I finished my kitchen over 6 years ago and I still lurk here constantly...your kitchen is one I couldn't wait to see the final photos of. I followed all your layout threads, and seeing it in finished form is a beautiful ending to an incredible journey. The kitchen is fantastic, the whole home is beautiful, and I'm so happy for you and your family. It really came out spectacular, enjoy it!!!!

Soooo wonderful! I love the combination of your lovely oak with the aluminum/glass cabs--it's so unexpected! And I have to join the list of admirerers of your BSW, baker's table, hood, and sink. I love it all! I'm so delighted that you're obviously so in love with your kitchen. I only hope (and pray) that you'll still hang around GW KF, at least occasionally!

Your kitchen is so relaxed and inviting, I'm sure you're going to enjoy throwing some great parties and BBQs. Enjoy!

Rhome said almost exactly what I was thinking as I scrolled down, so can I ditto her again? ;-) And because of all your finds and efforts to transform things like your baking table, it is completely and uniquely yours, which just makes it that much better.

I really love the clean lines on your cabinets and the striking pulls on the drawers. And of course the baker's table. And the sink. and ..... Well, wow. It's great. You did a wonderful job! Thanks for sharing!
Lezli

I love this kitchen! From now on, whenever anyone asks how you can create an eclectic, contemporary, family space that literally sings with pride in itself, I'm gonna point them to your kitchen! Who would have ever thought to put that to-die-for baker's table together with that drool worthy hood? Or those fab chairs with those lovely cabs? And, yet it all works together so very darn well because you thought of it and put it in motion! What with the items you've collected over the years of planning for this remodel, the calming palette, and the cool mix of textures, I get that this is YOUR kitchen -- signed, sealed and delivered with a whole lot of bravas, hugs and kisses. Well deserved, indeed. Congratulations!

Beautiful! Gush away about it. Absolutely LOVE the baker's table. SQ

DH has been reading through the thoughtful posts and said, "those are very heartfelt comments; it's wonderful". It has been so much fun sharing this with all of you because I know a number of you have followed with my journey as I have followed with many of yours. I remember posting once that I felt I would never get to post a finished kitchen thread. OK... I still need my toe kicks on, side panels, yada yada... but you all know what I mean. DH also just commented that I have taken cooking to a new level. He prefaced with, "you have always been a great cook but the food you produce in this kithen ..." Friday we are having our first big party. DH and the band boys (old timers will remember me posting about band nights at my other house)and we will have somewhere between 80 - 100 people. I'm always bringing food/treats to family and friends so it will be fun for them to see where it's coming from and what I've been babbling on about for 3 years. Both my boys were suppose have come down from NY but only my youngest could make it. The big guy is moving from LI to Astoria and has much packing to do. The kid is as excited as I am about my new home. So wish me luck and pray for good weather cause this 1200 sq. ft. house can't hold everyone inside!
Again, many heartfelt thanks to all of you for your kindness, warm comments, and support. It's as if you guys actually know me and get me.
Elyse

WOW
WOW
WOW!!
I am new to this forum, just starting my remodel, and inspired! And I have QUESTIONS!!!!
Are you happy with the IKEA cabs? Do they feel sturdy? Did you have to make alterations to them to make it work? What toekick did you use? They look great sort of floating off the floor.
Any worry about the weight of the soapstone?
Nice to see your fridge hanging out solo, not built in or camouflaged, and looking good.
My contractor is really worried about using IKEA. And I'm worried it will make it cost a ton if I don't assemble them and he does.
Wish I had followed your whole process.
Clearly you and your family are incredibly capable and have vision! I have to hire someone to do the work for me :)

E, I don't post much anymore, but I have to say your kitchen is fabulous. You never lost sight of your vision. I am thrilled for you that it turned out as beautiful as it is functional. Enjoy!! J

I agree, the kitchen looks huge for the space. Love the hood, the soapstone, BS, and I'm quite envious of your "ease of cleanup" from the counter to the sink.

The baker's table is just amazing. Our LR walls are Halcyon Green, and it's a great color.

