We are finally finished with our kitchen remodel of our 1889 home. I have been a daily (truthfully, sometimes HOURLY) lurker and sporadic poster for almost two years. There is NO WAY I could have planned this remodel without the help of GW--We were living in China for over 5 years and I had to do all of my planning from there. This meant NO MAGAZINES, nor could I visit showrooms and see anything in person. Every time I had a question, I seemed to be able to find a thread about it. Not to mention all of the inspirational photos!!! I was so afraid of missing an important tidbit! (We were 13 hours ahead there, so I could easily miss a thread as it fell off onto pages two, three, four...)

Anyway, many thanks to all of the great TKO people who contribute to this forum.

Photos first! Details at the end. (o:

pass-thru detail

cabinetry--local custom painted in BM Bone White oil-based enamel
walls-- BM Ballet White
counters--Zodiaq quartz Mystic Black (kind of a charcoal color)
pulls--Amerock Revitalize in Burnished Bronze
sink--Ticor zero-radius SS508
faucet--Kohler Vinnata in Vibrant Polished Nickel
range-36" Bertazzoni Heritage Series in Anthracite
hood- Vent-A-Hood NPH9-136
backsplash- 3" hexagonal Calcatta marble
pendants--Hinckley Knickerbocker (these are on clearance all over for a song right now...)
windows--Marvin double-hung cottage style

Seriously, I envy your ceiling height. You did a fabulous job coordinating everything from a distance. You have a great eye for design and decor.

Seriously, Shanghaimom, it's all magnificent. And to think that you completely planned this kitchen while living abroad? Super magnificent! Definitely one for my "all-time GW favorites" list. Would you mind sharing a bit about the leaded glass window? Wowee. I'm just full of superlatives and gasps over this one. Five stars and two thumbs up for you!

Again--WOW! It is absolutely wonderful! Your windows are spectacular. Really, really beautiful. I even like the "vintage" phone hanging on the wall with the rotary dial. Everything is perfecto!

Congratulations and welcome HOME! :^)

I really love your kitchen. It is stunning. I want it. Love the cabinetry with the bracket detail on the uppers. Love the color of your island and that beautiful leg detail. Love the breakfast nook, love the lighting, love the stained glass.

Really, really lovely. Beautiful job.

~Wendy

Congratulations!

A lady in China made the leaded glass window inserts for me. At the time, I did not know what the exact window measurements would be so if you look closely, you can see that they don't fit at all--just leaning there.

Thanks so much for sharing the pics and the process.

Having just come back from an extended trip to Asia, I can only imagine how happy you must be to be back on your home turf. No matter how exciting other places in the world are, and how enriching our experiences are there, there's really no place like home - and what a home you have created!

Congratulations and enjoy it,
Eliz

Your kitchen is fabulous! It looks like it is right out of a magazine. I bet you are enjoying living in it as much as we are drooling over it!

Job well done!

junicb--the transom window in the breakfast nook was one I found down the street at an antique shop and my miracle-working carpenter guys made a neat frame in the wall for it to hang in. It allows light through from the little mudroom area on the other side.
fleur222--the stained cabinetry is knotty alder.
elizpiz--here is a closer pic of the backsplash. (Like everyone, I luuuuurve YOUR kitchen!! I tried to order the same counter stools you have, but they were backordered for ages. I actually have four now-it looks different than in the photos.)

May I archive your kitchen in the Finished Kitchens Blog? It can then be an inspiration to others long after your post scrolls off the forum.
You can give permission either in this post or email me at starpooh@gmail.com.
Then, at your leisure, please submit the FKB Category Checklist so I can easily categorize your kitchen.
Thanks!

Congratulations on a wonderful space --- Xie xie for the help!

All this without magazines and just GW! Looks like a perfectly fine kitchen to me!

The fixture over the dining table is an old-fashioned linen and wire Chinese lantern which was black wire but i painted it all antique gold. (It took me about three weeks to paint.) I then found a fixture , ditched the shade and rigged up this shade.

Here is a pic of the pass-thru from the other side. It was a great solution for us...I get the light from the breakfast windows, plus the visual connection with that space.

I'm going to bookmark your kitchen for the day I get my "forever" remodel.

Enjoy it!!!

Thank you for sharing!

Especially love how you combined the vintage with modern. Reminds me of standing by the Huangpu River looking out to modern, futuristic Pudong area and then, turning around to look at the old world, traditional Bund area. Congratulations and welcome back!!

I am finding it interesting that people really like that leaded window. I am still on the fence about it, thinking it might be to over-the-top Victorian, which isn't my thing at all. The only reason I have it propped in the window is for privacy from my neighbor's house--that kitchen window looks right into her kitchen and breakfast area. I guess I will keep it there!

