Anyway, nothing could look worse than the original...I think this kitchen was legendary as the worst kitchen in gardenweb history!!!!
(disclaimer--this was taken when the previous owner lived here...I'm not the neatest, but not this messy!)

EEEWWWW!!!!!
Sarah

Still one of my favorites with the way you met challenges with the wrap-around oven location and your multi-purpose area by the fridge. Gorgeous!

I hope you love it every time you walk in (does the transformation still shock you? ;-), and, of course, while you're using it.

OMG, that before is STUNNING! Wow. How did you manage to see through it?

In any case, your after is stunning in a whole different way. I love it, can't wait to see it completely finished.

Anita

Wow! So bright and fresh and CLEAN!
I love it!
How are you liking your GM soapstone? We have it on hold. Yours look very black & smooth. Much veining?

Wow that may be the most dramatic change I've seen on this website!!!

Your new kitchen is beautiful - and now the room looks brand new! I love how the cabinets wrap around the corner. That's really unique!

Wow, what a difference! You new kitchen is beautiful!

I'm considering the Danze opulence faucet--any thoughts?

Ah Sarah I am so glad you decided to post...the "middle of the road" must be the Gold Coast Road...that is one very nice transformation ! Your have such great design features...really sets it apart and above . c

Thanks for all the nice compliments--it really does work like a dream--and it was a PITA trying to figure out how to make it all work...many, many hours and pages of tweaking...and tons of help from everyone on here to work around the original "charm" of this old house (aka the annoying, but fabulous beast of a radiator...taking out an old closet, etc.)

trailrunner--
Thanks--yeah, it's "high end" to us, that's for sure!!! ...but it really isn't what many on here consider a "high end" reno. TOTALLY high end compared to our original budget (under 25K...hah!!) and original plan for materials. Darn gardenweb made me bump it up a notch!!

Appliance total--everything from the ovens/fridge/cooktop down to the Insinkerator was less than 6K--cabinets were 14K, soapstone was under 5K, floors were less than 2K. Demo was free ;) I definitely splurged--don't get me wrong--but I was either at the higher end of the Home Depot/Lowes type budget or the low-end of the fancy showroom stuff.

Profrip--I love our faucet!! Finish and weight are my favorite parts--that's the Opulence in brushed nickel. And now, I see, they even have a more Victorian looking soap dispenser--back when I got this, there was only one Danze soap dispenser. I'm sure if you get into big money for a faucet, this one might not be great, but it's great for us. Fit our Victorian-era home, loved the finish, and it's not leaking or breaking yet! That's a good sign in a BUSY house with three kids five-and-under!! Oh--one thing. DON'T INSTALL THE HANDLE ON THE RIGHT (like we did). I'm totally used to it now, and I'm sure it could be changed if I wanted to, but if you and your family are righties, the handle should be on the left so you don't have to reach over with your left hand while you're holding a pot/glass/whatever.

katieob--I went out looking for a dark black soapstone with no veining. Looking back, I wish I would have gotten more veining--my favorite piece is that little four-inch backsplash piece near the mixer/coffee pot!! So if you get a chance, get more veining. This stuff is what they call Green Mountain PA--it's a little more spotty than veiny, but it is SUPER hard. No nicks/scratches or anything. Feels "warm" to the touch compared to granite. HOWEVER, it shows EVERY SPECK & CRUMB!! That's good for me because I'm the type of person that only cleans when I see something's dirty. That's kind of the reason I went for soapstone and white cabinets--you sure know when they're dirty (but you can also easily tell when they're clean!!).

Sarah

Truly amazing!! You must be in heaven. What vision you had to buy that house with the dream to make it what you have. My congratulations!!

Very nice!!!

What a transformation! All your choices are so beautiful. It looks like it will be a fun kitchen to cook and to just hang out in. Enjoy!

What a great use of space! It turned out beautifully. Your "before" kitchen is certainly the "funkiest" that I've seen on this forum - the mix of stenciling and brown stuff on the cabinets is most interesting.

