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

I know it sounds trite, but I REALLY want to thank all of you for your help. Buehl was particularly helpful in tweaking the design. Rhome410, steph2000, breezygirl, and many others were there for me during my backsplash angst. I had already chosen my windows before I saw PPS7's kitchen, but seeing hers helped me feel comfortable with the decision. Her kitchen also inspired my island design. I can't name everyone that inspired me, but know that I appreciate your input.

I was going for a calm kitchen with easy-care contertops. My husband was going for "happy." When I told him about the sweeby test, he responded by writing this:

MY KITCHEN MISSION STATEMENT

"I want my kitchen to be tranquil, soothing, calm and happy. It should be cozy and bright, too.

"The perfect backsplash for my kitchen will not add an element of romance or whimsy but it might have a fish tile in it. Even a bear tile would be nice, as long as it's not within striking distance of the fish.

My perfect countertop will be level and divert attention from the mess my kids have made in the living room. When friends see it they will remark, 'Have you lost weight?' and 'You're looking quite dashing today!'

But most of all, my ideal kitchen will make my wife happy. Every time she sees it she'll smile at both the design and with fond memories of the process she used to create it. My ideal kitchen will perfectly match my wife's kitchen mission statement, even if it doesn't quite match mine."

Isn't he cute? I'm not sure if I have fond memories of the process - it's more of a fog. I was trying to make a million decisions about the entire house, so some details fell through the cracks. I don't know who picked out the crown moulding, but it wasn't me. I told the KD I wanted something simple, and sometime later this was installed. At least it's 10 feet off the ground! But I still smile when I see the backsplash, and I feel like the space is happy. Oh, and it works great as a kitchen. I just tested out the lunch-making, breakfast-eating, homework-finishing morning rush for the last week and it came through for me!

On to the details:

Cabinets: Locally-made Amish painted white (it's their standard white)

Countertops: Leathered Kodiak Brown granite

Backsplash: Sunflower mosaic in ming green marble from Saltillo Imports (purchased from Caledonia Tile in Indianapolis) and AKDO 3/4" x 3/4" mosaic in ming green light (it's supposed to be all light, but there seems to be dark in there)

Floors: White oak stained with Minwax Provincial and finished with satin polyurethane

Walls: Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray

Knobs and pulls: Restoration Hardware Lugarno knob in satin nickel and Restoration Hardware Asbury pull in satin nickel

Faucets: Brizo Solna (loved the hidden pullout spray) standard and bar-size

Sinks: Silgranit precis super single bowl and large bowl

Stools: West Elm rustic counter stool (thanks PPS7!)

Pendants: Kichler 2665OZ in olde bronze

Refrigerator: Samsung RF266 in platinum

Dishwashwer: Bosch SHX68R55UC in stainless

Range: GE Cafe Electric

Hood: Zephyr Breeze with baffle filters

Lighting: All-Pro 5" LED recessed lights, LED under-cabinet lights, and LED puck lights.

And here are the pictures (finally!)

DETAILS:
Cabinets: Eudora Frameless
Island countertop: White Macaubus Quartzite
Perimeter countertop: Leathered Absolute Black Granite
Sink: Kohler Riverby Cast Iron
Faucet: Moen Woodmere in Stainless
Hardware on solid doors/drawers: Amerock Highland Ridge in polished nickel
Glass knobs and Bin Pulls in polished nickel: Van Dyke's
Range & Dishwasher: Thermador
Refrigerator: Kitchenaid Pro
Refrigerator Drawers: Electrolux
Sharp Microwave Drawer

Close up of the tile. It's hard to get an accurate color since it's so glossy. It's more blue/green than portrayed in pics:

I was standing on a chair when I took this. I feel like it makes the dining table look like toy furniture! Ha!

Behold...the unfinished bar and the fan with no blades. We live in the deep south...no judging the fan! Behind those closed doors lies my DH's very unfinished man cave.

And you'd know that the day after I took these, my new sofa cushion inserts came in. It's all fluffy and new looking again. Oh well!

The Pantry is actually the same color as the entry you see right past the range wall in the kitchen (BM Gray Wisp). But I didn't use a flash so it looks funky here:

My question for those who have pedestal sinks is, do you have a problem cleaning the crease between the wall and the back of the sink? It gets kind of grimey back there after a while and is REALLY hard to get into that crease to clean. Any ideas?

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.

Our new home is finally complete! Here is our kitchen. Now, it's not perfect for everyone, but it suits me just fine :) We took our past experiences with what we've lived with in the last 3 homes and married with what I thought I wanted from gleaning through GW and magazines (and kitchen standards from NKBA). Some of it works exactly like I hoped, other things I'm still warming up to.

