So funny how you call it a budget kitchen, yet it looks like a million bucks ;) I think you created a real family, heart-of-the-home type kitchen. It is cheerful, pleasant and very welcoming. The versatility in decor is a real bonus and will keep it fresh and interesting for decades to come.
You could not have made it any nicer with even a much higher budget.

Beautiful! CE was my first love, it enhances your kitchen wonderfully. You made terrific choices and it looks like a great kitchen to work in.

I can't believe how timely this is. I just started snooping around on GW because we're remodeling a kitchen (indeed an entire house!). We're getting bisque cabinets similar to yours, and I wanted some kind of subway style tile as a backsplash. I was afraid the kitchen would be too mono-chromatic if I went with a light tile. But your kitchen looks sophisticated and perfect! Congratulations on a job well done. Would you mind if I contacted you down the road in a month or so about how you're liking your Kitchen Aid refrigerator? We're getting the KA cabinet depth 72"....the one with 3 drawers in the freezer. I can't find out much about them, so I'd love your feedback.

What a great job!!! Your kitchen looks so warm and inviting. Love your counters and backsplash- the grout color is perfect, thanks for posting that- I want white subway and was wondering what color grout! Enjoy!

You guys Rock! Your making me feel so good! You can't imagine how many times I doubted my choices during the process. And even now I will look at something and think, should I change that? But for the most part I do love it.

I was out last night, so haven't had a chance to answer the questions. Gotta get the kiddies ready for school, but I will try to answer them before I go to work.

Thanks again!!

Very pretty--I especially love all of your lighting!

Wow...that is awesome. You really turned out a classic white kitchen with style!!!

Wow what a difference! Your kitchen is gorgeous. Love the granite. I can't believe this is a budget kitchen. Enjoy.

Beautiful job!

What an amazing transformation! Will I be seeing this in Renovation Style soon? It's simply gorgeous!

I think not just removing the wall, but also taking your cabinets/crown to the ceiling really opened up the space! I'm also interested that while you don't have inset cabinets, you've managed to still capture that style/flavor by selecting bin pulls for your drawers.

erikanh and mamadadapaige were some of my first kitchen inspirations from this forum too. You've done them proud!

Something about your kitchen also reminds me of ....jreuter's (? I might be misremembering the handle, I'll have to check.) I have the same thought about your kitchen as I did about hers, which is that Pottery Barn should use photos of your space in their catalog :)

Congratulations!

You did an amazing job - it looks beautiful. You must be so pleased.

Positano, your kitchen transformation is magnificent. Your room looks so open and bright now (just moving that fridge out of the corner did wonders). CE is one of my favorite granites, and it looks beautiful with the cream and SS.

All right, I've got some time now to read all the comments and post some answers! Once again I want to thank you for the lovely feedback, it feels so great!

mountaineergirl- My undercabinet lighting is Kichler xenon. The light is amazing, crisp and clear, doesn't get hot and not an ugly flourescent color. Makes everyone look good!
They look like this. I have some that have 2, 3 or 4 blubs depending on where they are. My electrician said they are a little bit more expensive, but so worth it. He was right.

grneyesct- So glad your moving forward on the green granite.
Countertop selection was definitely the harderst for me.I'm following your other post and see more green kitchens being posted. SHow us some pics soon!

catkin- My father actually made that lazy susan on the table for us! We love it, especially the kids. I could ask him how much something like that would be. He is great with woodworking and does it in his spare time.

nclakehouse- Yes, that was me asking for your backsplash info way back when! Good memory. I think I was also asking you about the Bosch range. How's the lakehouse?

kitchenkelly- I really should have put you down as my inspriation. I loved your kitchen when I first saw it. In fact I used your gorgeous tile in my mudroom, so mad at myself for not getting the cool 24x12 size like yours though. I always say go with your gut! So, many people tried to talk me out of things. Some succeded and some didn't . They said don't do white cabs with kids or stainless steel, but it all turned out fine! Thanks for all your help along the way. Still love those morgue drawers...are they filled up for Halloween yet?

Jterrilynn- Not from Positano, just loved it there so much when I went 10 years ago. Just a wonderful place. Funny how my kitchen is not an italian style looking kitchen. With my name people must think its going to be.

vanisleevt- I think my tiles are rounded. They are handmade Sonoma Stellar ceramic crackle 2x6. The color is called Krazy Krackle. They were a bit of a splurge at $18sf, but we waited a year and a half so I could afford it!

dianalo- I really did try not to spend so much for the kitchen. The Costa Esmeralda is usually quite pricey, but for some reason my wasn't! Makes me think that it might be coast green. Mine doesn't have a lot of the big veins that CE sometimes has. The sold it to me as CE though and I'm happy with it and the price!
I saved a lot of money on my light fixtures which were not pricey. My electrician is a friend of the family,another family member did the sheetrock and DH did all the demo.

It means so much to me that you call it the heart of the home! I want my family and friends to have a warm place to hang out.

fiddleddd- Congrats on remodeling! I also debated backsplashes, but didn't want to get sick of a busier pattern. I tend to change my mind a lot, LOL! I knew it would be monotone, but can use so accessories to change it up a bit. I love how it turned out, so much prettier in person that pictures.

I love my KA counterdepth fridge. I find it easy to clean, keeps a great temp. The only issue is that you have to make sure you shut the doors. The alarm does go off, but its funny how the kids notice if its open. Mommy!! Shut the fridge door. They might have fixed this issue on the new one. It doesn't bother me at all though. We do have another fridge in the basement for backup soda, water, beer, milk etc. I love how you can stay more organized with the CD. Nothing gets lost in the back.

joan2121- Thanks for the great compliments. Grout choice was hard too, I didn't want it too light. I wanted to see the tile not make it disappear. I'm happy how it turned out. In real life it looks a little darker than the pictures.

red eared slider 86- I would love to be in Renovation Style...wouldn't that be something. I'm just happy to be on GW!

Littlesmiokie- I just looked up jreuters kitchen. Her title is a Sunny and White kitchen. Thank you for grouping me with her. It's a lovely space and she does have some PB stuff too. I usually try to mix things up, but I just kept finding things that work from PB. Maybe I should send it to them. The parson chairs I've had for 12 years and definitely need new slipcovers. I would love something fun, maybe thats the next project.

That's it for now, thanks for looking. I do appreciate it!
Positano

Positano - I love what you have done. I too was targeting toward the soapstone and marble, but went in another direction and could not be happier. No slight to that combo (I will always love it :) but just adore the CE with your white cabinets. Classic, but different. Your kitchen shows lots of attention to detail. Congrats!

WONderful change. It's all so gorgeous and the space has a great feel to it. The counter is beyond amazing.

I especially love the buffet area near the breakfast area. It looks so great and you made such good use of the wall space and floor area for storage.

GREAT choice with the Costa Esmeralda! Gives it a special look! I love looking at how it pops against the white yet is so natural.

Also, I really like your choice of window coverings. From the natural reed ones over the french doors to the fabric over the sink, they have great style :)

Wow, that's a seriously gorgeous transformation--I love that backsplash, and of course the CE is lovely. Everything works so well together, you did an incredible job! Congratulations.

Cj

I too love your kitchen. I hope I can pull ours together half as well to get that wonderful "finished" look. I especially love your window treatments -- that large pattern is fabulously modern. How did you make them? Where did you find the fabric?

I have always liked costa esmeralda after I saw a kitchen in new england in a magazine. It was beautiful and so is yours. You did a wonderful job putting it all together. It looks so livable and like a really happy place. Congratulations.

I not only adore your costa esmeralda, but also everything else in your kitchen. I love the blend of cool and warm, light and dark, traditional and modern. The combination of these different elements is so nicely done and the combination adds so much richness and dimension to your kitchen without coming across as too "graphic" or high contrast. Your medium-toned granite bridges and blends the elements so beautifully. I also love your pendants and cabinets.

I'm curious about the eggshell color on your cabinets since I'm trying to decide on white paint for my cabinets right now: how yellowish is it? Or, is it a purer white. It is always hard to tell in photos.

Ryanhouse- Your going to laugh when I tell you about the window treatment. It was a $20 tabe cloth from Target. I just measured the size I want and used stichwichery to hem the bottom and sides! Then I used the tape to make a loop to put the tension rod in the top. So easy, and now I can just by fabric and change it anytime I want.Probably for less that $20 if I go to the fabric store. Granted it is nothing fancy, or tiered like a roman shade should be. But it works for me!

francoise47- My eggshell color is very similar to Benjamin Moore's Linen White. For my trim and ceiling I used BM Mayonnaise. If you look at the square window by the table you can see that the color really looks like the cabs.

Sometimes I wish I had gone a little whiter with the cabs, but other times I love it. Just a lovely cream. Once again I have a hard time narrowing what I love!

HTH!

Oh my gosh! IloveitIloveitIloveitIloveit!

Did I mention that I love it? ;^)

Absolutely WONDERFUL! You must be doing cartwheels! Congratulations on such a beautiful space!

this is very nicely done! i love it ...enjoy your new space!