Is the radiator under the desk? What a great idea. I wish my kitchen were bigger - I'd love that, I'd toast my toes.

It is wonderful. Your before pictures cracked me up. I really like the refrigerator/coffee station wall. I have similar plans. Great job.

I love your kitchen...but then I am biased since my new kitchen has off-white Brookhaven cabinets with Edgemont doors and Green Mountain Original soapstone counters.

What kind of undercabinet lights did you use? My electrician installed Seagull linear lighting & it looks like you may have installed something similar. Mine is literally falling down at the moment because the electrician didn't know to install a track & he just taped the cable to the bottom of my cabinet. I went out & bought the tracks and I am waiting for them to reinstall.

I think you did an amazing job with your budget! I paid a lot more for my cabinets, counters, floors, & appliances and my kitchen isn't much bigger.

I love your kitchen. You've done a wonderful job. Congrats on a job well done.

We're now two years without a backsplash. I'm still struggling with a decision. We have a similar bay window a few inches above the sink, and it has been quite a challenge deciding what to do there. I don't want much of a backsplash - just a few inches but need to do something in the bay window base. What are you thinking of doing in yours?

Thanks again!! Yup, the radiator's behind those saddle stools. I actually spent a month or two trying to tweak that configuration so we could keep the radiator (admittedly, I was the one trying to get rid of the radiator and DH was ADAMENT about keeping it...not even an option...so literally, the whole kitchen was remodeled around an old cast-iron radiator!!)

Now, especially this winter, I LOVE having the radiator under there! Our heat's on a programmable thermostat that turns on at 5am...and when our 1-year-old decides that's his wake-up time (quite often these days...uggh!), I'll sometimes sit down there, taking in the heat with a cup of coffee!

Besides working on our upstairs bathroom, my latest plan is to open up the wall you can just barely see to the left of the fridge and make a large bar/pass through area there...one header, a countertop and some bar stools, and we should be able to have a slightly more open floor plan. It's a pretty big house--3100sf on the middle two floors with a full attic and basement--but the downstairs is seven distinct areas--mudroom, kitchen, dining room, play room, parlor, living room, and foyer. I'd LOVE to make it a little less choppy and open it up a little to the front of the house. With that wall opened, you could see the front door and the TV in the living room, which would be very cool!

Anyway, the reno never ends in a 150-year-old fixer-upper!!
:)
Sarah

Sarahandbray, it came out wonderful!!! I remember following your layout planning, and the finished product is amazing.

Can you handle another compliment! That's one beautiful kitchen, and the "before" picture really blew me away. Good job!

Thanks again!
Just so you don't think the whole house looked like the original kitchen, I threw in the pics that convinced us to buy it (not to mention that it was DH's grandpa's house in the 1950's!)...and I'm a little voyeuristic myself, so I love to see the houses that the new kitchens go in!!

picture we found...not dated, but pre 1955 (aluminum siding went on then):

More recent pic:

Original built-ins, floor-to-ceiling in dining room:

close-up of one of the old radiators...actually one that we painted with a metallic paint for the new upstairs bath...but they're all cool and fancy like this one (except the one that's in the kitchen, ironically).

The kitchen and upstairs bath were the worst...everything else is just cosmetic, really. Don't get me wrong--we have a HUGE list of things--siding, removing more years of wallpaper (if you're thinking you might wallpaper, DON'T DO IT! FIGHT THE URGE!), redoing the front porch and restoring it to look like the old pic, etc.

But it's a great big old sprawling farmhouse that we'll never have to add on to...which is a plus when you have three little kids!

-Sarah

Your house is beautiful - and I was happy to read that you want to restore the porch to the original (like the top photo.) That porch looks so nice on the home. And I would love to have the wood built ins in your dining room. They are lovely - something you don't find in new houses unless it's custom!

