This could be in a magazine shoot. Holy cow that's gorgeous! Please don't EVER take those photos down or move them! I'm bookmarking this to save for our home build inspiration. I'm drooling over here!

Breathtaking and stunning!! I can't even list all the adjectives that your kitchen brings to mind! Just WOW!!!

Classic! I love the little windows flanking the cooktop.

What a gorgeous kitchen! Congratulations. Enjoy good meals and happy times in it!

Bravo.

i love it so much it's killing me! the color is perfect and i can't wait to see the rest of your build! i know you must be busy, but when you catch your breath would you mind telling me how it went with your backsplash? our fabricator suggested cutting down 12x12s and i just wasn't sure. did your tile installer do it?
you really did a wonderful job ...and MANY thanks for the warning about the rohl bags. i have a LOT of those lying around waiting to be installed. i really appreciate the heads up!

It is perfection! Absolutely gorgeous. Love the freezer/fridge wall with the shelves in between. Very nice design.

Congrats congrats!!!

Absolutely gorgeous! you are making me want to rip out my not-quite-finished kitchen and start all over with a copy of yours.

Yaaaay! I absolutely LOVE IT!
It is so elegant yet comfortable. You did a fantastic job-enjoy it and pat yourself on the back!

Katie

my, my, my, my, my! that is one awesome kitchen! who noticed chandy, flooring and wall color? I didn't... even after about 4 scrolls back up to it... too busy looking at everything else.

just incredibly beautiful and looks very, very functional!

love the arch, love the hutch, love the pantry, the everything!

Oh my goodness gracious! Absolutely and completely fantastic! I especially love the doors on your countertop hutch! I love the architectural details--the arch is beautuful. I love everything!

Congratulations on a sensational new kitchen, and I would love to see the rest of your new home. I know it must be incredible!

Niffy, your kitchen and house are gorgeous! Just gorgeous!

Could you please tell us where you found the little chandelier that's over your breakfast area table?

You are going to enjoy this for a long, long time.

Really lovely cabinets and the backsplash perfectly complements your counters.

Wow! Just beautiful! I can't stop looking at the photos of your gorgeous kitchen! Congratulations!

Simply stunning!!

It's certainly been said, but 'stunning' is the word for it. I love the combo of colors and materials...How things go together and connect well without matchy matching. Any chance of getting a photo of the kitchen from farther back so we get an impression of the whole room at once and not just parts? Not that it's not wonderful to see things close up, but I want to back up and take it all in. :-D

Beautiful. I considered Aqua Grantique at one time too...it's very soapstone-like!

Hello again and thanks for the nice compliments everyone!

Mairin- I think I cross-posted with you yesterday. Hello! We ended up using a builder called Oakley, based out of Downers. Cabinets were by Brakur (southwest, toward Joliet). We have been in since the very end of January, and gradually getting settled. Having the photographer scheduled lit a fire under my rear to get some pictures hung (oh WAIT - none of my gold frames match my new coastal color scheme and nickel fixtures!!) and put some finishing touches on things. Not that I have any window treatments yet or anything.... We'll get there, right? I'll try to get some other house photos up soon. We really love how it all turned out.

sippimom- the chandelier over the breakfast room table is by Hudson Valley - the Berwick in polished nickel.

rhome- I shall try to get a few better "big picture" pics up. I didn't take any the other day b/c I'd have been in the way of the real photographers. I went back that night to get some and couldn't get the lighting right so the ones I have are crummy. Now I have to wait for the kitchen fairies to bring me a clean kitchen again;)

For those interested in the Aqua Grantique, there's a link below to the only supplier out there. I saw the polished and brushed versions and opted for the matte, slightly textured brushed - but the polished was beautiful as well and very marble-like. The stone is supposed to have 0% absorbency, although we didn't find that to be true. We didn't seal it at first, and we did get a lot of rings and water marks that were removable. After sealing, it behaves perfectly and is hard like granite. We used STT sealers SB and FE products for all our stone and (knock wood)- they are great so far.

kateskouros- I searched and searched for statuary subways (HOURS of my life in the car), to no avail.... The 3 different types of stone in our backsplash came from 3 different places. I almost caved and ordered the subways from Ann Sacks, but after having just returned some to another place where the actual tile I was given looked very different from the samples, I was leery.... I ended up buying the 12x12's from a stone yard, where I could see them all first. The installer did a great job cutting them down. There was a tiny bevel around the perimeter, so they used some type of hand sander and did a quick swipe around the perimeter of each cut piece to give it a matching tiny bevel. Cost to cut down about 45sf of tile was $300 bucks and well worth it!