Bravo, bravo!

Wow! What a transformation! I especially love your tropical flair. Enjoy every minute in your new kitchen!

J... so good to see you here and thank you... I know you know how much this means to me.
BalTra... welcome! And to answer your questions. I could not be more delighted with IKEA. DH, who is very very handy; was amazed at the engineering of the cabinets. We combined two kitchens worth of stuff (of course tons of purging) and I can't tell you how delighted I am at how much these cabs hold and how utility they are. I was going to get an expensive contraption for my corner susan but just decided to go with what's there for now. Well... I'm glad I didnt' bother to spend the money. I have all my small appliances in there, and there's ALOT; and it hold everything beautifully. My soapstone is as sturdy on there as if I had custom built cabinets. We made modifications to the sink cab for the apron front sink. He also made some modifications to the cooktop so I can use the first drawer directly under the cooktop. He rabbitted(?) together two small fronts on the unit under the window so I could use it as a single drawer. I have stainless steel toe kicks, but need to get more and get them on.

They are super easy to assemble. I even did some of the drawers. The hard part is installing them so everything is perfectly level. The feet help with that since they are adjustable. DH took it a step further by gluing and nailing backs on. Use IKEAfans as a resource and of course this forum. There are many people who have assembled and installed IKEA. Don't be afraid to use IKEA, if the sizes work for you, they are great.

I hope you enjoy your process as much as I have enjoyed mine.

The transformation from your old kitchen to this is just incredible. You have terrific vision. And that baker's table is stunning, I don't think I'd have seen the potential in its original state.

Congrats on the (near) completion of a beautiful functional space! Count me in with the admirers of your baking table and your soapstone. I would eat at that overhang too, so I could stare at it each meal!

How serene! I'm totally in love with your baker's table. Lots of great ideas to ponder here, although I'm committed now so will have to save them for the future. Can't believe how far you've come from that crazy mishmash at the beginning. Kudos to you.

remodelfla - your kitchen is lovely - organic, open, beautifully lit, congratulations :)

Your kitchen is stunning! I have to agree with everyone who loves the baker's table--it steals the show!

ooooh! I am tres jealous of your baker's table!!! Love your sink and hardware! Fabulous!

So fun to get a quick link to your finished kitchen. Beautiful and dramatic transformation! Love the Baker's table!

I love your kitchen! Did you happen to upload a pin as a link on Pinterest? It showed up on my Pintest account and I just wanted to make sure you know it is out there.

Wow! I'm surprised to see this thread! Thanks sparkle...both for the compliment and Pinterest heads up. I had no clue...kinda weird feeling actually. Now I have to go look for it!

This is the first time I have seen it, and I am in awe. Love love love your color palette.

Really, this forum is making me a fan of more modern style!

I hope that you were able to write down the history of your table and maybe attach it to some hidden, out of the way spot. Someday that might prove to be of value!

I will always, forever and ever, love, adore and treasure your kitchen, E-baby.

Thanks for the kitchen love! And for those still in the process...take your time and follow your heart (within your budget of course). It's going on 3 years later and I still love my kitchen as much as the day I wrote this post. No regrets whatsoever.

WOW! Your kitchen is stunning! Amazing job!!!! Do you happen to know what color the bakers table is? I want to paint my bathroom cabinets that color. I LOVE it!!

Thanks MrsShayne. Look at the post from Posted by remodelfla (My Page) on Tue, Jun 21, 11 at 19:44. It kinda describes how I came upon the color. I brought back the paint 3x and had them tweak the color so I guess it's somewhat custom colored.

Oh wow, I didn't realize that (before) picture was the finished one at top (I didn't read everything)!!! DANG that looks amazing!!! I love it all!!!!

remodelfla,

I was "away" from GW when you posted this originally. It's beautiful!!! Now I'm back because I am acting as the architect/designer for my mom's whole-house renovation. I have a question about your sink that might be a life-saver for my mom!

It looks as though it doesn't have a "lip": as though it has straight sides and is simply installed with the top of the sink sides flush with your countertop. Is that actually the case???

