Dusty No More!!

Great job. I love it! Hope you enjoy cooking in it for many years!

Congrats
Bee

Beautiful kitchen!

And I had the same question as janew22 - where did you find the plastic bins that fit in the space between the supports in the pullout?

Thanks for sharing these. You've got a beautiful kitchen. Enjoy!

Dusty - Absolutely beautiful! I know you will enjoy and be cooking up a storm!

Gorgeous kitchen, everything! can you tell me where you got the backsplash?

Love it! I am lobbying hard for soapstone, so hopefully DH will love your kitchen as much as I do.

And I have to vote for K-cups on the bottom - especially if you only have one variety, you don't need to read them, just grab and go. The spices, you need more visibility.

hi Dusty,

Beautiful job! I hope you are very happy.
Thanks for sharing!

Thank you all for making me smile, and again for all your help, advice and encouragement. I am in love, and can�t wait to be truly settled in. I am tending now to put off the final details in favor of cooking and preparing meals. The kids and I just made an ice cream cake!

And I must tell you, I have never seen that OTK movie and hadn�t heard of that phrase before GW. For the past five years, I have been having the vision of my kitchen while friends and family put in beautiful dark wood kitchens. When we bought this small house, I just knew I wanted white cabinets, and some sort of dark honed counter or honed marble. So I chuckled when I found out here about the OTK story. I actually love all kinds of kitchens�this just feels serene and like home to me in this house :-)

Thanks, williamsem, I thought budget would allow only bright white field tile. I almost went taupe, or greyish blue glass�then I found this undulated warm white that looked like the expensive stuff�for $3.50/square foot!

andreak100, yup, that�s a microwave hidden behind those doors. I had seen something like that in a magazine. This Schuler cabinet is actually meant to go over a counter. Since it�s to the right of the fridge, there was no counter. Lowes ordered the cabinets to be deeper so it would fall in line, but then there was an odd space between this appliance cabinet and the drawer below. I thought about white quartz or even Corian � but no one wanted to sell me a small piece. I didn�t want the black soapstone sticking out. So I ordered a piece of butcher block (standard size fit!) and then my contractor painted the edge white to match the cabinetry. He then painted my kitchen color (BM Healing Aloe) on the inside cabinet walls. I had a dedicated outlet for the microwave put it, with a second outlet next to it, and a phone jack. No room for the phone jack with the microwave, but it gives us options (last year we needed to use an old fashioned phone during Hurricane Irene). I liked having a jack in the kitchen just in case.

janew22 and maries1120, the Rev-a-shelf came with those plastic liners � just some, not enough for all the shelves. I�m thinking about calling the company to ask if they sell extras.

SparklingWater, thanks and I�m still working on rearranging many of the cabinets. The glass shelves just came in so now I can really see what should go where. Where to put food, where to put non-food�the left pantry definitely is going to stay holding the mixer and all the large and small appliances. I definitely will keep the plastic step stool next to the vacuum in the right side of the pantry, so I can easily get to the high stuff!

secondhalf, the previous owners had a smaller cream fridge (that would have been better!) but it died and they had to get a new one right before they sold the house. I always wished they hadn�t and had just offered a credit for a new fridge ;-)

phylhl, I�ll look at the box of extra field tile in my garage and get back to you � the invoice just says "Gabriella warm white 3x6." Wayne Tile in NJ carries it as well as some other stores. It retails for $4.50/sqft but I paid $3.50. The mosaic is from Artistic Tile http://www.artistictile.com/ which has several stores in the NYC area and I think elsewhere too.

Yes, I guess it was fast, but with allergies and asthma and little ones in the house, speed was a priority! My two regrets - wish I had found GW sooner, and wish I had picke out every little detail with backup plans ahead of time. There were times when I thought it wasn�t going to come together. Everyone tells you construction is a whirlwind � no joke. It is such a crazy, intrusive, exciting, stressful time. And I found out about myself that while I love the design element, I can�t stand strangers in my house at 7 a.m. and I can�t stand clutter and dust and mess. I am looking forward to spending a lot of quality time in this kitchen, and hopefully in the future if we ever do it again, we will be able to move out to an apartment close by with a kitchen and laundry and a sense of a temporary home. Or maybe it's not as painful with bigger kids and a bigger house. In the meantime, let the construction amnesia begin ;0)

{{gwi:1926985}}

Oops, so sorry it posted twice! I guess I need a post-construction vacation ;-)
Here's another picture of the microwave cab before the outlets were patched up (and the inspector had the electrician change out to tamper-resistant and GFI).

