bee, I am north of Boston - there seem to be a few of us up here including chris11895, oldbat2be, boxerpups and more I'm sure. If you're ever in the area, please come by.

Amanda, Re: the barndoor. My contractors routed out a channel in the bottom of the door and then recessed and screwed a mounting plate with a bracket that keeps the door from rocking back and forth or scraping. I will post a picture - the picture shows the bracket with the door all the way open. They did trim out the opening - I had them make the top trim on the other doors and windows about 1/4" deeper to make it stand out but on this particular door that would have worked against us so the top piece is only a smidge deeper. Even still with the way the hardware mounts to the door, there was a gap such that you could see into the basement stairwell. My carpenters added a piece of wood along the back of the door so that it makes the door thicker along the edge so there isn't a gap. I will show a picture of this as well... if you look closely you can see the line where the door ends and the applied bit of wood begins.

The hardware came from the barndoor hardware company. I have the standard flat track. it comes in 2' incremental lengths and your contractors cuts it down on site. I think I could a 6' track and they cut a bit off. The door glides like silk. I am very happy with the functionality of it and most especially since it allowed seating at the peninsula without a door opening and closing behind you.

I used a 1920s Kohler double-basin farm sink in my new construction kitchen. It's still...still...still not finished, but here's a shot to give you an idea how we used it. Also, do a search for Arlosmom. She has a gorgeous double drain-board (if I remember correctly)farm sink in her vintage kitchen. It seems like there are others, but I can't recall the names.

TCT4 hold 4 oz, which is about the same as a regular-sized spice jar. I buy almost all of my spices in bulk now so that was less of a consideration. My still-packed label maker is a Brother p-touch.

I think you can move in this direction without being raped on door prices. Something to consider: They make doors with a beaded edge that can be inset so mimic the beaded inset look.
Barkerdoor.com has a square beaded door here, and a rounded bead here. I'm considering the latter with the style of the drawer. No stiles and rails, just the beaded w/ a flat panel.

I'm also looking at the Cabinet Authority.com at their CRP-10334, their Windham, and their 1439.

So if you're buy doors, there are some options right there to get the cleaner, inset look. Barkerdoor.com gives GREAT instructions on how to measure.

I love the monochrome look of that beautiful blue kitchen. I agree that taking off some of the upper doors and continuing the color would help you move in that design direction.

I can see a sleek, stainless farm sink as mentioned, but the bigger chunky ones would disrupt the line. I would also consider a wood or paneled hood in the same color.

Is your granite in that neutral color? Those lights can be had. I even still have a page up from another thread here.

I think achieving the look isn't all that far off. It's just "adjusting" your nonnegotiables.

Well, more pix? I suppose it is okay to highjack one's own thread. Did you see the DIY soapstone countertops thread? (
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0310172923514.html).

Going back a little farther, I posted a thread with progress pix. (Linked below, and here:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg021817271392.html?
)

And here is one from the appliances forum (
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0222491429053.html?).

I will spare you: here is the money shot:

I put in cabinet doors and drawers today. I can't post pix of those before the big reveal! (Unfortunately, I will be going on a work assignment for 2 mos. starting Sunday. I was so close to finishing, but it will have to wait. I am very happy though.)

Hi, Susie. I don't know your project, I must confess. Do you have a thread to point me to? I am not sure that I am "moving right along." I am on month 10 already! But, yes, DIY goes slowly, no? I am sure it will be worth it for you in the end. Best of luck.

Contraste Lighting CA2000D retrofit cans with T2000 trims (nice Made in Canada lights - not Chinese junk from Home Depot - buy your lighting from an electrical supply place).

Our under/in cabinet lighting is dimmable LED pucks - 1.75" holes. I also used them above the window and sink. Got them through LED Lighting Canada in Edmonton for $24 each I think. Less than many places. Don't get suckered into $100 LED pucks.

LED was a must in my mind given the heat of Xenon and I didn't want florescent.

The cabinet that borders the hallway opens towards the hallway so it is a wide but shallow cabinet rather than narrow and deep. It's also 27" so that the standard depth fridge is fully inset. The cabinet over the fridge is a standard 24" deep one, but the space behind it is built out so it's flush with the others. The narrow cabinet by the corner is used as a broom closet.