Your new kitchen is so wonderful and fits so nicely with
your beautiful old home! I am always envious of home like
yours although I have never even been in one!
I think its a great idea to show the home along with the new
kitchen that it went in. Congrats and enjoy!
vic

Love, love your house, and LOVE your kitchen. Your kitchen is the first I've seen that had a new idea for the double ovens that would actually work for me. I have a galley kitchen, and was probably gonna just stick them next to the fridge, but it would look pretty massive. Do you find it annoying to go around the corner to use the ovens at all?

Your kirthen is truly spectacular...everything I wish I could have in mine. You did a great job. Your house is equally wonderful. It looks like some of the older homes at the beach along the Jersey shore. Is it?

I remember you agonizing over the plans. That seems so long ago -- LOL. It is a beauty of a kitchen -- oh and I have porch envy. I can only hope that my 1920s Dutch colonial will come out half as nice. I know what it feels like to have a long list. We have been working on ours for six years and once we get one thing done we add even more to the list. We go slowly though because we use a contractor and that adds to the cost. I am wishing now we were more DIY!

You've done such an amazing job! Your kitchen is just beautiful. Great use of the space. When I showed DH your before pics, he asked, "The kitchen looked like that and they still bought it?" Love the DR built-ins and the history of the house. Thanks for showing us the big picture too.

I remember you posting the original photos (was just thinking that and scrolling down -- there they were again!), us looking at plans and ideas and talking about our white Brookhaven cabinets about the same time. Then I was thinking how I loved that old house and how I'm so glad it has someone loving it and making it sparkle again -- there were the exterior photos. I just love it -- not just the kitchen, but that the house is a home and has its wonderful charm again. I love old houses, I love front porches.

Alforfun, I remember the head banging that went on over trying to deal with the fridge, the ovens and that radiator. I think what makes the around the corner ovens work here is that there is a counter on the end for short landing space. If that corner were closed, it would be much harder. There is also that counter space next to the fridge and she has that set up with the mixer for baking and working. The sink is a little removed, but not too far (I've seen worse in kitchens with straight layouts) and there is no island in the way. This could be a royal pain with a barrier island in between.

We could only see it on paper and judge it as the lesser of evils or a possible solution. Sarah had to be in the space and make that final judgment. I think you have to do the same thing -- even tape lines or use boxes and walk through meal prep, snacks, clean up, entertaining, even putting away gorceries and dishes and see if everything works. Good luck.

Lascatx-I know exactly what you mean. I have been walking around the kitchen, trying to see how things would work. In the end, it comes down to what you feel would work. It is wonderful to see what people have done with their kitchens, when the space is awkward, or not that huge. I just love this one, definitely my style. Crazy but true, we solved our radiator problem by ripping them out of our kitchen 25 years ago, doesn't get TOO cold in there, ha ha. We also THREW out a huge old white sink with a drainboard, something that people are putting in their kitchens again because they are so useful, I sure wish I had it now.

Beautiful kitchen (beautiful house). Amazing transformation. The before pics.... I'm speechless. You must be beyond thrilled to have this done. Enjoy!!!!

Just in case any of those seeing the before pictures for the first time don't know, the home was not owner occupied before. Though the kitchen was ready for an update, I think the kind of tenants who give landlords fits added a lot to the image.

Oh, wow...didn't see any of the posts beyond the last one I put in here! Whoops! Wasn't ignoring people!

No, that kitchen was DEFINITELY not occupied by me before. Eeew. I'm not a super-neat person--I try, but have three little kids and would rather spend time with them than be a neat-freak. Someday, I would LOVE for a twice-a-month cleaning lady...ahh, that would be heaven!! And no, the kitchen does not look that sparse and barren on a daily basis--I had just oiled the counters, hence the lack of anything on the counters at all.

This was a house that my husband knew he wanted from years before...just waiting for current owner to decide to sell. It is flanked by my husband's parents and uncle. So the ridiculous state of the kitchen really made no difference...except that we both knew it had to be totally gutted. No questions asked. Kind of nice that it was so bad, in reality...because my husband is notoriously frugal, and if he could have gotten away with a fresh coat of paint and a new fridge, he would have been ok with it. Luckily, any normal person could see that it wouldn't have helped that disaster!

