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Finished Traditional Kitchen (lots of pics)

Jm_seattle
13 years ago

THANK YOU GARDENWEB! We got so many great ideas from this forum, and everybody was so incredibly helpful and generous.

Here are some pics and a few details:

Island:



Overview:



Refrigerator and pantry:



Message center:



Breakfast nook:



Our KD wanted an extremely large window area to bring in light, but made it fit into the old house by breaking it up and using leaded glass:



Sink w/glass filler, runnels, & built-in compost bin:



Built-in compost bin close-up:



Mug shelf:



Charging drawer. This entire cabinet is deeper than it appears because it is built into the interior wall behind it, gaining an extra 4" or so of storage space without creeping into the walkway in front of it:



Island cabinets:



Miele ovens installed as flush inset (I searched and never did find pictures of this, so hopefully these will help somebody else):



Cleaning closet in "invented space" from interior wall:



Extra depth for the vacuum was made by reducing the depth of the drawers under the pantry:



The placement of the outlet underneath the music player shelf allows the nasty cordness to be hidden from eye-level:



Toe-kick heater vent. The toe-kick face under the message center & island is covered with stained oak flooring. From eye-level, the toe-kick absorbs the correct amount of light and gives the appearance of freestanding cabinets.



The freestanding appearance is clearer here:



Drawers under nook seating area:



There is a powder room off the kitchen. This wasn't our first choice, but ended up being our only choice in this old house, and has been okay, especially considering its placement is directly next to the hallway and away from the primary cooking area:



Adjacent mudroom, which became part of the kitchen remodel. The door is to a laundry chute which we use mostly for kitchen towels & napkins.

Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures

Comments (89)

  • nancyaustin
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Stunning! You thought of every detail & incorporated storage ideas that I've never seen before. What a treasure you have created! Congratulations!

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

    Thanks all! We really did our best to build a 50-year kitchen instead of one that would get ripped out in 10 or 20 years. That goal involved always pushing for three things: high quality, high utility, and a traditional look that fit in with the rest of the house rather than the current trends. Here are a few more details and answers to the questions:

    The house is a 1924 Tudor. Not very big by today's standards (

    Cabinets: http://www.seattlecustomcabinets.com/
    Highly recommended if you're in the Seattle area! In addition to making beautiful, high quality cabinets, it was Tim who came up with a lot of the cool storage ideas like taking advantage of the interior walls.

    Compost Bin: Blanco Solon. http://www.blancocanada.com/frames/BlancoStart.htm#/pages/wasteManagement.htm
    It's out of Canada but there are US .com vendors if you do a web search.

    Tile: Oregon Tile & Marble's Isole line. They have a showroom in Seattle, but also sell through retail tile stores. http://www.oregontileandmarble.com/ & http://www.oregontileandmarble.com/Tear%20Sheets/IE%20Lanka%20Isole_2pg.pdf

    Here's a closeup of the backsplash:

    Hardware is all in polished nickel (except the glass filler, which was the only one we could find that didn't require two hands and was only available in chrome).

    Cabinet latches: http://www.lookintheattic.com/vhln250.html
    We chose ones with large knobs on the advice of our cabinet maker (who said as we got older our hands might have a harder time turning a smaller knob).

    Drawer pulls (incl fridge) are Restoration Hardware Aubrey: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1283069&categoryId=cat1512023

    Hinges are White Chapel Ball-tip: http://www.whitechapel-ltd.com/category/lpbtfch.html

    Paint:
    Cabinets/trim are Benjamin Moore Bavarian Cream
    Walls are C2 Sugar Cookie
    Ceiling Benjamin Moore Paper Mache

    Counter: Some sort of Brazilian Soapstone. I wouldn't recommend our fabricator. If you're shopping for soapstone, definitely bring a water bottle / damp cloth with you and view each piece wet. Ours was light grey when we bought it, but turned almost jet black when we oiled it with mineral oil, and the damp cloth gave us a much better idea of the final color.