Brick

Slate

Slate

Porcelain Floor tile called Saturnia

Daltile Ceramic Continental Slate color

Armstrong Tile floors

Now for fireplace ideas....

We used the new BM Advance paint (waterborne - a new alkyd that goes on like oil but cleans up with soap and water, has low VOCs, and is not supposed to yellow). The color is BM Aura "Paper Mache" and we're really happy with the results. The color really pulls the veining out of the soapstone.

These photos are at night, with just a couple bare bulbs in the kitchen. In daylight, especially late afternoon, the paint takes on a creamier (but still not too yellow) look.

Next week the doors go on and I'll post more photos!

Like Chefneil, mine runs through out the house and starts outside:

Pots between garage doors:

Copper cupola, gutters, downspouts and dormer roofs:

Front door lantern:

We even clad the chimney in copper (HVAC company did it) and the chimney cap:

From the Atticmag house tour, sliding panels over great room TV:

Range hood:

Pine hutch backsplash:

Coffee station sink and faucet:

Powder room sink:

Laundry room backsplash, sink and faucet:

Sconces on upper back veranda:

Copper pots on FP hearth and mantel, lower level den:

Head/footboard inserts (DS guest room):

Tray (I decoupaged the old leases on the tray):

Several light fixtures and sconces either have copper color accents or look like copper, but are not "real" copper. Several accessories are copper, but one of my favorites is this birdhouse:

For my punishment... Here is more hood porn.
~boxerpups

Galzed Kitchen Cabinets

CLX kitchens

Vintage Brick

Jeanstoofferdesigns

Decor Happy Blog

Coreasotrope

Precision Cabinet Trim

Metropolitan Marble Baltic Granite

Francoise Hoods

Here are a few favorites. I hope they help you with your
knic, knacs.
~boxer

Hoods

Tianon Hood by Francoise

Gwyneed Valley

Camille Garro

Revival Kitchen

Corner Stone Builder

Gurte Kitchen

Burman Cab

Chris Russell of Boston Area Cabinet maker

Hood CLose up

Newlywed diaries blog

Between naps on the porch blog

Brooke Giannetti


Vintage Brick

YES, YES, YYYYEEEEEESSSSSSS....
I have more hood porn.
Hope these help, if not I will post more later.
I am off to my book club. And I sure wish it were
a book on kitchens. : ) Be back later.
~boxer

These photos are a little old. Since then, I turned the bottom left cabinet into vertical baking sheet storage, so have pie and cake pans in the bottom drawer...So those things swapped spaces. I also moved the tea from the upper cabinet and have more room for extra baking supplies.

Can wall:
*shelves are 4 inches deep and 8 1/2 inches tall, starting at 18 inches from bottom. (I have 9 foot ceilings in here.)

*Bottom two lower shelves from all the way around are at 18 inches and 36 inches from floor and they are 12 inches deep.

Baking shelves:
*Start at 54 inches from floor. Bottom baking shelf (where Crisco is) is 9 inches deep. Above that where cake mixes are is 6 inches deep. Bottom two baking shelves are 8 inches high and top two baking shelves are 7 inches tall.

To the left of baking mixes:
*bottom shelf where oats is is 13 inches tall. Two shelves above are 9 inches tall and all three shelves are 9 inches deep.

Where pasta is:
15 inches tall and 10 inches deep. Two shelves below pasta are 9 inches tall.

Counter:
22 inches deep and at 36 inch height as is the snack shelf where cookies are and stuff. (I wanted snacks and cereal within kids' reach).

Shelves above counter:
11 inches tall and 12 inches deep.

Let me know if you need any other measurements! The top shelf around my pantry is at 88 inches from the floor which is the tallest I can get something up there on my tippy toes. (I am 5'8").

:)

Have I had any problems with warping, curving, cupping... anything like that? Not at all. I think it helps quite a bit though that the boards are a full 1 5/8" thick (the edge has a bevel on the bottom so it doesn't appear quite as a thick to the human eye.

Also, the boards are edge glued the entire length of the island and doweled together quite frequently I imagine. Floorboards that have cupping problems are rarely edge glued at all, let alone the entire length.

