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adel97

95% done! Marble w/quartz, polished w/honed, and other no-no's

adel97
13 years ago

The quartz shelf in the opening has still to be installed, and there are various other details (e.g., not happy with paint colors, still needs decorative touches) that I will post about separately to get some help, but I figured it was close enough to finished to post (while it's still fairly neat!)

First, let me say that reading trough some of the terrible experiences some of you have had during your renos, I feel fortunate to have had a cabinet maker and GC who worked well together, had a good work ethic and pride in their work, and were respectful of each other and of our family. DH has also been incredibly patient, helpful and open minded through this entire process. But since I did not have a KD I really need to THANK YOU GW-ers for being a source of endless kitchen wisdom and talent, with good humor thrown in! I turned to this forum countless times for advice, as well as reality checks and support when I was lacking confidence about some of my decisions. Without you, I would not have been brave enough to go with my desires and overcome some of the conventional opinion, such as: don't mix natural stone and quartz, and don't mix polished and honed marbles. You have been some of the kindest and most supportive people I never met.

We moved into our home 11 years ago and I have been wanting to do this and saving for it for all 11 of those years! We made some great memories in our old kitchen but she really had to go. In addition to not having enough prep space or storage, things were just starting to fall apart after 25 years as this was the original builder grade kitchen. The layout and work flow worked well for me though, so we didn't change the perimeter layout much other than centering the sink and range. We also closed in a small corner window so we could add wall ovens in its place. The zones now come very naturally given the way we cook and use the kitchen.


before:

after:

view from DR

range and ovens

view from fridge

view from windows


view from hallway

pendants

marble counter looks like a hot fudge sundae! (no etching yet)

closeup of BS

polished aluminum stool

must have: broom/mop closet

various lovely things I never had before!

recycling pullout:

knives finally off the counter

pans finally have a reasonable home:

spice storage in prep space, what a concept!

DH's favorite before and after:


We really struggled with the island. Island and freestanding table? One large single-height island? prep sink or no? Island with table attached? We changed our minds about a dozen times and drove my cabinet maker sorta' nuts (but he was very good abut it). We wanted comfortable table height eating without having the seats in a row, and we also needed the prep and storage function of an island, but we felt that a separate island and table would look too cluttered. We also needed to accommodate the angles of the window walls while maintaining enough aisle clearance around the seats. Thus our island/table was born. I was very worried because I had never seen a picture like this (even Boxerpups couldn't find one!) but now we could not be more pleased at how it turned out. My teen DS and friends are very comfortable around the table even when there are 3 or 4 of them and they even bicker over who gets to sit in the blingy stool! Once our DR is finished we will go back to eating dinners in the DR and will get rid of the chair in the aisle across the rangetop, but for now the kitchen "table" is very comfortable and spacious for the three of us, even eating family style with dishes in the middle. Many of you (boxer, rhome, buehl, dianalo, palimpsest and many others) provided great insight as we were working through these issues, and I am very grateful!

Here are the details, for any who are interested:

Floor: maple hardwood

Cabinets: custom by a local cabinet maker, cherry with cordovan stain. The doors are shaker but with a 1/4 inch offset, which is shallower than a traditional shaker style. I was very happy with my experience with them. Happy to share the name if you live in the Boston area southern 'burbs. He did a great job working around the ducts along the top of the long wall.

perimeter and table countertop: Caesarstone Blizzard. I have a "thing" about cooking on dark or busy surfaces where I can't tell if the surface is really clean or not so I definitely wanted light/white countertops for the perimeter. We searched and searched for Luna de Luce quartzite, which I fell in love with after seeing Sochi's but we never found any near us so went with our fallback: Caesarstone Blizzard, which is a warm white. Now that it's in, I love it and can't imagine having anything else. I highly advise anyone considering quartz to find a showroom with these materials on display. The small samples just don't do it justice.

island countertop: honed Imperial Danby marble from Vermont. Makes me smile every time I see it. We were originally going to use a brushed black granite, then I met this slab of marble and that was it...