    Sink: Franke GNX-110-28. http://www.frankeksd.com/productdetail.php?prodid=71&node=10&group=53&lvl=3
    This was one of the few sinks we could find with a drain in the corner. The corner drain allows the plumbing to be tucked away in a corner and gives you much more usable space under the sink. Here's a shot of the sink and the usable space underneath:


    Appliances:
    DISHWASHER: Miele G 2183 SCVi
    REFRIGERATOR: Sub-Zero 700TCi LH
    HOOD: Vent-a-Hood SLH9-130SS
    MAIN OVEN: Miele H4780BPSS
    STEAM OVEN: Miele DG4080SS
    COOKTOP: Miele KM5753+

    Just let me know if you have other questions- I'm happy to tell the good and bad and it's the least I can do after all the help this forum has given me. :)

  • breezygirl
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the details! I came back to drool again!

    I'm in Olympia and might be in the market for some soapstone to go with my Carrara. I know that Gharborwa above is also looking for ss. At which slab yard did you get yours?

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

    We got ours at Meta Marble & Granite, which is one of many in that giant industrial maze south of downtown Seattle. We went to a couple of other ones first, but the other ones didn't have the classic black soapstone that we wanted. What the others called soapstone was too green and wasn't what I pictured. When we got to Meta and asked about it, one of the staff took us right to this lighter grey stone, and told us that this was the stuff. She said that someone returned one the other day that had been oiled and it was jet black. We put some water on it and could see that this was exactly what we were looking for.

    Our experience was that the yards around here do most of their business in granite and marble, and don't know much about soapstone even if they do happen to carry it (even Meta, and I don't think they would have been nearly as helpful if they hadn't seen one come back recently).

    Also, we went to visit the yards with our fabricator, and I wouldn't do it any other way. These yards can be intimidating and are not designed for a retail experience. I would have probably given up sooner if it weren't for our fabricator knowing what to ask for and how much to push the employees in terms of moving around slabs and showing them to us.

    Although I'm very happy we went to pick the stone, one thing I wouldn't do next time is stress too much over the exact slab. We took a lot of time choosing the exact slabs of stone we wanted, and then our fabricator messed up a cut and one of them was just plain gone. He replaced it with one he chose and it looks just as good.

  • breezygirl
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks jm. I visited the big yards in Sodo a few weeks ago. Meta had the biggest selection I saw. The guy who showed me and the kids around was helpful and knowledgable. How lucky for you that your fabricator would go with you. I'd be looking at black soapstone too if we decide to do it. Yours is beautiful! Thanks again!

  • ironcook
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    your kitchen has everything!!! but it's an inviting, beautiful space at the same time. really, really wonderful. you must be thrilled, and rightfully so. enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! :)

  • liriodendron
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'll add my congratulations on creating such a beautiful, happy-looking kitchen. Your kitchen is just wonderful!

    L

  • greenhousems
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi jm seattle... wonderful results from start to finish. Can you tell me anything about the window over the sink?

  • remodelfla
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love all the thoughtful touches that help make the kitchen function so well for you. It's so exciting to see where all your belongings fit when you've planned for so long. I'm so glad your space turned to to be everything you wanted it to be.

  • onedogedie
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Please share the name of your one-handed glass filler. I am on the lookout for one for my (one useful handed) mom. I need to look again but I don't think I could see where the radio lived in the kitchen, which means there are undocumented spaces. More pictures please!

    Your kitchen is lovely and everything I could ever want. I love that it is filling the available space. It gives great inspiration and food for thought for looking at my own available space to "Make it work."

  • chris11895
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful job! I love how much thought you put into all of the details and the look is gorgeous!!

  • onedogedie
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think I found the radio - over the nook/banquette? Neat-o!

