the underside of the bottom shelves -- not easy to see unless the LEDs are turned on. Holes drilled in the thick shelves were slid over iron dowels that had been screwed to the studs before wallboard and tiles went up, and glued there for good measure. So the shelves aren't going anywhere. You can see the dowels in one of the pictures posted at the beginning of this thread.

CoCo, we actually cheated the aisle width between the island and the run of counters on the window wall: 34.5". The main aisle, between island and Aga, is 36.5" from Aga rail to counter edge.

Mtnredux, when I start color-coordinating the contents of the refrigerator I'll know for sure it's time to seek counseling. I have a little bit of a Tupperware sorting problem as it is. Even a relatively smooth kitchen reno was like a marathon psychoanalytic session. Kitchens are PERSONAL, aren't they?

Bagpipers, the kitchen ceiling is 9 feet tall.

Greenhousems, the kitchen is 25 feet long, and at its widest dimension it is 13.5 feet wide, but at the back door end it is narrowed because of the narrow back staircase, which goes from the second floor down to the basement.

Lisa_a, you are observant! That little ruby light over the back stair door tells us if we forgot to turn off the light in the basement laundry room.

Florantha, those gosh durn servants never do come no matter how often we ring the bells on the old annunciator! Erik of the Electrical Connection labored over that thing to restore it, while also installing monorail low-voltage lights -- that pretty much sums up the spectrum of technologies in here.

Before I lose this post I am going to put it up, and list the materials in a following post.
Grateful for your interest,
Lynn

Tools: Thick straight edge (to run circular saw against) and clamps to clamp it to your butcher block.
Pieces of small wood to protect your top while clamping
2x4's (4 to raise the block above the surface while fully supporting it on either side of the saw blade.)
Plug in circular saw (a battery powered one will not have the power you need.)
New blade
Jig saw with new blade
We used a hole cutting blade on our drill for the inside curve.
We used a forstner bit in our drill to cut holes halfway down for the miter bolts to hold two different sections of countertop together - we also needed to borrow a router to rout the channel between those "holes" - we used wood cut, routed, glued, used the bolts, sanded, then used the Waterlox.
If you install an undermount sink, you will need to create a template out of luan plywood, and use a pattern bit in a router to rout the opening. We almost did that, but decided instead to use a counter depth sink. You can see in my post above where the counter meets the sink. We wanted fewer seams and found a great sink on Craigslist.

Last, check the butcher block while there, but don't open the plastic the wood is wrapped in until you are all set to cut and Waterlox the first coat. We cut and waited a few days on one piece, and it did warp. We had to turn it over and keep checking until it was level. A little nerve wracking. After we sealed it there was no problem.

FYI,if you want a section of counter that is food safe (to roll out dough, for example) you can melt beeswax into warmed mineral oil, then oil that separate section. You need to keep oiling, but I like having one area that is food safe.

My window trim isn't painted yet, but I wanted to show you my bump-out. It's only 6 inches deep, but it makes the area behind the sink seem huge. It was much less expensive to do than a greenhouse window. (Please ignore my leaning faucet ... not hooked up yet.)

Good luck!

Erika