the range wall is just fine: above the sink I would keep the left hand dbl door cab but above sink and to the right raise the bottom height and place an open shelf below that. This provides a spot to place the [what not's] that land on counters-your counter runs will be more useful if kept as clear as possible.[or somewhere in this kitchen get an open shelf below a reduced height wall cab.] Are you really after the farmhouse sink style? It is not a long wall there and it seems so dominant-I would do an undermount, but probably more a stylistic choice-go for it if it is your thing.

Thank you for the link to the Plain English.... I sent that to my cabinet makers! I hope they enjoy it as much as I did.

Nancy

With your list of "must keep" and no separate big pantry, there's no real way to get there from here. Sure, you can echo some of it slightly---the painted cabinets and use of drawers. But without the inset you've lost the BIG element that really "makes" those kitchens. Also, your attachment to the visually prominent and obtrusive farmhouse sink and rangetop will never allow your kitchen to echo the sleek smooth style of the undermount sink and induction cooktop that the inspiration pieces have. Even the kitchens with gas have greatly simplified the look so that there are no uppers to compete with the Aga as the pared down focal point.

To manage to echo these kitchens simplicity, you'd have to remove all of your uppers at a minimum, and that means that you'd have to have a big separate storage pantry for all of your stuff. And even then, you'd want to start whittling down your "must keep" list.

It's perfectly fine to admire a look while realizing that it would not be achievable in your own home and that's what you are going to have to settle for here unless you are willing to start over completely and give up most of your "must keep" list.

Holly, holly, holly ;-)

Yes, I know that it's not going to look the same - those kitchens don't look like they would fit my lifestyle at all. And it would be a dumb decision (for me) to build a beautiful and non functional kitchen. I do have a pantry, btw, it's that door to the right of the sink run.

The sink does look odd in the mockup.

I don't want to lose the uppers completely. Would decreasing their height and simplifying the molding make a difference?

Overall, your kitchen is a bit small to carry this off without taking out a lot of cabinets to pare the look down significantly. A single open shelf could work, but the uppers interfere with the look you'd like to have. And you would have to pick either the apron front sink (simplified in stainless, not fireclay) or the rangetop to keep. Keeping them both is too much visual noise. I'd actually suggest a full range instead of the cooktop and wall ovens. It keeps the visual complexity to one single location instead of multiple points. And then go with a plain undermount sink. Doing that and eliminating the uppers would give you a pretty good start to achieving some of the look, even without the inset.

But, without sacrificing some of your list, I don't see you achieving the spirit of the kitchens that you love.

I know that my kitchen isn't going to look like those kitchens. If it did, I would never be able to cook, because my stuff would be all over the counters for lack of storage.

I just thought maybe there were some elements I could apply to my kitchen. A molding or a counter or something. I guess not.

I'll resign myself to an ugly kitchen, I guess. Worse problems in life, I suppose.

I'm not sure exactly which aspect of the inspiration kitchen you are trying to acheive. Is is the sleek smooth look? Is it the unfitted qualities? Is it the inset?

If it is the unfitted aspect, then there are things you can do with your uppers to acheive that. My inspiration kitchens came from the Chalon website (http://www.chalon.com/kitchens.asp). And I have a fairly small kitchen, shaker doors, farm sink. I used open cabinets for my uppers (and I have only 2) but I think these cabinets could have doors and still achieve the look. My inspiration cabinets are inset, but I used full overlay. I know it's different...I know it doesn't really look exactly the same. But I am happy with what I designed for my kitchen.

My pics are not great...we're still not completely finished.

But here is fridge and chopping area...I'm planning on moving the micro and rice cooker elsewhere so it won't really be so cluttered. But see that the upper does not go wall to wall or to the ceiling in order to replicate an old fashioned cupboard.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y80DEiW0JeBuENc6jNtItnGx01qGNVnBvu6v6FAH_8M?feat=directlink

And here, for my pantry cabinets along our back wall, I tried to vary the height to make it look like separate bookcases and a armoire. The bookcases do not go to the wall (there is about a 6 inch gap)...partly because of the slider on one side and the doorway on the other not having 12" of wall for a cabinet to go against...but it also gives it the "furniture" look.

