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!

Here is a link that might be useful: Source of backsplash mosaic

And the mate to the print is being repaired so there will be two on that wall.

The cat has landed and he'll be here shortly. Hope he likes it!

I also got these Mother of Pearl from Schuab. They were a splurge but they are so delicate and lovely that I smile every time I see them!

or if you prefer two:

EDIT If you scroll down in the linked thread you can see a photo of the 24" with trash. It's a really large photo so I didn't want to embed it here.

Here is a link that might be useful: double pullout thread

This post was edited by writersblock on Tue, Feb 12, 13 at 0:58

In reply to lovetodream's questions:

1) Motherof3sons was right, our faucet is the Delta Trinsic. So far so good!

2) The faucet doesn't bother us, it doesn't block anything. It doesn't seem to big or in the way.

3) It's about 42 inches from the sink to the edge of the counter. I would recomend a little more room if you have it. We have small kitchen and that was as big as we could go. Here is another view. The color is a little off with the afternoon sun beaming in.

(1) Get the 21" 3-drawer stack you wanted (keep in mind that this really only works on the slab drawer fronts). You order the regular 21" cabinet, plus a shallow drawer and a deep-drawer kit + hardware for those drawers. But you have to make your own drawer fronts and apply edge banding where you make cuts. You might order a second 21" cabinet door in case the cutting doesn't go perfectly on the 21" door that came with your cabinet.

(2) Create a hybrid cabinet with the "door" serving instead as a tall drawer-front, just like on your trash pull-out. (Your trash pull-out front is really just a door-front, complete with the hardware circles pre-cut in the back). To create the tall drawer-front for the trash pull-out, you're gong to be using a template to mark and drill holes in the back of the "door" to allow the front to attach to the deep-drawer. You can just use the same template to do the same thing with your 21" door. So the final cabinet will have a shallow drawer on top with its own shallow drawer front. Below that will be the door, attached to a deep-drawer (order separately) on the bottom, working as a pull-out. Then you can use a shallow or deep drawer (order separately) inside the pull-out, set wherever you want it. This gives you more versatility than the typical 3-drawer stack, because it allows you to adjust the vertical space inside the lower part of the cabinet. But the pull-out is better than a door (IMHO) just because it is . . . better.

Although these are full-height pull-outs, they show the variety of internal set-ups possible:

This post was edited by jakabedy on Wed, Feb 6, 13 at 10:15

As you can see, one of cats has given our stools her endorsement!

Ours are very comfortable (Baba leather counter stools). We wanted stools that were leather, preferably SS legs (ours are chrome, which was ok, just wanted to avoid powder-coated metal or wood of possible). They needed to be low-profile (tight space) yet have backs (we sit in our kitchen everyday, often for long stretches of time, so wanted the support). We also wanted the stools to have 4 legs (not a post with a flat base, or Breuer style). They needed to be contemporary in style as well.

These fit the bill for us and we are still happy with them over 3 1/2 years later.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baba Leather Barstool

The tile is Crema Ivory Bamboo: http://www.msistone.com/mosaic-hatches/crema-ivy-bamboo-stone/

is okay because the doors above the double ovens may have been hard to open with a latch anyway.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wholesale Cliffside latches

kitchen faucets

Here is a link that might be useful: Moen Brantford

Function-wise:
1) two sinks, esp love my single bowl Rohl apronfront - it holds so much! And a great faucet (love my Rohl country kitchen 2 leg bridge and single handle prep) is essential - one thing you use a thousand times a day!!
2) my in door compost bucket under prep sink (see link) and having compost and garbage pullouts AWAY from main sink
3) storage, storage, storage in pantry with pull out shelves and love drawers on almost all my lowers

Aesthetically:
1) windows in a room with view - love my light! And agree with cearbhaill, looking outside and being in a room filled with light makes me happy!
2) my huge walnut topped island with "table" for seating at end opposite work zone - it's where we eat every meal and where my kids pretty much live and I love that they are with me while I work
3) my Mexican tile accents in backsplash make me smile

Here is a link that might be useful: Swing out compost bucket

cabinets

I did a ton of research and made DH read lots of articles on line. We debated installation techniques such as french cleats, and whether or not to rent a cabinet jack thingy.

We're experienced DIY-ers and DH is a marine systems tech and mechanic, so he troubleshoots finicky installations all day long. BUT I want to tell you that installing kitchen cabinets- if you're super-picky like I am- is an amazingly exhausting job. No wonder professional installation is so costly. I believe it takes a pretty skilled carpenter to do this job properly. Getting everything level and square, especially in an old house with out-of-plumb walls and wonky floors, takes an enormous amount of brainpower as well as brawn.

