Not done:
light fixtures
tile
knobs on uppers
pantry door handle
drywall repair around outlets
paint
stools
kitchen table, banquette, chairs
DR chandy
DR chairs

Excuse any dirt or mess you see in the backgrounds!

Details

Perimeter: Carrara marble, honed 4cm
Island: Black Walnut
Custom Cabinets: Cornerstone Cabinetry, painted BM Simply White
Hardware: Restoration Hardware Aubrey pulls, 4', 6' and 8'
Rangetop: 36' 6 burner Capital Culinarian
Hood: Rangecraft, Viser model
Fridge: KA built-in
MW: Sharp 24' drawer
Sinks: Blanco silgranit in metallic gray
Faucets: Hansgrohe high-arc

From the Dining Room.

Closeup of beverage serving area. (Wow, that's a lot of booze. We're really not alcoholics!) We entertain a lot so I plan to set up beverages, which end up to mostly non-alocholic, here. I rotated this in photobucket, but it shows here the other direction.

I bought these pendants on sale and plan to do a DIY mercury glass technique on them to see if I can cut the glare but not make them look cheap. If they don't work, then I'm not out much and will continue the hunt.

I'll put a link to my photobucket album with more pics. My flickr account was full so the album will only have pics since we moved back in.

Oh, and I said I'd post some pics of the new cats, too. That's next!

What a beautiful kitchen.
So clean and so peaceful!

BTW. That booze wouldn't support an alcoholic. Not enough of it. Haven't seen Pimms for years. Love the stuff. :) That and Campari!

Anyway. Just gorgeous. I can't imagine it'll look much prettier with the jewelery. Lots of natural beauty.

Christine

Usually they sleep in a mound or stretched out like this.

To make these seem pseudo-kitchen related, here are the two kittens "helping" me unload the DW. Hey, I couldn't get them in a bowl, but they love the DW.

Definetly girl cats. :)

Lyban--Thank you! The island top is black walnut. It is finished with a product called Osmo. Since it is wood, it can, and has, scratch and dent. The nice thing about wood is that you can sand out those little imperfections and have it look as good as new. There is no daily maintenance on it. I just wipe it down as I do the rest of the counters at night or anytime during the day I've made a big mess. I love it!

(PS cats are cute too if you like that sorta thing! :) )

I remember that lemony stuff. It's not lemonade, but it's not hard lemon cider-ish stuff, either. The name escapes me. But the taste is in my noggin. Very nice after a real, solid, Ploughman's lunch. :)

Pretty kitchen, too.

Kidding aside, YOUR KITCHEN IS GORGEOUS!!!

But can I just say Coco, OMG OMG OMG!!! I have two 9-mo. old black and white kittens, boy and girl, fraternal twins. They are hell on wheels. They're my first black and white cats and they are definitely full of piss and vinegar. I love them dearly, but they sure do test the limits.

Congratulations on your not-nearly-done masterpiece.

the kittens and proud little momma - those pics were worth the wait! how darling! love how they sleep together! you did such a service to that little famiy to take them all so the mom could stay with her kids - you get extra good karma for that!

congrats!

And based upon personal experience, having littermates is the way to go! They're beautiful (mom, too!)

I love your kitchen and I love, love your kitties!!!! DH and I were just swooning over your pics!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!!!!

I do love that marble but the walnut and those sexy runnels....whew that is beautiful. c

Your counters, floors, "cupboards", everything is just perfect.
You deserve a breather from all your hard work. Enjoy!

Btw, did you ever consider putting waterlox on your floors instead of what you did, I think a Bono product?

Also, love your cats - they are adorable. They look content and well-loved.

Congratulations!

I'm also a Pimm's fan! What's your recipe? So far, I've stuck with gingerale.

Your kittens are sooooo cute. Do they not know that water is the main ingredient in dishwashers. silly things.

And I like your shorty backsplash in the adjoining area! Not least of all because we did similar. Our installers called it "cute".

And, those cats are just too fun. How great to have multiple cats who are family and get along. That shot of them in the dishwasher is just a hoot!

I know this kitchen has been blood, sweat and tears for you - and it is so neat to see it and follow along. Some of us have to live vicariously, you know, as our own projects are still in the dream and scream stage!

Congratulations!