Backsplash: I was all set to use either cat-mom's or prairiegirl2010's gorgeous backsplash, but at the last minute we saw this mosaic of statuary polished calacatta marble and fell in love with it. It talks to the marble on the island and the cabinet color with its grey and rust veining, but it reads very calm, which I love.

pendants: monorail pendants and spot heads from Tech Lighting. I wanted rail pendants to add an architectural element to the ceiling. We had great advice from the local lighting store where we bought all the lighting. Without them, I would have chosen the wrong pendants. The ones I first wanted were too big for the space and island, and I alone would not have been able to see that up front. They also helped us plan placement of our recessed lighting, which was wonderful help since we did not use a KD (besides GW, that is!).

Wolf 30 inch rangetop- I used a portable induction burner during the remodel and I really came to appreciate convection. I wasn't making anything too sophisticated without a kitchen, but it was great to boil pasta water fast and to simmer soups and other "simmer sauce" dishes. At the end of the remodel though, I really wanted to go back to cooking with FIRE. Compared to my old range, the Wolf is a dream.

Bosch french door fridge-so far so good, very spacious compared to our old SxS.

Miele DW: we got this last year when our old one broke, so we just changed out the front panel from black to SS.

GE Monogram Advantium 240 V speed oven/MW. It cooks with halogen, convection or MW, and combinations thereof, to speed cook almost anything you can think of. I love this thing! It's incredibly versatile and easily my favorite new appliance.

GE Monogram 30 inch wall oven. This has not gotten a good workout yet. We are a small family and so far we seem to be using the Advantium for most oven work. Did I mention I love the Advantium?

XO under-cabinet hood. The hood situation was a bummer for us, although we are fast getting over it. DH and I both really, really wanted a chimney style hood. We love the look and wanted to be able to tile all the way up the wall behind it. Alas, as our rangetop is on an internal wall, it would have been a not insubstantial added cost, as well as requiring many 90 degree turns for the ducting to find its way outdoors, making it inefficient, so in the end we decided to just go with an under-cabinet model that could vent sideways over the ovens and out the wall. DH was particularly disappointed that we couldn't make it work. It was the only thing he really felt strongly about in the entire kitchen. Now, we could care less, I think it looks fine.

chairs: Emeco chairs and polished aluminum stool. Best thing about these: I can take them with me when we move!

We've been cooking up a storm, making up for those lost months during the reno. The fun we are having in the new kitchen is fast overcoming those inevitable "shoulda, coulda, woulda" regrets. There are some things I would do differently if I could go back to square one, but why dwell on that?

THANK YOU for letting me share. Others just don't get it, ya know?

Comments (49)

  • melaska
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW - what a STUNNING kitchen! You are making me forget all about a white kitchen. Those are the kind of cab pulls I want.

    I LOVE the solution for your island with attached table. It really fits in that space - I think you made a very wise choice.

    How wide is your broom close?

    Great storage solutions! Are those lick marks I see on your ice cream sundae counter? ;) That is a beautiful stone!

    Your backsplash is so beautiful! I'm glad you found one that 'talks'! :)

    Is that a cutout to another part of the house over your sink? It sometimes looks like a window (I need to put on my glasses!)

    Thanks for sharing your amazing kitchen! Grand job! :)

  • dianalo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love your marble and bs tiles! The whole kitchen is so sleek and pretty! It all looks so clean and neat to me while also warm from the rich tone of the cabs.
    Bravo!

  • xc60
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Funny but I see the word "love" here at GW to describe kitchens more than any dating site could ever use it! :)

    I have to say, I also love your kitchen as well. Its very thought out and attention to detail shows, the touch of the red chairs bring out the knobs on the Wolf stove. Very nice!

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sharonite, I would say that is definitely a yes-yes kitchen, and a delicious hot fudge sundae of one, too! Love the different countertops together, the backsplash, and the rich browns. It is so great to hear that you are enjoying yourselves in the beautiful new space-- enjoy!

    Becky

  • ironcook
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    there are so many amazing kitchens posted on GW. but i have to say, i've really scrolled to "study" yours. beautiful AND smart details. well done, and congrats! :)

  • blfenton
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kitchen is gorgeous. This is the first kitchen that I have seen completed in which I saw from the early planning stages. I'm absolutely thrilled to see how beautiful and functional it turned out to be. And I'm glad DH likes it too.
    I really like the marble and the way the backsplash coordinates with it and the way it plays off of the cabinets. Stunning.

