They were very easy to deal with. I used a rubber mallet to tap them into the wood. Didn't take a whole lot of effort. I bought the wood strips at Lowe's.

I didn't want to hammer the dividers directly into the drawers because I didn't want permanent holes in the wood. So I made a frame for each drawer and attached the dividers to that frame. The entire set up in each drawer is fully removable without leaving any permanent signs of ever having existed in the drawer.

Here are pix:

Have you considered Quartzite? It's a natural stone and it's fairly bulletproof.

Here are some white examples:

Firsthouse_mp and I have White Princess:

Firsthouse_mp's island

My counters

Sochi's Luna di Luca

There are many others.

Here is a thread about marble look-alike countertops that has a few quartzite and then other materials.

White is great if you like the look. We love it and the counters make our kitchen.

The hall bath floor plan wasn't great so I stole closets out of the bedrooms on each side. BR#1 had another closet so no big deal. BR#2 is separated from the master BR by the original master bath and master closet so we decided to give the bath and closet to BR#2 and to convert a spare room (sewing/junk room) into a new master bath & closet.

I went to a couple of tile stores and "made up my mind" more than once. One Saturday I was looking at marble and another customer said - have you seen the porcelain that looks like marble? I hadn't. She showed it to me and I was sold. That's what I used in the hall bath.

It was hard to pick out finishes because I like so many different styles. I did buy the master bath vanity from the Restoration Hdwe outlet and I wish I hadn't. I bought it for the hall bath but then changed the whole floor plan. That meant I had to use it in the master and it was so long that I didn't have many floor plan options because of 6' vanity, windows etc.

I don't know if anyone read my original thread about the bathroom where I asked about a chandelier http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/bath/msg1100582713301.html?6 but I ended up picking the "bubble" tile as an accent and decided on this chandelier with the round glass balls. I'm not sure if it "goes" but I don't care. I like it.

What's done is done and I do like love both of them. We had a "bathrooms are finished"/birthday party Saturday and of the 40 people here most of them preferred the hall bath.

Original hall bath

Standing by the tub looking towards the door at the hall.

The new master closet and bath will be behind that window (which was originally to a porch that was converted to a room years ago).

New bathroom from hallway

The towel rack is actually a toilet paper holder. The counter is soapstone.

Dual flush toilet from Home Depot, (love the dual flush) Mercer train rack from Pottery Barn

Pedestal tub from Van Dyke's Restoration. It was the cheapest one from a place that I couldn't find bad reviews of. Plus it's owned by Cabela's.

Copycat pottery barn chandelier from overstock. You can barely see the dropped crown molding with the black paint extended down the wall. There is rope lighting behind the crown for a "night light".

The new master bath

I inherited this cabinet and all of the Lladro from my mom. I've had it for years with no place to put it in our tiny house so it's been boxed up in the basement. Someone else picked paint colors for me and this color is so beautiful in real life - SW Rainwashed. It reminded me of the Lladro so I brought some of it up and I think it looks great in this bathroom. The painting is also from my mom and she and my dad bought it in Spain many, many years ago. This room screamed for the painting, too.

Although the back yard hasn't been completely cleaned of all the remodeling mess, I love the view from the bathroom and can't decide what kind of window covering to use and keep the view.

I was still changing floor plans after the bathroom was demo'd. I (obviously) didn't plan it all that well because I had to buy the freestanding towel rack for the master bath and the hall bath doesn't have a place to hang a towel while you are showering but we'll work it out. :) There isn't any storage in the hall bath so I bought three file boxes from the Container Store for "stuff" and I like them. The basket under the vanity is for dirty washcloths/hand towels. My 15 yr old daughter uses this bathroom.

The glass shower door is installed now:

Someone asked to see the upper cabinet opened. I have 8(!) outlets inside of my tower.

Our contractor built a beautiful cover for our baseboard heating that really blends with the woodwork on the walls

This is the final version of the vanity with the mirror installed.

The agitators in top-loading machines, which beat against the fabrics, are harder on fabrics than the tumbling action of front-loading machines. While both technologies are mature, the front-loading technology has been around on automatic washers for a couple of decades longer than the technology of top-loading machines.

Most of the "features" in most washers and dryers are superfluous and paying money for them is foolish. The fundamental construction features to look for in washers are vibration control and drum construction. In regard to vibration, the Samsungs and the subset of LG washers that have "square" windows, along with the Mieles (which are in a different price category) lead the pack. The stainless steel "honeycomb" drum of the Miele washers and the stainless steel "diamond drum" of some Samsung washers are a bit of an improvement over other makers' drums.

Nowhere is it written that the washer and the dryer must "match." You can save money while getting better performance by mixing brands if you can withstand the pressure to have your washer and dryer match.

For instance, does your laundry room have an immaculately clean floor? If not, you may find that an inexpensive Whirlpool or made-by-Whirlpool Sears Kenmore dryer that has a door hinged at the bottom rather than at the side presents the very best feature of all: what amounts to a clean shelf to catch your wet clothes if you drop them (as we all do from time to time) as you transfer them from washer to dryer.

The styling of a low-end Whirlpool dryer certainly will not match the styling of a Samsung washer or the Cabrio washer, but -- really -- who cares? Aren't clean clothes more to the point than matching styling? And, because the basic "hamper door" Whirlpool dryer has been in production, with only very minor changes, for decades, and a best-seller for a lot of that time, when it needs repairs, every repairperson on the continent knows exactly how to repair it, and replacement parts are available and in-stock everywhere.

Here is a link that might be useful: House Exterior

my dining room is also lavender :)

(chairs are grey but look a little purple in the pic)

Here is a rough sketch... I can't find the better plans I had. The vanity is a bit over 5' long, the shower is -I think- about 4.75 feet x 3 feet.

Here's another from somewhere in the planning phase...

Here are the details for those who may be interested:

Tub: Kohler Expanse (I adore this)
Handheld Showerhead: Grohe Relexa Rustica
All other fixtures: Kohler Kelston
Sink: Kohler Ladena undermount
Vanity: Bertch Morocco in Fawn (?)
Toilet: Kohler Memoirs Stately
Exhaust fan: Panasonic
Heated floor: EasyHeat
Subway & Floor tile: Vallelunga Villa Adriana in Calcatta (porcelain)
Glass tile: Crystal Stone Mosiac in Ivory
Shower Rod: Moen Curved

There were a few glitches along the way, but not many and I am very pleased with the result.

Tub / Shower area:

Close up of niche and subways:

Vanity area with glass shelves to the right:

Detail of backsplash and Kelston faucets:

Kohler Ladena sink

Switches and dials! Thermostat for floor

Floor and my toes (I'm Not a Waitress by OPI):

If I can give you any more info, just ask. I got plenty of help by reading this forum. Thanks for looking!

We have much to do yet as far as furnishing and decor but I'm just happy to be out of most of our boxes! :) These pics are by no means, "staged" -- we live here! But just wanted to share a few..

This is a ranch style home -- 3 bedrooms on main and finished lower level with two more bedrooms and kitchenette. South Dakota suburb type lot (3/4 acre) on a golf course. We're a family of 4 -- 2 kids ages 5 and 3.

Lamp, waiting for a foyer table! :)

Mudroom Walk In Closet:

Mudroom:

Mudroom Cubbies:

Laundry:

Covered Concrete Deck:

Backyard:

Pocket Office off kitchen:

Pantry:

Basement Kitchenette:

After, view of kitchen from family room

Before, overview of kitchen; entrance to dining room is in between wall ovens and refrigerator

After, overview of kitchen; former entrance has been closed up (is now my baking corner) and new entrance to dining room is not in shot but is in between refrigerator and freezer

Before, view of eating area

After, view of eating area with new wainscoting

Before, view of pantry

After, view of pantry, broom closet pull-out and freezer

primary flatware drawer

knife drawer

easy dishwasher unloading

doors around oven and refrigerator open

broom closet pull-out

Many (many!) more pictures are in my finished kitchen album.