Here's what we did, what we learned, and some tips:

1) Tools: In addition to a 4-foot and 2-foot hand level, we borrowed a laser level... a good one that's self leveling and shoots vertical and horizontal lines. THIS WAS A LIFESAVER. highly recommended! We also had access to bottle jacks, a hot glue gun and thin luan for templating, and a full set of power tools. We had a half-bundle of cedar shingles for shims, and good-quality cordless drills with lights.

2) We used the laser level to find the high and low spots in the floor, to decide where to start. We also marked all the studs. We chose to start with the corner of the L, a 36-inch corner base cabinet. We were extremely careful levelling this cabinet, as it would affect both runs. We used cedar shingles to shim.

3) (We removed the doors and drawers and carefully stacked them with packing material between them while installing. This makes the boxes more likely to rack when fastening them, so you really have to check levels constantly... but protects the doors from tools and ladders and makes installation a lot easier.)

4) We contined installing base cabinets, double-triple-quadruple-checking levels on all surfaces with both laser and hand levels. 5 base cabinets took all of Saturday to install.

5) Sunday morning, we started with uppers, again after carefully measuring our clearances, where the wires for under-cab lighting, etc, needed to be. We examined the trim pieces available and planned out how to fill gaps before we started. Because our range is a TRUE 30" wide, and we needed to leave a bit of space to slide it in, we had to decide how to deal with the uppers above it, whose measurements are exactly 30". We decided to make 1/8" cherry spacers at both ends of the row, rather than on both sides of that 30" upper, so as not to break up the rythm of the gaps between the doors. The 1/8" offset between uppers and lowers is not distinguishable. But that decision alone took about 30 minutes!

6) We assembled all of the uppers in the run, with the exception of the fridge cabinet, on the floor, carefully aligned and fastened together. We installed temporary cleats screwed to the wall at the line we shot to indicate the bottom of the cabs. We readied a padded plywood support and two bottle jacks to approximately the height needed. Then, DH and our friend hefted the cabinet assembly up to the shims, and we got the bottle jacks and shims in place. We then spent an hour or so leveling, shimming, and fastening.

7) Next was the biggest conumdrun: the fridge end cover panel. We probably spent 4 hours on this piece alone. It's an expensive hunk of wood, and we were worried about taking off too much. Yet even after repeated careful measuring, we could not get the geometry right to get it slid into place between the uneven wall, ceiling and floor. Finally DH decided to use a trick they use in boatbuilding, where NOTHING is square or plumb! He used thin (1/8"?) luan strips and a hot-glue gun to make a template. We then carefully cut the panel to fit (scoring the finished veneer and taping it before cutting with a new sharp down-cut blade in the jigsaw). We also cut wedges off the back top and bottom in order to have the "wiggle room" to fit the big panel into the wonky space. Those places are behind cabinetry so never seen unless you pull the fridge out.

8) The over-fridge cab was also a bear and took several hours. We had to build out blocking on all 3 sides since we were adding small filler strips (we milled down some cherry) around the fridge for a "built-in" look and the box was an inch or so narrower and everal inches shallower. Same techniques: temporary cleats, shims, and multiple levels. (With this one it was just the 2 of us and we also had to make props out of 2x4 and a boathook (!) because we didn;t want to screw a temporary block to the cover panel side). You can see the red laser lines in the photo above.

9) We went around and double checked everything for squreness/plumbness. The boxes do rack when you fasten them, often throeing your careful leveling out of whack when you tighten down the screws. We needed to back a couple of screws off and relieve some of the tension to get everything as perfect as possible.

We still have to install the top molding, light rail below, secure the island boxes and put the end panels on the island. Here's what we have so far, covered in plastic to protect from today's final drywall sanding.

Here's mine and a link to it on GalaxyToolSupply.com.

BTW...the "easy maintenance corners" are the rounded corners. The "zero-radius" sinks are the ones with the "sharp" corners.

Here is a link that might be useful: Galaxy Tool Supply: Ticor S405D Undermount 16 G SS Double-Bowl Kitchen Sink

I asked him why he was so impressed with my sink and hates SS? It was because he has had to replace multiple high end sinks before closing because a workman or someone would have used a new homeowners SS sink and caused a 'scratch' in the bottom of the sink. The new homeowners would insist on a brand new sink before they would close.We all know that we can tolerate the damage that we do to our stuff, but not anyone else! When you spend well over a $1,000 to $1,800 for a sink, of COURSE you want it to be unblemished!

