Lets see. I determined my center starting point on each wall and did the first tile at the counter on end at 45 degrees. Then proceeded from there to each side working across and up. The center of the tile layout is a zigg-zagg line and the center is through that. Does that make sense? If the wall is centered the trimmed ends will look that same at both ends. As I explain below, I didn't center my tile to the center of the wall, but to the larger features in the area, like the stove or the window. I think this picture is telling that it was a first time tiler installing this. The edges of the cuts are not filed smooth like I started doing at the end of the job at the last few counter areas on the other wall. Oh well.

I lucked out on my sink area pictured above, because I centered the zigzag line at the faucet instead of the center of the wall.

You may not want to center the wall but center on a feature like I did on my faucet. I also did the centering on my stove wall by centering the stove/cabinet, lucked out again as the ends look ok. Note that the right and left are different. It can be a problem if you end up with tiny slivers. For me I can deal with it but I am not a professional and have the time to manipulate the tiny pieces and use my imagination and think "these are so
cute". I don't think professionals do that :)

Also see how the center is averaged between the 2 sides of the herringbone tile, at the cabinet centerline.

I didn't concern myself with how these 2x4 ended at the cabinet bottoms (underneath), because I can't see them. But It may be something to consider with your cabinets.

Now the hard part for me was keeping that 45Degree work true. I used several drafting triangles and would tape them in place to brace my work while it dried.

Here is an example of getting out of 45 when I tried to straighten my vertical direction. It multiplied the error with each row. See how some spaces are larger than the others, that is the error I was getting.

I ended up taking the entire area down and starting again. It hadn't dried yet. I was also using mastic as that was what was recommended by the tile shop where I bought the tile. I didn't know about Mongo and Bill V. yet. I found it easy to use and it is in a non wet area, for the most part. I do worry about the sink area though. If I ever put a backsplash in again I would use thinset. But so far it has been fine.

I used LOTS of the spacers, 4 for each side as each long side touches 2 tiles and I thought that was important that each tile had 2 spacers. There are errors in my wall but over all I think it turned out fairly well and it
is very pretty with my cabinets.

And don't freak when you see this, like I did:

Because it dried to this:

home

Cabinets: Custom inset shaker style by Dutchwood Cabinetmakers painted Sail White
Hardware: Westerly pulls by Amerock in Satin Nickel, Hafele butt hinges in Satin Nickel
Paint: Walls: Benjamin Moore_Coastal Fog // Trim: Benjamin Moore _Linen White
Tile: Dal-Tile Rittenhouse 3x6 in Biscuit
Countertops: Madreperla Quartzite
Range: 36” Wolf, all gas
Hood: Vent-a-hood
Refrigerator: 36” SubZero French Door
Dishwasher: Re-used KitchenAid
Sink: Franke KBX11028 with sink grid
Faucet: Rohl/Perrin & Rowe Traditional Bridge Faucet
Filter Faucet: Kohler Traditional Wellspring Beverage Faucet
Filter: Multi-Pure
Recessed lights: Halo 4” incandescent
Pendant lights: Restoration Hardware, 8” Benson pendant in Satin Nickel
Undercabinet lighting: Kichler Xenon

Before:

After:

More photos are on photobucket, if they ask for a guest password, it is Gardenweb.

This post was edited by ArchitectMamma on Mon, Mar 4, 13 at 7:46

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 :)

OK, here is my finished yellow kitchen thread! Can't believe it is here!
I can't thank ALL of you enough (or at least those who shared in my vision!) for all the help. Like most of us I really spent so much time on every decision. I joke that nothing happened by accident.
There are so many of you that contributed your thoughts and ideas but I want to especially thank lavender_lass and marcolo for all of their wise words and helping me find and stay true to my vision.
I found the hardest part of renovating is not going off track every time you have to make a decision and not letting others sway you to do things you really don't want to do!

What is NOT finished:
*Still waiting on banquette bench for between the 2 built-ins
*New Dining Table
*2 ends of the Backsplash Tile are not installed yet b/c they were sent back to manufacturer to get a bull-nosed edge.
*Custom light switch cover to match BS tile.
*Deciding on window treatments-whether or not to do them...

Specifics:

*Custom Cabinetry- Cabinet Maker in PA.
Perimeter is 36" finished, island is 34" high, baking area 33" high

*Colors of Cabinetry- BM Barley 199, BM Mascarpone AF-20 Cabinets were finished with a catalyzed lacquer (not paint) and clear top coat.