I joined GW the v. first day I "found" it online. I was doing research on soapstone and a link to this forum popped up and I read it. If I’d had any idea the amount of time I’d spend here and the relationships I’d come to have, I never, ever would have picked as pedestrian a handle as "rmkitchen." But I thought I’d just be here on GW that one time. Nearly fourteen months later and ha ha on me!

Well, it’s still not "done": we’re waiting for roman shades to be made and I need to wash those windows …. But I’m feeling silly having a finished kitchen and waiting for some roman shades! So it’s not magazine-worthy, that’s okay. I had a really hard time deciding whether to attempt the vanity shots or how we really live. Because seeing everyone’s pristine, to-die-for kitchens hurt my self-esteem, I decided to do a warts-and-all. You’ll see fingerprints on the cupboard doors, smudges on the polished nickel hardware and crumbs on the floor: even still, I think it looks pretty good. Also, since my photographic skills are poor it made the choice really easy!

With the risk of coming across as gauche I am going to include approximate prices for our items. I was terribly naïve when it came to determining our budget and found it immensely beneficial when others here would give prices. (in all fairness, it sometimes made me feel bad either that we weren’t as hoity-toity as others as well as making me feel ridiculous for spending so much when others achieved fabulous kitchens for a fraction of our budget) It gave me a real-world benchmark, and hopefully it will help someone else put their own project into some perspective. I wish more posters would share their budget – I think it’s that helpful. Let me preface this by saying I'm in Boulder, CO -- prices will vary continent-wide. We are less expensive than the San Francisco Bay Area and more than RTC, NC.

Caveat: I absolutely believe and know our kitchen could have (and I’d argue should have) been done for significantly less. Like our gorgeous countertops / backsplash were ridiculously expensive and I could have had a white marble for less than half. However, every time I look at the marbles from which I could have chosen I realize I would have been v. unhappy and any amount spent on them would have been too much. So it was "smart" to spend more to get what I really wanted and what I LOVE. ("smart" having a v. fluid definition depending on my mood!)

Same about our sink, well, similar. We searched and searched for a stainless apron front single bowl sink, and the one we liked the best was the Bates & Bates. My husband insisted on a low gauge (thick steel). Only after our kitchen was complete did I learn about the Lavello. While not as thick as ours (ours is 12 gauge, the Lavello 16 gauge), I think for the >$1,000 price difference we could’ve lived with it!

We (I) shopped around like crazy (love the internet!) for our appliances, hardware, etc., and feel I did a fabulous job getting the best prices for these items—everything was either on special or purchased on sale or using some sort of incentive. But at the end of the day, the appliances were still expensive—exactly what we want / need, though. At the end of the day, the hardware was still expensive—exactly what we want / need, though. At the end of the day, the cabinetry was still expensive. (Although I actually have mixed feelings about this—for the level of detail I wanted and all the bells & whistles we got I’m not sure it was expensive. The semi-custom lines at which we looked [i.e., Cuisines Laurier, DuraSupreme] were coming in significantly higher. If we'd gone with framed we could have come in for less, but not gotten the exact door / hood I wanted. If there were an IKEA nearby [the closest is in Utah], we probably could have used their boxes and had doors made up elsewhere. But we went neither of those routes.)

Our kitchen is approximately 13’w x 21'l (not completely true, as only one side is 21' long; the other wall is 11 1/2'). Our ceiling is 9’ high (the upper cabinets are 47 ½" high with crown moulding running from the top of the cabinets up to the ceiling).

cabinets, ~$55K
custom frameless painted (catalyzed lacquer) a custom white, island painted BM Onyx
all drawers and roll-outs full-extension with Blumotion glides and all doors with Blum soft-close hinges
one Rev-A-Shelf wood drawer divider
one Rev-A-Shelf plastic double tier flatware divider
custom wood drawer dividers (five drawers)
steel pegboard "broom closet" pull-out (thanks to dianalo for sharing inspiration pictures)
three chrome pull-out pantry units (Rev-A-Shelf)
four spice pull-outs (Rev-A-Shelf)
pegboard with wood "divider" dowels in (three) dish drawers
foot pedal four-canister trash / recycle unit (thanks to lowspark and alku05 for the foot pedal instructions), Rev-A-Shelf
magnetic chalkboards (two)
hood (design inspiration courtesy of mwardlb’s lovely hood)
maple butcher block island countertop with bow detail
tempered, safety glass-front doors and glass shelves
delivery and installation of these cabinets and attached custom crown moulding (but not including cost of custom crown which was ~$350)

appliances, ~$22K
refrigerator: Thermador 30" Fresh Food Freedom Column T30IR70
freezer: Thermador 30" Frozen Freedom Colum T30IF70
oven: Gaggenau 30" BX281610 convection double oven, (thanks to the supportive folks in the Appliance forum who talked me through this decision & held my hand as we waited five+ months for its delivery)
cooktop: Thermador Professional Series PCG366E 36" gas, six burners
vent: Broan 900 cfm external blower 332H
microwave: Sharp Over-The-Counter R-1214
refrigerator drawers: GE Monogram 24" ZIDI240PII
(delivery and installation of above appliances was ~$700)
instant hot / cold faucet and tank: Mountain Products Little Gourmet MT1401
under-sink water filter: Culligan
sink: Bates and Bates S2133.SS stainless apron front
faucet: Pegasus Professional Kitchen, from Expo (thanks to susanandmarkw)
soap dispenser: Danze Parma
dishwasher: KitchenAid KUDS03FTPA
air switch for above-sink light: Mountain Plumbing, stainless
disposal: Insinkerator Evolution Cover Control

hardware, ~$1,100
pulls: Restoration Hardware 4" Gilmore Pulls, polished nickel
knobs: Restoration Hardware 1.25" Cut Glass Knobs, polished nickel
fridge / freezer pulls: Hickory Hardware Studio 13" bright nickel
broom closet pull: Hickory Hardware Studio 5" bright nickel

lighting, ~$300
undercabinet lighting: Pegasus Associates Microfluorescent T4 fixtures
lighting inside cabinets: line voltage (120V) xenon pucks, American Lighting

countertop & backsplash, material, fabrication and installation ~$19K
Calacatta Xtra (seriously, that’s its name), honed, 3cm, with eased square edge – thanks to mnhockeymom for the inspiration!), runnels and a dishdrain
backsplash: Calacatta Xtra, 2cm
island butcherblock countertop provided by cabinetmaker

painting, ~$1K
walls: BM 871 Pearl River, Regal Matte Finish
ceiling: 50% BM 871, Regal Flat Finish
wainscoting: BM Impervo, custom to match cabinetry
toekicks: BM Onyx (which I painted myself with "help" from our puppy)

floors, price unknown as bundled in with installation of hardwood for entire first floor and staircase
red oak, "popped" with water then one heavy coat of Dura-Seal Ebony Stain (thanks to my husband for finding out how to get the dark finish I wanted from red oak), three coats of Bona Satin Water-Based Sealer

construction, ~$16K (I think, as it was bundled in with a nearly-whole house remodel)
removal of old cabinets, closing up old doorway to dining room, framing new entrance to dining room, moving almost all electrical plus some new, moving all plumbing plus much new, drywall (inc. smooth-coating existing orange-peel), fabricating / installing wainscoting in breakfast nook and sink wall facing family room and new casing around sliding door and window, crown moulding installation and painting

kitchen designer, $3K
(we contentiously parted ways v. early in the process, but not until she had suggested moving the doorway to the dining room down the wall, and we love this change)

Things we love
or, what we did right
-Sans doute moving the opening into the dining room down the wall so as to make a U-shape kitchen was the smartest thing we did. It has increased the function / made better the ergonomics tremendously!