Question, does your faucet spray land on the sink's bottom
surface or over the drain? And, if over the surface, how
does the water behave? When I pose this question I am looking
at your island sink, but I would be greatful to hear about the
main sink as well.

The walnut countertop is just so beautiful with the runnnels. There is so much space I would get lost compared to what we have!

The marble is perfect and the walnut is the most gorgeous I've seen.
The pulls, which you agonized over, look perfect on your beautiful white cabinets.

Congrats on creating a beautiful, friendly and peaceful kitchen.
And congrats on your adorable kittens who know how to unload -- or at least try to unload -- a dishwasher.

I do have a few questions for you when you have time.

I LOVE your marble. We were going to go with white corian, but I could so see your marble in my kitchen. With 2 kids, moving, company and the holidays, your marble has likely gotten a great workout. How were they to maintain? Does honing make the difference in upkeep?

What brand/model are your wall ovens? Aestetically I wanted a little bit of SS but a lot of black. Reliability I'm sure you checked that out already since you're on top of these things.

Excuse my ignorance but what are those white round circles on your island and pillar? I'm guessing electrical but I have to ask.

Great idea of the temporary pendants, that who knows could be the custom pendants EVERYONE wants. That is one of the few things we found already on a supersale (3 pendants orginally $1000 for $150).

Boring function questions
Distance countertop to countertop (island to small window aisle).
What are the dimensions of your smaller windows (w/o casing).

Your kitchen is so beautiful. I'd have trouble finishing those last few things, because I'd be so happy with the way it is now. I'd don't know how you did all this with so much "life" going on but you did an excellent job!

Just confirming that you did have your island top finished with Osmo Polyx oil?
Did you coat it? Or did the company that installed it coat it for you?
I suspect that your most beautiful ever island top
is going to start up a debate over Waterlox vs. Osmo.

As you may remember, we used Waterlox and were pretty happy with it.
But now I'm thinking that we'll try Osmo the next time we work with wood,
which may be sooner rather than later
since I'm not completely happy with the dimensions of my island top.

Your kitties are so cute! Love the picture of them in the dishwasher.

Your kitchen is timeless ..... love it!!

jody

I really like the inset bookshelf on the end of the fireplace (which I'd love to see, too). Is there something above it?

I am in love with your kitties!! Love that they match, but don't. Interesting and funny that they get in the dishwasher.

And those KITTENS, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! (That was me having a cute attack)

I forgot to tell the story of how the little marble splash came to be. I hadn't planned on any splash on the peninsula area, except maybe something on the back wall of the beverage counter indoor the upper. The counters were templated to that. At install, it was clear the pieces in that area didn't line up right. They worked and worked to get them tight against the walls without luck. The owner of the company came out during the work to see what could be done. They didn't have enough marble to re-cut another piece. Remembering what Celineike did in her beverage area with the little 2" splash of marble, I suggested that as a possible fix. We decided to have them fabricate the strips to see what I thought as it was cheaper for them to try that than to try to find another slab. I like that it finishes the area off even though it wasn't my original vision.

I will come back later this afternoon to answer the questions, but I need to run now. Give me until this afternoon.

Hhhmmmmm...I just noticed in looking at the pics that the kitchen looks a bit cold, not warm and inviting. Maybe that's what a gray Carrara does to a kitchen in the PNW. I thought that might happen.

You must be thrilled to have made it to this point (and how I envy you that). I've told you before: I'm utterly impressed that you GCed this project.

And your kitties? Oh, my, they are so adorable, they've stolen my heart.

(just kidding, Wendy)

Enjoy your wonderful new kitchen, you've certainly worked hard for it.

Cj

I don't even think I can write anything that hasn't been said.

Congratulations, can't wait to see what else you come up with.

-Bee

You did it! All that planning and agonizing over each detail made it just sing! It is a lovely kitchen and so well thought out. Congratulations!!!

Beachpea (the other Wendy)

In time, you may want to add some colour but until you have the tiles and banquette in you won't know for sure. One step at a time and don't rush it.

We've been in our kitchen now for 15 months and are just putting in drapery treatments, that's how long it took me to decide on colours and the style that I wanted to present.

Congrats! It looks amazing! The Aubrey pulls are perfect. I am loving your walnut and so excited to see it b/c we will have one on our island and that's the element I'm most unsure about. I especially love the runnels in the wood.

