Gorgeous! Funny, in the first shot, I thought you were going to have a marble half wall!

I love your primer, too!

hi sandn..

I thought the same thing as mtnrdredux...about the marble wall!

Your blog showed some awfully pretty pictures..Love the soapstone veining..Thanks for sharing..

KA:)

That's just gorgeous! I feel I don't need lunch anymore; filled me right up!

Your edge detail is beautiful -- I'm glad you went for it. Your stone has lovely veining too. Congrats on getting close to the end!

whoa... hey, is that a fpl on the wall!?

You know, I love marble, but just can't bring myself to do it, so I settle on some whitish granite...

And then you post THESE PICTURES!

Absolutely gorgeous. What an edge, subtle and elegant. I'm shaking my head, almost ready to start looking at marble again. Congrats on such a beautiful combination; it really is perfect!

SO BEAUTIFUL. I just love it. That is going to be an amazing kitchen.

Which off-black F&B are you using?

Love it!

Love. It. We just installed honed marble counters with similar veining. We have slab edges and am envious...in a good way...of your counters!!!

What brand of cup pulls are on your drawers? I am waffling back and forth between black and a soft pewter.

So pretty! You've done a lovely job. Thanks for sharing your photos.

Looks beautiful. So understated and gorgeous. Can't wait to see pics of the completed kitchen!

That is the most gorgeous egde -- perfection! good luck with the rest of the construction : )

You're kitchen is not as blingy, but I see sort of a Candace Olsen thing going on. How did you Canucks learn to ramp up your design skills so well? Glad to see we're past that awkward City Hall phase.

oh my goodness. i'm going to bed and then when i wake up tomorrow i'm calling the marble guy to come over and rip out my counters. those are STUNNING! so, so beautiful. enjoy and i can't wait to see the finish!

You're kitchen is not as blingy, but I see sort of a Candace Olsen thing going on. How did you Canucks learn to ramp up your design skills so well? Glad to see we're past that awkward City Hall phase.

Your marble is gorgeous -- of all the lovely marbles I've seen, yours is one of the most scrumptious. I can't wait to see you full kitchen reveal. Every little bit we've seen so far is stunningly beautiful.

(We are also going to be hand painting some parts of our cabinets with F&B paint. Our main run of cabinets will arrive painted in Wimborne White.)

Your marble is gorgeous -- of all the lovely marbles I've seen, yours is one of the most scrumptious. I can't wait to see you full kitchen reveal. Every little bit we've seen so far is stunningly beautiful.

(We are also going to be hand painting some parts of our cabinets with F&B paint. Our main run of cabinets will arrive painted in Wimborne White.)

Yikes, so many wonderful responses! I should've known better than to post something when I was heading out for the evening. We went downtown to order a banquette for the eating room part of the kitchen on the store's one late night of the week, and then of course for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
Mtnrdredux, photographs can be so visually confusing when all the normal depth perception sues are missing. I need a primer in GW acronyms. What's a fpl--wait, just clued in--fireplace. Yes it is. It's gas and only 6" deep direct vent, designed initially for yachts by a place in Vancouver.
Thanks Arlis and Kitchenaddict!
Kaysd, the end is in sight, but we can hardly believe how many details remain even thought the cabinet maker is long gone. This has been such an epic journey.
Thanks Juniork. I'm so glad we have the marble, but I know I couldn't have lived with it on the main prep areas and right by the range. I'm very glad to have both the indestructible soapstone and the ethereal marble. I'm sure your white granite will be beautiful. There are some beautiful stones out there.
Thanks Anna, the off-black really is called F & B "Off-black" number #57. It is a lovely colour. Black, not at all gray, but soft, not harsh, very much like soapstone.
The leather we just chose for the banquette seat is called Bavarian black and it is a similarly soft black that I hope will wear well.
I'm going to continue responding to your wonderful comments in the later AM. Now it's off to bed. But really, thank you so much. No one cares quite as much as the similarly obsessed kitchen renovators on this forum. It really is the best.

Absolutely stunning! What a great choice. Thank you fro posting your wonderful pictures.