  • trailrunner
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like the way you put everything together. You got a lot of great storage and more "bling" than just the stool !! Everything looks wonderful. Hope you will post Kitchen at Work photos soon. c

  • breezygirl
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You pulled off a great one there! I'm not one for cherry cabs, but those are beautiful. And that marble calls to me! So creamy and yummy. I thought you were showing us a magazine picture when I got to the first "after" shot. Very well decorated. Your table attached to the island is a brilliant solution. BUT...........did you mention moving??? What? How could you live this fantastic new kitchen??

  • remodelfla
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Many elements to love in this kitchen! The marble and BS might be my favorites. Can you please provide some info on your cabinet pulls?

  • debbie1031
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gorgeous! So beautifully put together! I actually chuckled when you wrote: "If anyone's interested"! Of course! And so nice of you to share. I love it all and especially the backsplash. More info on that, please, if you have it!

  • sas95
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What a beautiful kitchen! So many great elements, put together with a restrained hand.

    I totally agree with what you said about the quartz. The small samples really don't do it justice. We just had our champagne limestone Caesarstone counters installed and also couldn't imagine having anything else.

  • bostonpam
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow - a beautiful kitchen. I love your rich cherry cabinets, the gorgeous marble and backsplash. Also agree with DH - that range area is the best before and after. From your name I suspect you live in Sharon. What lighting store did you use? Also, where did you find the frying pan rack? thanks. Enjoy!

  • sayde
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Loved seeing your kitchen -- love the juxtaposition of the white and the wood. The marble is gorgeous! Am looking forward to the Danby Eureka slabs that we purchased to arrive (Eureka and Imperial are very similar) and it was lovely to see yours on the island.

    I think that a lot of what we enjoy has to do with the interplay of materials. Yours look wonderful together. Enjoy!

  • elba1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful - love all the contrasts - the marble on counter & backsplash, the dark cherry cabs against the light wood floor. My shades will be similar - having a hard time finding oak flooring light enough in the shade I want - hadn't considered maple flooring - how did you decide on that - had you considered oak as well? Enjoy your great new space!

  • cardamon
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonite, I love your kitchen, beautiful dark cabs and the marble and bs are wonderful together. All your materials look great and flows together so well. Like your island and table area, that looks like it will work out beautifully for your family. Like Bostonpam, where did you find the pan rack please?

  • Adrienne2011
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like your kitchen, and it's probably because the colors are very similar to what I have chosen (dark, reddish brown cabinets and a light quartz counter). I like the way your Wolf knobs match your red and stainless chairs. Your marble is especially pretty because of the cream/brown streaks that run through it. Do you have any bright red dishtowels or other red accents? Your choices were excellent, and you have a very beautiful kitchen. :o)

  • keptoz
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful!! It's funny that you mentioned that the hood wasn't what you originally planned because when I first looked at your kitchen, it was the first thing I noticed & my thought was how awesome it looked.

    Enjoy your kitchen!

  • sparklekitty
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Making something new when breaking the "rules." The counter combos look great, love the backsplash and the creative table/island. It's really beautiful, clean looking but very comfortable. Sounds like you are living in it now and loving it. Congratulations.

  • kiffgirl
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gorgeous kitchen...and that island stone is AMAZING. I love it. Beautiful job

  • cat_mom
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love it! Love it! Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Love the cabs--style and color. We used cherry for our hall bathroom vanity with a bordeaux stain (similar to your cordovan but lighter or ?). There's something so rich and inviting about those colors on cherry. Love the subtly different shaker style as well, and those handles are absolutely perfect.

    Your backsplash is, in a word--STUNNING! I am glad you didn't use the same one we did because I get to ogle and drool over another gorgeous tile shown on GW and it looks so wonderful in your kitchen (not that the glass would have looked bad in the least). Something to tuck away in my mind if I ever have to move and have another kitchen to reno!

    As for your hood--I love that, too! I am normally not a big fan of under cab hoods (unless it's one of those fabulous alcove, built-in style hoods), but yours looks perfect for your kitchen. The triangular/pyramid front, flanked by the flat/recessed part really has such style and sets it apart from many of the under cab hoods I've seen.

    Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy your beautiful new kitchen!

  • formerlyflorantha
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A calm, unified space that glorifies its garden views. Makes me want to cook.

