It's a great look...Excellent choice! I often wish I'd chosen something simple, classic, and clean like that.

Good decision to go over the window, too.

Love the eurosplash!! I'm doing it around my three windows also.

It looks great. Worth the wait.

It looks great! It was worth the wait. I'm in BS crisis too...
Where did you get your stools?

Looks perfect!!!!!!

classic and beautiful, as is your kitchen! great choice.

i love the backsplash framing the windows. it's a wonderful complement to your ceiling. well done. :)

ot: i just loved your story/pics about rescuing Matilda. she is such a precious pup. :)

I love your whole kitchen from top to bottom! Subway tile is always a good choice imo.

hi again holligator..

Wowza...(is that a word?)..

After 3 years, this is going to seem like a brand new kitchen to you all over again..

Love it up to the ceiling...Congratulations!

KA:)

Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, you folks really know how to make a girl feel good about her choices! Thanks so much for the kind words. After a long, long wait, the "finished" pics will go up very soon, even though it won't be much of a "reveal" at this point. :)

To answer questions that came up...

@farmhousegirl, the range is an AGA Legacy.

@celtinNE, the stools came from Linens N Things as they were closing. Someone here directed me to the sale, and they were only $19.99 each!

@kitchenaddict, yes wowza is a word at my house--thanks for applying it to my kitchen! :)

@ironcook, thanks for calling Matilda precious--she's been naughty this evening, so I needed the reminder!

Beautiful! I love white subways, but DH thinks they look institutional. I have also been looking at Seneca. It's a little hard to tell from the photos--is there a lot of variation? I'm hoping there's enough to convince DH.

I love your pendants! Could you tell me who made them? Thanks so much!

@caiquemom, there's actually a lot of variation in the tiles, certainly enough to keep it from feeling institutional. The fact that they have a matte finish and are handmade (and, therefore, irregular) helps with that, too.

The pendants are from Rejuvenation.com (see link). They allow you to customize just about every feature of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pendants from Rejuvenation.com

I think the tile is fantastic and I love how you went around the window. That really made a huge difference into making it wowza!

I normally think white subways are a tad boring, but yours look great! I love how they don't all look the same color. I think that's what make them look so nice. I guess it is the handmadedness of them coming through? Nice cabs too!

(invented my own word too :)

Hey Holligator. I came back to admire your kitchen again when I noticed something. Code in my area dictates outlets within 2' of the sink. I don't see yours. Are they there hiding somewhere or is code different for you?

Pretty!
Your entire kitchen is really pretty!
~boxerpups

Terrific. My favorite look --- gorgeous without trying to hard. Simple, classic, great workmanship. Tile all the way up is a great vintage look and shows off your molding, too.

My favorite part about a kitchen like this is how fruits, veggies and flowers POP on this kind of background. Just gorgeous, and ever changing.

excellence!

Holligator - it's so funny you just posted this. When Remodelfla showed us her backsplash I almost sent you a message about yours. I remember a while ago you posted something about a backsplash, and I wondered what was happening. So glad you finally chose something. It looks beautiful and I love the part all the way around the window! Actually I love your whole kitchen.

You were one of the first people I remember here when I was considering soapstone 2+ years ago -- yours is so pretty and, of course, your whole kitchen. Please post when you're all done. Prill

Grout went in this morning, and it's looking great. When it's dry enough to finish cleaning, I think I'll do that and then oil my soapstone before taking my "finished" pics. I'll be sure to include my giant pear that has yet to make its GW debut!

@breezygirl, I have outlets up under the all the cabinets (a combination of plugmold and low-profile outlets). I only put the lower outlets in the two places where I have appliances on the counter all the time (coffee maker to the left of the stove and toaster on the opposite end). I didn't want cords hanging down from the plugmold all the time.