It's been a long time coming for you-enjoy every minute with your kiddos and fur babies. I am a dog person, but that black and white kitten is the cutest thing I've ever seen....

Katie

Northcarolina--my walnut top was custom made by a local woodworker with walnut planks. He has used Osmo polyx oil for years on his wood counters so I went with that. Osmo is a green, food-safe product. VERY easy to put on and can be used to spot treat areas that need it instead of having to finish the whole surface at the same time.

Athome--I'm not stuck or sick of my kitchen, just tired of waiting until it looks better to show some pics. My layout was a pita for a long time (see Rhome's comments), but eventually it worked out! I'm so glad I was patient for the right layout.

Linelle--My former orange tabby Peanut was a hellion. So far, little Coco isn't as bad. She was, however, the one we had so much trouble with the first couple of weeks peeing and pooping everywhere (beds, table, laundry, shoes) except her box.

Gigi--So NOT creepy! I do it all the time! I pretend I'm just cleaning them out. ;)

Momo7--My floors are finished with Bona. I would have considered Waterlox if that was offered by my flooring guys. I trusted them and their experience with Bona. I had so many things to completely agonize over in the reno that I let that one go. I've never seen a waterloxed surface so I'm curious how it would be different.

Kay--I fellow Pimms fan! Since I first drank Pimms as 'Pimms with Lemon' (lemonade), I usually mix with 7Up. I plan to try with one of the carbonated lemonades on the market now. I think that will come to the closest to how it's usually served in England. Ginger ale sounds good, too!

Zartemis--Thanks for the compliments on the 2" splashlette. As I mentioned this morning, it wasn't my initial vision for the space.

MDP--The marble is honed. I found it that way at the stone yard. It still has some shine to it though. I wrapped the peninsula around to the DR so I could have buffet space when we entertain. One of my pet peeves in the old kitchen/house was not having a space to put food when we have parties (a lot). Buffets ended up on the DR table, then folks have no where to sit with their plates.

Texanniew--My floors are 3" white oak stained with a Jacobean and Coffee Black/Dark Walnut mix. They are finished with Bona.

Lake Girl--The edge is eased. It's as close to a square edge as they would do. I also had the corners done very close to square also. I like straight lines. :)

The cleanup sink is deeper front to back and has a rear offset drain so the spray lands on sink bottom there also. The only reason I get some splashing there is because I sometimes accidently turn the faucet on full blast. With the Tapmaster at the prep sink, which I use more often, I'm still getting used to how much force I need to use to turn the little Hansgrohe lever.

Aloha--I could see marble in your space too. Beekeeperswife is also considering marble and asked me the same questions about how it's holding up. I'll link the thread on the bottom where I typed a near novel with detail. I think honing makes a difference in etching.

Wall ovens are Wolf L series, 30". I struggled over spending so much on them even though these were a floor model deal. I was in shock over bad ovens and prices in general during research. I had settled on the Elux non-Icons, which still seemed like too much money. I knew Wolfs were my dream ovens based on Rhome's oven saga. I decided to splurge on them for the baking techonology, reliability, and Wolf customer service. No regrets so far.

The round cirlces are electric outlets called Sillites. They meet electrical standards and sufficed as an outlet on the end of the peninsula that I needed by code. I didn't want a giant duplex outlet on the end of my island panel and couldn't put one in the end of the fridge wall. Instead, my electrician bored the smallish hole through the framing for the sillite. The island had to have outlets on both ends (grrrr) but we couldn't fit one in because of the trash pullout (another grrrr). Since I had an extra sillite left, the electrician talked me into putting it where you see it on the island and swears to me I'll pass inspection. Now that I see the photos, I see that it looks dumb to have that on one end of the overhang and the duplex in the pony wall under the overhang. Oh well. The stools should help hide that.
http://www.sillite.com/

Aisles (counter to counter):
Fridge itself (not counter) to island is 42.75"
Island to rangewall is 41.5"
Island to cleanup sink is 43.5"

Windows are 24" units; however, the frame of the window showing is 22" and the glass is only 17.5". I didn't realize a 24" window would give me so little actual window!

I'm afraid that the more I stare at that primed wall behind the hood, the harder it will be to choose tile and fill the area up with stools and the banquette.

And thanks for the compliment on the pulls. You know how much trouble those pulls were. Yikes. I love them and so does DH! Whew.