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

    The one-handed water filler is called a "push-back" water filler. We got ours from T&S Brass (I think we got the B-1210). Interestingly, T&S Brass still shows the older pictures on their website, but if you click on the "specifications" link, you'll see the newer, more rounded design that we have.

    http://www.tsbrass.com/index.cfm?page=product&ID=95

    We looked all over for one that didn't have the blue plastic pusher, but couldn't find one. We actually thought we found one from another commercial plumbing company called Zurn. When we ordered it, however, it turned out that it was actually the T&S Brass model, just sold under the Zurn name.

    http://www.zurn.com/pages/catalog.asp?ProductGroupID=40&OperationID=3

    There is also something commonly called a "water station" that is a glass filler combined with a cute little drain. I liked those a lot, but we just couldn't find space for it:

    http://www.tsbrass.com/index.cfm?page=product&ID=96

    Stepping back, I should point out that the main reason we wanted a separate glass filler was because we drink a lot of water and wanted to be able to fill water while someone was doing dishes. If you have room for a separate prep sink or have a water dispenser in your refrigerator, you wouldn't need anything else. Both of those seem like much easier and more common solutions, and the refrigerator option is often one-handed.

  • dianalo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You crack me up because I tried to find a non blue water filler too and had to give up. I think you will just have to design the kitchen for me if we ever move. You seem to know what I'd love to have. The blue would have stuck out like a sore thumb in our kitchen because of our colors, so we had to go with a filtered water faucet, but I really wanted one like yours. For anyone else looking, restaurant supply stores all carry water fillers so your local place may have them as well if you need to see them in person.

    The size of your kitchen is not the largest nor done with the most glitzy or expensive elements, yet I covet yours more because yours hits it on the head in every way. I hope you know that the compliments you are getting are not just "rah rah GW" chatter. I bet if people love it half as much as I do, yours will rapidly become the most clipped GW kitchen ever ;)

  • gardenamy
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW - Amazing!!! Great use of storage!

    Can you please post your ceiling height, and the cabinet maker.

    AMAZING!!!! Most clipped ever I'm sure.

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

    Not sure what exact details you want on the window, so I'll just share a few and then feel free to tell me if you want others.

    The window over the sink came as six separate windows. They are typical double-pane fir windows, with a lead pattern applied to the inside pane. Ours happen to be from Lindal (chosen only because the rest of our house has Lindal windows), but could be from anywhere.

    Our GC ordered them as custom sizes from a window distributor, and it was the window distributor (not Lindal, the window manufacturer) that coordinated the leading. They sent the windows out to a local shop for the leading, so that by the time the GC received them, they were ready to go.

    The GC did all the trim and detail work of putting them in, and one thing that might not be obvious unless you look closely at the sink picture is how little depth he used when putting in the trim. This was done on purpose to make room for a shade that we'll eventually put in. The shade will now be able to be fully inset into the window area, which was really our only choice if you look closely at how little space there is behind the gooseneck of the faucet.

    The only two windows that open are the lower left and right windows, which open casement style. We haven't yet had the kitchen for summertime, but I think they will provide the perfect amount of breeze on a hot day, but that's about it. For example, they're definitely not fire escape windows, as each one is less than a foot wide.

    As with many of these details, it looks way better in person than in the pictures. The window is an absolutely beautiful addition to the room, and the details like the size ratios and use of lead everywhere but the center window are not anything we would have come up with on our own. Those nuances are what you should be getting when you hire a professional KD.

    When our KD put the window in our plans, he designed it specifically for the house and the kitchen, and admitted he had no idea what a window like it would cost. I'm still not sure exactly (as our bill also included the double-hung window above the nook), but our total bill was around $7K. Some of that is because they're custom sizes, but I'm told a lot of it was for the leading (which is hand-applied). And keep in mind that's just the windows themselves (not the GC's time to put them in).

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

    The ceiling height is 9 1/2 feet, and the cabinet maker is Seattle Custom Cabinets (http://www.seattlecustomcabinets.com/).

    If you have a ceiling tall enough for two sets of upper cabinets, it's worth thinking about not only the heights of both of them but also the ratio between them. It's those kinds of subtleties that make a wall of cabinets (or anything else, for that matter) pleasant to look at. Not something I would have ever thought of (or known how to choose correctly), but that's one of the many things our cabinet maker had an exceptionally good eye for.

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

    jm, that's just dandy! And thanks for posting a close-up of the backsplash.

    Everything is just wonderful -- the sink windows, the mug shelf, the compost bin, message center, pull out cutting board. You've thought of everything, and it's all so perfectly integrated in a beautiful kitchen.

