wow what a great redo! Love it! REally a huge improvement!

Did you do all the painting yourself? Paint color for cabinets? What is the paint color for the walls? (looks a little like REstoration Hardware Silversage)
Where did you get your island pendants? Love them!

Yes, please give us lots more details. Love the decorative tiles and your counters. Very pretty. And the cabinet behind your table.. is that freestanding?

Oh, that's beautiful! I love, love, love, that cabinet by the dining table! Your pendant lights are gorgeous, as is your sink and your cooktop backsplash and your counters! Those drawer and cabinet pulls really make a statement! Then there's that beautiful floor! I think your backsplash was a great choice - it looks so elegant!

Congratulations!

but I took down the fruits of the spirit I had stenciled on the bulkhead and am looking to replace. I love your chalk fruits of the spirit. Do you happen to know where you got it?

Love the colors. Very relaxing. Great job!!!

Trish

Looks great! I would love to know the details, particularly about the cabinets. Did you paint them yourself? Did you fill the oak grain before painting? What is the brand and finish of the paint you used?

Also, I love the kitchen table. Where did you find it?

Really beautiful job--all that and it didn't break the bank!

Oh, almost forgot! This is our new island, which I love and do EVERYTHING on. It's an old piece I got from Craigslist, and then added feet and a butcherblock top to.

Thank you so much for the compliments! There are so many incredibly gorgeous kitchens here, it is a little intimidating to post!

ohmygosh, the details, the details -I forgot! Okay, in no particular order:

I always do all my own painting but farmed this one out after I got a really good price that included the cabinets, taking down the wallpaper, retexturing and painting walls, and repairing and repainting water-damaged ceilings in three rooms.
Walls are Ben Moore Coastal Fog.
Cabinets are Ben Moore Linen White
No grain filling, just two coats of primer and two coats of paint, and the inside of the cabs is done as well.
The floor is a laminate, which I will have to go look up.
The table was a $100 CL buy, and I refinished it (first time I've done that, LOL!)
Pendants are RH Benson from Ebay.
Faucet is Kohler Clairette (LOVE it!) from Ebay
Sink is from IKEA (LOVE it!)
I painted and distressed the chairs, which were our old kitchen chairs, but they are a bit too white, and eventually I'll get around to re-doing them.
The Fruit of the Spirit plaque is from ETSY.
The cabinet hardware is mostly IKEA and some came from LOWEs (the shorter pieces).
Chalkboard is IKEA.
Tiles are Emser Cape Cod series in cream (very pretty, crackled and glazey looking in real life).
The piece with the lighted top is also a CL find, and is actually an office armoire that I use for all my bill-paying, websurfing, etc.
Did I forget anything?
We still need window treatments and rugs. Any suggestions?

VERY Nice!

I love your IKEA sink. Actually, I fell in love with it in the store, and couldn't wait to see someone use it -- Yours is the first I've seen. Is it as handy as it looks?

And your island - Fabulous! Don't you just love Craigslist? I really like how you added the feet and legs to make it into just what you needed, and how your finish is just different enough to look intentional. Your over-the-fridge treatment and shoe cabinet are also brilliant.

You know (hint, hint) it's the custom in some locales to have a GW get-together to christen each new kitchen. (wink, wink) ;-)

Thanks for the details! Love that you did so much yourself!
I love Coastal Fog - I just painted my dining room that color before Christmas and couldnt be happier! It is so soothing, warm, light and fresh and I enjoy that it changes color slightly throughout the day.
Great job again! Enjoy your new kitchen!

Fabulous job!!! What a difference paint and a new counter can make. LOVE the island...especially as I'm also a big fan of CL. Just sold something there today as a matter of fact. Love your blend of cabs, island and armoire. Great job! Enjoy your new space.

Almost forgot...the floor looks great too!!

I want to know all about your sink! I really liked it in the store but I also really wanted an undermount. Apparently it can be "hacked" to be undermounted but I'm afraid that would cancel out the awesome savings over the 1K+ sinks I have seen by other companies.