Rhome!!!!!! My kitchen angel! Thank goodness I had your help and that of countless others so I didn't end up with that galley kitchen! I consider myslef so lucky to have ended up with this most functional layout. Thank you for your countless hours of help, computer renderings, and counsel.

I don't think the pendants look cheap now. I'm just afraid that my DIYing could mess them up. I definetly need to practice first.

Thanks for the bookshelf compliment. I didn't take full-on shots of those because of the mess beyond in the other rooms. I have a mini "message center" area above the light switch bank and another shelf. If I can get DH to take all the bins and boxes out that need to go to the garage, I'll take some pics tomorrow.

Lisa--It was your nagging, uummm urging, in part that finally got me to post again. ;) You're doing so well on your bathrooms that you'll be at this kitchen stage soon!

Briana--Good idea for a post. I'll take some pics and work my way through the pendants. I'm hoping they turn out nicely because the shape is pleasing, but I'm not sure I can do claer glass pendants. Mercury glass is so appealing.

Kellie--Oh...HA HA!

Blfenton--You are one of a handful here that experience the same dreary climate. Snowing here today, too. I remember our discussions here of the possible coldness of the marble, white cabs, maybe gray cabs, etc. I'm so glad you don't feel the kitchen is cold! I think the finishes and accessories that need to be added will bring some warmth also. One of my goals throughout the reno has been to not rush decisions. I don't want to make a bad choice because I didn't take the time to look at all my options. Sometimes, that was a major hinderance, but I'm happy so far even if it has taken months and months and months to get here! Window treatments! Good for you! I really hope you'll post pics some day. I'd love to see it.

the marble looks perfect, very nice slabs!

I love the kitties in the DW BTW. Fabulous!

And your precious kitties are wonderful, too! Absolutely too cute!!

Ive been waiting and checking and rechecking for pics of your "done" kithcen!
It looks perfect! Exactly like your careful plan and yet effortless at the same time.
LOVE the wood on your island. My little piece of BB on my island is my favorite surface in my whole kithcen. (wish it was bigger)
Your marble is perfect too!
Cant wait to see bench/eating area done!
Congrats and YEAY!!!
xo
Celine

There are many beautiful details, and the one I keep going back to look at is that beautiful island counter. Wow!

It's fabulous! I adore your island, especially the runnels! Love the rain glass cabs. Just a gorgeous space, can't wait to see the backsplash.

Do you have any tile selections in the running yet?

Does the black walnut hold up well to wear and tear? It's making me want to change my island selection from marble to black walnut!

Can't wait to see what you choose for your backsplash, either - that is the one choice of mine that is looming, and I've decided I'm going to wait until everything else is in to make up my mind.

Your pulls are beyond perfect, I love that you have the same pull in a larger size for the wider drawers. Can I ask the measurements of your different pull sizes? I have several 36" wide drawers, and am debating between single wider pulls or double smaller ones.

Beautiful, beautiful space, especially that island. Enjoy!

Your kitchen came together beautifully. There are so many things I love: lustrous walnut counter with the fab runnels, lovely veining in the marble and the slim 2" BS, gorgeous hood centered between the two windows, etc., etc. I am so impressed you managed to pull off this project so well with little ones in tow.

Thanks especially for posting all the great photos of the lovely walnut. I've been hoping to use that in our kitchen too, and after seeing your pics, DH has a much better understanding of how beautiful it can be. I'm also glad to know about the Osmo polyx oil, because DH especially isn't a fan of high gloss. This might be a better fit.

Thank you for sharing these with us!

Built-in facing the kitchen.

The message/communication center. Eventually, I'll have DS's school schedule up and will post important invites, etc. I'm still working the kinks out.

The built-ins on the other side of the fireplace facing the front door. Once I unpack some of the "pretties" that have been packed for over a year, I'll take a stab at arranging the shelves. Now, it's just things that I didn't really have a place for yet when I unpacked them. :)

Look how the kitties worked themselves into another pic!

I'm planning on tiling the large walls on the fireplace faces up to yet-to-be-decided mantels. The white primer isn't very attractive.

Taggie--Thanks! yes, I did a few 4-drawer stacks. It's what I was used to with the few stacks I had in my old kitchen. I have a lot of utensils, etc that I felt would get lost in a deeper drawer. I'm having some difficulty with them in that the shallow ones aren't as deep as I calculated they would be. Consequently, some items don't fit where I thought they would. Right of the sink has 1. washclothes and bibs for DD 2. kitchen towels 3. BBQ tools 4. kids cups and thermoses in easy reach.