    Becky

  • bostonpam
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Excellent use of storage - very ingenious. Love the windows and the counters. beautiful kitchen!

  • carrie_eileen
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's absolutely lovely. And so clever, wow. This may be one of the most thought-through kitchens I've ever seen when it comes to thoughtful storage. Well done!

  • boxerpups
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great kitchen details.
    When people ask form or function? I am going to send
    them to this kitchen post. You can have both. You can have
    creative solutions to use every inch of your space while
    still designing a knock out gorgeous kitchen true to the
    age and style of the home. Classic, Traditional while
    addressing the use of a family in 2011.

    Truly beautiful.
    Enjoy your space.
    ~boxer

  • cheri127
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. What a beautiful kitchen in every way. So many interesting and useful touches. Makes me want to start over (I still have white kitchen envy!).

  • mabeldingeldine_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I just love it, and the creative use of space. That cleaning cabinet is genius, and the drawers under the dining nook benches are wonderful.

    Enjoy every minute in this lovely space.

  • rexroat
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi jm_seattle-
    Could you provide any information of the flooring material in your mudroom?

    Thank you! rexroat

  • sandn
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    JM Seattle,
    What a beautiful, thoughtful kitchen renovation! You've managed to incorporate so many contemporary conveniences in such a perfect traditional package. It looks so natural and unforced. As I write, our cabinet maker is here with his crew beginning to install our kitchen cabinetry in our old house. I'm anxious, but the pictures of your gorgeous kitchen are reassuring. We've incorporated many of the same elements as in your kitchen and I am hoping for a result as satisfying as yours must be to you. We're all the way across the continent, but we visited your very cabinetmaker's website many times while designing our own cabinets. Well done--a beautiful, livable space!

  • maruha
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is gorgeous! Bookmarking because, WOW, lots of great ideas! Thanks!

  • sabjimata
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is a seriously custom kitchen! Amazing attention to detail. WELL DONE! It looks great. The soapstone is so soothing.

    I think you should get an award for cleverest storage spaces! I take it you would recommend your cabinet maker. Excellence.

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

    The flooring material in the mudroom is Brazil Black slate from Daltile.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Brazil Black slate tile

  • rexroat
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jm_seattle-
    Thanks for the flooring info.

    I was in such a rush to ask the question, I failed to gush all over your beautiful space! I definitely have organization envy...and it's gorgeous to boot!!

  • onedogedie
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks again for the info on the glass filler. Got mine in the mail and had to come back and have a look at your pictures because the thing is substantial!!! Any doubts I had just went poof as I watched my mom try to negotiate mine with one hand.

    Also I noticed after commenting last time that you have the recessed soap niches. Heart!!! I bought two square ones sometime in the past year and they sit on a bookcase waiting to be used.

  • formerlyflorantha
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jm_seattle
    I must have missed your posting when you put this one up. So glad that it bumped to top of the queue so I didn't miss it again.

    This kitchen is a goldmine for ideas for good purposeful use of space. Congrats on having a compost area. And on the breadboard as an example of adding workspace. You have lots and lots of great workspace here and a modest visual aspect yet very attractive and appropriate for the house. A working kitchen that is good looking. Nothing flamboyant, no wrong notes, all is in order in the universe. This is real success!

    Your kitchen is one for the "study this" file!

  • mtnfever (9b AZ/HZ 11)
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    the Secret Identity/Superhero kitchen!

    With all the doors and cabinets closed, it's a mild-mannered classic white cab/black counter/white subway kitchen, but wait! Open all the clever TKO/techno-geek charging station, vacuum hidey, radio cord cubby, toe kick vacuum hidey, etc etc etc and voila: a Superhero kitchen!

    absolutely awesome kitchen!!

  • hoffmalr_gw
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOVE the mudroom tile, and the entire space is gorgeous.

    We just did our mudroom/laundry in Daltile's Continental Slate series (a colorbody porcelain tile) in Asian Black. We also did a hopscotch pattern with a grey grout, and it looks nearly identical. I like your taste. :D

    Here is a link that might be useful: Daltile Asian Black porcelain tile

  • onedogedie
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks again for the info on the glass filler. Got mine in the mail and had to come back and have a look at your pictures because the thing is substantial!!! Any doubts I had just went poof as I watched my mom try to negotiate mine with one hand.