If so, this could REALLY help my mom. She found an antique slate sink in the basement of her house (a 1700's cape cod in Maine) and had it restored so she could use it in her new kitchen. She really dislikes undermount sinks, for whatever reason, and has her heart set on simply dropping the slate sink into a cutout in the counter... not farmhouse/apron style but just dropped into a rectangle cut-out. (Since she wants to call attention to the material, she plans to have it about 1/4" proud of the counter, rather than flush like yours.) I'm worried about that installation because I've never seen anything like it. There's usually a horizontal mating surface between the counter and sink, either between the bottom of the counter and top of the sink in an undermount installation... or between the bottom of a drop-in sink's "lip" and the counter.

In your case, as in my mom's proposed installation, it looks like the mating surface is vertical, that is between the edge of the counter and the side of the sink. My concern was that there'd need to be a really big, noticeable bead of caulk there which might be unsightly, and also that the eventual movement between the sink full of water and the surrounding counter would cause separation.

If, in fact, this describes your installation, can you report on how it's held up over the last years?

Thank you so much :)
Stacey

I"m not quite sure what kind of pic I can send that will help you but here is an old pic right after installation that shows the flush mount. The sink is supported but a horizontal piece of wood underneath. You can somewhat see that in the pic. Please let me know if there is some other kind of pic that will help you and I"d be more then happy to take one. The sink is considered an apron front sink.

Thank you! So, is there some kind of sealant or caulk between the counter and the side of the sink? How has it been keeping gunk, water, etc out of that space?

This is basically what my mom is proposing, except that hers will be just slightly proud of the top of the counter rather than flush, AND it won't be apron-style, it'll be fully enclosed by the counter.

This is so helpful, thank you.

I'm from the hosta forum...lol...how on earth did I get here, you wonder? Lol

By following an advert-like pic of your baker's table!!!

Your kitchen remodel is fantastic and rivals any professionally-designed kitchen anywhere! WOW! Utterly beautiful ---- you can feel the warmth, it just draws you in.

You seem to have a natural flair for design and certainly have vision. All the comments you've received are well deserved. I am in awe of your ability and that of your DH....amazing! You two and your kitchen should be on TV!!!

Thank you for an exciting peek at your kitchen/home. The pics are stunning.
Congratulations.

Jo

stacey... here are some close up pics I just took of the seam. This is after 3 years of daily HARD use and abuse. I didn't even scrub for you. Hopefully, that helps you some. We had the most amazing soapstone fabricator there is.

josephine... What a lovely post! Thank for your taking the time to respond to it. It's kinda a kick that after all this time this thread popped up again. I"m getting a charge that no matter what forum you go on the pic pops up!
My 15 minutes of fame maybe??

Thank you so much for taking the time to photograph and post those pics. That's very helpful, and I feel much better about my mom's planned installation now!
Thanks again and enjoy your beautiful kitchen,
Stacey

remodelelfa,

I love your kitchen and everything you did.
That bakers table was worth all your hard work.
I have never seen one of those tables with the drawers open to see what is stored in that bottom part.
Or is it just a regular drawer and the underneath is just for show.

Hi lyban,
The possum belly drawers are curved inside like outside. The middle one has a divider. Somewhere on this forum, at some point, I had posted interior pics. Have no clue how to find them now! If you'd like, I'll be happy to take a pic of the interior when I I get home from work. Let me know if you want me to.

Hi remodelfla,

I see that your remodel was done a few years ago, and comments are resurfacing now. I had never seen this before, so I'm glad to have the chance, especially since you now have 3 years of living in your kitchen. Which gets me to my pressing question: How are your soapstone counters holding up? I absolutely love the look of soapstone, but I'm worried going with it because of how easily it can chip and scratch. Chipping on the edges of the counter tops is what concerns me the most. I know that scratches can be buffed or sanded out, but what do you do when your edges end up with lots of chips and gouges in them? I know that there are lots of different types of soapstone, and some are harder than others, but even the hardest samples I brought home (MOHS rating of 4.0) scratched with just my fingernail.