Finally, you say you don't know where to draw the line -- I'd encourage to make sure the island top is made by someone you like and trust and decide through a conversation with them. If they're worth your money they'll stand by their work and come back to fix any problems.

AlabamaMommy, you ask where I got the beeswax. I used Liberon brand beeswax that came in 200 gram solid bars (not the paste or liquids -- they already have additives). It turns out to be the same stuff my cabinet maker used for the initial batch. I'm pretty sure I got mine from Amazon but a quick Google search turns up tons of sources.

I think that answers all the new questions. Keep 'em coming!

-Peter

As part of a full renovation our kitchen island got a nice beefy top made of black walnut. Even though everyone thought I was nut, I said I wanted to use part of it as a cutting board. After all, it's a kitchen, not a museum. With that in mind, I had to come up with a food-safe finish for it. What I chose, based on advice here, was nothing more than a hand-rubbed application of mineral oil and bees wax.

I'm happy to report that it's been over a year and everything's gone great. First, the island looks great. Everyone comments on it the moment they see it.

Second, using it as a cutting board has worked out quite well. The wood is more than hard enough to stand up to my knives. Not having to get out a cutting board, and then keep all my chopped whatever on the cutting board as I work... it makes life so much easier. For those who told me I needed to do something akin to butcher-block -- making the island top out of end-grain... well, you were incorrect. End-grain would have been harder no doubt but the walnut is more than hard enough. And worst case? I break out a power sander and 1/64" of an inch later my island would be in immaculate condition.

No doubt, the knife leaves marks in the wood. But the wood is "busy" enough that you can only see them if you go looking for them and your eye is within 12" or so of the counter (photos below).

Oh, for those worried about food safety, I still don't get raw meat on the counter (though I think it would be fine as long as I cleaned up with soap and water afterwards). And we don't chop anything "stinky" like garlic or onion though we do work with other aromatics like rosemary and thyme. 15 months later and the counter has no odor of any kind.

Third, the finish. I was worried about this but in the end it's been fine. I melted some furniture-grade beeswax on the stove, added mineral oil (about 2 parts oil to 1 part wax) and let is solidify into a semi-hard paste. I rub it in, let it stand (sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes overnight), and then I buff it out.

At first I was doing this every few weeks but now I only do it every 2 months or so. I could probably stand to do it a bit more often in the quadrant I use as a cutting board, but, well, you know, life gets in the way.

For the first 6 months or so if you left a wet glass on the counter for more than a few hours we were getting drink rings. I had to lightly sand those out and rewax. But now we seem to have a deep enough coating that we haven't had a drink ring -- or any mark of any kind -- for over 6 months.

How do I clean it? A soapy sponge. Simple as that.

Ready for photos? Ok, here's the island as whole:

Take a good look at the image above. Can you see where I've prepared over 100 meals? You know -- the section where I've sliced up thousands of peppers and cucumbers and apples and peaches and melons and tomatoes and potatoes and celery and carrots and parsnips, etc, etc?

Okay, the "cutting board" area is the left side of the island, from the bottom of the photo to the sink. That 25% of the island is the designated "cutting board" section.

Yes, the board closest to the left of the photo has a lot of lines in it, but those aren't knife marks, that's "tiger-striping" in the wood -- I chose that board for there on purpose in case I needed camouflage for knife marks.

Ok, ready for a close-up of the knife marks? This photo was taken from about 8 inches away:

...looks like a cutting board, doesn't it? ;-)

So what problems do I have? Well, we have a lot of friends and cook a lot of meals together, People like to help. Once they get past the "What??! I can cut right on the counter???!?" moment I have two problems.

First, it's hard to keep them in the designated 25% that I use as a cutting board. Yes, the knife marks are subtle enough that they could probably work anywhere but I still haven't let go.

Second, these same people occasionally use a bread knife that can take some comparatively pretty big chunks out of the top. This has only happened once or twice, and with a coat of wax the marks pretty much disappear. But still, it's stressful.

Bottom line? I strongly encourage people to explore using an island top as cutting board. Second, a food-safe finish is easy! Third, I love my new kitchen. :-)

after

The cabinet for glasses is still above the dishwasher. The function of the island is mostly prep and place to sit and eat/talk. Husband likes the island for free prep space which is why we didn't put main sink or cooktop there.