-Large, single bowl, apron front sink. Having all that continuous room for washing large pots / pans / baking dishes is so incredible! I love how the apron front eliminates any lower back pain– not far to reach into the sink. We also have no splashing, as opposed to what we had with a shallower, drop-in sink.

-Raised dishwasher. It just makes sense! I know many love their dishdrawers but as we run a full or nearly-full dishwasher nightly, it would not have made sense for us to have dishdrawers.

-Side-opening wall oven. I was on the fence a long time on this one: that oven set (the Gaggenau 30" double wall ovens) was really expensive, but oh how we love the side-opening mechanism! It just makes so much sense.

-Foot pedal trash. Hands full of broccoli remnants + foot pedal trash = genius.

-Magnetic chalkboards – my children adore them! My older son (four years-old) loves drawing his robots and writing; my younger son (two years-old) loves standing and "coloring." We love being able to keep our timer and grocery list in a central and easy-to-locate spot.

-Full freezer and full refrigerator: we wonder how we lived before with combined units. It sounds insane, but for our vegetarian family with little children we are absolutely utilizing these separate units to their fullest.

-Polished nickel hardware: it’s beautiful. It’s just beautiful, and it takes a lot of work to get them looking icky / dirty; plus, I have to say they are a breeze to clean (when they do get icky)!

-Getting our puppy one month to the day after the remodel started (and three months before it ended). It was such hard work – miserably hard, puppy-training and living amidst chaos (as we were doing nearly the whole house). But man-oh-man am I glad we did it all at once! I am so grateful to have had all the ick and dreck at once. (She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and we swear she’s part-cat: v. gentle, smart, affectionate. She’s never ever growled / been angry with our two little children, and our youngest is not the gentlest. He loves the puppy, but his love can be a bit rough. Cavaliers are also known for loving cats, and our youngest cat is the puppy’s best friend. They adore each other. But the puppy really really loves the children.)

-Not fighting. In our normal lives my husband I occasionally bicker – we’re married and we’re both strong, opinionated people. But for some strange (and miraculous) reason, we never had a fight during the entire remodel; we got along splendidly and truly were a team. Well, maybe not a team: I was definitely The Chief, but he was 100% on board and totally supportive. I wish I knew why that was because I’d like to bottle it!

Things we don’t love
or, things we’d do differently
(There are only two things we absolutely wish we’d done differently, things which we notice [and which irk us] on a daily basis. I’ll list those two first.)
#1 thing which drives us crazy
-Think about where countertop accoutrements (inc. countertop appliances) would live when planning light switches. I had one undercab light switch put, I thought, in an inconspicuous spot near the corner. I absolutely should have figured out where I’d be putting our toaster because, as it happens, the toaster now blocks the light switch. We’ve tried moving the toaster around but that’s just the spot where it makes sense. But yet it doesn’t make sense because it blocks the light switch. This is already frustrating and totally stupid on my part!

#2 thing which drives us crazy
-Pantry pull-outs. HATE them! Maybe hate is too strong a word (not really), but we realize now we would have been so much happier with standard shelves, not even roll-out shelves! (although those are divine) We have the pantry units from Rev-A-Shelf and find a) they are "adjustable" in name only, b) they don’t hold as much as you’d think, and c) a space-waster. If we’d had shelves we could have stacked cans or seen at one glance all our dry-goods. As it is, we have to pull out three separate units and honestly, we think it’s crap. Never again!

(These other things are things which we’d do differently in the future but which aren’t frustrating us daily.)
-24" deep lower cabinets. Too shallow! We didn’t realize until too late (as in, unpacking into this kitchen) that our penultimate kitchen had 32" deep lowers. What a difference! In all fairness to myself (as in, trying to make myself feel better), given the tight quarters of this kitchen we could not have afforded even 30" deep lowers; well, we could have, but then we would have lost our island which we are really enjoying. Next kitchen will be really different!

-Symmetry. I don’t know if it’s just for symmetry’s sake or for my husband’s, but flanking either side of the cooktop are spice pull-outs. Granted, he’s got them both filled to the gills with his goodies, but I could really use those 6" in my stack of baking supply drawers. Given the particulars of the layout of our kitchen the symmetry there would not have mattered.

-Having our microwave built-in. My husband was adamant he did NOT want a built-in microwave (the kind which have the trim-kits, I mean), so we found the Sharp over-the-counter microwave. Turns out there was some sort of "miscommunication" with the GC (so I guess I’m responsible). The "problem" is that the drywall behind the microwave wasn’t removed and reframed so as to accommodate the 1.5" the microwave juts out past its surrounding cabinetry. It’s already not bothering me so much, but when I do think about it I think "I wish we’d been clearer." Hopefully I’ll learn to live with it because I just don’t want to pay for the work!

-Double Ovens. We’ve always (well, in the US) had double ovens and I love to bake, so I never thought of a single oven. But so far, I’ve only been using one oven and as we’re the strictest of vegetarians it’s not as if we’ll ever have a turkey in one and pie in the other. I think how differently the space (& money) could have been utilized …. Who knows?

From the bottom of my heart I want to thank so many of you for your incredible kindness and support, both here in the forum and offline via e-mail. I’ve developed a genuine fondness for many here, and seeing your handles online always brightens my day. To a one, thank you. You are my community.

xo

Cabinets-Wood Mode
Perimeter Counters-Calacatta Crema-honed
Island top-Sapele Mahogany
Range-Wolf
Wall Oven-Miele
Refrigerator-Sub Zero
Dishwashers-Miele
Main Sink-Shaw's Original Farm Sink
Wet Bar Sink-Sink-A-Link Hammered Copper

href="http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg92/mhamesny/finished%20kitchen%200908/?action=view¤t=DSC_0008.jpg" target="_blank">

Kitchen Information:
Cabinets Crystal Cabinets
Perimeter - Frosty White with Van Dyke Brown Glaze
Island & Butler's Pantry - Cherry with Black Highlights
Country Classic Door Style

Appliances:
Fridge: Subzero 642 - 42" side by side with cabinetry panels
Dishwasher: Miele G2180SCVI with panel
Rangetop: Wolf SRT366 36" Sealed Rangetop
Ovens: Thermador POD302 Double Electric Ovens (Top is convection)
Hood Liner: Vent a Hood 600 CFM Liner BH234SLDSS
Microwave: Sharp Microwave Drawer 24" KB6024MS
Sink: Ticor (learned about on this forum) SS508 30 5/8 x 18 1/8
Faucet: Steamvalveoriginal.com

Hardware: Top Knobs Satin Nickel. Pulls M808-96, Knobs M326, Fridge Handles M808-12

Lighting:
Hudson Valley Pelham Pendants in Aged Brass from Croft and Little.com
Ceiling High Hats are LR6 LED lights from Lightingonthenet.com. We're very happy with the lighting from these. Indistinguishable from incandescent and still dimmable.

Countertops: honed Absolute Black granite on perimeter and honed Imperial Danby on island. Perimeter is eased edge and island is ogee.

Floor - wood to match rest of house. Varied plank with pegs. Stain is a mix of Minwax Provincial with Jacobean.

Backsplash - Sonoma Tile Makers. Field tile is Otter color shiny with crackle glaze.