    Sharonite, this is the best part of your posting: "The fun we are having in the new kitchen is fast overcoming those inevitable "shoulda, coulda, woulda" regrets. There are some things I would do differently if I could go back to square one, but why dwell on that?" I especially want to thank you for the candid comments on the compromises within your process. This is so helpful for all of us. Ditto your comments about the fading of the "if only" thinking that can ruin our perspective.

  • jakabedy
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's just perfect. I love everything about it. The only problem is, now you'll want to do the rest of the house, too!

  • doggonegardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonite,

    Where did you get the little stacking gadget for your pans? That's nifty. I have never seen one before. Would love to get one to keep my non stick non stickier.

    Rene

  • bellacucina
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOVE your choices, your dark cabinets contrasted with your beautiful marble and quartz countertops. SO gorgeous. Wishing you many happy meals in your fabulous new kitchen. I also love your knife block drawer insert. . . where did you get yours?

  • boxerpups
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonite,
    WOW!!!!!
    Truly Remarkable. We all dream of creating a fantastic
    space and you did it. I love all your details, the shiny
    jewlery like hardare, those pendants on track how clever,
    the delicate yet elegant backsplash works super with your
    counters and the rich warm cabinetry makes this kitchen
    delicious. Hot Fudge Sundae? You bet!
    Oh I can't forget the hood. I understand your Dh is upset
    but your hood is really cool. And the island and eat in
    area, worked out perfectly. Good for you for thinking
    outside the box and making your dream come true.
    A big fan of your beautiful reno.
    ~boxerpups

  • ideagirl2
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. And I'm really happy to see you went with a local cabinetmaker... way to keep skilled jobs in the US (as opposed to buying made-in-China big-box cabinets).

  • Krisall
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks like a magazine! I am using the same knobs, but on white shaker cabinets. Glad to see how good they look! :) Also interested in the Caesarstone- I am looking for a black counter and trying to decide between that material or a leathered granite. What sink and faucet did you end up going with? I agree that this site has been like a new friend!! So glad I found out about it- you all are awesome! It's like having great, knowledgeable friends hold your hand through the process. Thanks!

  • pricklypearcactus
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gorgeous! You have an absolutely stunning new kitchen. I love the combination of warm cabinetry with cool white countertops, backsplash and sleek stainless. I love the shape of your backsplash tiles and your beautiful lights. Thank you so much for sharing.

  • kitchenaddict
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi sharon...

    Thank YOU for sharing with us...Your kitchen is beautiful through and through and it looks like you have thought it out really well too!

    Enjoy many meals!

    KA:)

  • adel97
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I've been gone all day and this is so nice to come back to. Thanks everyone for the nice comments!

    Melaska, to answer your questions, the broom closet is 9" across, with 7.5" of usable width inside. Perfect for a mop, broom, and some cleaning supplies. The opening in the kitchen looks into our family room, with is a few steps down, and the FR has picture windows into our backyard. It's a nice view from the sink because one can look outside as well as interact with anyone hangin' in the FR. "Are those lick marks I see on your ice cream sundae counter?" Shhh, don't tell anybody!

    dianalo, thanks! Warm contemporary is exactly what I was going for. I like clean, sleek, modern lines but with natural materials such as wood and stone to keep things grounded. If and when we move, though, our next house will be a much more modern space. A really modern kitchen would not have been a good fit for this house.

    beckysharp, xc60, thanks for the nice comments about the cabs. The great thing about the cabs is that they look a rich dark brown in the daylight, but at night in artificial light they take on an almost glossy red look. I really like both.

    ironcook, trailrunner, sayde, sparklekitty, kiffgirl, cat-mom, ideagirl, pricklypear kitchenaddict (love that name, aren't we all?) thanks for the nice comments! We are function over form people generally, but this time I am so happy we were able to achieve both.

    blfenton, thanks. The BS and marble are my favorites too. And I agree that it's a real pleasure to see everyone's kitchen come to fruition from plan to reveal!

    breezygirl, thanks. We definitely plan to stick around for 8-10 more years. We live in a lovely "great place to raise a family" kind of town but we are much more "city rat" than "suburb squirrel" at heart. I suspect that once DS is out of college DH and I may want to downsize at some point and move someplace more urban.

