Unique and oh so beautiful!

Oh sochi - everything you do in that house is lovely. Congratulations.

Very cool! Congrats!

Perfect with your kitchen! : )

Sochi, that walnut is gorgeous. Congratulations on yet another beautiful addition to your amazing home.

Really lovely and unique. (It won't tip on the little ones will it?, asks the mother who found both her sons on top of the island today doing a crossword together.)

oh...that is stunning and fits so well with everything else you have going on in your space. You have such a good eye for what will work together.

a little tip..do not let cat_mom see this :) c

yet another item to covet in your stunning kitchen! i love the natural walnut pieces. It is so unique! how lucky you are to have a brother-in-law cabinetmaker too!

Oooh so unique! Can you please share a pic of the top and also one from a distance so we can see it in the context of your beautiful kitchen?

Also I've been eying up white macabus quartzite and similar ones with a strong linear pattern and recall you had quartzite like that. Can you please share a snap of how you handled the seaming in the corner where 2 runs of countertop come together in a 90 degree angle? Is it best to keep the linear grain of th countertop parallel to the wall along both walls or no matter?
Thanks!

It is beautiful!

It's beautiful Sochi!!

Thanks everyone. The island is VERY heavy and steady, it isn't tippy at all. I could climb up on it without it tipping.

Here are a couple of context shots. The new walnut is a fair bit darker than the two year old cabs, but it will lighten with time.

The island is small, 48"x37". It sits directly opposite (at one end) the pantry and fridge, and on the side opposite the prep sink. The area between the island and prep sink and hob are the 'hot' zone, or the cook's space. It is key prep space, and the spot where you unload food from the pantry and fridge.

There is about 6' between the end of the island and the oven on the peninsula, so it doesn't act as a barrier at all. There is about 4' between the island and dishwasher run (a main artery in our house), and about 3' between the island and prep sink/hob.

The addition of the four drawers means every utensil now has its place, very exciting.

Plus no more walking to unload the utensils from the dishwasher. Just a slight twist, no steps at all. That is big practical improvement to the function of the kitchen.

island, here is our seam, hope this helps:

Oh, my BIL also delivered the vanity/dresser for my bedroom today. It should be all together tomorrow. It was like Christmas today. I will post pics of it on the Decorating forum tomorrow.

You have such great taste! I love it!

I have to say its really not my taste, but if you like it more power to you. I think it kind of looks like desk I once bought at Ikea and had to put together myself, just with expensive walnut wood.

Too late C!!! LOL

LOVE it!!! It's perfect for your kitchen and home!

I think your BIL's idea was a good one. One of those form vs. function decisions. It would have looked gorgeous as a waterfall edge/sides, but it looks perfectly terrific and gorgeous with the separate top. You may never need to remove the top to sand/refinish, but it's nice to know you can if necessary.

Can't wait to see the bedroom!!!!

Thanks cat_mom. I agree with "realism" that it is a bit too desk like and clunky. I think it would look better if it was longer, and cleaner if it was waterfall-like. But I don't need or want longer, so it is what it is I guess. That said, the elements are quite beautiful and the function is fantastic. So I'm pretty happy.

Absolutely beautiful. Are you putting knobs or handles of any kind on there? White fronts get pretty ucky with little kids around. Better to clean the pulls than the drawer front.

Realism. I see lots of kitchens here that aren't to my taste, and the correct move there is to hit the back button.

Sochi - I love the live edge! It looks unique and gorgeous.

Can you post more details of your fabulous utensil organizer

I think adding hardware to the drawers will go a long way to improving the island and making it seem more like it belongs in a kitchen and less like it belongs in an office.

YoungDeb- I don't think this board is all that useful if everyone just pats each other on the back. People around here seem to be very effusive for the littlest thing. That being said next time I will make my criticism more constructive.