Paint - Benjamin Moore HC81 Manchester Tan. Trim is Linen White

Butler's Pantry: Same cabinetry as kitchen. Counters also honed Imperial Danby. Sink is Ticor bar sink, smallest they had, don't remember number.

Faucet is Blanco 157-106-ST Terra Single Lever Bar Faucet in Satin Nickel from Faucet Depot

Filtered Instant Hot/Cold is InSinkErator F-HC2215SN Country Series Satin Nickel from Faucet Depot

Wine Fridge is Marvel - bought as a sample from appliance store

Undercounter Beverege(sp) Fridge from ULine with Crystal IceMaker, CLRC02175B00 - with cabinetry panel. Don't like this at all. The back keeps freezing up and then melting (have had service call) and the ice maker is incredibly noisy.

Lighting: Chandelier is Corbett Venetian 1 Light Ceiling Pendant 78-41 from Capitol Lighting. I love the Capitol Lighting website (1800lighting.com) I ordered quite a few lights from them throughout the house and was very happy with their pricing and customer service.

Mudroom: Cabinets custom built and painted in semi-gloss BM Shadow (eggplant color). Washer and Dryer are Maytag Epic. Very happy with these. Floor is Charcoal Gray Slate from boxes of slate I picked up at Expo. Also very happy with this. The cubbies were custom built by my contractor.

Still have to get switch/outlet covers and window treatments and wall art. Otherwise so happy to be done!

What we love: The layout (Many thanks to all the GW-ers that helped us!) , Sharp MW drawer, our granite, cookbook storage, the pantry, cutting board storage, Brookhaven cabinets and drawers

What we might do differently: Our dark floors look nice, but they need to be swept literally twice a day. A lighter color would be a lot easier to maintain.

Typhoon Bordeaux Granite

Cutting Board Storage

Full Extension Drawers (with Rev-a-Shelf spice drawer organizer)

Our (messy) Pantry

Stained Bamboo Floors (In the left corner of this photo, you can see how the kitchen is open to a great room that was way too messy to post.)

Details:

Cabinets- Brookhaven French Vanilla, Edgemont Recessed style ("Face" on small drawers)
Granite- Typhoon Bordeaux
Paint- SW Svelte Sage
Backsplash- Sonoma Star Butter Crackle
Fridge- CD Jenn Air Side by Side (Plenty of room, even though it’s CD)
Oven- GE Monogram (Love the sliding racks!)
Microwave- Sharp MW Drawer
Rangetop- 36" Electrolux Professional
DW- KitchenAid
Hood- Best by Broan
Faucets- Kohler Simplice
Sinks- Kohler
Floor- Engineered 6 inch Handscraped Bamboo with Pecan Stain
Barstools- Overstock.com
Pendants- Sea Gull Serenity

Thanks again for all the helpful information on this forum!

Mine are in a 18" wide by 30" deep draw next to the cooktop and under the baking area. I store all my spices and seasoning except for salt and pepper in this draw. I used 3 oz glass bottles ordered from www.specialtybottle.com and labeled them with my labeler.

The cabinet w/the ROTS is our "Pet Center" with the dog food & treats on the bottom shelf (as low as I can get it) and leashes, meds, etc on the top shelf...as high as I could put it. The 6-gallon can I use for the dog food just barely fits...if the top's not on tightly, it doesn't fit. Why am I telling you this? B/c I measured and it turns out KitchenAddict is correct...the bottom of our trash pullout is 6-3/4" off the floor, the bottom of the ROTS at its lowest "setting" is 7-1/8" off the floor. I could have used that extra 1/4" or so! So, you do lose some space at the bottom with the ROTS.

Here's my Pet Center using ROTS...

Pullout cabinets...

Cabinets you might want...

• Mixer Lift cabinet...If you want something like a mixer lift, you will need to get a cabinet. But, most mixer lifts really aren't sturdy enough to use the mixer while on the lift, so you will have to lift it up to the counter anyway. Besides, do you really want the flour, etc. that sometimes billows out or the splashes that sometimes occur to go all over the floor and cabinet fronts? I'd rather all that be on the counter and/or backsplash...much easier to clean plus they're "designed" for such messes!
• Tray cabinet...If you don't have space over ovens or refrigerator for your cookie sheets, cooling racks, muffin tins, etc., you might consider a 12" to 18" tray cabinet with one shelf. Some people put them in pullouts or drawers, but this is one case when I think you waste space. In a regular cabinet, you can use the entire width of the cabinet; in a pullout or drawer, you lose 2 to 4 inches due to the drawer/pullout walls plus the glide space.

  Check out these two threads for the tray cabinet discussion:

  Thread: tray cabinets - top 1/2 wasted space

  See Plllog's base tray cabinet...horizontal tray storage..in the following thread:

  Thread: Do you like your tray storage? Can you share the details please?

• Cutting Board cabinet...Cutting board storage is another possibility. You probably only need a 9" to 12" cabinet for this. Why did I separate out the tray & cutting board storage? B/c they're usually needed in two different places. Additionally, I don't recommend storing cutting boards (or pizza stones) above chest level. They're much heavier than cookie sheets and if you drop one on your head (or elsewhere), you could seriously injure yourself.

  In my case, I store my cutting boards & pizza stones under my corner prep sink in the angled corners of the corner cabinet...a great use of space that often goes unused or that's normally difficult to get to.

  I recommend both tray storage (upper or lower) and cutting board storage (lower) be planned somewhere in your kitchen.

• Sink Base cabinets...obviously, this is one cabinet that has to be a cabinet. However, if you have the room, you might be able to do one of two things in it...
  • Use pullouts rather than just plain doors. You could put a small trash can on it or anything else and pull it out to access. However, you do lose space b/c of the hardware & pullout drawers/trays.
  • Drawer on the bottom...some people have put a drawer on the very bottom of their sink base. Think of it as an upside down cabinet...instead of a top drawer + cabinet below, this one is a cabinet above + bottom drawer. However, you need to have the space to do it. You might make the toekick part of the drawer to get some depth.

some drawer options (all gw drawers I think):

my favorite

another option -

option for lid storage on the shallow pullout part. or shallow glass baking dishes. or skillets. or some combo of them.

option to put dividers in front to back for lid storage -
or in a deeper drawer for skillet slots.

option to put a divider in across the width of a drawer for lid storage -

bethesdamom2008, the room is 24'10" x 14'9" (you can't see the dining area in those pics, but the layout is below). The clearances around the island are as follows: ~48" on the seating side, ~45" on the refrigerator side (to the counter, less to the fridge), and ~43" on the stove side. If I had it to do over, I'd move the island about 3-4" closer to the stove. The clearance in front of the fridge is about perfect.

susan205, my island is 7.5' x 3.5' and my pendant shades are 8" across. Three has turned out to be the perfect number of pendants for us.

I wasn't organized enough to have a folder for each room. Plus, other than the doors and trim details, not many of the rooms had enough going on that I needed to save much. The kitchen was definitely my major focus. I did save and print copies of pics from internet, books, magazines,...whatever. I REALLY went through paper and ink with not only those things, but printing out different versions and views of the kitchen and other rooms in the house. My husband told me with what I was spending on paper and ink, we could've built a bigger house! Ha.

Sure I think you could do a mix of finishes in your kitchen. It takes a bit of thinking so it doesn't look too checkerboard or 'unnatural,' but it can be done and there are lots of kitchens in the FKB that might give you some inspiration. You can look up kitchens by selecting certain categories and I think there is one for varied cabinet finishes. Go to the Finished Kitchens Blog I linked above. Go to the list on the right and click on 'Categories'. Under Kitchen Basics, you can choose to look at 'Unfitted Kitchens' and under Cabinets there is a link to 'Mixed Cabinets.'