    debbie1031, of course! It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the BS is polished and has a lot of rust veining similar to the marble counter. It is called "white statuary calacatta polished, cascading waterfall mosaic". We ordered it from a Tile Showcase showroom in Watertown MA. It's not shown on their website but you can call them to order a sample. (www.tileshowcase.com)

    This is a picture from the showroom

    remodelfla: the cabinet pulls are the Princetonian pulls from Top Knobs. I first saw them in theanimalia's kitchen in the FKB. I think they'll look great in your kitchen as well!

    sas95, the quartz is great, isn't it? Being a bit OCD about cleanliness and tidyness, I was happy to see that soap and water or a little 50% rubbing alcohol gets it sparkling. For tougher stains like greasy contractor fingerprints and blue ballpoint pen (don't ask!), a little Softscrub with bleach has worked wonders.

    bostonpam, yes, you found me out! For lighting we went to Wolfers in Waltham. Highly recommend. Aaron helped us out and he was great.

    bostonpam, maggie08 and doggonegardener: The awesome pan rack is from Amazon and was all of 12 bucks, a great deal (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000YB82A)!

    Elba1, I also wanted a deep contrast between the floors and cabs. Maple was the only species that seemed light enough for what we wanted AND was not very grainy since I wanted the grain of the cherry to take center stage. We had it sealed with some kind of space age nano UV sealer so it will supposedly not yellow over time. We considered ash and beech as well. Oak is beautiful too and many people have done oak floors and cherry cabs.

    Adrienne2011: Thanks, I love red as an accent and will be doing more of that. I repurposed one of my red water pitchers as a wooden spoon holder for the countertop and I'm currently looking for a read toaster but haven't found one yet. Alas, my dishtowels will stay white (that's my OCD talking again)!

    keptoz, thanks for the comment about the hood. We now like it very much as well. This is a prime example of how something that seems a disappointment during the process can work out just fine in the end. Zephyr makes one that looks identical but with slightly fewer CFM.

    florantha, thanks. "Calm" is important to me, and we tried hard not only to create a calm, uncluttered space, but also to maintain a good attitude throughout the process. Our mantra was "no complaining" as we did this to ourselves and we are fortunate to be able to do it. Were we perfect at staying zen about it? No. But if our biggest problem is not finding a quartzite slab for the kitchen or not getting a chimney hood, we are doing pretty well and we are grateful for that.

    jakabedy: umm, yes! I'll be heading to the remodeling forum soon to get started! We won't be doing anything major but paint and editing of rooms can do a lot, I hope.

    bellacucina, thank you! the knife organizer is from rev-a-shelf: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013AC28Y

    boxer, I know you felt my anxiety about the darn island/table and I want to thank you in particular so much for the earlier confidence boost! You're right, sometimes one just has to be first.

    Krisall, I really like the pulls, they are hefty and solid, you will enjoy them. The sink is a Kindred 27 inch. The faucet is the Grohe ladylux3, prep sink size.

    Feel free to ask anything. I hope to be able to give back some useful information as I got so much from you guys!

  • cjc123
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW! It is such a warm inviting space. LOVE the light coming through those big windows giving a warm glow on the cherry. Your backspash is stunning. (clipped and saved, maybe for bathroom remodel) ;-) Isn't it such a wonderful feeling to "LOVE" it when it is all done. Enjoy!!

  • doggonegardener
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, thank you. I am definitely getting one. Lovely kitchen. Nicely done. Enjoy it.

    Rene

  • sabjimata
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh I love it! You had a great space to start with and really modernized it. Love how you accentuated the red of the cherry in your details while creating a very serene kitchen. Enjoy!

  • ginger25
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonite: I would love to see some close up pictures of your caesarstone blizzard. Your kitchen is beautiful. I love, love marble!!

  • flwrs_n_co
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yowzers!! What a beautiful transformation!! You make it look effortless to get a cohesive and supremely functional kitchen while at the same time achieving beautiful aesthetics! I think my favs are the marble with the quartz, the track lighting, and the cab hardware. Oh, and the touches of red! I'm sure we'll be seeing your island/table concept in many other kitchens. Your new kitchen looks like it absolutely belongs in the space and could have been no other way--in any detail! Enjoy!

  • jakkom
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Stunning...absolutely stunning. One of the three most beautiful kitchens I've ever seen here on GW, and that's saying something since I've been hanging around here for years now.

