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joyce_brooks104

Quartersawn oak kitchen

Joyce Brooks
10 years ago

We had a 22 y/o black & white kitchen DH always disliked. He especially disliked how often our ice machine (not ice maker) would break down. It went out about once or twice each year, usually in the winter. I think the ice machine didn't like the radiant floor heat underneath it. Last time it went out he said "that's it, I'm rippin' that SOB outta there! Let's just go ahead a get a new kitchen." If you knew my DH you would know how shocking that was, because he is...extremely thrifty. I went out the next day and bought a new refrigerator so he couldn't change his mind! DH set up meeting with the semi-custom cabinet maker, so I had about 1 week to decide what I wanted to do with the kitchen. Gardenweb kitchens forum was a lifesaver! Now it's time to share.

I couldn't get DH to agree to replace the 20 y/o floor, or any other appliances,which were all 22 years old, except dishwasher was only 8. Aargh! So I was limited on the changes I could make, especially the footprint, because we only had 7 spare floor tiles. DH insisted the cabinets be oak. The rest of our house is yellow/orange honey oak, but I much prefer quartersawn with a slightly darker stain. I had to compromise my preferences a lot, but I did get my way on quite a few things.

Things I would absolutely do differently: I should have INSISTED on new floors. The new kitchen design should NOT have been entirely based on a 20 y/o floor! The storage to the left of the double oven should have been a tall pull-out. The way the storage faces the side makes the oven look off-center/lopsided. Any suggestions what I could do/hang there to detract from the lopsidedness?


Partial DIY
Refrigerator: GE French Door, Bottom Freezer, Regular Depth, white
Cabinets: Quartersawn Red Oak, Semi-Custom, Shaker, 3" stiles and rails
Stain: Gemini Gem-Glo wiping stain, 50% fox valley brown 719/ 50% lexington 721
Countertops: Cambria Quartz, perimeter Kingston, Island Torquay
Backsplash: Casabella Ceramic H-Line color pumice, 3x6 subway, grout unsanded snow white #11
Undercabinet lighting: Kichler LED direct wire
Paint: BM Seattle Mist
Over table light: Hink?
Faucets: Delta Artic Stainless
Sinks: Blanco Silgranite II White undermount
Extras: Spice pull out, upper corner lazy susan, lower corner half lazy susan pull-outs, large drawer for appliances instead of garage, drawer with slots for sideways storage of large skillets and casseroles, superlarge dog food drawer, double trash drawer.
Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel stacked dish drawers 8 years old
Floors: 20 y/o porcelain 12x12 tiles, speckled gray

Able to gain about 4" for refrigerator by recessing wall

Comments (14)

  • catbuilder
    10 years ago

    Your cabinets look great, and I really like the open shelves. I'd like to see a close-up of the backsplash. It looks quite a bit like glass tile in the photo. You can have a panel made to apply to the cabinet next to the oven. It looks too narrow to be a 5-piece like the doors, but since your drawers are slab, I think it will look fine. It won't make it look less lopsided, but it will make it look more finished.

    And, you can still change the floor if you don't like it.

  • farmhousemom
    10 years ago

    Your cabinets are beautiful!!! You did a great job!!

    I didn't notice about the cabinet area next to double ovens until you mentioned it.

  • Joyce Brooks
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I need to take more photos with the barstools in place and of the table by the window seat. The only things not finished yet are Roman shades and window seat pillows. Right now it is a little echo-y in there with all the hard surfaces.
    A few more photos:
    Window seat area. We now have round table with 3 chairs in front of the window seat.


    I thought the bar sink area looked so nice with the wood backsplash, but I was afraid of what it might look like after a few years of water abuse. We chose the lighter subway, even though the darker/olive green one looked so nice with the countertop. I thought it might be too dark. Going from white kitchen to oak really didn't make it seem darker or smaller. Most people think it looks bigger with the oak, maybe because of the glass cabinets?



    I didn't get the exact crown I asked for, but I don't dislike what they gave me.

  • girlromin
    10 years ago

    You made all those decisions in a WEEK? I am sooooooo overthinking this! :-)

    The cabinets are gorgeous. We are getting quartersawn oak too and I was especially happy to read that you don't think it makes the kitchen looks smaller. Thanks for including such detail about the stain.

    The flooring looks fine - it's so neutral and I like the "sandwich" of lighter floors-wood cabs- lighter counters. We will have oak hardwood floors - and I was toying with some butcher block - but I think too much wood can be overwhelming. Great work!

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    Great job! I agree- amazing to make decisions in a week.
    Ask your cab guy if he can make a false panel for the front of your wall oven cab.
    We had the opposite problem. I felt the side of our pullout looked unfinished, so added a side panel to the design.

  • countryatheart
    10 years ago

    Love the quarterback oak- very pretty kitchen.

  • schicksal
    10 years ago

    Not much to add besides a compliment. The grain on the cabinets came out really well.

  • kcorn
    10 years ago

    Your kitchen looks wonderful! I wanted to comment on the cabinet next to the double oven stack. We are doing something very similar but with our refrigerator where your double ovens are located. The KD proposed two different approaches - one option was to put a finished panel on that side so it matches the door fronts; the other option she suggested was putting trim around the sides and painting the middle with chalkboard paint.

  • repac
    10 years ago

    Beautiful kitchen! And in such a short time frame for decisions--very impressive!

    I second a2gemini's suggestion of a false panel. We have a similar situation with our frig that's next to the side of a bookcase. They made three panels: the top panel is the same length as the length of the over-frig cupboards, then the next two split the difference to the floor. Makes it look like a nice design element around the frig.

    Love the look of your glass doors and open shelves. Really nice kitchen.

  • bicyclegirl1
    10 years ago

    Beautiful kitchen. Very impressive that you made fast decisions. I have too much time to rethink things. Not good! I love your open shelves under the uppers. Great idea.

  • Bunny
    10 years ago

    Quarter-sawn oak is my favorite!!! It is gorgeous. I love the open shelves and use of glass-front cabinets. I know this is heresy on GW where drawers on the bottom are de rigueur, but I like the look of drawers *and* cabinets.

    You can change the floor later.

  • Joyce Brooks
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the compliments, and the suggestions for the panel front beside the oven. I think that is a great idea! I guess I should clarify that I had to make the decisions for the layout of the cabinets and the type of wood for the cabinet maker in 1 week. He gave me samples of the wood to take to paint store where they stained the samples for me to take home and look at in my light. And I took home ALL the samples of cambria and placed every single one against my paint/stain/floors to choose. So I had a lot longer to make those decisions.
    I had a little miscommunication with my cabinet maker. I thought I was getting more drawers on the bottom and less doors. When he said "pull-outs" I thought he meant drawers, where as he really meant a cabinet door with pull-out drawer-type shelves behind them. This really makes getting items out a 2-step process, but I do like that these "pull-outs" come ALL the way out. And I love my soft close, but now I find I'm shutting doors and drawers very loudly in the bath and laundry. I NEED them everywhere!
    catbuilder I took a close up of backsplash with my iphone, but haven't figured out how to post it yet. I'll search for instructions.

  • Joyce Brooks
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The backsplash is very reflective. This photo is with the undercab lights on. The "pumice" color is a greenish gray.
    Couldn't embed from flikr, but here is link, I hope
    http://flic.kr/p/k7su2e

  • Evan
    10 years ago

    I love that quarter sawn oak! Really neat look. The grain is so different

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