Here is my kitchen layout:

We wanted the look of marble without the maintenance issues of real stone and we are very happy with this porcelain and ceramic product.

Here are are a few photos:

Materials used:

Floor Tile: AO Catarina Coliseum White Porcelain Matt Finish 12x12 Tiles

Wall Tile: AO Catarina Coliseum White Ceramic Polished 8x10 Tiles

Accent Tile: White Carrara Marble 12" Chair Rail

Vanity countertops and shower wall ledges: Caeserstone "Pebble" in polished finish

Faucets/Shower Heads: Danze

Shower Control: Hans Grohe

Hardware/Towel Bars/Lighting: Restoration Hardware

Tub: Toto 6ft AirJet Tub

Toilet: Toto

The big view...

My pantry cabinets...

Another view of the pantry wall that shows off the pterodactyl in my island...

My fabulous soapstone with runnels by Florida Joshua!

Before and after comparison...

Some details:
-Custom cherry Shaker cabinets in a natural finish
-whatever brushed nickel hardware my cabinet guy had
-Black Venata soapstone counters by the one and only Florida Joshua
-Kitchenaid counter-depth fridge
-Fisher & Paykel dish drawers
-AGA Legacy range
-Ventahood Excalibur hood
-Ticor sinks
-Kohler Vinnata faucets
-pendants from Rejuvenation
-tongue and groove pine ceiling
-Mediterranean walnut travertine floors

Wall color: BM Gray Wisp. Trim: BM Simply White
Tub: 68" sunrise specialty with hardware
Vanity: Shiloh furniture style vanities in espresso.
Sink: Kohler Memoirs
Medicine Cabinets: RH Cartwright Large
Sconce: Hudson Valley
Countertops: polished carrera marble

Hard to get a pic of the shower without glare.

I like seeing the same pictures in multiple threads. Especially when it answers the question the poster asks and many times it brings out elements I didn't notice before. Most posters here notice more details than I do. :) I've posted mine in several threads and I hope people aren't bothered by it.

lukkiirish, love your bathroom! Your granite and cabinetry are so pretty.

massagerocks, I love yours too! The marble floor and the shower floor are gorgeous. I have SW Rainwashed in my master bathroom and it is hard to photograph also and it's a shame because it's so pretty.

minette99, I just commented on your bathroom on another thread. You have a small space and turned it into a jewel box with the blue colors and prettiness. :)

I think I'll post both of mine again, just for grins. :-)
#1 bath

#2 bath

I think this plus their eBay site are the only places to get them reasonably priced...but there may others, Google "Ticor" + the model you're looking for.

Tapmaster®: Tapmaster®: http://www.tapmaster.ca/

I don't know if there are other places to get these from...again, Google it!

Never-MT: Never-MT: http://custominserts-store.stores.yahoo.net/nevsoapandlo.html

I think this is the only place you can get one from.

Pop up Outlets: Popup Mocketts: http://www.mockett.com/default.asp?ID=469

There may be other vendors/sellers, use Google. (Pufp?)

Plugmold®/Power Strips:

• Plugmold®: http://www.wiremold.com/www/consumer/products/plugmold.asp


• Angle Powerstrip: http://www.tasklighting.com/ap/angle-strip.htm

There may be other vendors/sellers, use Google.

Have you noticed that "Google" (or other search engine) is your "new best friend"? :-)

Note: One reason people haven't specified where they got things is that most things are available many places. Another reason is that you have to be careful not to "advertise" or promote a business on this site.

So you all can see the wall color, I closed the blinds because it gets really sunny and I'm trying to be stingy with the AC since we're not moved in yet :)

This one is an earlier progress pic but there's an empty shelf over the pass through too...... I'm not head over heels with the stone my DH picked for the fireplace but it's the only thing he insisted on....

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

delete "uppers" on the wall, because you have enough storage volume in drawers,
and you can add some of them back in later to make proportions right, and to add interest or accents.

sinks
made of
coffee silgranite,
anthracite silgranite,
porcelain,
soapstone,
enameled cast iron.
not stainless (some people have been known to rub them all the time like they were the barrels of their weapon of choice)
Not biscuit silgranite (shows smudges long after it's basically clean).

If one sink
then
with multiples sources of water.
No need to let a single faucet be the bottleneck spot.

an IHW
a filtered water tap
a chiller (not in the fridge)
a faucet that mixes regular "mains" water (hot and cold lines)
another mixer valve for a hose and spray "wand" with toggle

Two fridges,
one being near the sink nearest the cooktop; this could be drawers under counter.
one being where "other people" will go get things and not disturb the cook or the flow.
Preferably one is passive cooling (nothing dries out there; good for cheeses and organics)

Say "no" to side by side fridge/freezers.
The space always feels tight.
The space is always narrow.

a dishwasher drawer,
and
an 18" or 24" full height dishwasher

in the basement:
a chest freezer
(passive cooling, not frost-free: no freezer burn)

Drawers as "deep" to back wall as possible. E.g. Tandembox 650mm length
This dimension is distance to back wall, not the height of drawer.
And counters 29" or 30".

All Drawers, everywhere, even under the sink.
Wide drawers.

Lots of HVAC appropriately planned long in advance.
A big canopy for the extraction fan.
Lots of MUA for when the fan is on "high".

--

Spider, here are notes i've made, in terms of what is most maintenance-free.
This might be good to have on hand when discussing with DH your SO.

What
shows smudges least / most
makes clean happen / the opposite
looks neat not messy / the opposite
looks OK even if dirty / looks still dirty when it's basically clean
easy to clean, and time is little / hard or takes time

--

/ is used to separate categories
, commas, are to keep a number of things, in the same category

Here we go.

counter clutter: slim vase for an eye target flower, glass bowl with fruit / with toaster oven, coffee maker, coffee grinder, salt / with canisters and mixer
faucet: laminar flow (cause splashes) / aerated flow and strong / aerated flow shaped to reduce splashback
configuration: sink and cooktop on same counter / on separate counters (sweep floor more often)
faucet mounting: wall / on counter / on counter with escutcheon (ring around faucet base) or wide plate
faucet finish: brushed / matt smooth / smooth and shiny / shiny chrome (polished chrome)
floor color: beige, mottled, marbled / medium, dark / creamy, off-white / white
floor material: laminate, marmoleum, linoleum, vinyl / wood / tile
appliance finishes in general: black mottled / bisque mottled / white mottled / brushed / smooth
brushed stainless finish: this is hard to describe with an appropriate adjective, but go touch high price appliances and notice how they don't show finger marks!
paint finish in low grease areas: matt / semi-gloss, pearl / high gloss
paint finish in high grease areas: semi-gloss, pearl / high gloss / matt
backsplash: rough surface tile (stone) / brushed stainless / matt or mottled glass, smooth tile / shiny tile / shiny glass / mirror
backsplash tile pattern: square / running bond (alternating; doesn't align grout lines)
grout: unsealed / sealed / epoxy
walls and "upper" cabinet fronts: solid / glass front cabinets / open shelving and open storage
cabinet fronts: slab / shaker / panels and beading / fluted or other detailed woodwork
vent hood type: recirculating with charcoal filter / exhausts outside and noisy / same and silent at lower speeds
vent hood material: steel / glass
vent hood fan: propellor blades / squirrel cage / same and powerful and with make-up air provided in whole house HVAC
microwave: no turntable / with turntable
electric cooktop : radiant / induction
electric cooktop color: white / black
oven: hidden coils / exposed coils
gas cooktop: sealed burners / open burners
countertop positioning: overhangs forward over the drawer fronts (no drips on them) / cut to be flush (drips go on the drawer fronts and dribble from there)
countertop make: factory-made quartz / soapstone (hard, not soft) / slate, granite, quartzite / wood / marble / limestone, travertine
sink: brushed stainless, ceramic, enameled cast, dark color silgranite / flat finish stainless, light color silgranite
sink mounting: mounted from underneath with counter on top / mounted from above so sink rim sits on top of counter
light placement: several sources and types of light, dimmable / a row of lights over the counter / one central light (never makes good shadows), or washing light down a mediocre wall (shows wall off, but only good if wall is good)
suspended lighting: pendants that one can clip off and put in the dishwasher / pendants easy to wipe down / ornate
embedded light: tube fluorescent, LED's / embedded incandescent (xenon, halogen) / puck add-ons

