SO glad you posted pics and I didn't have to scold you for neglecting to do so. ;-) It's GORGEOUS! How exciting! Your layout looks great.

What a nice big sunny space! It is looking really great. Is that leathered granite on your island? Very cool. Great lights, too. You must be so excited!

Yeah for running water! I remember that feeling well. The sinks, the granite, the new range - everything looks great! So happy for you! And DS volunteering to wash dishes - that's icing too!

Oh, you want an opinion on the corners - I say leave them. I like the way they look, but I like all kinds of little wonky things that aren't quite just like everything else.

Yeehaw!!! It's looking great, but the water!!! I kept telling my GC that it's not a kitchen without water!

Congratulations!

This looks great! A couple of questions:

1. what kind of faucets are those, they look familiar?
2. could you post a picture of the detail where the slide-in stove meets the countertop and cabinets?

rhome, thanks for not scolding! But you may want to when I make my confession... might as well tell it here. I took your advice about island seating to heart, so this is not at all thumbing my nose at what you said. I highly respect the wisdom you and buehl and others bring to this forum, and so many of the changes we made that are great had to do with either direct input or things you have said to others. So my apologies to you because I know you tell people things about their layouts because you care. But, I played with it, walked it through with the temporary tops and before we had the small island anchored. I even had them anchor it further into the LR to get a more ideal distance between the islands and hated it, so had them move it back toward the kitchen and it felt much better. And I only have a 6" overhang, and I do have seating. I reasoned that for us it can work because it's easy enough to go around through the LR to get the other side when people are sitting on the stools, and I would rather have a place for perching than nothing at all there. So far it's been great for us, but I will continue to support your wisdom to others that generally there needs to be more space and more overhang for seating. (It's 32" from counter edge to counter edge, BTW.)

There, I feel so much better now!

chicagoans, I forgot to tell the name of the granite. It is Impala Black and it is indeed leathered. And I love it! It has areas of silver that show up unexpectedly in certain lights; not glamorous or eye-catching in general, but quietly pretty.

jrueter, thanks for the input on the corners. I think we will leave the sink the way it is, but just round the end one just enough to prevent running into it hard.

plllog, thanks for the cheer, and I totally agree!

Weedmeister, the faucets are both Delta Leland. The main sink is 978 and prep sink is 9978 (same height, shorter reach).

Here are a couple of shots of the range I took the other day. I have intended to post back on the thread on Appliances, but haven't had a chance yet. The electricians are here rewiring for the 50 amp circuit right now but I can get more shots for you later. The triangle does butt right up against the counter and extends about 3 1/2" out, IIRC.

Oh, and my tile arrived today so backsplash questions forthcoming.

Thanks everyone! This truly is the fun part!

Oh, dear, you didn't have to feel that I needed an explanation!...The advice given here is only for your consideration, and as you said, because we all care that you have the best kitchen you can for your family with no "Why didn't someone tell me?!" I'm thrilled that you came up with a solution that works for you and makes you happy. Guidelines are just guidelines, not laws. ;-) You did everything the smart way...Mocked it up and got a feel for it. The perfect kitchen doesn't seem to exist and there are always compromises that must be made to meet your own individual wants/needs. Good job! It looks great to me...I think I could be very happy using this kitchen.

jsweenc - I had to laugh at your title. I just got running water this morning. I totally understand how you feel--that bathtub dishwashing gets old. Your kitchen looks amazing!! Enjoy!!!

Simple, but elegant!! Can't wait to see what you do with the backsplash.

Jsweenc,
So glad to see that you're in the home stretch. Your range installation looks just like the one on the E'lux website, so I'd say it's perfect. :-) What are those pendants?

yay! I remember how good it felt to be able to wash dishes too. somehow, that thrill is gone. haha! Beautiful space. what are you doing for backsplash?

I'm glad to hear you're nearing the end and I'm looking forward to seeing it after you put on the finishing touches. I remember the feeling when there's no need to wash dishes in make-shift places.

Typing the word "make-shift" reminds me of something I wrote when we were in the middle of remodeling that you might appreciate. I sent an e-mail to my sister after a month or so of remodeling and no sight in end and I wanted to say something about our "make-shift kitchen" but I inadvertently forgot the "f" in "make-shift". Talk about a Freudian slip!

Oh wow, the pictures you posted on the other thread didn't show all that beautiful natural light!!!! I'm surprised you didn't have the faucet turned on for these pictures :)
I'm so glad you caught the detail of your hardware, I was going to drill you about it based on the last set of pictures...... I didn't know where to put what, knobs, pulls etc.
So, what are your plans for backsplash and wall color????

rhome, your kind words mean more than you can know. I will enjoy it all the more knowing you could be happy here! : )

countrygal, doing a happy water dance for you!

Thanks, chris and squigs! Backsplash is the same as everything else... nothing new and fancy (glossy white beveled subways) but something I have always loved the look of. I will just need help with how far out to take them, which I am going to ask about in just a little while.

warmfridge, thanks for the encouragement. That's how my range looked the other day when the appliance installers put it in. The electricians pulled it out and put it back in today and I haven't inspected it closely yet, so I hope it still looks like the website! [Just checked and as far as I can tell, it's still good.]