Costa Esmeralda is a show-stopper! I absolutely love it with the white cabinets. I love your island too. Great job, i would never have seen this as a kitchen on a budget!!

Very nice job! Love that Costa!

I am sitting at the EXACT same computer armoire that you found on Craig's List. It is from Office Depot, and it is from the Christopher Lowell collection.

You have great taste! ;^)

It's amazing what paint and a few changes will do. It looks completely different and new!! Great job!

Excellent!!

really beautiful job!

and thanks for the etsy link for the FOS

Trish

wow, that's really inspirational! Very nice!

What is your source and color name for the backsplash tile?

Love, love, love the Costa Esmeralda!

Love the colors, that creamy tile really sets it off and your island is classy looking. The sink and hardware is marvelous. Very nicely done!!

Fantastic redo of your kitchen! It's beautiful!

Thank you all so much for the kind words! This kitchen would never, ever have come to be without GW. And now it is fun to share the results with people who 'get it'!

ejbrymom, yes I LOVE the Coastal Fog. In fact, my first thought was hmmm, where else can I use this in the house? I'm surprised we don't hear more about this color. Sometimes it is quite putty looking, sometimes more grey-green. Very ethereal somehow. I also love that it is so neutral. I truly feel as if I can use almost any fabrics and dishes in here now.

Sweeby, yes, you are right! We do need to have a Houston get-together at my house. Also because I have to pick your brains about Cornell. Harry decided he loved it there, and has been accepted under EA!

For those who wondered about the IKEA sink.... we ended up with this sink after we discovered that we were going to need a second slab of granite, but just barely. Since the slabs were about $1500 each, it was a lot more money for the few feet we actually needed. Around that time, my daughter and I were in IKEA and saw this sink. She loved it, but I wasn't so sure. Then a few days later I suddenly realized, wait a minute, that's a counter depth sink -I bet we wouldn't need that second slab! Got out my graph paper, drew up my granite needs, and voila -we could fit it on one slab! Plus the sink was something amazing like $125. Honestly, my thought at the time was, "It'll be good enough." And now, believe it or not, it is one of my favorite parts of the new kitchen! I LOVE this sink. The size is fantastic, everything about it just works beautifully. There is a back drying area, which is wonderful for putting a few glasses or things on to dry. It has raised sections (to allow air to go under the items), My only complaint is that here in Houston we have very hard water, and if you allow water to just sit in that area, you can end up with some mineral deposits over time, which can be difficult to clean out of the raised grooves. Of course, this is only a problem when DH and DS clean up and splash water all the h*&* over the place and don't wipe it up, LOL. I don't know about hacking it to be an undermount (I assume you have looked at the IKEA hacks website?), but I think it could be fairly easily installed as an undermount just as it is. I would be happy to take some closer pics and email them to anyone interested.

Questions about the tile... It is an Emser tile, called "ARTISAN CREAM CRACKLE" from the Cape Cod series. I think our pattern was called Seasore. I really love it. It was one of our splurges. I bought mine through ProSource. BTW, I have about a box and a half of the 3x6 pieces, two of the 6x6 squares, and two of the 3x9 pcs, all leftover. If someone needs a small amount like this, email me and we can work something out!

I think I got all the questions but if not, don't hesitate to remind me. And again, thank you all so much!

Lynn

Oh, btw, I seriously need help with rugs and window treatments. Any ideas?

Love it all, and what a great job reusing your cabinets and found items on CL!

I absolutely love your crackled subway tile. I so wish I could have afforded something like that! The granite is just breathtaking also.

You're ended up with a wonderfully warm, friendly, inviting kitchen. Wish I could come over for a cup of tea there! :)

Congrats and enjoy!

Woo Hoo for Harry! He'll love it! (Except for the winters, of course.)
FWIW, Alex is so happy at Lafayette he's probably going to turn down Cornell's transfer option, or ask to defer another year.

Really nice! Love the island, in particular.