    Also I noticed after commenting last time that you have the recessed soap niches. Heart!!! I bought two square ones sometime in the past year and they sit on a bookcase waiting to be used.

  • HLV2
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    JM, Could you share some detail on the lighting plan, including types and wattages of bulbs? Do you feel you have about the right amount of light? I'm remodeling our traditional kitchen which is similar in size and plan to yours, and trying to figure out whether a few schoolhouse pendants and close-to-ceiling fixtures will do, or whether I must add cans for even illumination. From your photos is looks like you managed to avoid them. Congratulations on a beautiful result.

  • Sonnie
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wonderful kitchen! I am very interested in your parquet flooring. Brand/source?
    Thanks.

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

    The flooring is stained white oak. Not sure on the source, but both floor contractors we had in to bid on it said the parquet pattern calls for such small pieces that it's easy to get. We probably wouldn't have chosen it for the kitchen (we did simply because it was in the rest of the house), but are pleased with the result.

    A link to our original lighting plan is below. As you'll see, it called for one can light, but we decided to live without that and I'm very glad we did. We've got standard CFL bulbs in all the fixtures, and they are plenty adequate in terms of light. In the 4 main high ceiling fixtures I think we have 75W or 100W equivalents, but they are all we use for most activities in the kitchen. Washing dishes is the big exception as I almost always use the dedicated lights there. The cooktop is another exception as I often will turn on the lights in the hood. But if I turn on the island lights or the nook light or the chalkboard lights, then I often turn off the 4 general lights.

    That's not to say I wouldn't put in the different task lights- I definitely would as it just feels right to have light directly above you when you're going to be somewhere a long time.

    The undercabinet lights are the only ones I sometimes question. It can be nice to have them, but something doesn't feel quite right about them and they don't quite fit with the rest of the kitchen and the rest of the lighting. There are probably more dedicated posts on this, but they are LED and incredibly bright and we also may not have bought the best spectrum? The spectrum is too white like CFL. But we buy the CFL bulbs that are wrapped in a glass bulb (for the look of incandescents) and that must give them a slightly different hue. The LED lights are raw and they are honestly either too much light or too white of light (not exactly sure which), so I almost never use them except for deep cleaning or long cooking projects.

    One thing you won't see on the plan which turns out to be incredibly important is the distance from the counter/table/island/etc at which the lights hang down (from, in our case, a 9 1/2 foot ceiling). Ours hang about as low as we could get away without having them in the line of sight. If you're still interested (I know you posted a long time ago), let me know and I can measure that distance for you for each one.

    BTW, my apologies for the delayed response- didn't see there were new questions on this thread. Folks can feel free to send me an email through the "Send an email" link on my page, too, if I'm unresponsive :)

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • asm64
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We have been working with Tim at Seattle Custom Cabinets. Doing a very similar remodel, 1926 tudor in West Seattle, ripping out the plaster down to the studs, incorporating the mudroom. Trying to decide if we should push out into the back to add on.

    We have exactly the same style of windows. who did your leaded glass windows? Cherry Creek? Are they insulated etc..?
    Any details would be great. THanks

  • Mags438
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Awesome kitchen jm-Seattle. We had some similar issues in an older home too. Sooo many creative and innovative solutions.

  • Julie Drew
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for bumping this one up! I'm swooning. What a wonderfully well-thought-out kitchen.

  • denizenx
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wonderful kitchen. The number of details considered is humbling.

    I hate to show my naiveté, but where is the fridge -- is it concealed in the pantry to the left of the sink? If so, that's one of the best hide jobs I've seen.

  • denizenx
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm stumped, can someone help me find the fridge?

  • Jm_seattle
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks - that's fun. It's just to the left of the sink / big window. If you look at the picture below the title "Refrigerator and pantry," it's in the dead center. Within that large piece of cabinetry, the refrigerator is the one with the larger handle (freezer drawers below, also with larger handles) on the right, and then the pantry is further left.