Another wall cupboard.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VbYZVzjp0AH2XcPZiUt5ZnGx01qGNVnBvu6v6FAH_8M?feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1j8ZgRwhdntm5yISbYxo2HGx01qGNVnBvu6v6FAH_8M?feat=directlink

Your kitchen is far from "ugly"! LOL! It's just very "American" and not European simplified. You've got "stuff" you need to keep and use close by, and your kitchen reflects that. That makes it functional for you. Function, especially in a small kitchen, is far more important than form. Your decisions validate that for you. So what that it's not one almost blank expanse of space? If you wanted that in the first place, you'd have started out with a more modern aesthetic and slab front cabinets. Your choices speak to what's important to you! And it's more important to be able to actually work in your kitchen than to have it look like you don't.

I admire the Plain English style, as well. Three details that seem common to all of their kitchens are: 1) nearly monochromatic color scheme 2) lack of backsplash (or splashback, since they're English ;), with smooth walls that look like plaster, and 3) minimal to no toe kick (compared with standard 4" of most American made cabinets). These are all elements that you could include in your kitchen to reference the Plain English look.

Only on gardenweb is my kitchen considered small!

It seems you really need to decide what you like best about that style and work with it. They appear to be primarily monochromatic - so that is easy enough. I also see some with very simple light fixtures in the same color - also doable. I don't see any with such a prominent hood.
I think a simple wood hood and a dishwasher panel would be help you get the look you want. I know they are both expensive, but if you decide to forgo the apron sink (they are quite expensive - both the sink and the special cabinet) you might use those savings toward them. I think the undermount sink, diswasher panel, and shelf that herbflavor suggested would get you the look you want (or maybe get rid of the glass door cabinet above the sink altogether and do just shelves leaving the trim & crown across the top - more savings for other elements you like.
Do you like the interior transoms shown in the blue kitchen?
Those can be done quite inexpensively if you have a decent carpenter - maybe over the pantry door.
It seems like a really functional plan. Good luck with getting the style you want!

I also love the Plain Engish kitchens. Is there one particular kitchen on their site that appeals to you most? If so, post the name of it and I'm sure we can help you pull elements out of it. I agree with kfhl as well - monochromatic, paneled appliances, wood hood, do simple hardware, maybe slate countertop, etc., etc. But post back with more specific elements in the kitchen and I'm sure y ou'll get more ideas.

Those English kitchens are beautiful. You are a little stubborn (sorry) about your must-have list - it seems like you are deprecating your own choices (saying they would make an "ugly kitchen"), yet not wanting to change them. At the very least, to achieve your style wishes, you could change your "don't want to change" quartz counters. Quartz counters--their colors and patterns--are antithetical to the look you admire. If you want bullet-proof in your counters, you could pick a granite that has the soft traditional look of soapstone, such as Vermont Mist/aka Virginia Mist. Or some of the granites that have a marble-like appearance (but don't stain or etch the way marble does). BTW, price-wise, quartz counters tend to cost as much as granite, so given quartz's more modern appearance, I do not see why it is a must-have for you.

You might have read me moan over beaded inset cabinets. They absolutely call my name. Or maybe they moan back at me.

I think you can move in this direction without being raped on door prices. Something to consider: They make doors with a beaded edge that can be inset so mimic the beaded inset look.
Barkerdoor.com has a square beaded door here, and a rounded bead here. I'm considering the latter with the style of the drawer. No stiles and rails, just the beaded w/ a flat panel.

I'm also looking at the Cabinet Authority.com at their CRP-10334, their Windham, and their 1439.

So if you're buy doors, there are some options right there to get the cleaner, inset look. Barkerdoor.com gives GREAT instructions on how to measure.

I love the monochrome look of that beautiful blue kitchen. I agree that taking off some of the upper doors and continuing the color would help you move in that design direction.

I can see a sleek, stainless farm sink as mentioned, but the bigger chunky ones would disrupt the line. I would also consider a wood or paneled hood in the same color.

Is your granite in that neutral color? Those lights can be had. I even still have a page up from another thread here.

I think achieving the look isn't all that far off. It's just "adjusting" your nonnegotiables.

Hey!!
I found what I meant on BarkerDoor.com here.

The repeating theme is the soft monochromatic colors with minimal ornamentation as others have said. Even the window trim is painted the same color. This is not a popular look in the USA. The ever-popular all-white kitchens in the USA have a lot more ornamentation and bling. (think of Beekeepers and Breezy's) Theirs' are great examples of the American white kitchen look with a great deal of contrast. (flooring, countertops, ornamentation...)