    Love the way you made some relatively small layout changes, for such a huge impact. Great job!

  • elba1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How tall are your uppers? I was thinking of doing a little glass in the top of some of my uppers just because I thought it would look too dark in my u shape kitchen without any glass, but I like the clean look of yours without glass. (A zephyr hood that looks like that was recommended to me - I didn't like the looks of it in the showroom, but it looks nice in your kitchen!)

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    B/s is gorgeous, just yummy! My favorite thing, though, is your red chairs picking up on the Wolf! Great touch.

  • jenhp
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharonite, I am drooling here! Your kitchen has a lot of the look and feel that I am going for in my design. I LOVE the BS tile. I googled and found something similar, but a little different from yours. Thanks to you for posting it and giving me inspiration. This is probably the only way I am getting marble into my kitchen. I love the marble slab as well. I am looking at caesar stone in one of the whites too. I would love it you posted a picture of the caesar stone countertops closeup.

    Thanks for posting and sharing. You did a great job on the design. I don't think you missed a thing not having a KD. By the way, I'm in the same boat, no KD. However, DH and I do wood working and will be building our own cabinets. That is, if we ever finalize the design!

  • adel97
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    cjc123, sabjimata, flwrs-n-co, jkom51, mtnrdredux thanks! We are really enjoying the new space. It is so much more functional and easy to work in.

    Ginger25 and jenhp: "Blizzard" is warmer than the pure white or organic white from Caesarstone. I think it works better with the rusty Danby marble than those purer whites. Here are some closeups of the Caesarstone, as requested (these are in artificial light):

    You have to get REALLY close up (3 inches in this case) to see the fine speckles.

    From farther back but as close as a foot, it reads solid white:


    Elba1, the uppers are 37 inches tall. The trim between the cabinets and ceiling is under 2 inches, just enough to tie the cabinets to a little bit of a crooked ceiling. There is also a 1 inch light rail underneath the uppers, to hide the under cabinet lights. The ceiling is 8 feet. I thought about incorporating some glass, but I wanted to avoid breaking up the space, for a more contemporary look. If my ceilings were higher, I would have considered a top glass section as well!

  • elba1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks a lot - they look pretty tall. I have 8 ft ceiling along the sink wall, but cathedral starts and increases along the range wall, so I could have taller ones there, but now I don't think it would look right - thanks!
    I'll say it again - I just love all your marble!!!

  • gsciencechick
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I love the contrast between the lights and the darks! Amazing transformation! Congrats!

  • mabeldingeldine_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is one gorgeous kitchen. I'd love to know more about our hood. When the OTR microhood goes, we will put in a real hood now that we've completed the external vent ducting (past summer) so I'm collecting back vented ideas.

  • marthavila
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm late to the party, but I'm totally in sync with all the whistles and cheers which have preceded this post. That's a very lovely kitchen you've got there! Congratulations!

  • adel97
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For mabeldingeldine: the hood is the XO-P hood (www.xoventilation.com). Zephyr makes an almost identical one with fewer CFM, for a little less $$. We have it venting behind the cabs and out the back of the oven cabinet (where there used to be a window). The area just in back of the hood is our family room, so we couldn't vent straight back.

    You have to be careful when making turns in the ducting. It varies per hood specs, but for ours, every 90 degree turn is the equivalent of 6 feet of straight ducting, so it can reduce the efficiency.

    Our old OTR non-venting "hood" was useless. It's great having real ventilation now.

    Good luck!

  • loosey-goosey
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I covet your kitchen! I love the contemporary, clean-line look but with the warmth of rich wood!

  • adel97
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    loosey-thanks! There are several "famous" contemporary kitchens past page 67 of the current threads. Search on google for "gardenweb" and sochi, kiffgirl, or cat_mom, just to name a few. These folks have drop-dead gorgeous kitchens!

  • Linda Sweeney-Maribito
    7 years ago

    Curious how has the Danby Marble held up, love it and doing a kitchen redo, also what is the color you choose. I know there is Imperial etc. Hope you see this, I see this thread was from few years ago. Linda

  • Argenae Price
    6 years ago

    I also am in LOVE with your marble and would like to know how the upkeep has been? Thank you!