    The goal wasn't necessarily to conceal it, but we did work hard to make it not look out of place (so made the doors flush like the other cabinetry, etc.). Note that it's a smaller refrigerator than many people put in (it's 27" wide), but we just don't need anything more.

    We're coming up on 4 years now, and the kitchen is still working out great, thanks in part to all the great ideas we got in this forum!! We still love the tap-master, for example :) Our family of four is pretty hard on it, and the only issue maintenance-wise has been discovering just how soft the soapstone is - it will scratch / dent, and requires mineral oil to make it look beautiful again.

  • aries61
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jm_seattle, very nice kitchen. According to the posted floor plan, the island is 64" ? Also, can you tell me the overhang and the size of the corbels on the seating side of the island.

    Thank

  • Vertise
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How is that corner sink drain working out? Does it create splashing having the water stream hit metal instead of the drain? How deep is your sink?

    Paint - BM. What line did you use for the cabinets and trim? Holding up well?

    Great job with all the functional details! Beautiful job!

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, Dec 7, 14 at 11:37

  • Jm_seattle
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    [DH guest reply]

    Yes, the island is 64". The overhang is 12", and the corbels are 12 1/2"L x 10 1/4"W.

    The corner sink drain is fine. Surprisingly, the water really doesn't splash when it hits the metal, and the sink is over 12" from the top of the counter (very deep). That's probably a function of the aerator more than the sink / drain location, as the water doesn't feel highly pressurized coming out.

    While we're on sinks, there are two things I should point out that are difficult about ours:

    (1) I'm the DH, and at 6' tall, I have to bend my back quite a bit to do dishes in the deep sink. That's a downside of the deep sink that I haven't heard mentioned on this forum. And in case you're wondering, no, this doesn't mean I'm off the hook for dish duty :) Overall I still like the sink, as we do get all the goodness that comes with a deep sink (hides dirty dishes, etc.), but it's a detail that tall people should be prepared for.

    (2) I nixed a dedicated sprayer as well as a pull-down spray faucet, because we couldn't find ones that we thought were as pretty or gave as nice and uncluttered a look as only having the non-spray faucet we chose. In hindsight, that was a mistake. A sprayer (probably a pull-down to keep the uncluttered look) would have been really nice for cleaning the sink itself - the sink depth makes for a lot of cleanable surface area on the sides, and that would go much easier with a sprayer.

    As for paint, it was Benjamin Moore oil based paint, and we had the cabinets hand painted post installation. Hand painting is pricey, but provides beautiful, old-fashioned detail.

    We struggled with the choice of oil paint a lot, as the fumes are nasty for the environment. But everyone in the biz we talked to said that oil paint holds up so much better against the beating that cabinetry takes. So I convinced myself (not necessarily rightly) that it's environmentally sound to choose quality materials that last more than a few years.

    And, 4 years later, I can definitely vouch for the quality of the paint. We're in the kitchen a ton, cooking from scratch as well as eating in it, then cleaning the cabinets with a sponge, etc., and you'd have to look pretty closely to know it's not brand new paint. If you do look closely, you'll see some small scratches / chips right on the corners of many of our most used drawers & doors.

  • TxMarti
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is a dream kitchen for sure. It is so well thought out and I LOVE all the hidden outlets. We've done some of that, but not nearly enough.

    What kind of vacuum is that?

  • yeonasky
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When bending over from a great height try kicking one leg straight back. Back dr. told me this when family member got chronic back pain due to being 6'4". It keeps the back straight enough to save from injury. It has helped the tall person in my life immeasurably while recovering and allayed any further injury. You kick the leg back behind you as you bend forward and in so doing the line of the back is straight on one side of the body, from head to toe. We switch legs so one leg doesn't get tired or injured. :)

    Beautiful kitchen. I hope mine looks half as good when finally done.

    Y.

  • Mags438
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow! What a TKO kitchen. Just Gorgeous !

  • Jm_seattle
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @marti8a - it's a Miele vacuum

    @yeonasky - thanks for the advice!

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