The pendants are Edison by Hudson Valley. That is, the stems are Edison, the glass is one of the (several) options available with that stem. They also come in a variety of finishes (mine is satin nickel), and this particular glass also comes in 8" and 15". The 12" (what I have) have been d/c but they still had some available in their warehouse.

country_smile... country_laugh!!! And country_oops!

rookie, it never occurred to me to turn the faucets on, but now that you mention it, I am surprised too. Must have been because I had just lectured the kids about playing in the faucets. Backsplash, see above. Paint, up in the first two pictures you can see swatches of the approximate color on the walls in the background. I love it but may lighten it just a bit. It's BM Quiet Moments but doesn't look as much like that paint chip as it does BM Woodlawn Blue. Beadboard wainscot and trim will be white, not sure what to do with the ceiling. Our floors, ceilings, walls are all out of line so I probably need to stick with the same white for the ceilings and molding, though I'd love to do something closer to the walls, like a very light version. That's a question for another thread another day.

The hardware is all Amerock; I have all the numbers if you want them. You can e-mail me on my page.

Oh what a wonderful inviting space, so pretty!

Very calm kitchen - and beautiful. I like the corners just the way they are. I'd never seen Impala Black Leathered before. Did you see the slab that way or did you have your fabricator leather a polished slab? Did you have an enhancer put on the countertops?

Great job, it is a lovely kitchen.
Enjoy!

Is that Delta the one with the Touch control? I've been thinking about getting one to replace my PF.

Those oven pictures would be good as a followup on that Elux thread. It shows the relationships of the 'wedge' and the front very well.

I hope you enjoy the stove. I can't wait to see the paint choices. Also some night pics of the lighting....

Thank you, jterrilynn and swspitfire. (Did you ever see The Spitfire Grill? Good movie. That's what I think of whenever I see your name.)

jb, thank you. One of my first words on the Sweeby Test was calm. It's good that it comes through in pictures, because right now it still feels anything but calm. But getting there.

It's kind of a long story about the granite. I was set on leathered Marron Cohiba. They already had the slabs at the fabricators but were not sure they had the courage to cut it without taking full responsibility. No way were we going to be liable if they weren't comfortable with it. So while they were deliberating, I was looking. Quite by accident I stumbled upon the leathered black impala while googling images of another Marron stone I had never heard of (mentioned by someone on GW). After several clicks to see that one, for whatever reason I didn't stop but kept clicking, and found a gorgeous slab of the MC. So I perused that supplier's website for a while before thinking "I'm sure this is in California or somewhere else remote" ; ) and had to see where it was. Lo and behold, it was in Raleigh, the next town over. In the process of looking through the site, I had already found the slabs of IB in leathered, along with a few other leathered blacks. I called immediately to find out how late they were open. It was 3:30 pm, and they were open until 4:30. It was on the other side of Raleigh, a 30 minute drive without traffic, and getting close to rush hour, but I was determined. I yanked the baby out of her peaceful slumber, loaded all the kids up without ceremony, and headed out, trying not to drive like a madwoman. We made it in one piece at 4:20, and they were gracious to let me look at everything, indoor and out, as long as I liked, AND gave me 4 samples. They had lots and lots of slabs of the leathered IB.

While the MC had been "custom pricing", the Impala was a standard Level 2 offering at the fabricators, so I knew they were comfortable with that. It was confirmed when I called the rep the next day and could almost hear him sigh with relief.

I didn't have anything done to them by my choice, it was all done without consulting me. As far as I know, there is a resin and a sealer. I can ask about the enhancer.

weedmeister, I was working on the above when you posted so I just now saw it.

I think the touch control one is Pilar. This is Leland and it definitely is not touch control. I did think about that one but decided it would be too easy for the water to come on when I didn't want it to.

I'll post on the other thread. And I'll put up some lighting pics whenever the electricians finish. They are still working on them and took all our bulbs out of the pendants, for whatever reason. They may not return until Monday.

Are you getting the E'lux range? I haven't been able to tell from what you said in the other thread but it sounds like you are considering it. I hope we enjoy it too, and that it's worth being among the first to try it out. So far so good but very limited experience with it.

Thanks. I'm getting an induction range, but I'm still undecided as to which one. I'm gravitating toward the GE at the moment, but I want to see what the Elux freestanding looks like when it comes out later this year.

It looks gorgeous! Love your pendants. What a fabulous space, and the work flow looks great.

As soon as there is running water it is considered a working kitchen.
Are you grinning ear to ear every time you walk in there?

How did I miss this post? It is looking totally fabulous! The clean,fresh look is wonderful--yet it is still so inviting. Look at all that counter space!! Especially love the leathered granite.

What are you thinking of for a backsplash?

weedmeister, forget the above after pictures. Turned out the electricians hadn't done the wiring at that point. They did it yesterday. Add about 1 1/8" to the distance it is out from the counter. They do know about it now but had no clue until I pointed it out to them. The outlet is impeding it sliding in so they will fix it next week.