It's always so wonderful to see the lovely spaces that can be accomplished on a budget. So serene and such a change. I'm so glad to hear you like the double Domsjo. Is one side large enough for a cookie sheet or roasting pan?

Very cool island!! What a great find, and you finished it off perfectly. This is a wonderful transformation...I had to go back and forth to the before picture to appreciate all of the changes. It is genius the way you improved and utilized the space above the fridge. Enjoy, enjoy!

I really like the feeling your kitchen evokes. It is just so comfortable and homey (is that a word?). I keep scrolling to see the photos. I especially love your counters, backsplash and sink. Love that niche for your small appliances, very nicely done! Is that a pass through over the sink?

Very nice job! I really like how the sink worked out for you and love what you did for a new island.

Hope you are staying warm now -- I'm up on the north side of Houston - near Conroe, which seems to be the cold spot lately. Brrr.....

What I'm dying to know about is your LIGHT RAIL!!! I've looked at HD, Lowes and even our local lumber/millwork store and nobody seems to carry a light rail for under cabinets. :( I was hoping to avoid having to order from a cabinet department or a cab maker to cut down on costs but I'm thinking I might have to at this point! Where did you get yours?

A truly FANTASTIC job on your kitchen overall! Just beautiful and an inspiration for all of us that are trying to "re-do" on a SUPER TIGHT budget!

BRAVO!

Thank you all so much! It is very affirming to hear that others see my new kitchen as I do -warm and cozy. I love doing things on a budget and re-using stuff. GW has opened up my eyes so much and given me a more confident 'what do we have to lose by trying' attitude! If I can be inspiring to others, I love that, because so many GWers have been inspirational to me.

Okay, on to the questions...
The sink will not fit a large roaster or cookie sheet. I bake all my cookies on a stone now, which cannot be submerged anyway. So the only real issue is when I use a big lasagne pan. In a perfect world, I would love it to fit one, but it seems a small sacrifice. Overall the sink is just so much larger than what I had and somehow just *works* so well. They do have a single-bowl domsjo, but I really wanted to double bowls, because when I cook and/or bake I typically have a sink full of sudsy water so I can clean as I go, and an empty half for scraps, etc.

Thanks for noticing the refrigerator cabinets -I use this area constantly now and it was truly wasted space before. Plus it has freed up the entire top shelf of my pantry (which has always been reserved for cereal).

Okay, tootiepugsmom, you have perplexed me -not sure what a 'light rail' is. We did add skirt molding to the bottom of the cabinets. We had a carpenter do it, because he was here doing the over-fridge cabs and the shoe cabinet, but you could soooo easily do it yourself. I had seen this detail on some high-end cabinets and felt it would make ours just look nicer. Immediately behind that we placed undercabinet lighting. Is that what you are referring to? If you need closer up pictures let me know and I can take some.

It's really gorgeous! You should be so proud! My favorite parts are the counter and backsplash, so pretty with linen white cabinets. I love the pendants as everyone has said and of course the island w/ the butcher block! Very awesome. One of kind really and that's really a good conversations piece and great on the eyes.
Enjoy!!!
Janice

Oooo...I love it! I really love a great 'budget' remodel and you did such a fantastic job! If I could have salvaged anything in my kitchen I would have, but it was just way too nasty.

I have the double bowl Domsjo too now, and I frickin' love it! It's also one of my new favourite items in the kitchen. It's so much bigger than any sink I've ever had, and the depth is perfect for me. If I stand in front of it my fingertips hit the bottom, so no back problems from having to lean over a really deep sink.

Anyhow, great job! Where did you get those counter chairs? They're exactly what I was looking for but never found :( I already ordered some but they're way late on delivery and I could maybe cancel my order...

The chairs are from Target, online, on sale of course!!!!

Great job! Where'd you get the butcher block for the island? IKEA too?

Thanks.

Gorgeous! I love love love the granite. If I'd gone with lighter cabinets I was considering something like that.

The island and butcher block really make the space special.

Enjoy!!!!