Lovely kitchen! What color is your mudroom door? Is it stained wood or painted black?

Beautiful kitchen.
I love everything especially the arched doorways.
By the way I keep my k cups in the freezer.

Thank you for posting the additional info and picture for your microwave area. We're concealing our standard countertop MW over the new wall mount oven because we didn't want to have an all-in-one unit and I didn't like the "trim-it-in" options we saw. It will open upwards like yours does...I've seen one or two pictures of them like what you have (and what I'll have soon, hopefully), but I'm surprised that we don't see it more.

We're going to do another one somewhat like what you have for some of our small appliances too like coffee pot, toaster, etc., so what you mentioned about the phone jack is a brilliant idea as well for in there and something I had sort of overlooked! Likely that we won't really need it, but good to have regardless and certainly not much more expense in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that you now get to enjoy the fruits of your labor and get to create many wonderful meals for you and your family.

Wow, Dusty, it is beautiful! Your soapstone is gorgeous and the cabinet color is divine!

I love your pullouts, saving that pic for my cabinet maker!

Congrats, you did a great job!

I am a big rev-a-shelf fan too. The whole idea of building a kitchen to fit your own things and lifestyle is what sold me on Gardenweb's philosophy.

I do completely love your soapstone. The soapstone really contrasts beautifully with your cabs. Along with the arch and the mosaic, you have such a great immediate statement.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, I am so very happy we went with the arch instead of opening it up all the way. After two failed attempts to make the arch exactly right, the contractor had his guys make a plaster cast of the original and use it to make the new one. Third time was the charm!
kamkar2006 - a stained black door would have been sooo pretty...but this is a fiberglass door (it swings out onto a partially-covered porch). We moved our garage door (which used to be right next to the kitchen) to the end of the house, and so the new garage door swings in...and we couldn't have two doors swinging in to each other. So bottom line - with the fiberglass, I decided to paint it black on both sides because I thought it would look cool, and it was certainly practical (this is the door that all the little neighborhood munchkins will use to come in and out of the mudroom with their muddy hands!)

What a beautiful kitchen! I love your range tile. I'd love to see a better shot of the Healing Aloe. I use Quiet Moments in my house and am a huge fan of it and Beach Glass. I know Healing Aloe is the shade right above QM but haven't seen it in an entire room before. From this angle it's looking beigeish to me and I know it's anything but beige! If you can post a shot with the walls in it I'd love to see more!

babs711, I know, those colors are all so soothing! We used Beach Glass in the old mudrom. This has the similar green/blue/grey undertones, but lighter, yet it still works well with the house trim molding (which I think is BM super white? I'd have to check).

lyban, K cups in the freezer?! Does the coffee stay fresh longer? (I buy them in bulk at Costco).

One more healing aloe pic. Both were taken on this cloudy day with no lights on.

How did I miss this? It looks very nice. I'd like to come and hang out in your kitchen.

You said you were concerned about the sink now that someone else had an issue. I currently have a cast iron sink by Kohler, it's been here since we moved in 17 years ago. It's very sturdy. I think cast iron IS very sturdy. Unless Kohler has done something different with this sink, I don't see why there would be a problem.

I hope the person with the issue can get it resolved and learn why it happened. It seems in Kohler's best interest as well as ours.

Oh, and do you know the size of your sink reveal? I like it and would like the same amount of reveal. How did you tell the fabricator what you wanted?

And, are you happy with the reveal and how it functions?

Wow, beautiful! Love the tile behind your stove. There are so many little details to your kitchen that really make it stand out.

How did I miss this also!! It is stunning!! Love that backsplash, especially above the cooktop.- so you are now an ABB alumnus!! I also love your back door light shining into the kitchen and the lighted cabinets!!!
Congratulations on a job well done!!

Thanks everyone :-) Donaleen, for the sink reveal, I just stood there with the fabricator and moved the paper template around and fingers and basically eye-balled it! I was worried too much junk would collect in the reveal part, and wondered if I should have the soapstone just come all the way so the sink just went straight down, but I chose looks over function and just went for the curvature. To be honest, I haven't had any problems cleaning where the sink curvs, and it functions beautifully :-) So far Barkeepers friend does a great job cleaning the sink, including the reveal. I also love the side drain, and the Kohler sink grates that go in the sink. I like that the junk goes underneath the grates, so when I put a colander down to drain I know my cooking prep leftovers won't get into the colander!

Thanks, Dusty. I am definitely going for looks myself. I don't want the counter top to look like it has a big hole cut in it. It is my DH who is sure that an undermount sink will be so much better functionally. I have some concern about it looking like a hole that hasn't been trimmed. I've learned that the positive reveal, like you have, makes all the difference to me.