*Wall Paint- Kitchen- BM Elephant Tusk OC-8
Dining Area/Living Room BM Woodlawn Blue HC-147
Living Room BM Putnam Ivory HC-39

*Countertops- Vermont Imperial Danby Marble 3cm (purchased from PMI in NJ); Black Walnut 2" Thick Island Top finished with Satin Waterlox (constructed by our Cabinet Maker)

*Island Size is 9 feet x 51 inches *We keep 5 stools at the island but 6 fit fine (2 at the end)

*Appliances-
Thermador CIT365GM 36" Induction Cooktop (mirrored finish)
Electrolux Icon Double Ovens- Professional Series E30EW85GPS6
Electrolux Icon French Door Fridge- Professional Series E23BC68JPS5
Bosch 800 Plus Dishwasher- SHV7ER53UC
Miele H4080BM Speed Oven
Marvel 60RDEBBO Fridge Drawers

*Floors- Red Oak finished with Minwax Provincial Stain and Vermeister Commercial Finish Poly. Matte

*Hardware-
Renovation Hardware Gilmore Cup Pulls in Chrome
Top Knobs Cabinet Latches in Chrome
Emtek Old Town Clear Knob in Chrome
Schaub & Company 6" Chrome Pulls and 12" pull for Dishwasher

*Lighting-
UCL & In Cabs- Seagull LED lights 3000K temp
Drum Pendants- Lamps Plus
5 light Chandelier- Visual Comfort- Michael S Smith Eiffel Chandelier in Polished Nickel

*Sinks-
Main- Kohler Whitehaven K-6489 36" Apron Front Cast Iron Sink
Prep- Kohler K-6584 Iron/Tones Cast Iron Sink

*Faucets-
Main- Moen Woodmere in Chrome S7208C
Prep- Moen Woodmere Prep Faucet in Chrome S6208C
Soap dispensers- Moen
Pot Filler- Moen Showhouse

*Insinkerator Evolution Essential Disposal
Insinkerator Instahot Faucet F-HC2215 Chrome
Insinkerator SST-FLTR

*Backsplash by Wizard Tile
Design is Ribbons & Feathers with Crackle Glaze in Custom Color

*Stools- Counter Height from Grandinroad

BEFORE: This project included pushing out the entire back of our 1950 Cape 7 feet. Also, removing about 5' of our living room wall which involved moving the basement steps over. Removing a wall between the dining room and kitchen, adding a covered porch. We also did all new siding and other exterior things but I'll stick to inside.

Kitchen was originally a galley measuring about 19' x 9 1/2'. Dining Room was about 8 1/2' wide. Now it's really one large room 28' x 16 1/2'. Kitchen side alone is 16' x 16 1/2'

Choosing reveal photos was worse than narrowing down pics for our Wedding Album! SO sorry in advance for the quantity! Hopefully you'll never have to ask me for more pics : )

AFTER:

BAKING AREA SIDE OF KITCHEN:

Most of my drawers like these are adjustable which I'd highly recommend. If they weren't I wouldn't have been able to remove partitions to fit taller pieces.

Key Cabinet

My KitchenAid

COOKTOP SIDE OF L:

THERMADOR INDUCTION COOKTOP--

CORNER:

SINK WALL:

DISH DRAWERS & DISHWASHER:

COUNTER HEIGHT WINDOW BUMP OUT:

TV Pocket Doors Over Fridge

ISLAND:

Thanks, Breezy : )

Storage at Back of Island (Shelves are 9 1/2" deep)

NOW GOING TO THE RIGHT OF THE SINK/FRIDGE WALL into Dining Area:

6" DEEP BROOM CLOSET

LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING/SUMMER VIEWS:

MY ORGANIZATIONAL SPOT (cork back, file drawer, printer, BluRay player, desk items, charging drawer)

WHERE BANQUETTE BENCH WILL BE:

BAR AREA:

REFRIGERATOR DRAWERS:

CUSTOM SLIDING DOORS-- These were at one point supposed to be pocket doors but I didn't want to close off views by having 3' of wall pocket on either side so came up with this which is working well at blocking sound but still gives an open feeling to the space.
I also love the 3 lights on the top so it's less busy and easier to clean!

INTO LIVING ROOM:

LIVING ROOM LOOKING INTO KITCHEN:

The blue looks brighter than it does IRL:

A FEW LAST SHOTS...

THANK YOU GW for this FUN, FULFILLING, (and often STRESSFUL) Experience : )
Fishies

Here is a link that might be useful: PART 1 of REVEAL

This post was edited by 2LittleFishies on Sun, Feb 10, 13 at 22:28

The top small drawer to the right of the rangetop is my spice drawer.

Underneath:

Left of rangetop:

These pics are old now, and the drawers are organized better and differently today than they were.

I enjoy my 3-drawer stacks in other areas of the kitchen also, but they aren't a good place to store spatulas, baking tools, brushes, serving spoons, cork screws, spices, scale, graters, and other small kitchen tools. They are, however, wonderful in my prep zone for my large and small prep bowels.