Current project (never-ending in an old house!)--upstairs bathroom (there is no master bath...just one on the first floor and one on the second) and figuring out what to do with the siding.

Oh and the issue with the ovens is a complete non-issue. Never a problem. The "landing area" for the ovens is just to the left of them on that pie-shaped cabinet. And being soapstone, you just grab your Ove-glove and plop the dish right down on the stone. Can't say enough good things about the double ovens. Especially with little kids. I mainly use the upper on a daily basis and the bottom oven maybe once or twice a week for big family gatherings. Upper oven keeps my one-year-old from pulling on it like he does on Grandma's range next door. So annoying!!

Grocery landing area is mainly that pie-shaped area across from the fridge and the little baking/eating area. I really feel like I have a ton of un-interrupted couter space in this kitchen...more than was ever used to, anyway!! No way this kitchen would be big enough for an island, as much as it would have been nice. Kids don't mind eating quick meals at the little radiator area (but are BEGGING for a little 19" flat-screen TV!!).

The kitchen is small enough that there's no problem going from one area to the next. Literally 5 steps from the sink to the fridge/ovens.

Anyway, I can't wait to post totally finished pics soon. Trim, subway tile, toekicks and some decorations and it will be DONE!!!! (maybe some time in 2011)

:)
Sarah

sarahandbray: would you mind sharing the paint color on the walls in your new kitchen? It is exactly what I am looking for but having trouble finding! Thanks

WOW sarahandbray, I love your kitchen!! I can't believe I missed it the first time around. Your floors, cabinets, soapstone...all are gorgeous. Well done!!!

Great "old" new kitchen to go with your beautiful old home. I laughed when I saw pictures of your "before" kitchen -- Ours is/was right up there with it. It's amazing how ugly some kitchens can be!

I hope you post pictures of the rest of the house as you go along. I love the old B & W photo of the exterior.

sarahandbray

Would you mind sharing what the paint color you used in your kitchen is? It is a really pretty neutral.

Thanks

Thanks! I like it a lot, too. It's Wool Skein by Sherwin-Williams. I found it tough to find a color that I liked that wouldn't clash with the green subway tiles I have waiting to go in as my backsplash. My other accent color is going to be a deep cranberry red (inspired by the paint color on our back door--I think you can kind of see it in the first of the "before" pictures. So with those two colors, I wanted a neutral on the wall that would still show a bit of contrast against a LOT of very thick moulding (still yet to be installed).

:)
Sarah

Some other pics, just for fun:

Kind of all my inspiration pieces as I started to collect them--Pewter plate was DH's grandfather's and was the ONLY thing to come out of our incredibly huge barn fire in one piece--no soot or damage in any way. Ironically enough it's for Farmer's Fire Insurance! It will have a place one way or another in the kitchen--maybe behind the cook-top once the tile is installed.

Actual tile...

One of my inspiration kitchens--Elie something-or-other's kitchen on the Food Network:

:)
Sarah

Here is a funny coincidence! I actually emailed Food Network a couple of months ago to see if they had any details related to what brand and color of tile were used in Ellie's kitchen!!! They emailed back that the kitchen they use to tape her show is actually a leased kitchen and no details were available. I have been on the hunt for either gray or green crackle glazed subway tile ever since.

If you don't mind sharing, where did you find your tile, and what color are they?

Thanks

I love you kitchen!!!! OMG I can't even believe the before - this must have changed the whole feel of your house! Seriously, what an incredible job you did. I love such dramatic before and afters.

Thanks!
Housetohome--I actually e-mailed them two years ago about it when the show first came out--got pretty much the same response--although they said something about looking into it (which they obviously didn't because they still don't know!). I don't think her tile is identical to the one I got, but it's close.

