Wow! That is a great space (and it reminds me quite a bit of one I just saw in our local "At Home" magazine. I am jealous of the lino floors. I desperately wanted them in my grocery store house!

And, the countertop looks perfect!

What a lovely kitchen! Love your "kitchen window" as seen from the sink ;-). I always envy those of you who live in areas with lots of trees as that's the one thing San Diego doesn't have lots of (besides snow).

I think your laminate countertop is just right for your kitchen. It looks great and will hold up well. If the lights weren't a perfect choice, you can do something else in the future. Lights, unlike other elements, are fairly easy to change out. I especially like the bookshelves and drawers on the dining room side of the bar. Glad you mentioned the marmoleum - I've only heard mixed reviews on it before. Love the cabinets!!

I really love your space senator... and the cabs are spectacular. Enjoy it all!!

wow! Now that's the kind of kitchen I love!!! Awesome!!!

Fantastic. That wood is marvelous, and you can really see the quality. And what a terrific, open space.

Congrats and welcome to the ABB club.

Love the cabinets and the amazing view! Congrats to your DH for building the home and your wonderful cabinetmaker.

It's beautiful! Love the cubbies above the pantry. Congratulations.

grlwprls, I am intrigued. Tell me more about the "grocery store house:!

marcolo, thanks. And I am even doing a non-white backsplash :)

Beautiful kitchen! And so functional -- no need for granite! Tell me more about the marmoleum. Do you have close-up pictures of it?

Wonderful kitchen Senator13', well done. The cabinets are just gorgeous, the whole space hangs together really well. Congratulations, enjoy!

That's a wonderful kitchen, with such a beautiful view! I like the open plan...and is that a screened porch, off to the side? Very nice :)

My husband and I bought a "termite and vine" grocery store in New Orleans and did a complete gut renovation on it to make it into a showplace single family home. It was not without its trials, but ultimately, I wouldn't have traded the experience for the world. It was really a heartbreak to leave it, but I know I can perform the same transformation on our new home.

Zowie - love it!
What is the paint color?
PS - welcome to the ABB club - soon!

That looks so great! Those cabinets are fabulous. And with such a glowing review, now Marmoleum is back on my list of floor choices (along with cork and bamboo).

Sounds like you have a lovely kitchen that is just what you need for your family. Perfect!

Such a bang-up job, senator! It really shines. (From another ABB.)

Beautiful cabinets. Everything is inviting and looks like it really meets the need of a family home. Your floors are a very pretty soft yellow.

What does ABB mean?

I love your cabinets! My quarter sawn oak cabs will hopefully be installed in about two weeks. I'm getting even more excited after seeing yours.

I'm having a hard time having any contrast with my floor and cabinet stain choices. I'll have to look into the Marmoleum. Do you think it would be formal enough for a dining area too?

Beautiful job on your kitchen and your home!

What a beautiful new kitchen! I love the cabinet design and stain. Love the countertops and the way they match your knobs.

Thanks for sharing!

You did a lovely job! The cabinets are just wonderful. Love all the drawers. I think your faucet looks exactly right for the space--no need for a bridge faucet.

Senator, I love reading about all your choices. As you placed them above the photos by the time I got to the photos I was really eager to see them! And yet ... after the glowing review I agree we need a closeup of the marmoleum if possible?

You must have done this a few times before. You sound so settled in your boots and sure of and happy with your choices (e.g. top-freezer, laminate, etc). I can't imagine any objections to such well-reasoned choices.

And those cabinets are definitely as good as it gets. Primo.

Congratulations!

Oh -- but even after all that is said about your stellar choices, I'd have to say that at the end of the day, the very best part is that view of verdancy. Along with the wood and the perfect flooring underfoot, may you have renovated your last kitchen....

Really nice! Your cabinets are lovely and I, too, really like laminate counters... I'd be getting it if I hadn't bought an undermount sink.

Also, you love your linoleum floor? Happy to hear that.
How long have you had it installed now? Did you wax it or leave it? I'd love any info you could share about your floor in the day to day sense. It looks great but for some reason I thought carribean was blue, lol.

Beautiful job.... enjoy!

Lovely bright. open space, looks very functional too. Those cabinets are gorgeous.. Congrats!

Wait. Your husband BUILT THE WHOLE HOUSE!!!

Oh, my. Your kitchen is just perfect and I wish you many years of love, laughter and joy in it.

Thanks for all the comments. It sounds like there are some cries for close-ups of the Marmoleum. Here are a few that might work. Some were taken in other spaces. As you can see, it is somewhat "buttery", but I wouldn't call it yellow. It has some beautiful rust running through it and a bluish grey. I liked it best because it reminded me of limestone. In fact, when I held my sample of Marmoluem up to a slab of Jeruselum limestone it almost matched exactly! I would put Marmoleum in a living room, and some have. You can do a border around it to make it look like a large rug, which looks awesome, in my opinion. The best thing about it for us is that it is great for people that have allergies like my husband and daughter. We have had the Marmoleum for a year now, but we have only lived in the new house for 11 months. I sweep it once a week (we have a Labraodor, so sometimes it is more). I damp mop it once or twice a month. It hides stuff really well, so I don't feel as compelled to clean it as regularly as our wood floor, which shows dust much faster (we have white oak hardwood with a medium stain). We did not wax it. So far, I am really happy with that decision, as we have had zero problems with it. We also didn't have the seams welded, just butted together. That has also been fine, since we had a great installer. I will say I considered a few brands of cork as well, but it did not even come close to comparing in durability to the Marmoleum.