For budget reasons, I did an extensive amount of leg work to get everything I wanted! By searching online and locally for the best deals, coupons, free shipping, etc. I got almost everything to stay reasonably at our budget. I did have to let go of 2 major items, but they can be added later. First, the backsplash, a relatively do-able thing to add ourselves. (I originally wanted Oceanside Glass Tile's 1x2 rectangular shaped stained glass tile in iridescent white.) Second was the built-in china cabinet/buffet/bar in dining area. The niche is there waiting and for now our old beat-up vintage cabinet lives there... not what i'd envisioned, but working enough for now. And as it turns out, I've decided it's a good thing that it will be added later as I want to totally redesign the unit and get it priced by a local custom cabinet maker.

Paint: (all SW brand paint but colors are below)
walls in Kitchen - SW Sea Salt SW6204
walls in all other public areas - BM Natural Wicker OC-1
all trim - BM White Dove OC-17

Floors:
4" Red Oak with a mix of 3 parts Natural & 1 part Antique Brown stains (sorry don't know company name). Floor guy also tinted one of the top coats a bit to make finish a tad bit darker, so that formula is only partially correct.

Cabinets:
Cheaha Cabinets, painted Pinhoti door style in company's standard "Pure White" throughout home except on kitchen Island which is SW Rainwashed SW6211

Countertops:
3cm Cararra marble, honed, eased edge

Hardware:
knobs - Martha Stewart Living @ Home Depot 1 1/4" polished nickel "Finial Knobs"
Pulls - Martha Stewart Living @ Home Depot "3.75" Country pull" in polished nickel
pull-out trash bin - rev-a-shelf
interior doors - "Commonwealth" levers by Kwikset in Iron Black

Appliances:
Range - LG Studio 30" electric LSE3092ST
hood - Broan EW58 (with chimney extension FXNE58SS)
Microwave - LG LMV1813ST
Frige - LG LFX31925ST
Dishwasher - LDF6920ST
undermount Sink, main - Ticor S1205
undermount Sink, island - Ticor S815
faucet, main - Delta Leland in Chrome 978-DST
faucet, island - Delta Leland bar/prep in Chrome 9978-DST
soap dispenser @ main sink - target blue glass
garbage disposals @ each sink
air switch with countertop buttons @ each sink - ordered through Galaxy Tool Supply

Lights:
School house pendants & semi-flush mount in Pewter by Savoy House through LightingDirect.com
4" mini recessed cans
Mariestad 6 light chandelier by Ballard Design
under cabinet LED dim-able lights - InspiredLED.com (custom kit, AWESOME customer service)

Random:
the "Tiny Kitchen" - designed by me, built by my dad, delivered by Santa
Child's easel - Land of Nod, honey finish
thru-wall dog door - trimmed out by our contractor to match our home, energy efficient locking unit by Freedom Pet Pass. (I highly recommend them!)

Also, we will be adding stools when we can afford them. Some of our images show two black stools, we borrowed those for a home pilgrimage we participated in. I have since decided that I definitely want white stools! What I'm holding out for is Crate and Barrel's "Vienna" stool or Design Within Reach's "Era Counter Stool" each in white.

That's all I can think of now, but I'm sure there will be more questions and I'm happy to answer!

FYI these 1st 3 pictures are fancy pics taken and digitally stitched by my husband with the computer (no clue how, that's his deal). Those pics were taken right before we had an open house on the local Spring Pilgrimage. The last 3 pics are from today, very much lived in and REAL. So it's why you see the booster seats, my daughter's easel, art supplies, the tiny kitchen, dog food and the dog door open...

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...

The previous kitchen had been remodeled within the last 10 years, but it was separated from the rest of the home and lacked sufficient counter space for a family of four. We decided to tear down the wall that separated the kitchen and laundry room and expand into the dining room to give us more counter space. The windows in the corner were too low to run counters and that proved to be a design challenge. Instead of raising the windows which would have altered the architecture of the exterior of the home, we decided to make the area a banquette. We also moved the old doorway off the foyer and created two larger arches which open up the kitchen to the living and dining room.

The space was too small for an island, so we had our counter top fabricator make us a work table that is movable -- it has wheels and we can roll it out of the way if we want to open up the kitchen.

Details:
Cabinets - custom by Los Angeles cabinetmaker - maple shaker style (bar area is espresso finish)
Countertops - Madre Perla quartzite
Backsplash - White onyx staggered tile
Faucet - KWC Eve
Sink - Franke
All KitchenAid appliances, except for GE profile microwave Vent-a-hood
Lighting - onxy pendants purchased at Lighting Emporium
Pulls - Great Indoors
Floors - White Oak hardwoods to match the rest of the home
Paint- Martha Stewart "Fossil"

Before:

During:

After:

and, of course, a photo of Pip himself, enjoying his new kitchen...