Good morning, a little late.
Poochinator, the pulls on the drawers are the ubiquitous 4" Gilmore pulls from Restoration Hardware in polished nickel. We'd ordered Rejuvenation pulls first, but sent them back when we didn't like how they felt to our hands. Brushed pewter sounds beautiful.
Thanks Lazydaisynot and Domesticah. We wanted a slab edge, initially, but we're very happy that chose this one.
Brianadarnell, we're so glad you said understated. Our big worry was that it would look pretentious or fussy. Thank you for that adjective.
Marcolo, (are you a Canuck? You said both you and we, so I'm not sure if you are one of us or just identify with us). But thanks I think. My only exposure to Candace Olsen was in the Real Estate pages of the Globe and Mail (although her column seems to have disappeared of late). We are one of those families who don't have tv. Well, we have the box but no cable and tend to binge watch well-reviewed series on dvd or take what we can get on Netflix's highly truncated Canadian version. I'm glad you said not as blingy, because that was what always seemed to stand out for me about the rooms she transformed. Design probably doesn't translate well to newsprint, though, so thanks, really. Now you have to explain to us what you mean by the City Hall phase. Do you refer to a literal city hall, like Toronto's, in which case we object (we love that 60's spaceship!), or a metaphorical one? We don't get it.
Thanks Kateskouros! We can't wait to see more of your spectacular space. We hope we haven't missed anything.
Francoise47, thank you. We rejected the marble slab we first tagged in favour of this one and we have no regrets.
Wimborne White will be beautiful. I really love almost all of the F&B whites.
Thanks Blondie! And you're welcome. I'll post more as soon as I get a full coat of paint on the whole kitchen. Even we don't know just how it will look. All of the perimeter cabinets are still wearing a bright white primer, so it will be a big change to see them in the Slipper Satin colour we've chosen.
What a ramble. Thanks all.
p.s. Marcolo, I just have to know what you meant.

Beautiful and unique inverted ogee edge! That gorgeous Calacatta (looks like it) marble island is sure to be the centerpiece of your kitchen set-up. The veining is represented nicely on the countertop.

I love your marble, the edge you chose and how it all is coming together. The extra space with an area to tuck things away on the island is great design. The finished kitchen will be breathtaking ;) I hope for your sake, and ours, that you will be posting the big reveal soon!

Thanks, Dianalo. I'm working hard to get you more photos. We're going to be beginning the backsplash tiling this weekend.
Thanks, Derek. The name of the stone at the warehouse was actually Calacatta Carrara (as opposed the the many other Calacatta marbles they had there). The veining in this one was a little softer and less pronounced than some of the Calacatta Oros, which were beautiful, but too dramatic for our kitchen.

Beautiful.
You created a fantastic edge. Pat yourself on the back!
~boxer

Love the gas fpl. Swanky...

Gorgeous and serious hats off to you for painting them yourself. Are you painting the whole kitchen? Or just the island cabinets?

It's going to be gorgeous! I'm very excited to see the final reveal.

Thank you Boxer and Mtnrdredux!
Chris, thank you, too. Yes, I'm painting the entire kitchen myself. Our cabinet maker is waiting for me to finish so he can come back to install some corbels under the upper cabinets. I'm not sure how long he'll have to wait. It is a huge undertaking to do properly (sanding between coats, etc.), as I'm realizing.
Thanks, Yellowdog, so are we.

sandn -

stunning! i can't wait to see more.

i am painting my custom cabs as well. can you offer any tips i should consider? i am about 2-3 weeks away from starting that part of the project...

Hi Babushka Cat,
Thank you.
I was fortunate in that my cabinet maker primed and scuff-sanded all the cabinetry for me, so, if it's not too late, my first recommendation would be that you get your cabinet maker to do the same. If I'd really been on the ball, I might've asked him to spray on one coat of the actual paint. I love the look of hand brushed paint and I wanted the option of repainting should I ever change my mind about colours, but a sprayed-on first coat would've been a boon.

I'm diluting the Farrow and Ball (10%) to make application easier (these zero VOC, high pigment paints can be a challenge to apply and tend to become tacky quickly). As a result, I think I may need to apply three coats.
I don't know if I have many tips to impart. I have lovely light sash brushes that fit comfortably in my hand--made by Purdy. I wash them before the paint starts to get gummy. I plan to do this job slowly, one or two drawer fronts at a time (another major benefit of our Blum drawers is that I can take everything apart). Oh, and if your cabinets aren't yet installed, you could ask your cabinet maker to leave things as unfitted as possible. For example, the side panels in my upper cabinets can be completely removed, and my glass shelves are not yet siliconed in place, but are resting loosely in their frames. Most of these details pertain specifically to my kitchen, but my cabinet maker did try to make things as easy as possible for me, knowing that I would be painting. We've moved back in to the kitchen so I'm pleased to disrupt only small bits of it at a time. I'm sanding between every coat and avoiding drips and lap marks. This is an exercise in discipline, but it's surprisingly rewarding.

