I still just loooove that sink!! The new space in wonderful, and I know you are really enjoying it.

So beautiful! I love to see soapstone countertops, counting down until I have my very own. Great view by the way!

BEE-U-TI-FUL!! The windows, floor, cabs, SS, lights--love it all! Please share the details! And your view is incredible! Enjoy your "new" home for many years to come!

What a transformation! Love the new windows and all that you have done!!! Looks wonderful!

Swimmer, that's now my all-time favorite backsplash. :) The rest of the vibrant, light-filled space you created is genuinely wonderful also. Its light and simplicity make me feel good just looking at it. Happy cooking!

Wow! What a great kitchen! So open, and look at the view!

Fantastic transformation!

Love your sink and your pendant lights.

I think you've given this house another 100 years of beauty and functionality. You've done a great job. The materials you've used! And who, in this world, could argue with that view? What a gift your Dh's grandma gave you both, and what a gift you've honored her with.

And I'm gonna say it.
Ready?
Cover your eyes if you're easily offended.
To me? It's classic and "timeless."

Christine

Wow, the SS counters and sink are just amazing! I love the windows. Congrats! It now looks huge in comparison.

Gorgeous! That sink is amazing!

As soon as I got to the awning windows pic I knew I was going to be jealous. Its a beautiful kitchen - I love the wood cabinets, soapstone, and openness.

This is great. Great. GREAT!!! What a view, and what a kitchen!!!

Oh my -- all the kind words are much appreciated. I've been completely TKO for over a year now. This is the only place to turn to when you find yourself in that state!

The counters and sink are Amazon soapstone. I don't baby it at all and it is an absolute joy to use. It was fabricated by Maine Soapstone -- Gary Sayers. He's wonderful to work with. I learned about soapstone here on GW, and contacted Gary at the recommendation of someone on this forum.

The cabinets were custom made out of locally harvested maple. The cabinetmaker was happy to teach me how to finish them. I used Sutherland Welles hard sealer. It seems to be holding up nicely. Easy to apply and it can be spot repaired. There are lots of drawers, which I learned about here. I love them!

The refrigerator was difficult. There was only one place to put it and it had to be a tall, skinny counter depth model to fit in between the pipes that run on either side of the space where it is now. We ended up with a Summit brand fridge and so far we love it. Now that we're almost empty-nesters, the small size is less of a problem than it would have been a few years ago.

The lights were from eBay.

I worried about having a window behind the range, but it is less messy than the sink. Plus that view -- I can't think of any place nicer to be cooking than looking at that view over the cove!Sometimes I leave dishes in the sink to wash in the morning, when the sun is just starting to light up the sky. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks for giving me an excuse to enjoy the process all over again, and thanks again for the kind words.

lovely kitchen! i love your soapstone and your sink is so special! your view is also amazing!

Oh wow that is drop-dead gorgeous. What a transformation! You must get so much joy from those beautiful picturesque windows. The sink and counters are so lovely, and the whole function of the kitchen must be so amazing especially compared to the 'before'. Congratulations, you did such a great job!!

What a terrific space you have created! Such a difference from the before!

lovely! and I think classic also. It fits and shouldn't go out of style. The BS sure won't!

can we get a closer look at that BS??? So far I like what I see of it. I'd be doing dishes by hand too! prepping a lot and cooking a lot more than I do now.

Beautiful! The grain on your cabinets is amazing. The SS and the cabinets look like they were made for each other -- and the view/windows! Enjoy!

Amazing transformation! Congratulations....and I love your faucet :)

What a great kitchen! The soapstone is fabulous, as is the view from those windows! We, too, just put our range in front of a new window to capture more view of our backyard. Congratulations and enjoy!

Here's this morning's version of my "backsplash" -- I slept in a bit and missed the beautiful colors, but it's the weekend....This is at high tide. At low tide there is an enormous mud flat. DH is a marine ecologist and his special love is clams. He spends most of his waking hours coming up with experiments to run down there. He will be using the flats as an outdoor lab for his students every chance he gets. That cove makes his heart sing every bit as much as the kitchen does mine, so you can tell how happy we both are to be here! I'll be putting that kitchen to work on the days his students go trudging by in their hip boots. I can rustle up some muffins and coffee and they can grab them as they go by. I can hardly wait.

Very nice! The windows are really great and what a wonderful view. Good idea to drop them down close to the countertops. Awning windows... what caused you to choose those?

Oh my gosh!! I love it! You MUST just be thrilled. I'll bet that view is something else when a storm comes in!

Perfect!