Thanks for the concern, Prill! Yeah, I was beginning to think I'd never have a backsplash. This has to be some kind of record, doesn't it? :)

Oh, I have to say that I almost hugged the tile installer today! Just as he had wiped up the last of the mess and stepped back to admire his work, he turned and said to me "this tile really fits this house perfectly." I certainly felt that way and was so happy to hear him say that. The house was built in 1942, so it represents a weird era. The neighborhood was our town's first "subdivision" outside the downtown area, and our house sits on a 2.25 acre lot. It's kind of an early ranch style, but not completely. Maybe a combination of ranch and hunting lodge with a bit of Old Florida thrown in? Nothing typical about it. The house has tons of character, quirks, and special features, including pecky cypress paneling everywhere, lots of built-ins and so forth. I was so nervous about ruining the house with this kitchen renovation. Not that the 1970s era kitchen it replaced was appropriate, but opening up the wall between the kitchen and dining room and making the kitchen visible from much more of the house was a huge risk. I feel great about those decisions now, but this was the main reason it took me forever to settle on a backsplash choice. Thanks for bearing with me through all of this!

Perfect! You were absolutely right to go around the window. Your BS is going to look like it was always part of your kitchen from the beginning. It belongs. Simply perfect!

L O V E!!! But then again, I love your whole kitchen. I can't wait to see your finished pics!

I was just wondering if I should do the same thing (around the window) just two days ago. Yours looks so nice... it's a really neat idea, too. I don't know if we will do the same thing, but I sure like yours.

SO glad to see this kitchen! Thank you for posting! It looks beautiful! I would love to see a picture of your island & the counter behind it.

Your tile looks beautiful! I am excited to see it grouted. Do you know the size of your grout joint by chance? Mine is getting installed tomorrow afternoon or Saturday morning and the tile guy just called to talk "joints," and of course 1/8" vs. something different is hard to tell in theory --- much easier to see one you like and then tell them to do it like that. I like yours a bunch! Congratulations!

Just as he had wiped up the last of the mess and stepped back to admire his work, he turned and said to me "this tile really fits this house perfectly."

'nuff said.

can't get much better than that!

looking forward to the "finished" pictures. :)

ps to Matilda: be good so mommy can oil the soapstone.

I agree, it all looks so perfectly fabulous! I love the whole "feeling" your kitchen gives off. Great choice to go around the window. After seeing it both ways, without it now seems like something's not complete. And as blfenton shared "The tiles around the window brings the [beautiful]ceiling into the kitchen".

Congrats on a job well done!

Holligator, so great to see your kitchen with this fantastic tile. All of your choices are just perfect (including framing the window).

You were very generous with help on my layout when we were planning our kitchen so it was so nice to see your name again.

As others have said, can't wait to see the *finished* kitchen - it is gorgeous!

Eliz

Just Beautiful!! BTW - What kind of soapstone do you have?

@mythreesonsnc, sorry I didn't see your question sooner! My tile guy ended up not using spacers at all. He tried using them at first, but with handmade tiles, the edges are uneven and with even spaces, the tiles were no longer lined up. So, he just eyeballed the spaces and put in tiny shims in the places that needed them to keep things lined up. You can kind of make out the shims in the picture.

@Lake_Girl, the soapstone is Black Venata. It's one of the softer varieties, but I love it! It was installed by the wonderful FloridaJoshua. His shop is Creative Soapstone in Punta Gorda, Florida.

OK, I haven't been able to get good "finished" pics, but I thought I would post a couple of after-grout pics anyway. Sorry for the phone photography quality!

And, this is completely unrelated to my backsplash, but here's my favorite thing in the whole kitchen...the giant pear!

Your kitchen is truly beautiful. I have been leaning toward the rustic black pulls but now you have me rethinking them! I also like your niche. I am trying to create one in my redesign and I hadn't really thought of beadboard but now I am wondering if that would be cool.

That looks fantastic! You should start a new "finished" post.

Beautiful tile, love your kitchen!

Holligator, I think your kitchen is beautiful, and hope you are enjoying it as much as I would if I were cooking there. The tile work is beautiful. I'll bet it was a difficult decision whether or not to go with a high-contrast grout -- it's hard for me to choose whether I like your before-grout or after-grout pictures best. Good move to carry that tile all around the window! And it is a joy when a professional finishes up a project and is obviously proud of the finished results. As you all should be.
Lynn

Very nice! And I love your pear too! :)

very very very clean... I love it!

Just beautiful, what brand, type, or tile is it if I may ask?

That's just gorgeous! I love the backsplash tile. And, I love that you went over the window with it. It's absolutely fabulous!!