p.s. Your cats are beautiful--I saw them on one of your posts, in their tiny cupboard niche.

sandn-

thanks so much for the speedy reply, much appreciated. i did get all the doors and drawer fronts pre-primed but i will need to prime the cabs and then paint everything. like you, i like the hand painted look. i looked at cabs that had been sprayed and did not like it, too slick looking. thanks for the tips. planning on benjamin moore white dove in the cabinet coat product line. based on my test i think i will need to do three coats too....i plan to put some good music on the stereo and get in the zone. :)

i adore those little shelter kitties. they make a house a home with the two of them chasing each other through the house or when i find them all curled up snoozing in their favorite chair. both from the same litter of 5 kittens, found at 5 days and bottle fed by a foster home. what a good service they did!

You've done such a wonderful job with your kitchen -- it's stunning! Thanks for sharing photos here and on your blog, it's been fun following your progress.

When I look at discussions of edges I always ask myself why someone would want an edge that is wider at bottom than at top--which cuts down on work surface. You made the wise choice to retain all your work surface yet add a little style.

Truly beautiful... I love your paint as well. It's a fabulous and personalized kitchen. ENJOY!

Thanks, Jmcgowan. It's very gratifying to get some objective feedback from people outside our circle of friends and family. The blog has been a good record keeping exercise. It's amazing how much we can go through over the course of a renovation and then the second the finished surfaces are in place, we forget the entire process!
Thanks Florantha! I seem to remember you making that point when we first asked for help, and it was certainly one of our key consideration, so thank you. Looking at the counter edge now, it seems like the logical choice, but at the time it was a source of much debate.

Thanks, Remodelfla! We must've crossed paths.

Thanks on the info on the name sandn, I think the fabricator gave the name to this batch himself as it's not universal or commonly used name but does indeed look like a mix of these two classic marbles so its very appropriate! It is truly overwhelming how many different versions of marble and granite there are and it's amazing how mother nature makes each piece unique, so i'm glad you found the right one!

Wow, that is gorgeous. I just keep hearing that little voice in my head whispering to me..

"need marble.....need marble....."

And the edge is fab!

You're welcome Derek. I do think there may be some creativity involved in naming the various marbles. The names of similar stones seemed to differ substantially from one warehouse to another.

Thanks Beekeeper! We're glad we gave in to that little voice.
We admire your kitchen (and all the rest, too).

S, I'm so sorry (for myself, not you) that until today I hadn't seen any of your posts, or your blog, for whatever reason. Your kitchen and bathrooms and house are beautiful, and if I could make it over from Alberta to help you paint your cabinets, just to sit on the floor near such lovely marble with such an amazing edge, I would.

By the way, as another Canadian, I'm curious about the items you've bought from Restoration Hardware -- do you have a store near you from which you buy, or have you bought by phone/mail order? I suspect the former, but am hoping you'll say the latter : ).

Becky

Hi Becky, and thank you!
The painting is a very daunting job as I'm quickly learning. I'd welcome your help, but it really wouldn't pay.
We do have a Restoration Hardware near us, two actually, but they only keep a few items in stock, and often in only one finish. They really are a catalogue store. The showrooms exist primarily to give you a look at the offerings and sell small items. Lately we've questioned their direction a little. The furniture pieces are so huge and quite coarse in terms of finish. We still love their hardware and bathroom fittings, but for the price you could almost buy boutique items or Waterworks fixtures. So yes, we've often ordered online. Be sure to read the fine print. The markups on Canadian orders could almost be considered usurious. We've had cabinet hardware, bathroom vanity, lighting, faucets, mirror, and towel bars all delivered in good shape. At least our dollar is strong right now, so the bite won't hurt quite so much.

Thanks for the information, s : ) . I wouldn't paint for pay, just for the chance to be near the marble, and F&B paint which is fairly hard to come by in this part of the country.

That's what I feared about RH. I like only the lighting fixtures and bathware too, and throwsand miss the days when they had all the nifty gadgets and geegaws. The only giant Belgian things I like are horses! (Oh dear, I'm not sure that came out the right way.) This is the sort of stuff I look at and laugh,

Fasten your seat belt

Enough rope

Naked books

though they must be on to something because the last are sold out!

Becky

That's really so pretty, sandn, like a fireplace mantel, or a staircase baluster.

Stunning - I just love your edge - really beautiful!! Can't wait to see the full reveal!
xx-Willow