zones:
storage (pantry) somewhere removed from the cooking and cleaning action triangle / storage close to or inside the action triangle / no pantry, storage mixed up everywhere
two clear counter areas at least 36" each / one counter area clear for at least 48" / small pieces of counter interrupted by sink, cooktop, ends
a central or isolated triangle, with small fridge (for the cook) / a central triangle with the only fridge / a triangle mixed up with pantry and prep zones
sink and cooktop have elbow room on both sides / sink and cooktop have no counter on one side

main aisle:
for one person or two who know how to get along well:
41"-44" aisle / three inches more or less than this / 35"-37" aisle / aisle 49" or wider (too many steps)
for three or more, or for two who are not well coordinated:
add 3 inches to the above numbers
(of course this all assumes that one likes a small triangle for the cook)

layout:
with straight runs that end at the wall / with corner cabinets wrapping around a corner

Some of these notes above might not be spot on.
I'm not a KD.
I've hired them, and hired bathroom designers and cabinet designers too.
Everyone has their own opinions.
None ever satisfied me, because I'm unusual in several ways, and I think they used that to pump fees (for conversations and proposals) instead of working with me.
I got along great with most of the tradesmen.
I learned a lot about plumbing and tile setting when I remodeled bathrooms.
I learned it on the web and from the trades.

I figured I would focus more on what kitchen renovators might know that I didn't know, and that is how I ended up here.

HTH

Building a new home and have roughly $25,000 budgeted for kitchen appliances. I am ok with going over budget a little, but want to contain it to a max of $5,000

I have been reading and reading, but can not make a final decision on what brands of what to buy... The only thing I am pretty sure of is a 60" Capital Culinarian Range (6 burner with double grill, rotisserie, basically all options,) or a 48" (6 burner w/grill, same all options)

What I am going to need is

Refrigerator/Freezer - The house design calls for a built in all fridge in the main section of the kitchen with the freezer removed in a back hall of the kitchen. I am okay with doing a fridge/freezer in main section if the separates blow the budget. The only downfall is I am really stuck on a 36" Subzero glass door all fridge up front (BI-36RG), but it doesn't work budget wise without the freezer.

Range Hood - No idea what to do here, an inline blower would be ok.

Under-counter Bev. Center/Fridge - Thinking a glass door fridge in the island that will correlate with the glass door main fridge. No idea on brand yet.

Oven - If we I go with the 48" Culinarian I would want an additional electric in wall oven - Thinking electrolux icon designer here.

Speed oven/Microwave - Again no idea, been leaning electrolux icon designer here too.

Warming Drawer - Not super important but it would be nice. Again thinking electrolux icon designer to wrap up the stack in a cabinet enclosure.

Dishwasher - Not super important for me, but have read good things about the Kitchenaid Supurba.

Any help would be appreciated, and I realize this is going to come down to a lot of opinion, but maybe there is something I am not considering that I should be.

Thanks!

I also purchased a vanity from them -- for which I had some problems with delivery. I think my vanity was lost in transit some where and I was very upset because it was the only one that I could find -- any where online or off, that I liked and wanted. They did finally locate it, shipped it and gave me the vanity at no charge due to the situation. They were quite wonderful about it and they did the right thing.

I think they are one of the best online retailers out there. And yes, I have used them since after my re-model for some additional hooks and small items.

Second, you will need support for any material...for stone, follow the "6 & 10" rule.

For 2cm stone, any overhang > 6" will need support.
For 3cm stone, any overhang > 10" will need support.

So, for the recommended 15" overhang, you will need the following support:

I'll be honest, I don't understand not being willing to clean around another sink...you have to clean that section of counter anyway... The current layout, IMHO, is way too spread out and the island is a definite barrier! I think you will find working in this kitchen very frustrating b/c of the combination of "barrier island" and distances to walk to/from the sink, refrigerator, range. (If nothing else, think about carrying a pot of boiling water to the sink to empty!) Who does the most cooking? If it's you, how do you feel about the current layout? Actually, you've already answered this question:

"...even *I* don't like this kitchen...

Maybe it's time to start with a blank slate???

The "ideal" kitchen has the Cleanup Zone separate from the Prep Zone & Cooking Zone. This is not always possible, especially in a small kitchen...but this is NOT a small kitchen!

The Prep Zone needs water and a trash/recycle pullout nearby as well as at least 36" of counterspace, preferably 42" and preferably b/w the range & (prep) sink. It also needs easy access to the refrigerator and range. If you like to prep facing your guests or the other rooms, then consider putting a prep sink in the island to make it more useful as a Prep Zone. Right now, it's not very useful for prepping. (BTW...70% of the time spent working in the kitchen is spent prepping; 20% cleaning up; 10% cooking.)

The Cooking Zone contains the range (or cooktop and, if possible, wall ovens) and should have easy access to water (for filling/dumping pots safely & adding water when needed), trash/recycle pullout, and refrigerator. It also needs at least 18" of counterspace on each side for working space as well as emergency landing space, preferably 24". If on the end of a run, then you need a minimum of 24" b/w the range & end of counter.

The Cleanup Zone contains a sink and DW and needs easy access to dish storage and the Serving Zone(s) (where people eat...island, DR, and Breakfast Nook, if present). If possible, easy access to the trash/recycle pullout. However, if you only have one trash/recycle pullout and cannot make it accessible from all zones, then it should be located in the Prep & Cooking Zones since it is used more and for longer periods of time while prepping & cooking than during cleanup. Two such pullouts or a trash/recycle in the Prep & Cooking Zones and trash in the Cleanup Zone would work well, especially in a kitchen this size and configuration. Additionally, you should aim for at least 24" on each side of the sink for workspace.

If possible, the MW should be near the refrigerator and water. Refrigerator b/c that's where most things MW'd come from (leftovers, frozen foods). Water b/c you often have to add water to whatever you're MWing. You also need landing space above, below, or on the side of the MW...at least 18", preferably 24".

Island or peninsula seating...you need 24" of linear space for each seat and a minimum of 15" overhang for counter-height seating.

So, keep these points in mind when designing your kitchen (you say you don't really like it as it is...)

BTW...I highly recommend getting a MW drawer if you will have your MW undercounter. They are so much easier to use than a standard MW placed under the counter!

I also echo others...try to find a good KD...not an architect (they're notoriously bad KDs), the builder, or someone who only sells cabinets. I would look for an independent KD and work w/him or her...someone with no affiliation to your builder or the rest of the Project. That will help get you an objective designer who is answerable only to you rather than someone who is paid by the builder or architect and, ultimately, is answerable to them and not you.

Keep in mind that this is your kitchen, not the builder's, architect's, or even ours! In the end it's what you want, not everyone else. But here, at least, we can give you an unbiased opinion and one that is usually based on actual working experience in a kitchen rather than what's "always been done" or is "easier to plan/build".

Remember...you have to live with the results long after your architect and builder are gone...they don't. Their goal is to get it done as quickly as possible and move on to the next project (and more $$$)...they don't care if the end result is something that is easy and even fun to work in...they just want it done!