Right of the cooktop are 1. spices on the left and baking tools (measuring spoons and cups, etc.) on the right 2. larger and secondary baking tools like rolling pin and pastry cutters, stand mixer paddles, plus other small prep tools that need to be sorted and possibly moved to the island drawers 3. Teas, hot cocoa 4. Storage containers and lids.

(Please don't judge the organization as I still need to work on final homes for some of these things, final arrangement within the drawers, and find some organizer trays. AND...I NEED TO FIND MY DARN LABELER!!)

Left of cooktop has 1. hot mitts and pads on left and meat thermometers, tongs on the right 2. scale, corkscrew and wine corking system, binder clips, misc. tools 3. meat pounders, specialty microplanes, spider, gravy seperator, potato masher, misc. tools 4. pyrex dishes, mondo sized aluminum foil roll.

Capegirl--Hi! Thank you! There is nothing on the back wall of those cabs. It must be the water glass giving a shimmery look. What idea did I give you? To put something on the back wall of the cabs? I wish I could help!

Madeline--No specific tiles in the running yet. I've posted some of my ideas before....they're expensive. :( Walnut is holding up fine, for wood. I've gotten scratches and some dents from dropping things on it. I love the finish of the Osmo. The woodworker who made it was here the other day so he brought his sander and sanded it down really quickly and put another coat of osmo on. It took about 10 minutes and all the scratches were gone! Love the ability to do that!

Couldn't resist posting one of my fav new items. Knife block!!

Pondlily--Tonight, the only close-up pic I have of the hood is from the factory. I can take a closer pic of it installed tomorrow if you'd like. This pic is from my flickr account, which has another pic of the hood from another angle. Just click the photo and it'll take you there. Thanks for the compliments!

I purchased it directly from Rangecraft as a custom unit that was returned. It was on their website's clearance page. I got a great deal on it, but it was still a budget stretcher!

P.S. I am positively drooling over your spice drawer! I have a 36" top drawer next to my range reserved to do something very similar, just haven't found the perfect container.

Thanks for showing the built-ins... I LOVE them.

Did you get your spice containers from Bargreens?

Visually, I really like how you pulled the dining room cabinets and the kitchen all together. I too like the quiet minimal backsplash. (Maybe that's why I didn't like those self backsplashes before, the proportions were all wrong.) The windows are great and so needed for a home in the Pacific NW.

The marble is lovely and the island the right counterpoint. Hope you enjoyed mussing the counters up rolling out cookies with your little ones.

Speaking of which, now that Christmas is over, I bought some Star Wars cookie cutters on sale at Williams & Sonoma. Sounded more fun than looking for a backsplash and a dining light. You are inspiring me to post some photos too...

But that WALNUT!!! It just makes me want to... well, this is a family blog...;-)

Questions:

1. how is the pantry door working out with that fridge? I know you had major concerns about it.
2. did you happen to put a small fridge on that side with the drinks? My mom uses one and it is nice to not have to go around to the main fridge for cold drinks/mixers.
3. how high is that hood from the cook top?
4. is that the same fireplace that was just a box and 2x4's a few months ago?
5. What brand of knives are those? I should know, but...

Lynn--I'm so sorry to hear about your Skeeter. The pain is devastating when we lose a furry family member. I lost my sweet, black Archie kitty in July, and I still cry at night missing him when we would have been hanging out at my feet waiting for me to go to bed so he could lay with me. They leave a hole in your heart when they're gone. I hope you're taking good care of yourself during this time. Rescuing kitties is fun, but I hope it takes you a long time to get there. Thank you for the compliments. Glad you're back.

Rhome--I love the built-ins, too! I just couldn't see those ends next to the actual fp box be drywalled up, useless forever.

The spice tins are from Specialty Bottle. They have several different kinds. The lids on mine aren't screw on, but they hold really tightly so no worries.

Colorfast--Thank you! We did have a great time making a mess rolling holiday cookies! It's a blessing to have so much space and all those windows in our gray climate. Please, please post some pics! I would love to see them!