The tile I got was on the low end of Walker-Zanger. I don't think they still make it. It's the Orielle line 4X6 subway tiles in Tanager (green). I think it was $11.50/sf (which I thought was ASTRONOMICAL at the time...then I started pricing out marble basketweave for our bathroom floor!! Yikes!) I have seen some that are a little more "uniform" lately--these are all handmade tiles with a glaze on that red pottery-type tile--so they aren't all identical as you can see from the picture. I kind of like it, but I can imagine that some people might not. But still today, when I wander through our local tile shop, I still like Walker-Zanger the best--fits the decor of our old house the best.

Oh, and kpaquette, the befores really were legendary on gardenweb at the time...and certainly not in a good way. Disgusting and completely disfunctional!! Eeew!! I don't even want to remember what that looked like--we were living in the front of the house at the time with the 80's apartment kitchen and our tenant (who was the previous owner--sold it to us as long as he could rent back for two years) had this kitchen. As I walk through the house, it's hard to imagine now how it was split up into a two-family.

Amazing how quickly you can get used to spaces, I tell you!!

:)
Sarah

Sarahandbray
I must have missed your initial post. I'm pretty sure you have an old house, like me. ( I am an old-timer on this forum - don't post a lot though). Funny - I have soapstone counters, cream cabs and cherry flooring. Although, I have to admit, your BEFORE - is much worse than mine;) I know you have been at it for a long time......It looks wonderful - you must be so pleased. Great job - I hope you enjoy it!

Yes, the house is pretty old! 1870's--not as old as some around here, but still considered an "antique!" And I really haven't seen anyone's "before" picture that was worse than mine--honestly. I didn't let my daughter touch anything as she walked through the first time we saw the house! Any pictures of yours? (did you post them and I missed them?)

Oh, and I missed one other question--no, we're not at the Jersey Shore--although I spent a week every summer in Beachhaven on Long Beach Island! Gosh, I would LOVE it if this house were there. Ahh....

No, we're in upstate, NY--a few miles outside of Albany. If I could pick it up and move it to the Jersey Shore, I would--I'm guessing it would cost more than 125K there, though!!!

:)
sarah

wow, that old kitchen was ready for a change. it is beautiful. i love the wood floors! the color just really pulls you in. it looks like you are about where i am with only the backsplash left to do. why is that always last? its something that i've thought about over and over again for months now. i've been to all of the tile websites, but just never pursued it aggressively until now. i guess pressing priorities alway rule like getting the new stove in so that you can cook again, and the sink in for sure.

I love your green tiles. but, then again green is my color. its going to look great. good luck in finishing up.

BEAUTIFUL!!!
Bumping this back up to ask a few questions.

What style bin pulls are they? There are so many on that site.

Also, what light did you get from Rejuvanation? I couldn't seem to find a shade shaped that way, and I love it.

Thanks so much!

Wow! I can't believe I missed this post. Your home is beautiful! I've always dreamed of a porch like that! You did a great job updating and still keeping the integrity of the older home. Great Job!

Oh my that BEFORE, is about the worst I can ever remember seeing. I'm amazed that you were were able to look beyond that and create such a charming kitchen. It looks like it's always been part of your very beautiful home.

Thank you so much for posting the pictures of your beautiful Brazilian Cherry Floors! It is making me fall in love all over again with the gorgeous coloring and look! What width plank did you choose?

You did an amazing transformation to your kitchen and I just love the creamy cabinets, and how you make the kitchen go so well with the style of the house by incorporating little touches like the look of the Vent-a-Hood over the oven and that beautiful sink! I can't wait to see the kitchen 100% done when you add the backsplash. What color paint did you use on the walls since I also love your wall color.

Sarah - Great Job ... I'm in Schenectady and was wondering if you had time for me to pick your brain as I'm having a tough time deciding on cabinets and finding a legit, reasonably priced contractor. If you do have time, pls write to me at ellaimbo@gmail.com and we can exchange phone numbers. Tx in advance

Okay so you’ve had the soapstone for years, how are they holding up? I want to do soapstone and wanted to find someone who had had it for years and get a good experience opinion. You’re kitchen renovation is beautiful! Also do you have pics with your green backsplash? Thanks!!