Thks for posting the pic of the backsplash - just gorgeous - I have a feeling it will become an inspiration for many...

Eliz

The rest is serene white, black, and wood, simple framed doors and wall panels. Very nice touch in the breakfast nook, repeating the same frame style as the kitchen.

Have the leaded windows framed into one frame with hooks in the frame and hang in the opening.

The creamy is just lovely. Simply lovely. Welcome back!

Fantastic job!

I too do not much go in for Victorian, but the window is perfect there. I agree -- keep it!

I really really really like my kitchen (will LOVE it when it is all finished) and there's no point in coveting, but I am trying really hard not to do so with yours, with all the details fitting so perfectly!

Congratulations!

What I want to know is... have you re-done any bathrooms? If so, I would love to see pics!

ALSO- please tell me about your camera. I'm in the market for one and yours has provided great pictures of your OH SO BEAUTIFUL KITCHEN!

sixmagnolialane

MARTHAVILA, Thank you, thank you. My main objective with this kitchen was to make it look like it could have always been here, without crossing into vintage kistch....

SIXMAGNOLIALANE, The floors were finished to match the rest of the house and it ended up being a random cocktail. There are at least 15 test patches under the cabinetry! Something I did end up with, though, (that I hadn't planned on) was doing semi-gloss, rather than the usual satin finish. It is much more forgiving of dirt and doggie toenail gouges. (The opposite of what you might think.)

I hope you & you family enjoy your kitchen for many years to come.

Jo Ann

ENJOY
Eliz

What an absolutely gorgeous kitchen. Can you come design my kitchen ; )

That leaded stained window motif -- I think you should keep it. It is definitely the accent that emphasizes the traditional vibe of the kitchen.

Congratulations and enjoy the new space!!

Funny, I just took down my leaded glass window last week, but then put back up a few days later after I tired of watching my neighbor go to and from her garage. Do I wave? Nod? Pretend we don't see each other? She is lovely but I don't want to have to "relate" in my PJs from the kitchen window.

Megpie, the blinds (and I have them all over) are from Blinds.com and they are "Premium Woven Woods" in Nova Ponte#38. I have ordered other things from them and been very happy, as I am with these. Their prices are the best I could find. (I have a teensy problem over-researching everything so take it from me...)

And fallingwaters, I miss the whole kitchen design thing so much...email me anytime!! I could try! (-8 It used to be "decision overload," now it is "decision withdrawl."

Rocket HAS to stick to the rugs. He slips all over the floors, poor guy.

-Would you mind telling me the dimensions of your kitchen island?
-Do you find the size functional?
-I'm wondering if I could sneak a prep sink in the island...did you consider it and/or do you think it would be possible while maintaining some useful prep space?

Thanks!

I was just showing your pictures to my husband again because we were discussing the use of brass fixtures and I think yours are beautiful and timeless looking.

In my neck of the woods polished brass was "in" during the '80s, then brushed nickel came "in" during the '90s and then oil rubbed bronze.

I had read some time ago on the internet that one designer felt yellow metals were next to come back "in." I notice that Candice Olson is using a lot of yellow metals in her current designs.

My house is a colonial so I feel brass is really the best metal for it but have not been going down that path since I was trying to make it feel more up to date. Now I am questioning myself and my decisions.

I was in Home Depot yesterday looking at cabinet knobs and saw a new color I had never seen before. The only way I can describe it is a very golden brushed nickel. Its not the color of brushed nickel but its not brass. I was very intrigued.

The gal that worked there said she felt brass/ and or yellow metals may be making a come back. I asked her why she said that.....its still looked down upon here as being outdated.

She said they just brought in a line of Martha Stewart cabinets and they had brass pulls. I went and looked and sure enough they did! I have to say I was expecting a nice soft antiqued brass like your beautiful fixtures and was shocked to see the bright shiny brass everyone has been ripping out here.......

So....hmmmmm......what to do, what to do? Look completely out of date or know that I might be on the cutting edge of the next color cycle..

Irishcreamgirl, I hope you found the perfect pulls and knobs!

Rexroat, the island is 4.5 feet x 5.5 feet. The kitchen is quite small--there really didn't seem to be any point in having a prep sink. For me, the clear, dry island is more valuable real estate. My kids sometimes eat there, my husband uses it for an at-home office (grrrr) and it is my party buffet.

Since it is always fun to resurrect your kitchen pictures for new timers who haven't seen it before, here is a question: How wide are the doors on your upper inset cabinets? They look to be about 36" wide for the doubles. Is this correct? Have you been happy with the functionality of that width? Aesthetically, it works perfectly in your kitchen.

Thanks!

Those uppers are 30" wide and the each door is 13.5" wide. They work very well for us!

Also, How are you liking your Bertazzoni?

I hope you are enjoying your lovely and inspiring space!