To pull this off, I think your flooring material will be the most challenging component, IMHO. If you are set on cherry flooring, then you have to pick a paint color and the theme of the kitchen in a color palette that washes out the cherry... I am thinking darker blue grey or even sage-green may work. I am not sure... Either way, you have to have enough of pigment to blend but not contrast with the cherry flooring. There is a blue kitchen with slate flooring in one example. They found the right amount of blue to soften the slate. Most of their kitchens have white painted wood floors or very very light stone/tile floors.

As you simplify the color scheme, you also have to simplify the trim and moulding around the house/kitchen. The crown that you show in your kitchen design is too much for that type of look. It is too heavy, IMHO. For example, if you painted the MDF trim-work with glossy white as most American houses tend to do, then the look is completely ruined.

You also will need to make sure that the frig and ovens do not dominate your range wall. If you use SS frig/oven on that wall, you will absolutely lose the soft monochromatic look.

If you are going for the look, I would put a focal point range where the range top is. Then, I would replace the double oven with a pantry cabinet. The frig/DW will need panels as others have said. IMHO, you will need to do an integrated frig, not just panels. Then the hood should be also blended with either cabinetry or a custom box.

I would also nix the cabinets on the sink wall and replace with open floating shelves. Since the double ovens have been replaced with pantry, it should be about the same storage.

Another design element that you really need to pay attention to is the amount of natural light. Because there is so little contrast in the room, the natural light will really affect how things show in the room. If you don't have enough natural light, the room will look washed out and dark (since you will have cherry flooring AND maybe darker painted cabinets). It is the shadows from the natural light which gives interest to this type of design. The pictures look as if they only used natural light with reflectors but no artificial lights.

This is a very expensive look as others have said. I wish you the best.

kfhl - thanks! I will look into the transom, and I've already included a dishwasher panel (the KD just didn't draw it). I think the open shelves where the glass cabinets are is a good idea.

akchigaco - Me? Stubborn? ;-) It's a difficult balance between function and style, obviously. I wanted quartz because I thought it was "quieter" than granite. Marble is pretty but not appropriate for me. I thought I could do "caesarstone raven" or something and approximate the look of soapstone. I originally wanted honed jet mist but honed granites are pretty unheard of around here.

Chris11895 - I like the Williamsburg kitchen best. I am attracted to the true Shaker look, not just Shaker-style. I am thinking of changing my drawer fronts to slab. I wonder if I could do the painted knobs in the same color as the cabinets too. One of those kitchens has an apron sink so I'm not sure why everyone thinks it wouldn't fit?

Christine - thanks. THose are pretty doors. We've already chosen the cabinet line, though, and that door style isn't an option.

Kaismom - I do agree that the trim is too ornate. Do you think I should make the uppers less tall (36 instead of 42 as shown) and drastically simplify the trim to that thin line on the plain english ones?

I like your kitchen...and it's not small! LOL

All I would do is change the hardware to those big wooden knobs...lots of English kitchens seem to have them...and maybe think about mixing in another countertop. You don't want to be too matchy/matchy.

Also, if you can...include a plate rack and/or make some of the uppers glass. Add some paint to the cabinets (maybe a different color on the island or sink wall) and you have a beautiful kitchen! :)

In most of those kitchens, the uppers do not run to the ceiling. I do think a quartz counter would work well if it was a simple one like many of the Caesarstones.

Have you seen poured concrete counters? I think they would fit in well in a kitchen like this and you can tint them to any color. Simplify the trim, add some open shelves, a plate rack would work well too, those wooden knobs painted in the same color are definitely a good choice and paneled appliances. I think the key to those knobs is their size. If you use the wooden knobs you see at home depot they wouldn't work. They need to be smaller wooden knobs and maybe painted wainscoting for the backsplash. The key to the apron front sink is making it look clean and not bulky, so that will just depend on the sink you choose. Their web site has a fair amount of pictures with them so it's definitely doable. I have to agree with others on the range instead of the cooktop but I imagine it's for your cooking style?

It depends on the ceiling height of your room regarding the cabinet height. If you get rid of the cabinets (visually lighten) the sink wall, I think you can use taller cabinets on the range wall because the room will feel lighter even with the taller cabinets.

You need to simplify the trim. I would make the trim the same size and feel as the stiles (or rails) of cabinet doors to visually simplify the elements that are introduced. I actually LOVE this type of look with very thin stiles (or rails I am not sure of the term) on the cabinet doors. (again, emphasizing the light) Often that is expensive because they are not stock cabinet doors.

Regarding your kitchen: even though you would like your DW to be on the sink wall, I see this is counter intuitive to how an average person/kid would behave. My kids would dump dinner plates on the large counter space which would be the island.... I would be asking them to drop it next to the sink every day. My kids never stack anything on the counter when they drop off dirty dishes in the kitchen. Even adults don't stack. You see this at parties. It takes an anal retentive person like me to stack dirty dishes at a party when the entire kitchen counter has been covered with dirty dishes...

With my kids, there would not be quite enough counter space around the sink to use it effectively as a clean up area. I think you would be frustrated.... (at least I would be)

Regarding concrete counter top: the edges will be too heavy. Concrete edges are often 2 inches thick. The counters in these Euro kitchens are quite thin, less than 1 inch. These are standard 2 cm slabs. The thinness is what gives the sense of airiness and light feeling.

Kiasmom - Interesting, I thought you cold make concrete any thickness you want? When I was looking at them in a showroom about a month ago they said standard is 1.5"-2" but because they're custom made you can do anything you want? Is there a reason they can't be thinner?

My cooktop, fridge and ovens' wall layout is similar to your drawing. I know the look is not what you are seeking but the practical layout is.
I did 3 drawers on each side because I wanted large drawers for pots, salad bowls, frying pans and lids. The 2 top drawers hold all my cooking utensils. I wanted to keep the counters uncluttered. We are very pleased with how it works.

Sixty--love your backsplash. Really makes your kitchen.

Sixty - love your kitchen! Did I miss a posting of your finished kitchen? Sorry to go OT, but what are your cabinets (brand name and/or wood type), and what is that stunning backsplash?

If you like the look of the English kitchens then get rid of the quintessential American-look items: the double ovens and the whacking great fridge parked in gigunda colums, one on each end of your cooking wall.

Choose a range instead of a cooktop and double ovens (which are very antithetical to the unfitted, English-y look), and move the fridge to the pantry room.

American kitchens are all about the hardware, European, and especially English traditional-look kitchens, not so much.

Honking great fridges (like the one you shown w double doors) are often called, generically, "American fridges" in other countries. They are lusted after, so I'm not dissing them, except to point out that they are not-English style.

Also note that a lot of the tall cupboard-y elements in those kitchens are relatively shallow from the wall. And most of those rooms have really high ceilings.

Also I question whether the DW/ clean-up sink placement will be annoying. Where are the dishes stored? Are they convenient for plating? Where you planning to keep the them in 36" cab next to the prep sink. You could open the DW and put the dishes away just across the aisle. Then snatch 'em back out sideways when the dinner is ready to serve.

HTH

L.

You might also want to consider getting your Bluestar in a color -- say, cream (depending on your color scheme for the painted cabs) -- rather than stainless steel.

Lee Valley has plain wood paintable knobs, including the classic English "mushroom" knob,

www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=32808&cat=3,46742,44010&ap=1

www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=46396&cat=3,46742,44010&ap=1

www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=46390&cat=3,46742,44010&ap=1

www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=45045&cat=3,46742,44010&ap=1

Another thing to consider is a Shaker peg rail painted to match the cabinets, esp if you forego the splashback/backsplash.

If you haven't already selected a sink, Ikea does a more budget friendly version of an apron front sink, called Domsjo (both single and double versions).

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Domsjo single sink

Concrete does not have enough inherent strength to hold itself up.. They have rebars for structural support inside of the concrete. It is hard to make 2 cm concrete with rebars inside.
You can ask the concrete shops. The ones I have checked out cannot make them that thin with a guarantee that it will not crack.
1.5 to 2 inches is WAY thicker than 2 cm (3/4 inch equivalednt), which is the typical counter thickness in the pictures that the OP has shown.
Most European designs use much thinner counter look: 2 cm is the norm. Some are even featuring 1 cm look.

Those kitchens have all been lit in a particularly luminous way that makes them look almost like sacred spaces. We don't have lighting like that in the real world. I wonder if some of those kitchens would look as pretty without that lighting.
A lot of unfinished wood countertops too.