Also, I'm wondering about oiling the soapstone. I know some people who have never oiled their soapstone counter tops. They seem to think that oiling doesn't do anything to preserve them, that it only changes the color and sheen. What have you done to maintain yours and are you happy with the way they look?

Thanks so much for your time!

I've got my pillows set up on the outdoor lounge chair so after my nap I will take some pics for you and post! We haven't wax or oiled in quite awhile and the kitchen gets constant abuse.

You obviously don't live by me if you are napping outside, lol. Lucky.

I don't remember seeing that bakers table before either... it is so gorgeous! What a beautiful kitchen.

South FLorida has it benefits and the nap was beyond glorious! OK... here's some pics I just took. I did not clean, wipe, or straighten up a surface for ya'll. In fact, I'm in the middle of cooking dinner.
INside of drawers. You can see one is split and the other whole. I really need to organize... I tried to get a pic of the oxidation on the inside of the zinc drawers. I think they are zinc.

How to the soapstone questions. I have not oiled in at least 3 months... maybe longer. We clean with a hot soapy rag. I put anything and everything down on it though do not cut directly on it. I'm posting pics from teh most heavily used spots. I really don't have any chipping or dinging to speak of. Surface scratches if I look but with my pattern hidden. If I so oil/wax, it disappears:
most prominent scratch I have from dragging my huge cutting board back and forth multiple times daily.

I hope the pics are too big but are helpful. Photobucket has changed up since I really used it.

I was on GW and DH walked by and saw your bakers table in the ad strip on the right. He asked, isn't that soapstone? Spoken like a true TKO spouse : )

I love that bakers table. Do you use it frequently or is it more decorative?

Almost every single day debrak! Usually for making breakfasts, lunches, plating, laying down stuff right out of the oven, and we always use it as a buffet table table during frequent gatherings. Of course for baking too.

Thank you, remodelfla, for the soapstone comments and pictures. I don't think that the imperfections and scratches would bother me too much, but we know we will probably have to sell our house in 7-8 years, so I need to keep resale in mind. I love the look of it so much, but I need to decide if we can keep it looking good enough over the long haul. I do wish there were an alternative that had a similar look and feel, but that was harder. Granite just doesn't have the same look, and when a black granite is honed, as some friends of mine have in their kitchen, it shows every little fingerprint and oil spot. I recently heard that Caesar Stone is introducing a lot of new colors that are supposed to look more like natural stones, but I have a hard time believing that there will be any that really look like soapstone or marble.

My soapstone is hard so no real dings to speak of. I suggested taking a look a Jet Mist/ Virginia Jet Mist. Has a look similar to soapstone and you can get it honed which enhances it's likeness.

Thanks for the suggestion. Is Jet Mist a type of granite?

Heres a pic I found:

Google...you'll see tons.

Thanks, remodelfla! Jet Mist is a beautiful granite and, at least in the picture, looks a lot like soapstone. I wonder if when honed it has the same problems as honed Absolute Black, which shows every fingerprint. Worth checking out for sure. I appreciate your input, and your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous!

Remodelfia, Love your kitchen. Still planning ours. I am in love with your cabinet doors. I know you got them from Scherrs and they were the rift sawn oak flat slab doors (any other specifics would be great). Also, were they pretty affordable? I am also doing an IKEA kitchen and I love their system, but find the door choices boring. What color did you stain the doors (or were they stained by the company) and where did you get the pulls? I love the modern, yet classic look. Thanks and I appreciate your time.

Ruby...I didn't see this till now. I hope you got the info you needed from the other thread.

Remodelfla, Thanks so much. Found your other thread. I was going to order a sample from scherrs. Did you use the premium quarter sawn white oak or the premium quarter sawn red oak? Thanks. Again, love the natural, but modern feel to your kitchen.
Ruby22

Prem QS white oak. Our home as you may have gathered is small and it somewhat blended in with the floors we choose. Helped to achieve the open flow type look we wanted.