My DH thought the same thing! But I won that point ;-)

My DH wanted the negative reveal - but wish I had pushed the issue. I almost switched it but he had so few comments that I caved....

Your home and kitchen are lovely, but the real impact only comes with going through all the photos and seeing the few before photos (I had to go see the black fridge). Oh my! What you have done with the powder room, the pantry and the kitchen is all wonderful. Nice use of those little spaces too.

So worth the dust.

Love love the artistic tile.. What kind is the soapstone? I thought the use of the Susan for trash was possibly one of the best uses of the corner. Love the pegboard pullout for cooking utensils.

Lalitha

Absolutely love your kitchen, especially the backsplash! I will soon be at the backsplash stage and am wondering - is it worth a trip to NYC to look at Artistic Tile? Does anyone know of an equivalent place in the New England area for subtle yet beautiful backsplash mosaics such as this style?

We will soon have our granite in and be deciding on backsplash.

I do have a couple of questions about your granite overhang if you don't mind:

on the right of your stove - would you mind telling me what the overhang is on the far right? it looks lovely.

would you also mind telling me what the overhang is at the front of your granite? it looks minimal, and just lovely, something I would like to mimic.

Lastly - how are you liking the pullout with the stainless steel hanging utensils?

Thanks and congrats!

I'm blushing from the compliments :-)
Lalitha, it's PA soapstone. My fabricator said the quarry in Brazil where it came from closed, and I took one of his last slabs. Not sure what's available elsewhere.
Phylhl, I could have visited NYC, but instead went to a really nice shop 5 minutes from my house. My neighbor had recommended Artistic Tile and I had been planning a trip to the city. But then I was in a local place to look at flooring, and stumbled upon their AT section (I had no idea it was carried in independent stores!). Saw this mosaic and knew I had to have it! Just visit Artistic Tile's Web site and search for a store near you that carries AT. Looks like there are a bunch near Boston if that helps?
The counters are actually soapstone, which I am loving! Can't remember what the overhang is - maybe half inch? It's the same all over. I'll have to measure and get back to you.
Love my 3" pullouts - both of them! They were a last-minute solution to the contractor's original mismeasurement (6" of dead space, 3" on either side of the sink). I use the pullouts all the time!
Good luck and happy kitchen planning :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Artistic Tile locations

LOVE everything about your kitchen, especially the way it's framed by the arch. The microwave cabinet is great!

Dusty, you know I love your kitchen and I remain in awe of what a smart, elegant job you did on a tight budget. I hadn't seen this reveal post until today since you sent me the link directly to photobucket. When I first saw the PB images I kept thinking "wow, I love that gray paint color!" and now I read the reveal and saw that it is healing aloe. I have healing aloe in several rooms of my house... I guess I like what I like! ~Belle

Thanks so much, Belle! A cousin recommended "Healing Aloe," and I was so happy she did. It's a great color, right? Love how it changes depending on the light! My contractor said he felt funny asking the local hardware store for some "healing aloe" ;-)

Stunning transformation!! You have created an elegant and welcoming space. Very impressed that you did this with little ones in the house!

Sooooo lovely! Every bit of it!

Dusty, this is the most clever use of a corner space I've seen, short of reading about turning it into a drawer or safe and accessing it from another room

http://s1173.photobucket.com/user/AboutToGetDusty/media/IMG_0467.jpg.html?sort=3&o=14

Thanks! MareLuce, Schuler offers this corner garbage/recycling combo and I agonized over whether it was a good use of space. I do love it. We can recycle everything in one container in our town, and there are three containers in this corner cabinet. So one is for garbage, one is for recycling, and one I use to stash all my paper and plastic bags from stores (which works out well - it is always full of bags that I wind up reusing).

So funny, i literally downloaded a picture of your kitchen today I found in a Google search looking for Artistic Tile. Would you tell me the approx $/sqft of your inset above the range? Great kitchen, I love it!

oops - duplicate!

This post was edited by threegraces on Fri, Apr 5, 13 at 11:43

Threegraces, thank you! I think I paid $100/square foot. Here's a thread with more info. Because it came in an odd-shaped piece, I wound up needing two pieces, not one...and my tile guy put it together like an elaborate puzzle ;-)
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1122530210986.html

No Longer Dusty (hehe) , hope you are still following this thread since you don't have email activated.

I am having the same soffit issue that you did but mine are 10" tall (how tall are yours?). Along the sink wall the soffit extends several feet beyond the cabinet fronts. Along the perpendicular wall (to be the range wall, just like yours), my soffits extend about 1 inch beyond the cabinet fronts.