Menmsmom--Thanks! The stain on the floor is 75% Jacobean and 25% Coffee Brown (similar to Black Walnut). As far as the walls go, there won't be much drywall showing once the eurosplash goes on covering the rangetop wall from ceiling to counter and from side to side. The little drywall above the cleanup sink window, around the pantry door, and wall end abutting fridge panel will be painted the same color as my cabs and trim (BM Simply White) in hopes of making those areas blend in rather than stand out. I could conceivably paint above the cleanup sink window the same as the family room (BM Nimbus), which joins on that same wall depending on the tile I use.

Weedmeister--ROTFLMAO!! Thanks for the laugh and kind words! Answers:

1. Pantry door has a hinge limiter on so it would be very hard to swing into the fridge. If anything, the door would hit the freezer handle before any potential door knob would. Still looking for the right knob.

2. No drinks fridge. I needed the storage, and we don't drink much on a daily basis but milk and water. I sure thought about it though...

3. The hood is 30.5" from the counter, 29.5" from the rangetop surface, and a little less than that from the rangetop grates. It seems like it could go a little higher, but I wanted it to line up with the top of the ovens. Plus, getting a hood with only a 600cfm blower venting monster BTUs, I thought that having the hood a little lower might help with suckage.

4. Yes, that's the same fireplace that looked like this a few months ago.

5. My knives are a mix of brands. My fav is my Shun Santoku. Also in the mix are Dexter, Wustof, Mercer, Connoisseur, and Chef. DH works for a restaurant supply co so brings home samples all the time. I wouldn't give up my Shun for anything.

I can't wait to see the finishing touches! Your not nearly done kitchen puts some finished kitchens to shame.

I ask because I'm considering getting a 1 3/4 in thick wood island top next go around.
My current 1 and 1/2 inch walnut top feels a bit wimpy.
Yours looks just right!

Ice1 (Svava)--Thank you for posting! I'm not sure how shipping works, but my knife drawer insert can be purchased from Amazon.com and many other online stores. I would think you could get one shipped from somewhere. As for the fireplace, yes I will be tiling it. I'm some time away from choosing tile for that though. Need a backsplash first! I plan to tile up to a few inches above the actual fireplace insert and put mantels on both sides, with just paint above.

Lynn--Your sadness pierced me again. I hope you are able to keep leaning on your friends for support like that.

MileHighDiva--I hadn't given much thought to the cookbooks in the beginning either, but I knew I couldn't waste that space by drywalling over the short ends of the fireplace walls. Then I had a eureka moment! ;) Thanks!

Amy--I'm a complete slacker!! I know you asked me for the pull sizes some time ago. Apologies. When I ordered the pulls, I wasn't completely sure which sizes I'd use for which drawers/cabs so I ordered a couple dozen extra of all the sizes. When they arrived, I walked through the room holding up various pull sizes on cabs until I found what looked right. I was aiming for the Golden Mean, but fell of the wagon in a couple of spots where what should look right didn't.

Drawers
30" wide stacks and wider have 8" pulls
18-24" stacks have 6" pulls
17" drawers have 4" pulls

Cabs (very few)
all pulls are horizontal on cabs
11" doors have 4" pulls
15" doors have 6" pulls
glass cabs will have some sort of knob when I get around to looking ;)

I am very happy with the Aubrey pulls. I love the delicately slim, but very solid handle and how square the escutcheons are. As I mentioned before, the screws are NOT decorative. They mount from the front, just how they look. I didn't think about that being a possible long-term strength issue until someone on the forum mentioned it. My cab maker looked at the screws before mounting them and said they would be fine. My drawer and door fronts are very thick and made of solid wood so maybe that makes a difference.

Jshoregirl--Thanks!

Francoise--The walnut is just shy of 1.5" thick. Interesting that it looked thicker to you, but is the same as yours...

Lynn--Terrier prewash?! I would love to see that! Thank you for the kind words.

Jean61--My floors are 3" white oak stained with a Jacobean and Coffee Black/Dark Walnut mix (75%-25%). They are finished with Bona.

Pdxkit--I'm up the road from you in Washington. Thank you!

"My floors are 3" white oak stained with a Jacobean and Coffee Black/Dark Walnut mix. They are finished with Bona."

Did you install and finish the floors yourself? Can you tell me more about them please? They are beautiful!