I am unsure about the butler's pantry. We mostly just put it their at the builder's suggestion. It isnt anything I'm excited about, but unsure how to use the space so we still have walkway to dining. We are VERY excited about walk in pantry.

I am considering repocating the windows to have a more functional kitchen. I've been looking at pictures of kitchens to find something else that I can LOVE! I did find this and thought maybe three arch windows in a row along the exterior wall would look just as nice.

I also found an inspiration picture similar to my inspiration picture!!

Isn't it gorgeous?? Oh, we are planning on having dark cabinets/white walls, which is another reason why we are looking for lots of sunlight in the kithcen (plus, I LOVE natural light in my living space).

Lots to think about!!

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

rtorgy1, as eks6426 commented we have our handles horizontally. DH thought I was crazy when I said I wanted them that way but even he agrees now it was a great choice. It is not unnatural to open at all and it looks different, which is what we wanted. Here's a quick picture showing the drawers and doors, all horizontal.

I am considering distressed cherry for the coffee bar and sink base, as well as the dishwasher fronts. A blue/green/gray with brown glaze for the island and laundry. And a soft white for the remaining kitchen cabinets.

The color scheme...

Thank you! I can't believe you took the time to do that. I spent last night drawing elevations after all the advice and came up with something very similar to what you have for the perimeter cabinets.

Our table is a 48" square antique farm table so it would meet bmore's suggestions for space clearance. We currently have 5 ft from the table edge to each side wall and 3 ft from the table to the back wall and 3 ft to the island edge. I'm guessing I can wait until it is framed out and then decide. I could always just use the back of the fireplace as a focal point and have it completely covered in stone on all sides.

We have 3 children. The oldest leaves for college this fall and the middle child does competition sports and trains 5 days a week 3.5 hours a day. So, for the most part it is only the youngest and myself at home. I do all of the cooking and DH helps with clean-up.

I like the idea of the table pushed up against the island rather than permanently attached, but our current table would not be substantial enough to pull this off. It may be time for a new table!

Anyway here are my elevations...If you'll remember from my earlier thread I am leaning toward a combination of three cabinet colors; white, blue/green/gray, and stained wood.

Several months ago I started requesting bids from builders who advertised as design/build, so that they would be able to turn my drawings into actual working plans.

My first two bids came in over budget by $40-$75000. We are determined not to have a jumbo rate mortgage so it is very important to come in on budget. The builder I am currently working with pointed out right away, after looking at my drawings, that by deleting some corners and making simple roof lines that we could save some money.

So, back to the drawing board. The kitchen was affected the most. By deleting the bumped out breakfast room I had before and moving the kitchen wall all the way to the left to line up with the garage we were able to delete several corners and simplify the roof.

Here is the kitchen side of my new plan. The breakfast room will not have as much light as previously, but we plan to have 3 or 4 windows over the sink and french doors in the breakfast room. I moved the fireplace from the opposite wall of the family room so that it could be a two sided fireplace shared between both spaces.

The kitchen sink and dishwashers will be centered on that wall, not offset as currently show. I am sketching this in excel so very limited about what I can do.

I'm hoping to stretch the island to 7 ft instead of 6. There will be three barstools on the breakfast room side.

Do you feel this is a workable floor plan? Is the space too large? Is the double sided fireplace overkill? What should I do with all the corners? Where should the prep sink be positioned in the island?

BTW, I've also posted on this before, but I purchased an extra grate. It's the same two-piece burner grate that sits over the 18K burner, and it also is an exact fit over the simmer plate burner if you remove the actual plate. That gives me two 18K burners, which I find helpful when cooking a major meal--e.g. searing on one 18K burner and boiling pasta in a big stockpot on the other. The main caveat is that the opening around the simmer plate burner is much wider, so anything that spills can drip down into the range, but as long as you're careful it's not a big deal. However, most of the time I leave the simmer plate in place as I really use the landing zone all the time.

Before picture of kitchen with old light fixture.

New recessed lights-off.

New recessed lights on.

Here are a few more to add to your ideas.

~boxer

JEM Cabinets

Charles Lantz Cabinetry

Creative Custom Kitchens

Devos Woodworking

Holden Construction

HD Woodworking