I suggest planning out what you need to store in which zone by making a list of what you own and organizing them by which zone they are used. Then measure those items, even laying them out on the counter to see how wide and deep your storage for them needs to be. I found this to be *invaluable* in planning my storage. Yes, it's OCD to make a list of every....single....kitchen.....item you own, but I'm glad I did it. Everything has a place now.

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 moving interior walls and adding a skylight dormer, 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. This included many custom pieces; 18" deep uppers, custom width upper cabinets, 2 custom depth floor to ceiling bookshelves, and custom drawer widths and heights. 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

Desk area to the right, fireplace to eventually be replaced with gas:

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:

Tiled 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 and beverage fridge:

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.

Wall paint: BM Aura Vancouver Day

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 Sun, Dec 30, 12 at 12:43

Anyway, here are the details:
Appliances: all KitchenAid, except for the Sharp MW drawer
in the island. Range is 36" dual fuel, with a
griddle.
Cabinets: Mid-Continent, maple painted white, with soft
close drawers and doors. We chose all wood
construction.
Perimeter counters: Honed Carerra marble
Island top: Dark walnut, with a mineral oil finish
Floors: 5" wide white oak, stained 75% jacobean, 24% dark
walnut.
Lighting: Pendants, Quiozel, I think. Breakfast chandy is
Overstock.com!

Things I love so far: 1. Soft close!! Love!! Although we have it on all the drawers in the house, we only did the doors on the kitchen and butler's pantry cabs. Wish we had done it everywhere.
2. KA dishwasher and range...both of these have been wonderful so far, DW is so quiet and cleans really well. Range and oven are very easy to use and have nice, consistant heat. Plus, I think very pretty! :)
3. MW drawer...so awesome, love it to pieces!
4. Under cab lights...never had these before, we have them on a dimmer, they are wonderful.
5. Walnut top...everyone who visits swoons over it...it is a wonderful, warm surface.

Things I DON'T love:
1. Fridge! Counter-depth french door is awful! We had to buy an auxiliary fridge for the garage, and I am contemplating adding a fridge drawer to the island.
2. The distance from the range wall to the island seems a scooch too big, I think it is 48". I could have moved the island a few inches closer to the range.

I will do a seperate post about my experience with honed vs. polished marble (I have polished in the master bath.) There are pros and cons to each, I have found.

Anyway, Nini's kitchen!

Drjoann~ The "old, new house" was exactly what I was going for! I'd be glad to talk trim with you when your time comes! So happy our photos resonated with you. Made my day.

These half walls make the corner where kitchen/playroom & family room meet. There is another half wall w/out shelves on the left opening to the family room & one w/ shelves on the right opening to the playroom. Does that make any sense? Excuse the playroom mess & the underenthused model. That corner is his "spot".

Pluckymama & mythreesons~ The paint choices can make your head spin! Manchester Tan & Revere Pewter were on the short list. However, I really wanted more grey than taupe/tan. I tried to give you an idea of the Edgecomb on a dull, winter day today since the kitchen photos were on a bright, sunny day. We did Edgecomb everywhere on the first floor except the Wickham Grey in the family room and BM Abingdon Putty in the dining room (which is not visible from the family room/wickham grey).
Hope I'm making some kind of sense...

Stairway with just natural light (Edgecomb)

Transition from Edgecomb to Abingdon Putty (with only sconce lighting)

ktrud~Undercab lighting is NSL Xenon Task lighting. Good luck!

HTH,
Katie

I love a natural cherry kitchen, but thought it would be too dark, though in retrospect I think it would have been lovely to have cherry lowers and painted uppers (and I think I have seen that in some photos recently.)

I do think lighting can make a huge difference. We only put in four recessed lights, have two small halogen pendants over the island and are large pendant over the sink and honestly I am not happy unless they are all on and planning on putting in two more cans and having dimmers.

I also love the natural wood as the upper and white or other painted on the lower as sadiebrooklyn has done, as well as the reverse. If you really love wood, it can definitely be done in a "bright" way.

Art Soapstone

Soapstone on the left Granite on the right

Soapstone from Stone Supply Co.

href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/soapstone/boxerpups22/soapstonesssupply.jpg?o=21" target="_blank">

Soapstone CA

Canopy Soapstone

Taylor

Okay, I know this is NOT soapstone. This is Wilsonart but I thought you could see how pretty it looks with dark cabs. And maybe there is someone out there who pines for SS but can only afford laminate.

Jay

I love the look of stacked cabs and I know your DH will
understand once he sees all the great images above.
Here are a few more to add to your discussion and prove
yet again the beauty of cabs to the top.
~boxer

Vertical Fir cabinetry

Jennifer Gilmer Designer MD

Dobosenski Kitchen

Earth Wise

Austin Tx

Jack Rosen DC Kitchen designs

Bene Kitchen

RMS Cynthia A

Antique White Cabs Believable Buff Walls

Sunset Kitchens

CKS Design Studio

Daisy Pink Cupcake Blog