Wow cj! nice! love the transformation! I've been waiting to see where you put that Miele cooktop :)

And those old spices drawers! Amazing - did the top one levitate or did you find some sort of rubber band system to allow them to hang and still be pulled out!

I'm a sucker for cherry and yours is just going to keep getting prettier every day!

Thanks, Marcy! LOL, rubber bands would have been quite appropriate in that kitchen. In truth, there was a shelf and the box just sat on it, gathering sawdust every time the top drawer opened. (Screech...)

This is one of the most remarkable transformations I've seen on this site. Love the floor, the countertops, and those great windows over your sink. Enjoy!

It must be heaven to use your new space ;) That is one heck of a transformation! Your new layout looks spacious and functional and the overall scheme is so pretty. I love the clean lines in your design and how open it all feels. Your windows are gorgeous too!

Wow! It's great. And big! Wonderful gathering room. Enjoy!

What a big open welcoming space! I love the cabinets and those windows are amazing!!

Oh. Now that is one downright amazing transformation! The opening up of the space is fantastic. Not just with the knocking down of the wall, but also with the addition of the new windows. Love the flooring, cabs, lighting. Everything! Just a lovely, lovely job overall. Congratulations!

What a beautiful new kitchen! The grain on your cherry cabs just blows me away! Everything goes together so well to create a warm and happy space. I think that backsplash is going to be a wonderful finishing touch. I bet you smile everytime you walk into that new kitchen--even when it's to do clean-up duty! Enjoy!

You must feel like you're cooking in a palace now! That's amazing. Your time, energy, and thought going into this kitchen shows. It so earthy and warm. And huge too. Congratulations!!

Are those the Icon or non-icon ovens? I'm planning the non-icons myself. How are you liking them? Do you bake a lot?

Oh, duh. Those are the non-icons, and you do love them. I've read your appliance forum posts. Sorry!

You did a great job. That's a night-to-day transformation. Beautiful cabinets, such a nice wood.

I like the desk - is it a built-in roll-top? I've never seen that detail before.

Really beautiful. Hard to believe it is the same space. LOVE the windows and open airy feel. c

Just gorgeous! You must be thrilled to have acutal space now!

Love the flooring and the windows especially!

Congratulations on your new kitchen and the wonderful job you have done. My kitchen is similar to your old one,...yuck,...but I'm about to build a new home, and I am getting tons of ideas from your new kitchen. Love, love, love your cherry cabinets.

What a fantastic change. Your new kitchen must feel like heaven to cook in. Love the windows, great floor, very nice appliance choices and everything compliments everything else. I'm sure you are enjoying it along with the rest of the family.

Nancy

That is quite a transformation! You have tons of space now, and your bar stools have a nice style to them. :o)

WOW! Beautiful transformation! You have such a big open space to work in now. Love the counters and the floors are gorgeous.

Beautiful!!!

Your cabinets are beautiful! It must be a joy to cook in now!

Thanks, everyone. Yes, I do feel like I'm cooking in a palace. I'm so, so blessed by all of this and I'm grateful for it. I've always loved to cook and bake, even in my old, dysfunctional kitchen where every corner was a black hole. But now it's even more fun! I can actually have bunches of family over for holiday meals. No more running down to the basement to get all the kitchen equipment that was stored down there. The extra 10 feet really made a huge difference in what we were able to do in the room. It's really become the gathering space we planned for it to be--everyone hangs out in there, and I find that even my teenager wanders in and sits at the island to chat with me when I'm working. That was an unexpected bonus.

Breezygirl, yep, non icons and I do bake a fair amount (though not as much as Rhome)and I do love them. I have pictures of our first pizzas in the ovens--but I'll post those another time.

Johnliu--we had the desk is built into the cabinetry, and we had the cabinetmaker install the tamboor top so that any mess or clutter could be hidden. We plan to install the family computer in there, and make it the landing spot for mail, keys, my purse, etc.

Laxsupermom--funny that you should mention the stools. We were kind of running out of money towards the end, so we picked those up at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $80. For all three. :-) We'll see how long they last!

Cj

Beautiful kitchen, especially those stunning cabinets. You nailed the 'Crafstman-esque' perfectly!

Congratulations! Your kitchen is beautiful!

Wow!!! That really is amazing! I am so happy for you to have that space to cook in. Love the cabinets and your trim style. Congrats!

Are you sure that's the same house--wow! What a wonderful space you have created. It's nice that you now have enough room, and can get in and out of the kitchen!

Holy moly, your kitchen is HUGE! Look at all that space now!

What an amazing transformation! I cannot even believe that is the same space! YOur cabinets are beautiful, and I love your counters and floors--it looks so great together.

Fantastic job! Congrats!

wow, you did an awesome job creating such a warm and inviting space. I really love the craftsman touches!

Wow - what a great transformation. Vaulting the ceiling opened the room up even more. So much more space - enjoy!

Very, very nice. You must be loving you new space.

Oh, CJ, it is gorgeous. I want to grab that bottle of oil and drizzle it in a new wonderful induction pan and dump some veggies in and stir fry some marinated meat ---and I would be glad that the kids were hanging around, and hungry (and never picky) and they wanted to cook too-and we could all dance to wooly bully!

That's how your kitchen makes me feel! I want to cook and play in it. Outstanding, spacious, outside-inside, good stuff, so pretty. Enjoy

This is so gorgeous and I'm so happy for you. What an improvement!

"Kick in the pants?" Me? ;-)

This space has "family" written all over it. Congratulations for undertaking the project and for bringing it to this wonderful stage of usability.

(Because it's an addition, I look look look. Lots to study here.)

YUP LOVE the Cherry ;-) Is that a heat blower under the kitchen sink? Toasty toes - love it! You did a great job. Great idea for the storage under the seating area. Gotta grab all the storage we can. Enjoy!!
the other CJ - CJC

Westsider--LOL, I feel the same way. And even if the kids ARE slightly picky, I don't even care. I'm dancin' anyhow.

Florantha, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you. :-)

Cjc123: Yep, that's a heat vent under the sink. There is a tapmaster under the prep sink, and I keep kicking the heater out of habit, thinking that it will make the faucet go on. LOL, WARNING, you may save some money by only installing a tapmaster on one of your sinks, but you will have bruised toes to show for it. Those things are habit forming. :-)

Rhome.... ;-p

Cat_Mom, lol, yes, it is lovely to be able to actually get in and out of the kitchen without bumping a hip or someone else on the way.

Everyone, thank you so much for your kind comments. The vaulted ceiling and trapezoid windows were DH's idea--and I'm really glad he came up with it. I love being able to see the sky all the time! It's really a multipurpose room--there's a desk, the dining area and the kitchen all in one, with the mudroom off the side. I get a kick out of the refrigerator placement. It's EXACTLY where it was in the old kitchen. I'm as pleased as I can be with the new space--it's a joy to work in and I'm so relieved. I loved the whole process, but I worried that I'd forget some detail, or mess up the design in some subtle, unforseen way that would really mess up the flow. LOL, fortunately, you guys helped me to avoid the most obvious pitfalls!

The best part is that my kids can join me in the kitchen now, and they do. They seem to enjoy cooking--my 15 year old has asked if he can borrow the kitchen to make dinner for his girlfriend sometime. I haven't decided how that's going to go yet..but he melted the chocolate on the induction cooktop for our Valentines Day treat tonight, and he did a stellar job, too! Molten lava cupcakes...mmmm!

I wish I could invite you guys over for a cupcake and a cup of coffee. :-)

Cj