Well, I told him my 'secret' to keeping my 12" deep single basin Franke sink looking good. I've used this 'method' on ALL of my sinks and I just love it! My sink glows because of the 'patina' that it now has...and yours can, too. The finish looks better each time you use my method, too.

I use my sink! I also have a large family that I cook for and use some commercial size, heavy pans. Guests sometimes want to help in the kitchen, or teens, and they bang up the bottom, scratching the sink, and it will look just awful when they're done. They always apologize because they think they've ruined my sink. Never fear. I can 'fix' it in as little as 3 minutes from start to finish.

I've now trained my teens on how to help me maintain a good looking sink. AND if they scratch it, they restore it! It's that simple.

Here's what I do. About every other day, I use Bar Keepers Friend and one of the green scrubby pads that you can buy just about anywhere. It will keep average use to your sink 'maintained' between 'restoration' cleanings.

When there are scuffs and deeper scratches in the sink, I use sandpaper to wet-sand the metal in different grades of paper to restore the sinks. I prefer the black 'wet or dry' sandpaper by Norton that you buy at HD. I already have about 3" squares in multiple grades already cut out and in a baggy under my sink, so I'm ready when I need to 'do this'.

I start with about 150 grit working on the problem areas when I get to them, then work up to at least a 400 grit. I use small circular pattern and overlap all of my work. I never just 'rub' a scuff or scratch in a straight pattern; I always blend my work.

I start in the furthest back left corner and work across the back of the sink moving left to right, just as you would work if you were writing on lined paper. I do the entire sink bottom, then move to the sides. I start with 150 grit paper, then change to 220, then 320, then 400. I rinse the sink after each grit paper is used. Sometimes I use a little soap or BKF depending on my needs so I can move faster with the paper. Once you try it, you will understand what I mean.

I finish off with a good soapy rinse with a rag, then apply a 'finish' of Franke Inox cleaner or a wiping coat of vegetable oil. I have even used Rain-X to help repel spots. I'm just out of it right now and have been using up products I have under the sink. I use 'whatever' to just help the sink repel water right down the drain a.s.a.p..

My brother now had one of his guys using my method on their Franke sinks before final walk thru before closing on a new home. Guess what? They're not having to replace sinks anymore.

After you clean your sink a few times, your sink will start to gain a beautiful patina and smoothness to the finish and you will start to love stainless steel. I also use this method on my $10,000 Thermador Range top. It glows. I just love it.

donaleen, I've never had a problem posting pictures from Flickr here. No offense, but I found the thread you linked convoluted and somewhat unhelpful for a newbie trying to learn how to post to GW.

So, berardmr, please read buehl's official thread below. You have to scroll down and read all the replies, as they contain the detailed info about how to post pics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Posting multiple pics inline on GW

If you want to disguise them, Lutron makes gorgeous outlets and switchplates in lots of great colors, even GFCIs.

kitchen

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:

I only use high quality nylon (Purdy) brushes. I prefer them for wood finishes. They cost more but they last forever!

This is exactly what I use:

Sherwin Williams PrepRite ProBlock Interior Exterior Seals and Bonds, Latex primer (be sure you get exactly that one...it says BONDS on the label). It's made to cover shiny surfaces and bond tightly, and I've used it in several kitchens, and on all of my interior woodwork and it does BOND!! No sanding, just wipe down your cabinets with either a TSP and water mixture or a little vinager and water to get rid of grease.

This stuff is wonderful. I've converted many naysayers to the primer because you really don't have to sand or use a deglosser, and even if they're thermafoil...it will BOND and you'll have a finish you can then paint on. :O) It's so much easier. I just love it (I just picked up another couple of gallons last night). And the finish will be tough as nails by the way. I personally also like to use a high quality sherwin williams paint.

I use one coat primer and let it dry a day at least, then two coats (one day between at least) of paint with a good Purdy brush (which is important). With just one coat the grain still effects the paint, but with the two on top of the primer you get that nice smooth look :)

I'm a paint freak, so forgive me for saying this if you know. Don't use rollers for wood. I like a 1 1/2 inch and a 2 1/2 or 3" brush at the most. The smaller works well on the small areas so you don't drip or oversmear the sides of the project.

I have painted several cabinets using the SW primer without any other prep work, except making sure the cabinets were relatively clean. So far they have held up fine.