Before:

After:

Another view:

Favorite detail:

I'll post a link to the rest of the gallery for anyone who wants to see more.

Details: The house is an 1895 Tudor Revival with a couple modern additions on it. Hopefully the kitchen bridges the two periods of construction in the house.
Cabinets: Crown Point. Farrow & Ball Shaded White paint, Sapele stained cabinetry. Banquette, open shelves, and tv cabinet by local custom cabinetmaker. Polished nickel hardware.

Counters: honed Virginia Mist granite and Carrara marble

Backsplash: Bejmat tiles in white, 2" x 6", Mosaic House. Antique glass resilvered, Olde Good Things.

Faucets: Wingnut by Sonoma Forge in Rustic Nickel.

Fridges: Subzero, Range: Wolf 48AG with grill (love)

Hood: Modernaire, custom.

Lighting: Salvage

Here is a link that might be useful: histokitch's gallery

Before pics: we moved the kitchen into the family room, the dining room into the kitchen, and the breakfast area into the dining room. (The living room turned into the family room, and the office will soon turn into the living room ... more to do around here.)So these photos are not exactly classic before/afters. (And it's a snowy day, so bright outside, not the best for pics. Oh well.)

Old kitchen

Corresponding view

Old family room:

Corresponding view

Old dining room (both visible walls are now gone)

Corresponding view

I was previously opposed to knocking out both walls, but I am glad we did. For the way we live, it works much better. Entertaining is a cinch now. Because the kitchen is vaulted but the other ceilings are low, it doesn't feel like a huge empty space (that's what I was worried about). And I liked my "other" house, just not the kitchen. It was awful.

I'll post details here, and more specific photos in a subsequent post.

-Cabinets-
Aspen Leaf Kitchens in Denver/Berthoud, CO; proprietary Primer White, BM Taos Taupe on island and butler's pantry, and custom-stained antique pine on breakfast hutch

-Appliances-
SubZero BI-36U fridge, pro handle
Wolf 48 DF range with 4 burners and double griddle
Viking 54 in. hood liner with heat lamps
Thermador DWHD64EP dishwashers
KitchenAid KBCO24RSBX three-zone beverage center
SubZero 700BCI refrigerator/freezer drawers
Sharp 0.8 cu ft microwave

-Counters-
Minas soapstone on perimeter cabinets and hutch
Calacatta gold marble on island and butler's pantry

-Hardware-
Restoration Hardware Gilmore cup pulls, Aubrey knobs and handle pulls, Clear Glass knobs in antique brass, and Season knobs and Hanson pulls in ORB

-Sinks-
Main: soapstone farm sink crafted by Terra Bella/Denver CO
Prep: Ticor S3650

-Faucets-
Main sink: Kohler HiRise bridge with sidespray
Prep sink: Kohler HiRise bar faucet

-Lighting-
Wilmette Clark pendants in ORB (breakfast nook)
Wilmette LaSalle wall sconces in antique brass (later photos)
Visual Comfort Classic Ring chandelier in AB (dining room)
Visual Comfort Four-Light Siena pendant in AB (butler's)

-Island stools-
Ballard Designs Dorchester counter stools in rubbed black (all other furniture and rugs previously owned)

Here it is with a couple of casseroles ready for the warming lights, and plenty more room:

Anyway, we use it as extra counter, storage for cooking supplies (oil -- though it's not optimal for oils, it is working--, s&p, measuring cups), storage for prep ingredients when cook ing ... The heat lamps are useful for so much -- keeping plates and dishes warm, thawing food, softening butter, keeping mugs of coffee warm while you're cooking pancakes, etc. And it's so big, we can do all these things at the same time if we need to.

The negative is that I *think* we aren't capturing quite as much in the hood as we would otherwise, but I'm not sure because we didn't have the hood before. It is certainly not a problem (smells and the like), but you'd have to think some would get lost. You could certainly make it with some holes in it if it is a worry.

Anyway, it's one of the most useful things we did, and it was only about $300, custom made. If you have the room, give it a thought.

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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The island size is: 12 ft. long total including the bookcase.
The wide part is 8 ft. long
The narrow part is 3 ft long
The book case is 1 ft. deep
The width of the large part is 48 inches
The width of the narrow part is 24, with the bookcase extending out another ft.
All of these measurements do not include the 1 inch overhang of the soapstone.

Soapstone is from M Teixeira in San Francisco

Hood is 42 inches (over a 36 inch rangetop) which is what's recommended if you have a powerful range. The lowest part of the hood is 28.5 inches from the stove, with the actual vent being a little higher within.

The cabinet to the left of the wine bottles is VERY shallow. I just keep some candlesticks, candles, and other very narrow things in there. Even some of my candle holders are too wide for that one!

Ceiling in kitchen is 8 ft. ceiling paint in both rooms is the Benjamin Moore Natura in Acadia white (same as cabinets and all trim). The only thing we varied was that the trim is satin or semi-gloss (can't remember which), the ceiling is flat, cabs are satin (and Aura instead of Natura).

Not sure about those cabs over the stove. I'll try to measure later.

I'll try to post a few more pictures later. I'm still floored beyond belief over this response (in a good way):-).

Hope I'm not putting too many pictures!

Quick description (feel free to contact me if you have questions)
-Soapstone: Julia
-Cabinets: Custom, inset/flush shaker style with single bead (waiting to see if we get some issues resolved before I recommend the cabinet maker)
-Bookcase and desk tops: walnut
-Sharp microwave oven drawer (love it!)
-GE fridge
-Shaw 30 inch apron sink
-Wolf range top
-Thermador double ovens
-Vent-a-hood hood
-Dal tile
-potfiller: Newport Brass
-hot/cold faucet Newport Brass
-Main faucet: Mico
-Door to garage: one panel painted with chalkboard paint...fun! The kids love this and it's fun to put messages to guests, each other, holiday wishes, etc.
-Pull out baskets (love these...I keep bread in one and potatoes, onions, etc. in the other)
-Wine shelf--love it!
-Bar stools from Sturbridge Yankee Workshop (love these and they were so reasonable!)
-What would I do differently? More than 12 inch overhang on seating area of island (maybe 14-16 inch). And I might skip the bead board in the backs of the bookshelfs and glass cabs.

Happy kitchen designing to all! Thank you again!

It is not an exaggeration to say that this kitchen is a result of GW’s collective wisdom. I did not ask that many questions but I gleaned untold amounts of information from searches and reading and participating in others’ threads and revisiting the FKB every time I had a new detail to conquer.

There are so many of you who have a good eye for the big picture as well as details when looking at layouts; and even more impressive and appreciated is that you take the time to walk each person through with honest, detailed feedback and encouragement. Thank you for looking so consistently at all the posts requesting help. rhome and buehl come to mind immediately -- I know there are others who do that as well and I am sorry for not remembering everyone to acknowledge.

Many others have kitchens posted to the FKB that gave me great inspiration, answers to questions and solutions to problems. You were a huge help and didn't know it, and I wish I could list every single one of you! (Many of these were not white shaker inset kitchens.)

Special thanks to jrueter for counter help and encouragement, among other things -- aside from the layout itself, that was one of my biggest challenges.

It feels good to be finished, and now I hope I can start to give back a fraction of what I received. Thank you to everyone!