Product details...
* Cabinets - Inset painted maple (Oxford Cabinet Shop)
* Backslash - 1"x2" quartzite (Walker Zanger)
* Counters - PA Green soapstone
* Floor - 12"x24" porcelain (Mediterranean Tile & Marble)
* Appliances - Bluestar 48" range, KitchenAid 36" refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Prestige 48" 1200 CFM hood insert (Reno's)
* Faucets - Rohl Country (Grande Central)

A huge thanks to everyone on the forum who spent the time to look at my ideas, provide great feedback, and calm me down when I thought the project would never end up right.

More Pictures

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:

Because grout is porous, it will readily absorb dirt and spills. These stains quickly become permanent and can spoil the look of a whole room.

Even grout that is "protected" with a clear penetrating sealer will absorb spills and dirty mop water and will become uneven in color.

Grout colorants, grout dyes, grout paints and grout stains as they are called, go way beyond the level of protection a clear sealer can provide. Further, they restore the grout right back to a completely uniform color and shade of your choice. You can match your original color or change your grout to any other color without removing it.

The main advantage of a grout colorant, apart from the fact the grout looks new again, is the stain proofing qualities of the grout after it has been color sealed.

Color sealed grout is stain proof. That means even if something spills on the grout and is left to dry, it wipes away with soapy water and looks brand new again. Now please don't take this the wrong way, but none of the grout colorant companies (This Old Grout included) work for NASA, and we haven't invented a way for grout colorant to vaporize dirt from the grout surface. :) Any dirt left on the floor after mopping will still be there when the floor dries. Over time the dirty buildup will cause the floor to look dingy. But there is a solution to that....DRY THE FLOOR.

Every time you mop, dry the floor. Puddles of dirty water are dirt left on the floor when the water dries. Even a good rinsing leaves dirty residue on the floor.

Imagine after you mop your floor and rinse it you took a big white terry cloth towel and dried the floor with it...would that towel still be white? I can tell you from experience that it will not and that using your spouse's good white towels will cost you just under $60 for a new set from Target. :)

Color sealing your grout is the answer to your uneven color issue. No matter what you clean it with right now, it's never going to look new, or stay looking new unless it is color sealed.

Grout colorants are easily applied. In your case, I would recommend cleaning the grout with an easy to use prep cleaner. The prep cleaner will make the grout and the grout colorant bond together in a way that it will not come off (10-15 year durability).

After color sealing, maintain the grout with a neutral pH cleaner and lots of water when you mop. And remember to dry the floor. Your grout will stay clean. I've been back to projects my company completed in residential kitchens back in 1997 and with a drip of Dawn dish washing liquid and a paper towel, I can wipe away 13 years of dirty buildup to reveal grout that is brand new underneath.

Best,
Ken Sherman
President
This Old Grout
866-OLD-GROUt (866-653-4768)

My question is to all the current marble backsplashers -- do you have a problem with etching? Do you get "drops" or sprays of an etch pattern say, if you are juicing a lemon?
Did you seal or treat the BS in any way?

Just wondering. I found 12 X 35 carrera tiles today that are gorgeous and affordable -- I love this backsplash and hope that it will complement my Black Venata -- Thanks!

So details....
Cabinets: custom, antique white. Island is maple stained dark walnut with a dark glaze or something.
Hardware: Polished nickel pulls and knobs, through cab company
Island countertop: statuary marble, honed
Perimeter countertop: aqua grantique (a granitic gneiss, apparently) - brushed finish
Backsplash: statuary 12x12 cut down to subways, statuary herringbone, and cut statuary slab
Floors: Brazilian walnut
Walls: SW Silvermist
Chandeliers: Schonbek New Orleans mini
Appliances: 30" Gaggenau fridge/freezer columns, GE Monogram Advantium 240 oven, GE Monogram Convection single oven, Wolf 36" induction cooktop, Miele La Perla dishwasher, and GE Monogram microwave (in end of island)
Sinks: Rohl 30" and Kohler Irontones for prep
Faucets: Rohl Country in polished nickel (avoid the burgundy felt "protective" bags. They stain when wet - stain things like new white marble. Don't ask how I know. Bags. Are. Evil.)

Hood/cooktop wall:

Sink wall (well, part of it anyway):

Fridge/freezer wall:

Perspective on location of pantry/butler's pantry:

Breakfast room and Family room:

Breakfast room hutch:

Aqua Grantique Close-up:

Countertop and Backsplash:

Cooktop backsplash:

Built-in Pantry (across from butler's pantry cabinets/counter)