Astounding renovation. Lots of energy, hardwork and thought
have gone into your beautiful space. And what I truly love
about your kitchen is the subtle unassuming elegance with
warmth.

I love the Amazon with it's gentle swirls and designed
into a sink to boot. The rich, warm, softly toned maple
cabinets create the image of home. A kitchen you can cook
in and delight with a warm cup of chocolate. I say that
as I see a bit of snow on the ground and assume it is
cold outside. The backsplash? Perfect, Absolutely perfect
as this is the daily view. Even while cooking on that
hefty range you can enjoy your stunning views.
~boxerpups

"Sometimes I leave dishes in the sink to wash in the morning, when the sun is just starting to light up the sky."

Love that!!! It made me smile :) Gorgeous job. The view and the countertops are my favorite.

We also have an old house (built 1780) and the charm can't be beat. And you have the additional plus of that great location.

I smiled throughout this entire thread. You have a great gift from DH's grandmother. Your description of the cove, the "lab" and students provides visual images of a home that will be treasured for years. Enjoy your new kitchen, it is wonderful.

Deedles -- the KD people (a husband and wife team -- he's an architect) recommended awning windows -- they can be left cracked open when it's raining out. The uninterrupted view was something we liked. The proportions of the windows relate to the 2 big picture windows in the LR, which he thought was important. They look nice from the outside, but we're in a really rural, isolated area. The only people who see our house are us and the fishermen and clammers on the flats below our house. I wondered if the expanse of glass next to soapstone counters would be cold in the winter, but that hasn't been a problem.

Thanks for all the enthusiastic feedback. Looking back at where we were a year ago, it's hard to believe we're here. Sure feels like home!

Boxerpups -- Thanks!

swimmer58~

Wow, congrats! It looks fantastic and it sounds like you're delighted! I was smiling for you as I read! Those soapstone counters are beautiful.

Enjoy,
Katie

What a lovely, lovely kitchen!

Oh, wow!

What a beautiful kitchen and that view! You sound so happy - it sounds just perfect for you and your DH. So nice you could fix up the house and you did a wonderful job!

Congratulations!

Wow! What a view, inside and out! I love how you went all glass for the bs and did not use uppers ;)
My only complaint is you need to post more pix! Is that grandma's telephone table down at the end?

swimmer58 That is the style of windows I want in my kitchen. Clear view to the outside. We currently have casements and the view is blocked down the middle. You did a nice job!!

You have a conceptual trifecta: generations-old family house, unbeatable views of natural resources that also support an avocation, and now a stunningly handsome kitchen that makes optimal use of the space as well as the views. Be still my heart.

Heartiest congratulations on having made it all come together so perfectly.

Beautiful Kitchen! I love the big windows. The materials are terrific - so warm and inviting. Congratulations!

The view is so beautiful!!

Just beautiful! What a marvelous job of preserving the charm of an older home while adding some fabulous features! The soapstone counters and sink, the windows, the light fixtures... everything comes together beautifully! I'd have no problem leaving my sink full, too, for a morning view like that!

Where can I purchase your backsplash?

Love the remodel! Nice work!!

Your new kitchen is beautiful. It's amazing what can be done in a small space. I bet DH's grandma would not believe that it was her place. You can be proud of what you have done. And needles to say I am jealous of the view.
Congratulations and enjoy.

Wow! Now that is a backsplash to envy. That's pretty much my dream kitchen view, and I think it would be 100% worth cleaning the windows of any stove or sink mess from time to time in order to have that to look at while cooking or cleaning up. Congratulations on a beautiful kitchen!

I was uncomfortable with posting pictures. What changed my attitude was a post last week where someone was asking about galley kitchens with an island. I'm so grateful for all the people who share what they have done and I found it helpful to see so many different solutions to similar problems. The frustration I felt when I realized I didn't have a clue of how to post pictures forced me to try harder (thanks again Leela!). I've enjoyed all the positive comments -- it means a lot to get so much support after all the worrying and stress, but mostly I wanted to show what you can do if you're stuck with something small and awkward. This is our version of the solution to that. I started the project with the attitude of making the best of a bad situation. There was no way to have my "dream kitchen" (acres and acres of counterspace). What we ended up with is much, much more than I originally thought we could do. The efficiency of a galley kitchen is something I've come to really appreciate.

Tucked into the end of the kitchen is a cozy little space to enjoy a cup of tea (and store unsightly oven racks). There is a narrow cabinet on the left of the range which is a bookcase for my cookbooks The rocker belonged to the wonderful woman who made all this possible. I hope she would be pleased!