BEFORE

This was my liver-colored old kitchen.



I loathed the 1.5 sink with a PASSION. The 0.5 sink on the right was too small to serve any purpose whatsoever. The 1 sink on the left was tiny, and because the faucet was on the side, when you turned it all the way left over the 1 sink, it overhung by ONE INCH. Gah! For 20 years, I lived with this idiocy (my husband refused to let me change the sink, IT WAS STILL GOOD!). That stupid hose got a lot of use...

AFTER
I am currently making a matching stained glass lampshade with some blue-gray to match the rest.
That shade won't stay.

A wall switch on the right of the windows turns on the lights above the sink AND the under-cabinet lights. I had an electrcian wire that wall switch to plugs INSIDE the cabinets. The wires go through a hole through the cabinet bottoms. I LOVE THIS. At the flick of a switch, the sink, and both sides of the counter light up!

You can see the home-made chair covers. I added twisted dark brown piping around the edge. On the back side, they are held up with velcro which is hidden by a bow (that serve a ties independently). They are also reversible - I liked this side a little better.

I kept the same appliances, the same floor tiles, the same blinds, and the same dining room set.

Below is the iridescent Hakatai Ice mosaic aglow, and the Jeffrey Alexander VALENCIA cabinet pulls, $5.50 from Interknobs. I liked those pulls so much, every pull in my house was replaced with this model, in different finishes.

I liked the handmade tiles BECAUSE the uneven grout lines caused by the slight un-squareness of the tiles themselves made it look more organic and warmer than the more regular glass tiles with rounded edges, that are too cold and overly modern for my scheme. It does put some people off; twice I've gotten unsolicited advice on how to make even grout lines... Erm... it's the tiles. I won't hide that the reaction stings a little!

The curtains. They have blue-gray leaves in the pattern.

I bought metal enamel paint and re-painted the clockface to match the tiles. allowing me to keep my old clock.

The Silgranit VisionU in TRUFFLE and its Kohler faucet. Thank you Gardenweb for introducing me to Silgranit, what a fantastic product! It always looks clean, even when it's wet. I used to wash my stainless steel sink 2-3 times a day. With this one; I rinse it weekly... ;-)

I also love the high-arc faucet. Notice how the handle isn't on the side, but in the front. My plumber suggested this, because he said that I'd bet bumping in the backs plash, getting it grungy with the handle to the side. He also said that if the faucet leaked, it would leak on the granite. Turning the handle to the front solves all these issues, a leak would drip into the sink. I thank him for the idea, I LOVE IT!

The cabinets are made in China. Total was ~18K. I decided against stained glass insets in the glass doors after all. When all is said and done, I like it simple!

Thanks everyone!

Love your handmade tiles and the feel they give.

As Trailrunner said, the thought you put into your selections really shows and it all works so well! It's all so elegant, but with clean lines and simplicity that lets each element shine.

To people worrying that one kitchen color scheme or another will "go out of style",
here's someone with a white kitchen for "20 years" switching to dark wood. :)

Proving yet again, it's really all about what you like.
Reassuring, that. :)

I like the truffle a lot. My 10-year-old daughter and I were just arguing about whether our upcoming kitchen should have truffle or metallic gray sinks. She's very much in favor of the truffle (maybe it makes her think of candy!) and seeing yours may sway me. I know I shouldn't listen to a 10-year-old, but she is a mini-me and she is always right!

The backsplash is so very beautiful and I love the fabric choices, too. Great job!

Would you please post the details of your kitchen (cabs, counter, etc.)?

I can't believe the sink was mounted on the right of the old sink!

It's very calm and soothing!

Congratulations on your fabulous kitchen!

And, oouuuuhhhh, truffle! Nice to see that great new color being used.

On the plus side it emphasizes the blue, on the minus side the under-cabinet lighting is still warm white.

Really lovely job. Enjoy it!

SINK:
Blanco Silgranit Vision2U in truffle color.

GRANITE:
White Rose.

BACKSPLASH:
Hakatai Ice Iridescent.

CABINETS:
Maple, plywood construction. Unknown Chinese manufacture.

PAINT:
SICO Sketch Paper in Pearl finish - 6206-21

BUDGET:
18K, and I installed the backsplash myself to save $800.

Edge of backsplash (I'm pointing it out because I did something a little different!). I build the edge up to the ceiling line.

I'm glad you all like the back splash; GW readers can be counted on for their sophisticated tastes ;-)

The chandelier piece is a little too low, I've ordered a lamp part so the light cluster will be 1 inch deeper into the shade.