Best thing about the kitchen is that I am actually cooking in it. It is so much fun to be in a pretty space that is functional, especially after 15 months in a rental that taught us the importance of layout and proper aisle sizing! Planning and building the house had sucked up my time for 2 years- we are glad to have some quality family meals now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aqua Grantique supplier

niffy, thanks very much for getting back to me. our fabricator suggested using 12x12s and cutting them down when i expressed my frustration with trying to locate decent calacatta gold subways to go with our counters. it makes me feel a LOT more comfortable to even consider this knowing how well it turned out for you. THANKS AGAIN and enjoy your lovely kitchen!

niffy! I LOVE your kitchen!!! One of the best I have seen on GW....just fantastic! I especially love the little windows on either side of your cooktop. Very timeless.

And margieb2 is one of my original inspirations, as well! You have done a fantastic job of creating a lovely space.

Sandy

Stunning, gorgeous, jaw-droppingly elegant! Thank you for sharing this beauty. Your attention to detail shows, and every design element works together seamlessly. One of the most appealing kitchens I've EVER seen! Congratulations!

Wow. Can I say again, wow?? Wow. That is a magazine cover kitchen! Love the aqua grantique. Love. Love. And I love your breakfast room hutch. And the marble. And the marble edging. And the windows flanking the range. Incredible details. Just gorgeous.

Wow! Stunning! Congratulations on your fantastic new kitchen. I especially like the contrast of the white statuary marble and the aqua grantique. I also really love the way you framed the cooktop area.

Echoing everyone else's accolades!!.... it's lovely Niffy! You created a beautiful cohesive space... congratulations!

You mentioned gold frames .... I used Silver RubnBuff on a mirror frame and it turned out super. Still had a wash of gold under the silver, but the haze of silver toned it down and made it work beautifully with my new pewter fixtures in a half bath.

Niffy, absolutely beautiful! May I ask how deep is your perimeter countertop edge? I have to make this decision. I am going fairly deep on my island and shallower on the perimeter. Thanks - - I don't want to make a huge mistake.

Simply elegant!!!! Congratulations on a beautiful kitchen. Would you mind sharing the make of the chairs at your island. I am assuming they are counter height.

Thanks

Niffy - so beautiful!!! Love all of your details! I think your layout is very similar to mine... would you mind sharing some info on your refrigerator/freezer columns? How wide are they? How wide is that area in general? Thanks so much and ENJOY!!

oh ok - found the info above on the columns - but how much space did you have on that wall? How much did you use for your "landing" area? Thanks!

Ditto to every comment above. I am determined now to get some SW Silvermist into my house! And that light fixture over your table............DROOLING......... Love every single thing about the kitchen. Stunningly gorgeous.

My God that is STUNNING!!!!!!!! Definitely looks like something you would see in Traditional Home or any home magazine. Lovely lovely!
I would love to see more pics with a wider view. Would love to see the whole space as seen from the family room as well as the whole family room.
Again just lovely!!!

simply stunning!!!!

I am in LOVE with your kitchen! I just love all the details including the beautiful windows, the beautiful marble countertop on the island, the unique beautiful Aqua Granite, the styling of your cabinets and the hardware, and that gorgeous backsplash. Your kitchen is prettier than most I see in magazines and is perfect to me.

Absolutely perfect!!! Can tell you put a lot of time and effort into it. Can you tell me where you kitchen stools are from?

Just Gorgeous! I love the windows, my current obsession. Ok, one of many LOL! Congratulations.

Wow- everyone is so complimentary! We are still doing some behind the scenes tweaking with our cabinetry (some doors and drawer fronts being repainted or remade - so currently missing!) - so it is nice to see the big picture again through your kind eyes.

To answer a few of your questions:
rhome and ejbrymom- a few more pics below(sorry I don't have more family room ones at the moment).

lynnhb3 and irishcreamgirl - counter stools (yes they are counter height) are the "Laura" stools by Little Bird Furniture. You can find them online. We just got our side chairs from Little Bird also - the "Anna". They aren't in the photos. NOT inexpensive, but honestly, the most comfortable counter stools you ever could imagine. LOVE them!

kellykath- my perimeter countertops are just shy of 25" deep total (1" shallower at the X cabinet, as that area is slightly recessed to make it stand out from the rest). 24" cabs with a 1" overhang.

aokat - the fridge/freezer columns are each 30", plus the bookshelf/drawer area between them is 24". There is a 3" area of cabinetry on either side of fridge and freezer, so total area is about 90".