If we had known about the freestanding, we might have waited. I can't imagine it would be any different in function than the slide-in. I'll report on it after I've had a chance to figure it out better, though so far it's been mostly intuitive.

Thanks again pickle! The flow will be perfect once my kids figure out the zones. I'm not talking prep, cook, clean, but red, yellow and green (where they are not allowed without permission, allowed with limits, allowed freely.) I sound like an army sargeant. But this enables them to be with me without getting in my way, and hopefully they'll get that soon.

pinch, I've been doing the happy kitchen water dance since Wed.! You know about the grinning business, don't you?

firsthouse, thank you! I am truly blessed by your words, you who are the queen of fresh, airy, clean, inviting kitchen space. I left a comment on another thread... I love your sliders! I hadn't seen them before. I am still determined to have a barn door somewhere in the house.

And the backsplash...

DD made this one yesterday. See how you think she did in comparison.

The tile guy came out today and did this. For the rest, we will continue the beadboard at the same level (below the outlets), and then paint above it.

I love your kitchen - it's absolutely beautiful. I'm still in the planning stages of my kitchen and I'm trying to decide about putting an island in and how comfortable it would be with and without seating. My kitchen is 13 feet wide and 22 feet long. I'm considering a 27" wide island (no seating with a 24" deep base cabinet) or a 30" wide island (with seating with an 18" or 21" deep base cabinet). The island will be 66" long. I will have cabinets in a U shape around island which seems to be similar to yours. You mentioned that you have 32" from counter to counter. Is this aisle space on the seating side only? What is your aisle space around the rest of the island? Do you have any pictures that show what's behind the seating side of the island? Do you find the aisle spaces comfortable when cooking and entertaining? What are the dimensions of your stools and who makes them because they seem like they would be a good size if I put seating on the island. Thanks for your help.

kodak,

Sorry to be slow to answer. I'm unloading boxes but I have measurements and photos on the way!

kodak, thank you for your comment. I had a post all ready to send with measurements and hit a wrong button and wiped it out. Sorry it took so long. When I finished unpacking a few boxes, other things came up. Let me know if you need more; I'm happy to measure or take pics of anything.

The LR side of the small island makes a connection between our two hallways, the one to the garage and the one to the bedrooms.

Clockwise from left side of sink run
- Counter to counter where there are no appliances or sink 39 1/4"
- Counter to counter at sink bumpout 36 1/4"
- Counter to DW handle 37 1/4"
- Closest point of range to island will end up being ~36" but it's not set back far enough yet; the range and island overlap (run parallel) for ~8", but mostly the oven door opens with nothing opposite
- Island counter corner to L counter corner 64"
- MW to island 51"
- Closest point of fridge to island 41" (again, handles are not directly opposite island)
- Base of stools to base of small island ~26"? (That's a guess)
- Left side of island open to breakfast area, but when table and chairs are in, distance should be no less than 36", very likely more, but I have forgotten the measurement.

We haven't done any entertaining in this kitchen yet. We completely revamped the layout. When we do have people over, it's mostly informal.

We got the stools at Hillary's Home Furnishings in Raleigh, NC, but they were made in China. : / They were a good deal compared to the price on other stools of similar style that I've seen. Pottery Barn sells one. These are 24" high; the seat is 9" deep (sorry I forgot to measure the width); the base is 14 1/2" deep (again, don't have the width).

I was trying to calculate a 13' kitchen. Depending on what you plan for the wall behind the island (assuming you have a wall), you may have plenty of space for seating and passage. If you were planning a 24" counter on that wall, you would have ~1" more than I have behind the stools. If a 12" deep pantry cabinet, you'd have ~13" more, or a total of 45" from counter to wall. Do you have a layout posted yet?

Thank you for taking the time to post all of those pictures and for answering my questions. There is a wall behind the island (where the stools would go) and I am planning on putting cabinets on that wall. The base cabinets will be 24" deep plus counter top overhang. The refrigerator(probably CD) will be on that wall also but won't end up directly behind the island. There will be about 37.5" between island and wall cabinet counter tops. I'm just concerned if this will be enough space for people to walk through since the stools will stick out into the aisle even when they are not being used. Also, the only way to get from the entry hall to the dinette and family room will be to walk through the kitchen down one of the aisles. I have not posted a layout yet but I will try to do so very soon.

kodak, you are most welcome. Do you have any kind of a layout drawn yet? Posting sooner than later will get you the most and best help. Even if you have to draw it by hand, as long as it has measurements. From your description, it does sound like it will be tight with that major (only) thoroughfare. And with stools, there's never a guarantee that they will be pushed in when not in use, at least not in my house. The experts on here will give you some great advice (I'm not one of them though I'll be happy to look at it and chime in)!

jb1176, if you are happen to read this, I totally missed your post and your question back in April. So sorry about that! I would have e-mailed you but it's not enabled for you.

The slabs were already leathered at the supplier. I didn't have an enhancer put on, so as far as I know it was just the resin and the sealer (though I think this stone doesn't really require it, they seal everything).