I have a large walnut Boos board also (to match the walnut top). My old Boos was maple, and I only occasionally schmeared the Boos cream on it. I abused the heck out of that board daily for over 17 years and it still looked good. I'm trying to care for my new walnut board a bit more, but not sure how well I'll do in the long run. It's only a cutting board. :)

I never planned to cut on the island. That's one of the first questions my woodworker asked me. If I had, he would have probably recommended doing the top a little differently. I don't mind the kitchen looking used, but don't want to beat it up intentionally.

Boxer--You, my dear, are too kind. :-)

Lynn--I often think about you and Skeeter when I miss my Archie. Hugs to you.

Ilene 84--Thanks!

Mpmg--Thanks for the compliments. The floor was installed by a local wood flooring company. I chose white oak because I didn't want any red or yellow undertones. The 3" boards seemed to fit my house and I didn't want the huge upcharge to the wider boards that I really liked. They installed the boards unfinished. When it came time to stain them, I brought some pics to the house of floors I liked from the forum along with some of the stain colors I knew folks here had used. The flooring guys laid out some stains straight out of the can and also mixed up samples of the stain colors I wanted to see.

We adjusted the colors until I found THE ONE, which was a mix of two stain colors--Jacobean and Coffee Black. (Coffee Black is almost the same color as Dark Walnut in a more common brand.) It was mixed as a ratio of 75% Jac and 25% CB.

After the staining it looked like this.

The next day it was finished with two coats of a water-based product from Bona. No swedish finish or anything toxic. We had moved out for the reno anyway so didn't have to breathe it in, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined.

In this pic, the second coat of Bona is being applied.

We remodeled the whole house so the wood floor went down all over the main living area--kitchen, DR, family room, living room, mudroom, and front entry. If you click on one of the flooring pics, you'll link to my Flickr account with more pics of the floor and of the construction process. I hope that info was what you wanted. Let me know if it wasn't.

Natebear--LOL! They are pretty cute!

Polie--Thanks! :)

Martha--Thank you so much! That's high praise coming from you.

Well done!

Thanks for sharing.

Quick question: What is the distance between your island and your perimeter cabinets?

Steph--Isn't it strange how we like to see in other people's drawers? Well, you know what I mean. ;) My drawers are far from final organization. I have a couple more boxes in the garage to unload. Then I'll see what really should go where. I also need some of those cool Lee Valley drawer divider slats to keep things where they need to be.

Mistydatn--Thank you!

Annna--Tranquil. That's an adjective I was aiming for. Nice that it translated through. I appreciate the kind words.

Gulfcoastgirl--Thanks! Happy to answer a question from a fellow "girl". :)

Aisles (counter edge to counter edge):
Fridge itself (not counter) to island is 42.75"
Island to rangewall is 41.5"
Island to cleanup sink is 43.5"

I planned 48" aisles during my months and months of layout decisions for the whole house reno, but needed to tighten them up to accomodate other rooms. (We moved the kitchen within the house somewhat.) Not once have I wished for wider aisles. These seem perfect for us.

Bonus pic! Snapped this one day when I was trying to get some shots of my troublesome rangetop simmer.

I'll show you my floor plan. The peninsula and pantry were off by a few inches in the final outcome, but this is more or less what I've got.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I haven't done much to finish since these pics. As you can see above, I did purchase the counter stools. I don't have a pic, but I did find my cab crystal knobs for the dish hutch and DR booze cab.

DH started the ball rolling on the banquette design at work in early spring, but after my Dad's death, I lost interest. Plus, I know the decision on the fabric will be stressful for me.

One piece of good news this week is that my pendants were hung finally!! My long lost sparky showed up one day and finished up his small jobs he'd left hanging for months. Although I had planned a DIY mercury glass technique, I gave up on that for now because I couldn't find the Krylon paint locally. DH convinced me to hang them as is and then mercury glass them later if I didn't like the glare. I must say that they are beautiful in clear, sparkly glass. While I'm getting used to the glare, I'm not sure I'll keep them clear long-term.

Thanks again for asking about my kitchen! :)

I always wondered how people bathed their cats, never thought of the dishwasher. lol

Your kitties are so cute. Love the picture of all three of them asleep in the chair.

Your kitchen is beautiful!!!