Appliances
DW - Bosch
Like - Gets dishes clean
Don’t like - Plastics are wet in am unless I leave the door ajar; door catch is already broken, door won't stay halfway open (should be covered under warranty)
Hood - VAH PRH18, 36", 350 cfm (wish I had gotten more, salesman talked us out of it)
Fridge - Whirlpool Gold french door
Range - Electrolux Induction slide-in; still learning it but love it so far
MW - Sharp

Cabinets
Tar River Custom Cabinets, Creedmoor, NC, white inset with Blum glides
Like - Looks, the 30" and 36" drawer bases
Don’t like - Not as much useable space with inset; drawer glides don’t all work smoothly

Counters -
Leathered Impala Black, 3 cm, 3" radius corners, 1" radius corners, no radius
Love - Easy to keep clean, don’t show fingerprints, just the color I was looking for in a matte finish (didn’t want shiny)
Don’t like - sink reveal is not uniform, slightly negative in most places (I asked for flush, was told that slope of sink prevented exact flush but in one area it’s actually positive, one it’s flush, so sink is not set in perfectly; not being picky and preferring to have it finished, I am leaving it alone)
Supplier - Daltile
Fabricator - The Countertop Factory, Raleigh NC

Wood counter - Walnut edge grain, classical edge minus one bead from http://www.blocktop.net/; finished for non-food use

Sinks - Blanco Silgranit in Anthracite ordered from HomePerfect.com
Clean up - BlancoDiamond Super Single (drop in) 33"
Prep - BlancoPrecis Large (undermount) 24"
Like - Looks, size, location, maintenance
Faucets - Delta Leland 978 (Main) 9978 (Prep) (ordered from DesignerPlumbingOutlet.com
Like - Looks, function, ease of use

Hardware - Amerock
Like - Looks, feel
Don’t like - One set of cup pulls, on my one deep drawer, were not placed well but it was too late by the time I saw it

Lights
Pendants - Edison by Hudson Valley, with glass # D12 (~$600 total for 3 pendants)
Like - Looks, adjustable length
Tracks - WAC

Paint - Timberlake Painting, Mickey Smith
Kitchen walls - BM Quiet Moments (LR walls @ 50% formula of QM)
Laundry walls - Valspar Safari Beige
Garage hall walls - Valspar Oatbran (on same strip as Safari Beige)
Trim, ceiling, etc - White gloss (don’t know color, just agreed with painter to do white)

Floors - red oak, refinished with oil-based poly satin finish

Windows - Monarch double casement

Backsplash - Adex Neri White 3x6 beveled subway tiles, 1/2 round liners

Trash pullout, tall pan divider

Sweeby Test
warm or cool, tranquil and soothing or energetic and vibrant? calm, happy, dramatic?
Cool, tranquil, soothing, calm

cozy or spacious? light and bright or dark and rich?
Open, spacious, light, bright

subtle tone-on-tone, boldly colorful, textured?, woody or painted?
Simple, unobtrusive, painted (maybe not exactly subtle but not bold, overstated colors)

modern, traditional, vintage, rustic, artsy, retro, Old World, Arts & Crafts, Tuscan?
Backdrop rather than focal point, no particular theme, time period or style to stand out (vintage would be closest but not overtly so)

elegant, casual? sleekly simple, elaborately detailed, or somewhere in between?
Casual, simple (not sleek), understated touches of elegance, but not be intimidating

pristine or weathered, professional or homey?
Simple, summer cottage; Clean (pristine?), homey

whimsical, sophisticated, accessible, romantic? masculine or feminine?
Accessible, maybe a touch of whimsy and zing (in decorative elements); Neither overly masculine nor feminine (functional, clean straight lines for ease of construction, with a few rounded edges to soften)

How much zing? and where?
Quiet, unobtrusive but a breath of fresh air so when people walk in, invites but does not distract from fellowship

I've been saying "I really like my kitchen". DH was surprised that I wasn't saying "I love my kitchen". That's because it wasn't truly finished and clean until today when we got everything hung and most everything put away (still a few very minor things to do). So as of today, I can say "I LOVE my kitchen". I also LOVE my utility room just as much!

We are not completely finished with the house; we plan to add to the front to expand the LR and add a MBR. With the kitchen construction, we were all crammed into a small room together during the day, but with the addition, we have a refuge with our new kitchen.

View 1

Still need a piece of molding on either end to cover up the holes made to install Plugmold, which I couldn't stand and had replaced with Sillites

View 2

View 3

View 4

Mudroom

Baskets - World Market
Bag - Belvah, custom embroidered by mineembroidery.com
Shelf - salvaged from 200 yo house DH bought for office
Hooks - Pier 1 Imports

Pantry

Countertop and pullout shelves recycled from previous kitchen
Upper shelves built by carpenter

Laundry from kitchen

Laundry toward kitchen

Communication center and laundry shelving

4" shelves built by carpenter
Upper box shelves - Pottery Barn Outlet
Calendars, etc - Storables.com
Fabric boxes - World Market, Target

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket link

My pantry is 46" across and 34.5" deep, just so you will know what size I'm working with.

Other points:

~ the new shelves are 8.5" wide, but that is because that is the largest size I could make down the right side from the door facing; with an L-shaped shelf arrangement, you probably want to put the shelves down the side with the most room from the door facing - my left side has only 4" of space from the corner to the door facing; I wish I had made the back shelves just a tad bit wider - maybe 10" but no wider than that

~ the lowest shelf is 25" from the floor so I can stack a couple of large stock pots on the floor beneath the shelf; there is also a wood crate on the floor that holds cookie sheets, baking pans, deep dish pizza pan, pizza screens, etc.

~ the hooks on the left side are staggered down the left wall and are placed no higher than I can reach (I'm 5'5" tall) and hold 2 sieves, a breadbasket, the stir fry pan, and a roasting pan; a large hook beside the left door facing (inside the pantry) holds 3-4 full-length aprons

~ I use baskets and colanders to hold onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes as I don't buy a lot of these at one time and they must go in the pantry where it is dark

~ there is a plastic basket to hold dried beans and rice and another smaller basket to hold ranch mix, enchilada sauce mix, taco mix, etc.

~ wherever possible I use decorative tin cans with lids to hold pasta, cocoa, and tea; I also use large glass jars to hold oatmeal, barley, dried potato flakes (for bread) etc.

~the top shelves are the original 16" deep shelves and hold the Fry Daddy, the largest crock pot, 3(?) thermoses, box of canning jars, etc. - the cooking items that are used less frequently. [note: I worked for 10 years in a gourmet cooking store so I have lots and lots of stuff!]

Hope this helps!
Teresa

My home is a brick bungalow built in 1910 and has a good sized pantry in the kitchen, however, with several very deep shelves that go to the 9ft. ceilings, the pantry was not really user friendly. Here is the before picture:

After the remodel, I have two deep shelves left up high for extra kitchen "stuff" and new smaller, narrow shelves in an L-configuration for pantry food storage. The wall on the left has no shelves, but has hooks for hanging the stir-fry pan, sieves, colanders, roasting pans, and aprons. The space is big enough that I can walk *into* the pantry and even turn around if I want!

The shelves were already covered with a white laminate and did not need painting. I did paint the old beadboard wall covering a clean white to brighten up the interior. It took 2 carpenters one day and $300 to re-do the pantry and a few other odd jobs around the house. Best money I have spent in a long time!

Here is the new pantry:

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I posted on the Bathroom forum for one of the baths, search "gray and white".

Here's a few other pics:
Before, living room:
After:

Before dining room:

After:

My DD bathroom:
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:

Here are two befores:

Here are the afters: Layout didn't change much at all. I love my bigger window and the fact that the soffits are gone!

And the morgue drawers (thanks to fori):

Closer view of the dreaded backsplash. (A nice, cheery grey. lol.) The lighting isn't very good to the right of the stove. The backsplash really matches all the grey in the granite.

Thanks to everyone that helped me with my decisions and got me through the craziness(even igloochic.)