loves2cook4six, he did. So I guess I will keep him :) His father built the house they lived in, and my father built the house we lived in. As a result, sometimes I take for granted that not everyone does that. He also works full-time as an Electrical Engineer for the Navy, so that meant that every Saturday and Sunday (and every other Friday) he was working on the house from the crack of dawn until dusk for almost a year. He even did the site work himself, which I think was his favorite part, because he got to drive this beast :)

LL-

It will be a screened-in porch, but right now it is just covered. We are trying to decide if we want screens or some type of shade. Because it faces the field, we get almost no bugs (except for last night because the flies hatched after all our rain :( You can see a the screened-in porch here before our porch posts were painted.

aliris19,

Thanks for all the kind words. I have been through this a little since my parents built our house growing-up (and let me, a TEENAGER, pick out their kitchen look (yes, they were clearly crazy). We also renovated part of our old house so I picked out some stuff for that, although those were more decision driven by what would sell one day, over my personal preferences. We are in our late thirties, so I tease my husband that maybe he still has one more house left in him. Although we will be her for another 15 years until both the kids are in college and we are getting ready to retire.

enduring-ABB= All but backsplash. Hopefully it doesn't last as long as my ABD (all but dissertation) phase in grad school :)

grlwprls,

I ADORE repurposed spaces like churches, barns and now I am going to have to add grocery stores to my list! That home looks AMAZING. I don't know what you are building now, but good luck. You clearly have great taste and a vision!

Your house is gorgeous, and your kitchen matches it. I love the Craftsman style cabs - they are really beautiful. Your counters are perfect, and the knobs complement them, as the light fixtures complement the cabs. The whole thing works beautifully together. But, I have to say, If I were in your house, I'd just be staring out at that view. Congratulations!

Wow, what a great space. Your husband did a great job with the countertop, and it looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the backsplash choice (whenever you get to it).

Ginny20, I do plenty of that. I am a faculty member at a college nearby, so I am supposed to be painting the inside of the porch. I look outside at the wildlife more than I paint, unfortunately!

wow....God bless your husband. How absolutely wonderful. I am so proud of your husband, and I dont even know him. And...he is in our military...so another reason to love him!

Absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!! Truly, I am so impressed.

Have a great life in your new kitchen/new house!

Thanks for the ABB definition. Your porch is so nice. Very nice exterior.

Wow what a beautiful kitchen. It's so warm and welcoming. Love the cabinet colour and the design. Those uppers are just great! As is everything else about your new kitchen. Great job!!

Thanks, MrsHanson. He is a civilian that works for the Navy, but he is still pretty great. Just don't want to give him credit for being in the military!

Ahhhh a Navy man helped create that gorgeous space:) I love those cabs and your laminate is great- looks like soapstone but without the worry!

The laminate is made by Arborite. We bought it in sheets online and then my husband applied it to the plywood.

Thanks for the detailed pics and description of your Marmoleum in Caribbean; we are putting it in our kitchen and are stuck between Carib and Barley, in the sheet. We might do a green inlay as a border and under the kitchen table as a "rug" look so we are still up in the air on the final choice. Very glad to hear yours is holding up to the kids/dogs bit. Do you keep your dog's water bowl on a floor mat? And have you applied any extra protection to the floor? What a lovely and warm kitchen!

Love it thanks for sharing.

Any progress on getting out of the ABB - yup a take on ABD - living in a University town - we have tons of them!

Bookmoom,

We don't have a floor mat, and it has been just fine. No extra protection to the floor, either. I don't have any indication that it is needed. Water sits on top until you can clean it up,so it isn't a big deal. If it was flooded, it probably would be. We have it in all three baths, however, and it is working great. I love it!

a2gemini,

I have a doctorate in Education. I think I am more worried about being ABB, than I ever was about being ABD. I am *hoping* that this winter/spring 2013 we can get around to the backsplash. We have so many other projects to do (landscaping, hardscaping, painting (interior trim and doors), finishing the rec room, etc. that it might be longer than I want. In the meantime, I occupy my time by picking out a new favorite backsplash each week : ) Too many backsplashes, too little time!

I don't know how I missed this before. I just love your cabinets; that wood looks so rich and solid. If I didn't think we would be selling our house fairly soon, I would put in laminate also. It's a good choice, especially when you have kids in the kitchen.

senator13; I loved your kitchen all of it. I have been looking for several years for a way to install an apron front sink in my existing laminate countertops. I'm not talking about the Ikea Djomso sink. I've been looking at the Kohler Dickinson. And I was so excited when I came across yours. How did you ensure that the the laminate edges that butt up against the sink are waterproof? Please share any secrets/tricks that made it possible. Also how is it after this amount of time? I have an extremely busy kitchen in a family of 8. Thank you so much, I look forward to hearing from you.

The counters and flooring are great! Lovely kitchen.