Oh my gosh! How'd I miss this? The soapstone is gorgeous with those cabinets and cup pulls. And I'm in love with the tile going all the way around the windows. I really wanted to do that!

Love, love, love it!!! Gorgeous kitchen, and I think you hit the nail on the head with what you were trying to acheive with the design. Congrats!

Beautiful kitchen! I love the way it all looks together.

GORGEOUS!!! Love the tile and your soapstone is beautiful-- cannot wait until I get mine. Where did you find your tile? Also what is the size of your prep sink? What faucet is on your prep sink and main sink? Are they the same? I am debating on whether to the get the full size moen brantford for my prep sink or the bar/prep sink size. Fortunately both have the new reflex pulldown feature.

Holligator,

I have loved your kitchen from the getgo and now I find myself loving it even more though I didn't think that was possible. You did find the perfect tile for your backsplash like it was meant for your kitchen. Your description of the rest of your house has piqued my interest. It sounds like a great house. I would love to see pics. With what you have done with your kitchen, I know that the rest of the house must be great.

So sorry I missed the latest round of responses and questions! I'll attempt to catch up with replies here:

@farmgirlinky, I also am conflicted about whether I might have preferred more contrast in the grout. I'm perfectly happy with how it turned out, so it's not enough of a conflict to make me want to change it, but I sure did like the look with the darker (pre-grout) lines.

@sandesurf, thanks! I practically designed the whole kitchen around a display spot for that pear. My mom happens to be friends with a lot of incredible artists, and one of them made the pear for her just for fun. I have crassly told my mom many times that she'd better leave that pear to me when she died. Well, about a year and a half ago, she moved in with us, so thankfully, she didn't have to kick the bucket in order for me to get the pear. :)

@sudhira, the tiles are Seneca Satins. The color is "lambswool" and, as you can see, there is a bit of variation since they're handmade. We are very pleased with the quality, but I have to say that the wait was ridiculous. When the woman at the store called as I was ordering, she was told they would ship within three to four weeks. Twelve weeks later, they were actually shipped--no explanation, no apology.

@newbieremodeler, the prep sink is a Ticor S805. The bowl size is listed at 13" x 16-1/2" x 7-1/8", and this has worked out perfectly for us. It's big enough for anything we've wanted to prep, but it is small enough not to take up the whole island. We have been very pleased with it. The faucets are both Kohler Vinnata. The prep sink has the "secondary" size, and the main sink has the "primary" size. The difference is just enough to matter.

@louisianapurchase, I don't know if I'd call the rest of the house "great" but it's quirky and different, and it certainly suits us. Here are a few really terrible quality phone pics of the living room and sunroom. When you see the ceilings in the rest of the house, it becomes clearer why we chose the ceiling we did for the kitchen.

Very happy to hear that you and your mother found a problem to the pear problem that did not involve bereavement! The only regret that I have about our kitchen is that my Kentucky farmer father didn't see it: he did see the plans, though, and enjoyed the war stories, and I know very well that he would have liked the outcome: the kitchen, any kitchen, was his favorite place. Below is a picture -- snapped on the run -- of the one he built almost sixty years ago, which now belongs to my sister, after minimal restoration.

{{!gwi}}

Lynn

Just as I thought....terrific! I love the den with the fireplace and bookshelves and those walls are amazing. The sun porch is also great. Yours is the kind of house that I imagine myself living in.

Farmgirl....I have seen this kitchen before but just now put it with you. How lucky is your sister besides the memories of your dad but for it to be so untouched and in perfect condition.

Shannon

Just saw this...the backsplash is very, very nice. I think going around the window added a lot to the overall look...in a very positive way.

Hmmm....I better get working on my backsplash since I finished most of my kitchen not too long after you did...(most by August/September 2008)!

Twelve weeks for tiles eh? Well worth the wait from the pics, just beautiful!

I love how soft and subtle the tile looks now that it's grouted. Very understated and authentic to the houses rustic, craftsman feel. Great job and inspiring since I have counter and backslpash to choose for my cherry cabinets. I may have to post soon...

Your backsplash, your warm wood cabinets, your soapstone and those FABULOUS wood framed windows... beautiful holligator... just beautiful.

Holligator, I missed your grouted pictures before. It looks fab!!!