OK, more photos of kitchen and nearby areas....

View of kitchen from family room (ignore the missing "feet" on the fridge freezer area. They're coming!):

kitchen office desk area (actually just around corner, and attached to mudroom, so as to avoid the Junk-on-the-Island syndrome that has plagued us our whole lives). Middle of the upper cabinet has AWESOME mail and magazine slots that we designed to organize incoming and outgoing personal and business mail etc. Color in here is SW Sea Salt btw...:

Opposite wall of kitchen/mudroom office. Contains file drawers, garbage pullout, second garbage pullout with built in shredder, 4 charging drawers for each family member, and then lots of places to organize the kids school papers, etc behind those big doors:

And.... the mudroom. One locker per family member, plus a big closet (not visible - on opposite wall). Almost forgot to design a sink in here- that would've been a disaster!

We have SW Silvermist in our bedroom. it is a lovely color. Goes beautifully in your home.

Would love to know where you got your table

Speechless!!!
It is gorgeous. Love all your choices and especially
the soft aqua paint. When I first read the word Aqua.
I was thinking to myself. " Oh, I might not like this,"
But seeing it I can not help but fall head over heels
madly in love.
~boxer

ejbrymom- the table is by Hickory Chair, 54". The have a mix and match dining collection where you can pick your top separate from your pedestal, then pick your finish. I chose one of their more distressed finishes, knowing that my kids would distress it whether I like it or not!

boxer, the "Aqua" in my kitchen title is part of the countertop name. Don't ask me to explain why- it is actually mainly black! The silvermist paint is more of a green-blue-gray. I would be frightened by a true "aqua" too;)

Hi there - what a beautiful kitchen - It looks like you painted the inside back wall of the open upper cabinet area/alcove. Is that a black or a red. Can you share? I have a large open cab just like it and it looks huge and I need to bring it in with some color. I like the dark color you used. Thanks.

Beautiful! I love the cross frame window cabinets and the cross frame chairs. Love the finishes, too and even the appliances!!!!!!!

Hi Niffy - wow! absolutely stunning! May I ask, what material and name of color your floors are in the mudroom? Thanks!

Where are the lights in your mudroom from? Circa? ..... they are the same lights at my local Pottery Barn :)

follow up question, assuming they are : http://circalighting.com/details.aspx?pid=1160&cid=4 the Circa ones... .what size are they? small? medium? THANKS!

I don't know how many more times we can say beautiful, stunning and gorgeous but your kitchen is all that!!!

Kellykath- the inside of the cabinet is a wide beadboard stained the same dark color as my island.

Lolauren, you have good eyes- they are the circa lighting/visual comfort pendants. I am pretty sure they are the large size- whichever one is 12" across and has 3 bulbs. We went round and round on that one for awhile (no pun intended) and I am pretty sure "large" was the final answer. I saw those on the circa website and was obsessed with finding a place for them somewhere in our house!

Basilbee- our mudroomfloors are slate fro the Tile Shop. Color is Madras Multi with a natural gray grout.

niffy... those circa lights are interesting and beautiful. I think you found a perfect place for them; The colors match your cabinetry. I was wondering what lights to put in my laundry/mudroom..... I have two fixtures wired. Hmmmm... :)

BTW, your kitchen is gorgeous!

Oh, and did you find the mesh for your breakfast room hutch or did the cabinetry company provide it? Ours doesn't provide it.... so I'm on the hunt.

Hi lolauren- we did get our wire mesh thru the cabinet company. it is kind of an antiqued blackish color. I'm sure there must be some cool options online.... good luck!

Don't know how I missed this absolutely STUNNING kitchen - it and your whole home are just beautiful! I especially love your lockers and neat spaces for all the family members.

This is an instant GW classic! Congrats on a beautiful job.

Eliz

Love love love your desk area. Could you provide the dimensions of your desk?

Thanks

Beautiful! Definitely a classic!

May I please archive it in the Finished Kitchens Blog?
You can either give permission here in your post or send me an email: starpooh@gmail.com.
Then, when you find the time, please submit the FKB Category Checklist so I can easily categorize your kitchen.
Thank you!!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist