HA! I'm so sorry to have caused your lost sleep and worry! Many apologies.

With the varying island height and legs like that, it will not be boring! In fact, I'll probably be envious forever of those legs! And don't get me started on that delicious marble. Mine is gray and translucent compared to your rich, deep, creamy white. I wish I could have afforded marble like that.

And I love the arched wooden valance over the sink. Wooden valances aren't seen as modern anymore so I don't see them that often. But I love them! And I love it even more with the arch.

You have a serene, beautiful white kitchen on the horizon. Not boring!

Boring? Yeah, sure, right. ha

Zen? I think that is a state of mind. If it makes you totally feel at peace and calm when you walk in, then yes.

I find that with that big old chunk of calacatta marble you are going to have a DELICIOUS kitchen. Very timeless and so droolworthy.

As far as future choices to be made....remember you can make a huge statement depending on what you hang over that island. Do a crystal chandy and you have one vibe going, go with a lantern and you have another. Decide what direction you want it to go in and let that lead you.

Can't wait to see your progress...on this "boring" lol kitchen.

It's a beautiful kitchen, but it is very neutral. That is very zen, not boring, but if you want it to be a little more lively...add some accent colors. They will really pop against the soft neutrals, so have some fun! Don't do anything permanent, just try out some different accessories and enjoy your lovely, inviting kitchen :)

Your post got me thinking and googling. The consensus that I found on my brief research stint was that Zen decorating evokes a tranquil feeling, but not necessarily boring.

The synonyms for boring are: monotonous, tedious, irksome, tiresome, humdrum. Things I think of as not boring are skydiving, race car driving, being chased by dogs while cycling. But, just because those things aren't boring, doesn't mean I enjoy them or want to spend time doing them.

There does seem to be a current trend of white kitchens on GW lately. So, they are becoming more common to those of us who frequent here. (I don't know about the world at large.)

What feeling do you personally want when you are working in your kitchen? And do your current choices evoke those feelings in you? In my opinion, a Zen motive is an easier design to live with for a prolonged period of time. I think it will age well. I find your choices very beautiful, but I'm not sure what these posts are about recently maybe??

The smaller the kitchen, the less variety and fewer showstoppers it can support. Yours isn't tiny, but it is compact, and you already have a lot of elements, such as the arch, hood, legs, wood, etc. Take the same kitchen and triple the size, and the same elements might feel monotonous, especially if there were ginormous banks of identical cabinets. But you don't have any endless stretches of any one element.

Also, I disagree with lavender. I don't like plunking blue or yellow or eggplant objects in a neutral space. They seem like you are trying to fix a regrettably conservative color palate. I think neutrals can be beautiful on their own, as long as the eye can calmly take them in as a whole.

Neutral environments do benefit from texture, however. The repetition of your inset cabs works in your favor there.

How does the raven work with the marble? In the pic, it seems too dark to me, but only you have held them up together in person.

I love this look and do not feel at all like this is boring. I LOVE your dark floors and ohh, that marble! Very serene. Love how the marble will look like it's floating on the BB. Love the walnut top and legs. Love the detail in the window. Love the built-in fridge wall.
Smart to put the microwave under too!
So many special details and not boring at all. :P to all the white kitchen haters!
I'm building one too as we speak and it seems boring to me right now, but wait until all that marble goes in and you just feel the waves of happiness roll off!! And all the pretty little things that will add just the right touches to make it special. Good luck!

I like the complexity of the island - that's really neat.
Quick question - I notice that you have on the ends of the island the same moulding as on the cabinets - are you doing that on the backside of the island as well? Right now it's drawn as plain. Just asking.

Accent colors...some examples :)

Subtle, but still zen....

{{gwi:1547981}}

I really like this kitchen, with the fabric bringing in a bit of color....

{{!gwi}}

Accent color on the ceiling....

{{!gwi}}

Your plans look beautiful - plenty of shape and shadow, and the dark colors for contrast. Very nice.

Personally, I'm not real big on white subways, and I love that blue of the ceiling of lavender's pic. But plenty of people love white subways. Up to you.

Also, I thought zen style was more bamboo, shades of greens, a little water feature and a buddha statue. Or am I drifting into garden world?

Too complex to be Zen.

Looks good to me.

Consider stronger tile for the backsplash.

I like the arched, mantled window very much. It is distinctive, and works with the barrel hood. However, that arch is not visible from some angles. Would you be able to make the arch a ''signature'' for the room? You are clearly facile with Sketchup. Might you mock up arched doors with a mantle outline in the trim above, just to see? There are arched pre-hung doors, this needn't be a big custom carpentry hassle.

I am certainly not an arbiter of good taste (I have no qualifications or aspirations in this regard) but in relation to the 3 images posted by LL I can see an aesthetic consistency between these kitchens. These kitchens are different, the first feels the most casual and more vintage and I like the coloured ceiling and wide plank floor in the 3rd, I don't really like anything about the 2nd one. They are all beautiful but they also all reflect a fairly interchangeable aesthetic which is very popular on GW. If that's your aesthetic then many on the Forum will appreciate what you are doing. More than they look similar I am beginning to realize that for me they also evoke an atmosphere which I find quite stifling. Of course this is why they are not at my house.

This has nothing to do with the OP but it's weird to me that a couple of folks mention that they are not so enamored of the gold standard kitchen style of GW and all of sudden we have a thread re-affirming to folks that it is still the gold standard. That I don't get.

To the OP I want to be clear I'm not here to tear down anybody's choices. You have obviously taken a lot of time and care to design a kitchen that reflects your wishes and tastes and I am certain it will be beautiful. To me questioning what one likes and what is popular and why is a useful pursuit that can inform the design process and if folks arrive at different conclusions at the end of that process it doesn't mean that one is right and the other is wrong.

OK, since you asked, definitely not Zen, but not in any way boring, either.

Not Zen: trimmed-out, rumble-seat hood, crown moulding, shaker-ish cab doors, key stone in arch and the fat legs.

But (except for the legs), to my eyes it looks like the visual design be will quite successful (relaxing, attractive, popular) and even more importantly, the layout looks like it will cook like a dream, And that quality will make the kitchen feel right under any and all circumstances, and more or less forever, i.e. it will achieve the oft-sought quality of "timelessness."

Now, about those legs ... when did fat, lumpy turnings move from inexpensive, mass-produced, catalogue furniture (Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, etc) to a desirable, even "up-scale" look?

I realize I'm taking the risk of hurting your feelings since you mentioned them specifically, but truly, those legs will "date" your kitchen more than anything else in it. I'm not saying don't use legs but can you try to find better-proportioned ones?

What would be better, at least to my eye, is more reference to the smaller-scale of the door rails and stiles, the crown moulding, etc. Starting at the over-size of the corner blocks of the legs, they just look out of scale with rest of the room. The other details are much smaller and more delicate, without looking wimpy.

Also, I'm not sure why the island top is two levels? Why not have it all one level?

But most importantly, if you love every detail in your present design then you should change nothing (even the legs!). Don't make yourself nuts by worrying about what other people will think. If you are unsure then ask specific questions, but none of use can get inside your own, personal, design vision enough to be more than randomly useful to you.

I like and admire your kitchen, and only responded because you asked for comments. Otherwise, I'd keep my mouth shut, even about the legs.

L.

I think this thread is very much like breezy's, with the main problem being with the wording. The difficulty with breezy's question was the word "memorable", and it was as much a problem for some defining memorable as deciding for whom the kitchen should be memorable, when the issue was really more about adding pizzazz.

In your case, celineike, I think you want reassurance that your kitchen design isn't boring, but I think "Zen and relaxing" are the wrong terms, too, because the flip side of boring isn't necessarily "Zen and relaxing". Your kitchen definitely won't be boring as you have it planned. I'd say more elegant and, umm, marbleicious.

It's easy to get tripped up with words, isn't it?! And here we've all been thinking the tough part is picking lighting and backsplashes! Of course, the other hard part is having the courage of your kitchen convictions once you've started the process : ).

We are still a year or two away from our new kitchen, so I don't have any firsthand experience with second-guessing, which at this point I don't really understand. But my feeling is that if you liked this style enough to choose it in the first place -- if it made you swoon when you first saw Alabamamommy's kitchen, which is definitely not "Zen and relaxing" either -- you *will* like it when it's finished. Just take some deep breaths and have the courage of your kitchen convictions...

Becky

wow, becky always says thing so well.

just want to say, NOT boring.

i think it's about intention. you chose neutrals for a calm space. you did not choose neutrals out of fear of something (like resale or whatever).

the interest comes from shapes and texture.

your floor is beautiful, as is your marble, and your windows, and on and on. stay true to your intention/vision if this is the kitchen you want it to be. :)

Okay, now I'm curious...where's the post of alabamamommy's kitchen that made breezy & celine with their lovely kitchens second guess their plans? I'm not having luck in my searches thus far.

Jessica--if you search at the bottom of the page, you'll find her thread.

Celine--I noticed you haven't come back since you posted this. Are you OK? I feel like I caused you angst because of my post. I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to make anyone question the choices. I'm going to go hide in the corner now.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Alabamamommy

Good Morning everyone!!!
Sorry i posted and ran! But it was so nice to come to the computer this AM and see so many lovely messages.

Some of you are just word artists! Such elegance in your words and sweet hearts. I feel much better about my plan.

As things go, we are in mid kit-RENO (but gutted completely downstairs still) Having a couch would be SO nice.
I just got the worse cold ever and Im putting on an Easter Breakfast and egg hunt tomorrow am. The star of the show is my quiche.... making those at a neighbors today.

Before i even stumbled upon GW, i knew i needed a white kitchen because my space is very dark. The next thought was grey counters and they whole plan has come from there. Who knew the "White Kitchen" was an animal of it's own!
But as you can see from Alabamamommy's thread - i stole the rest! lol!!

i did choose the rest of the details based on a calm feel - smooth textures and colors. I don't fear drama or visual risk taking at all. And as i chose white this and that, i was having trouble stepping back and "seeing" the done product. As i recommended to Breezy that she should "mentally walk around her space", when i did this it didnt feel very elaborate.

So i guess now i just have to trust myself that I will love it once installed.

And i think some green here and there might bring in the calm against the cool white. Dh will kill me when i tell him i have get rid of some red appliances lol.

Breezy dont feel bad at all! Your post bravely said a lot of things I'd been thinking too. Get out of your corner. :D
Im also a perfectionist and this is my first creative house endeavor since i became i a SAHM... 8 years ago!!!!! so i guess im feeling a little pressure to get it right! :o)

Again thank you all - This forum is great.

just want to add... it seems some of the posters here sort of judge the whole of GW as very critical and having this "voice" or group opinion. Im sure everyone one here knows this is a pretty generic slice of America and to take EVERYONE's opinions with a grain of salt. We all have such different platforms yet all want to hear what eachother has to say.
I love that. No where else can i say what do you think? and actually hear it! :o)

ok.. on to that quiche!!!!

Just want to say... you had me at the first pic ;)

It will be L O V E L Y and will make you smile. How can that be boring?

I have a very neutral kitchen. Fruit, veggies, bread, and flowers look fantastic in it. It's that simple.

I'd just like to take a moment and thank Becky for giving me the word "marbleicious". Now I need to find some way to work that into a conversation this afternoon.

Not serene enough. Has too much character. Don't add any more details; go for plain dishes, plain stools, plain food, and no accent pieces.

One quick question...that door by the fridge, is that the pantry? I see you're putting a desk around the corner, which will also have lots of detail. Anything special planned for the wall around that door? Or for the door itself?

Don't get me wrong, simple is fine, but with all the details you have going on in the rest of the space...are you painting the walls a light pastel or white? How about the room the kitchen opens up into? Just curious :)

chris, I can't take credit for that, I'm sure I got it from the Kitchen forum! If I were to work it into conversation, my husband would probably put the brakes on any more new house/new kitchen planning, and my inlaws and friends would look at me as if I had two heads!

Though I think the word is best said while laying and lolling around on a marble-topped island : ).

florantha, too funny!

Becky

It's going to be gorgeous- -your marble is TDF, the hood, the window -all wonderful. If your kitchen is "boring," than Christopher Peacock is boring, and we all know that ain't so! I think may-be you are just having ordinary anxiety.

You are guys are funny - and i love "Marbleicious" too!

Lavender - That door is the pantry door.
the walls will be a warm grey - very light.
The "desk" is actually a wet bar. The opening is for a small beverage fridge. a little round sink will go in on the left side. No backsplash. the counter will be a matching piece of marble.

C

Oh, that will be pretty! Warm grey will look wonderful with the marble...can't wait to see pictures of your finished kitchen! :)

It's going to be beautiful, I love the marble and the floor is gorgeous!

ya gotta pick what the focus will be, so the eye gets directed and generally has less to study; that helps make it Zenni-er than otherwise. Your lighting (not shown) can do a lot to achieve the effect you want. Dimmers on LED circuits.

there is a point to make in saying ya gotta do less from now on, not adding accent pieces. You already have what it takes. The bones are good.

i would push the microwave deeper into its cubbyhole. Right now it is shown as protruding out as much as the fridge and the counter.

i would put drawers next to the freezer. Both sides.

Some how I lost my thread. And couldn't even search for it.
Thank u all again for some good ideas and support. :0)

Davidrol1 - the side w the fridge will have the microwave under the cabs and in a drawer so it will "go away" a bit more. But all of the upper andower cabs will be the same depth.
This is the cabinet builders design. Do you think it's too heavy of a wall this way?

I will also be leaving the pendants over the island till the end because
I just can't tell how light or heavy to make them.

I'd love nickel can type lights - I just haven't seen them yet.

you are saying the MW (as shown in your first post)
will now go under the counter. ( Y / N? )

Without thinking about it much, my first inclination is to make the rolltop go all the way to the fridge height because it opens the appliance garage more, and it evens out the lines of the upper cabinets.

Whether or not this is all too much wall is another question. I think it's OK. You have enough counter and island already. A closed off appliance garage can be good. The messiest looking things can be parked inside the space that the rolltop hides when the kitchen is deemed "closed". This assumes you will have hours when you are closed for business.