Did you take down your drywall soffits and rebuild that area using wood trim, or did you just trim over the soffts? I see that you changed the corner cabinet into a blind corner and that part at least had to be rebuilt. Also, on the closer up picture in your photobucket account, there appears to be a tiny piece of trim between your range wall cabinets and the soffit but not on the sink side. Would love to know that you did there.

Also, depending on my plan, I may need a lower hight hood and I really liket he look of yours. I could not find a mention of it in this thread. Can you tell me what model it is? How high is it about your cooktop? It is just perfect over that wonderful mosaic!

Hi Scrappy25,

I'm not sure how tall the soffits were but they seemed huge! We took down two soffits. One soffit was in a wall that we took out (now it's an archway and a peninsula). What you see now is just trim - we just ordered some stuff and played around with what would look best above the cabinetry. I definitely knew I wanted top of the molding to match the rest of the house, so the carpenter recreated the original molding for the new space - we just needed to fill a small gap (since the cabinets were semi but not custom),so that's when we played around with other molding pieces. The space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling is nothing compared to the soffits that were there before. The house is 1940 - so nothing is even. So everything was a challenge!

However, we had to leave the soffit above the sink - I just had the carpenter make the soffit itself smaller - then we added trim over the soffit above the sink. That's why the two walls look different if you're really staring at them. But most people come to the house and just love the overall kitchen. I'm really happy with how it turned out - we did the best we could with what we had, under a certain budget. It's always a game of give-and-take!
The hood - I believe it's the AK2500S Zephyr Power Series Hurricane 30" Under Cabinet Hood.
God luck, and happy kitchen planning!

About to Get Dusty, do you have a picture of your corner cabinet used for trash? It sounds like a great idea! Do the trash cans have lids? I love our Schuler white icing cabinets! I love your appliances choices and your counters. Your kitchen is beautiful.

Very pretty kitchen!! Love the glass cabs flanking the windows, the lovely backsplash, and the smart storage solutions by the range and by the fridge. Congratulations and enjoy your lovely kitchen!

Thanks! Lynn2006, sorry it took so long to respond. The pictures on photobucket include the corner trash/recycling cabinet. No lids and I keep meaning to call Schuler to see if such lids exist - that's the only part I don't like. I find the corner trio really easy to use - one bucket for trash, one for recycling, and one to store all my extra paper and plastic bags from the store (to be reused).

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen photos

I love your kitchen. I came across when I googled Schuler New Haven cabinets. I see that in your post it says Schuler white icing. Is your door style New Haven. I just ordered the Schuler New Haven in white icing for my kitchen. I love your soapstone, glass cabinets, ge cafe range. I am also having glass cabinets and the Ge Cafe appliances. I still have to pick out the counter top. How do you like your soapstone? Does it scratch, stain easy?

Thanks, ItsTheDetails! Yes, my cabinets are Schuler New Haven in White Icing. They have held up really well, and I cook three homemade meals from scratch daily. I love my GE Cafe range. I'm not a fan of my Kitchenaid dishwasher and fridge (they have already caused me so much pain and cost with repairs!) My soapstone is still my love. It's PA, from Brazil, and unfortunately the quarry closed a while back, so I'm not sure if there's any left for sale. It doesn't stain, and it's a hard variety of soapstone. I don't do anything special to to it and it looks better with age. Good luck with your kitchen!

AboutToGetDusty, I love your kitchen as I said previously in a post. I love your counters so much.

I also have a GE Café Range that I love! I like my KitchenAid dishwasher but I do not love it as the stainless steel is difficult to clean and it sticks out too far. I wish I had gotten a different brand with the top tray. I do like the dry heat in my KitchenAid dishwasher so maybe I would have been happier with the Jenn-Air that is similar but has a slightly different stainless steel and a sleeker handle. I did not know there was such a think as a pro-handle when I bought it in 2009 or I would have paid a little more for the easier to hold handle. I dislike my LG French Door Refrigerator as I have had two fires now with it and it is the model with all the problems. You are so blessed with that big window with so much natural light! Gorgeous kitchen!

Thanks, lynn2006. Two fires? Yikes! Yes, the Kitchenaid finish is annoying and fickle. It's not real stainless, but the GE Cafe is (and you can clean it with anything as proof!) Funny thing about the window - so many contractors insisted we should change the window, saying "everyone" had windows that were bigger and ended lower. We insisted on keeping our original windows for cost reasons - and were happy with the results.

So beautiful!!! All your choices are wonderful!!!