Firsthouse--I'm still getting over the shock of you leaving that amazing White Princess kitchen! The walnut counter still makes my heart happy every time I see it, caress it, wipe it down, drool over it, etc. It's holding up like I think a wood counter would. I got a few scratches over the year along with a couple of dents where someone (who me?) dropped a can or the sort. When cleaning up the kitchen after my Dad's memorial service gathering, I found a "smiley" left in the seating overhang. Looks like the impression of a beer bottle bottom. No idea how it got there.

My woodworker owed me a favor so I asked him to come in November to sand down the counter and coat it again with Osmo. All the scratches came out, and the dents and the smiley, while not gone completely, are less visible. (I think of my father smiling every time I see the smiley so it's not too bad.)

Wouldn't you know it, but I got a couple more tiny scratches in the walnut on Thanksgiving. Oh well, I still adore the counter and know I can always have those scratches quickly sanded out again in the future. All my guests rave over the counter, stroke it, and ask what it is. Most folks around here have never seen a new wood counter.

I took a few of pictures today to show you the scratches and dents.

Prep zone with scratches, but they aren't really visible until you get right on top of them.

Closer look

Runnels with dings

The only good thing about living without tile for a year is that I now know I will need something that can handle the grease splatter from the rangetop. The grease spot behind that rear center burner is as bad IRL as it looks here.

Black Chamois, Heidia, and Mononoke1--I appreciate your comments!!

I was thinking of getting a Boos cart with a wood block top - I have to decide on an oiled model - functional or sealed model - more for looks. Thoughts based on your wood counter

Happy New Year!

I believe I have two very light coats on my counter, and definitely need more. I had to order another quart. It has only been in a month, but I will run over it with a fine sandpaper, I think, because I feel abit of raised grain in spots.

thanks!

Nancy

The grease bullseye is just a year of cooking. Because my hood is only 600cfms and 24" deep, I try to do all my searing, woking, and other high heat cooking on that back center burner for best HOGS capture. Hey, I cook. It's a kitchen. BUT it does tell me I need a tile behind the rangetop that can handle that kind of abuse.

And I'm not exactly ABB, I still need a pantry door handle, ceiling fixtures, DR chandy, and banquette. I'm starting to feel ashamed that the kitchen has looked almost exactly like this for a year without me finishing much.

Will you be cutting on your Boos cart top? I'm guessing not if you're considering something other than just oil. I love the look and feel of my Osmo. It looks great for months before it needs another coat, although that's even less now that it's been coated a handful of times. I don't think I'd mind the regular maintenance of oil, especially in such a small area, but I'm not sure I could choose oil over Osmo now that I've lived with it for a year. For what will you use the cart?

Nancy--After my woodworker sanded the counter in November, he applied one coat of Osmo Polyx Oil and asked that I apply one more in 24 hours. I have a tiny little can of the Osmo and it's last me through at least 5 coats. I don't use much at one time. For some reason, I didn't know you had an Osmo counter. Nice to have company!

Firsthouse--I don't really think I'm that conscientious about my counter. Unless you have wild hooligans that routinely run through the kitchen beating their chains and numchucks on the counter, I think your counter would look the same as mine after a year. I don't think I do anything special with it.

Alexx--Thanks! I love my pulls, too! Is that wrong to say? :) I have had zero problems with anything getting in the screws or with the fact that the pulls are mounted from the front. The knife block is a Wusthof 14-slot knife organizer. DH brought it home from work (restaurant supply co), but the Wusthof is sold many places, including Amazon.

Hope I answered everyone's questions! Your compliments are so appreciated.

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EDIT: I'll add a link to Part 2 of this thread where I answer the question below from Amanda. More pics!

Sorry I didn't read through, but did you get any pushback when you said to install the handle os the doors (not drawers) horizontally?

My DH and guy friends think I'm nuts and SO WRONG to do it like that. They said that people will break the handle and/or door since the user will pull out the door instead of swinging it open.
Yes, I showed them your beautiful kitchen and they still don't get it.

Of all my cabinets, only 5 of them are doors; rest are drawers. So I think the door handles should be place horizontally just like my drawers.

How did you handle any pushbacks?
What besides "It-is-my-kitchen-and-I-will-put-the-handles-however-I-want" can I use to gain DH and friends' understanding?

Thank you very much,
Amanda

p.s. Thank you very much for your supportive posts on my threads. It has been a very long road and it is incredibly helpful to read such wonderful thoughts.