A wonderful transformation. I especially love the dark butcher block top for the island, the paint color on the walls, the backsplash and how well everything ties together. I also really like the painted tile above the doorway. And what a great view from the dining table...the perfect place for a cup of coffee! Enjoy!!!

Btw, what did you use to hang the tongs behind the cooktop?

Hi Cheri,
I'm laughing about the tongs! It's a bone of contention between my husband and me. I HATE them there (cluttering up my beautiful backsplash focal point!!), But we use them constantly, so my husband keeps sticking them there. We just have three tiny little nails, nailed into the hood trim back there. The nails are painted like the trim so they don't show up much.

May I archive your kitchen in the Finished Kitchens Blog? If so please submit your permission via the FKB Category Checklist. Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

I could spend hours absorbing all the wonderful details. Starting my budget re-do soon, so many, many thanks for all the inspiration!

Would like to know where you found the extra wide pulls for your base cabinet drawers. And would like to know how wide the drawers are.

Rosie

Ohmygoodness, I haven't looked at this post in awhile -it just came up when I was searching for another, and so I saw these new posts. So sorry!

starpooh -thank you so much for asking! I'm flattered! I am just leaving to go to a swim meet, but will take care of this next week if that's okay.

Rosie -you're so sweet! The pulls are from IKEA and Lowe's -they are an exact match to each other! The longest are from IKEA. On the coffee bar counter: the long drawers are 34 inches across. Top one is 6" deep and bottom is 10.5" deep (measured inside). The narrower drawers are 16 inches across. Bottom one is 10.5" deep and one above it is 6" deep. The bottom one holds all my pitchers upright, which I love! All of these drawers replaced cabinet doors.

The bank of drawers beneath the cooktop: the top drawers replaced fake drawer-fronts, and are each 16" across the drawer face, 13" inside crosswise measurement, and 6" deep. I use them for pot and pan lids. Ideally they would have been another inch wider. The middle drawer is 34" across the drawer face, 31.5" inside crosswise measurement, and 6" deep. The bottom drawer is the same crosswise measurements, but is 10.5" tall and was sized specifically to store my tallest stockpot.

Hope this is helpful -thank you again for your sweet comments! If I missed anything, or it is confusing, just bring on the questions...

Lynn

Lynn,
My cousin's husband teaches at Cornell. I think he teaches "rocket science" really, he's a aeronautical engineer. God, I hope I spelled it right, he he. My cousin's originally from Houston too, what a small world. If your DS is up there and into that field, have him look up Professor Mason Peck. Although I think she might have mentioned they might be taking a sabbatical in the fall.

I love what you've done and best of all it sounds like YOU really love it and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

I found your post on a search for that IKEA Domsjo sink. I've seen it in the store and the catalog, but it's nothing compared to seeing it in a real working kitchen. I'm so glad to hear that it's one of your favorite things. I'm definitely going to put one in my kitchen.

Kathe

Hi Lynn -
I don't mean to be a pain but I want to remind you about submitting the FKB Checklist form. There's no big hurry because I'm really far behind posting finished kitchens, but usually it's best to submit the checklist soon after your kitchen is finished. :-)
Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

I'm in love with the island and even more so because of the way you personalized it yourself! It's beautiful. I equally love the table, you did an amazing job refinishing it! The whole room is amazing, love your choice of backsplash, wall color, the touches of black and white mixed with warm things like the island stools. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful job!

OK, I admit I haven't read all the posts, only looked at the pics, but yes, you did forget at least one thing... a picture of the inside of the shoe cabinet!

I also haven't seen if you answered where you got your BB island top, and the wood, grain and finish of it.

I LOVE your island and fridge cabinets especially. And the floors with the white cabinets. And the overall transformation with what you already had. (Wish we could have done that, but we needed a completely new layout.) If you've answered about the BB counter, don't answer again. I'm going back to read, right now and I'll find it if it's there.

(I've already ordered mine and it should be shipping tomorrow or Tuesday, but I"m interested to compare notes.)

Going back over it now to see all the details in writing and look again at the beautiful pictures! Enjoy and congratulations!