So bright and light and airy and lovely! It looks amazing!! Nice job!! enjoy!

Shelayne- Love your enthusiasm...yes, I am doing cartwheels! We are very happy with it. Thanks for looking.

Oh my heavens- just gorgeous! And similar to our thoughts. Can you give me the deimensions of the room and are you able to post a plan/layout?
Thank you!
Debbie

Hi Postiano,
Gorgeous space. I know you have been working hard on it.
I love your floors.....
~boxerpups

Here is a link that might be useful: Postiano Help

Your new kitchen looks great, nice job!

Debbie1021-Good luck with your kitchen and thanks for the nice words. I only have the handwritten drawings. I think the kitchen is about 23' x13'. A long narrow space since we took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

The second photos have backsplash calculations on them, just so you don't get confused!

I put in a link to a previous feed with some of the dimensions of my island and walkways. The kitchen designer almost didn't do the island till I told him I really wanted it. I feel the clearances are absolutely more than generous and even though the island isn't huge, we use it constantly. I can squeeze 5 kids around it no problem!

Let me know if you need any other dimensions,I am happy to look them up.

And boxerpups, I couldn't have done it without all those beautiful photos you post. Thanks!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Island seating

Hello would you mind sharing where you ordered your tile from? I see that you said it was $18 a square foot but i called a tile place here(in MA) and they quoted me $26! If you wouldnt mind sharing where you ordered it from I would sooooo appreciate. My email is stephtony4106@aol.com and I will be also checking on site as I am on here way tooooo much!:-)

Thanks and I LOVE your kitcen, same color scheme that i am using but soapstone counters whcih through the budget over:_(
Thanks,Stephanie

Hi Positano, I just came back to look at your kitchen for ideas on accessorizing. You have a great eye for that. You should be a stylist, lady.

Thanks for the nice words. I looked at your pics on line but didn't see any of the mudroom. Would love to see some if you have any.

Thanks.

Hi Sconde, I just replied on your other post. But just in case I got my tile at Mediterranean Tile in Fairfield, NJ. 973-808-1267, my sales girl was Tracy. And I got it for $18.90 a sf. Definitey the lowest I found. Most of them quoted the $26 price. I love my tile, so to me it was worth it.

Hi Kitchenkelly! Makes me feel good that you came to take a peak. Funny you say Stylist, I am actually an Event Desgner for a Boutique catering company. I do a lot of Floral design too. Love being creative, I follow a zillion design blogs too. It's strange though, I find it very hard to make choices for my own home. Maybe I see too many options!!

I have to take some shots of the mudroom,I love the tile.

Happy Haloween Everyone!

Positano....I know what you mean about pictures not doing it justice. I'm an avid photographer, and I can never quite capture a scene like being there in person. And I change my mind a lot too.....boy do I ever!!!!! Just ask my husband!

We're also going to have another fridge, so I'm looking forward to the CD one. And my current fridge (GE Profile) also beeps when I leave the door ajar, so I'm used to that. Glad to hear you like the KA.....we've decided we're getting that one for sure. We have most of our appliances nailed down except for the range hood. Did you have an okay experience with Kobe? I've heard mixed reviews about their customer service.

Your kitchen efforts have helped so many of us.....that must make you feel great! You really did a spectacular job!

fiddleddd,
I have to say I have mixed reviews about the kobe. The price was awesome, but installation was very tough. The directions were hard to follow and customer service was not so helpful. It does work well though, and have no issues with the function. My brother in law installed it, and he's a contractor. Said he's never seen directions so strange!

I wasn't happy about the light it gives off. Just two small halogens that don't angle. Would I purchase a kobe again....maybe not. I might look into other options.

HTH, so happy to hear that my effort in my kitchen helped some of you. I certainly was helped by everyone on GW!

Thanks.....very helpful info on the Kobe. Just this a.m. I found what I think may be the perfect range hood at an excellent price on Overstock.com. I've bought a few things from them before and had good luck. So I hope all goes well.

Everything is lovely. I especially love your granite and lighting fixtures. And the window treatment over your sink is fantastic! It really adds a pop of color! Great job and enjoy your kitchen!

Hi Positano,

I am inspired by the finished results especially since I am about to begin knocking down the wall between my small kitchen and dining room. I am working with getting estimates for bringing down the wall... Can you give me some idea of what cost you were given to bring the wall down? also, what are the measurememnts of the dining room prior to the reno? Thanks for the help.

greennhousems,
Good luck with the knock down. It will make all the difference and you will love it! We did all the demo ourselves..actually DH did.So, it didn't cost anything. It was not a load bearing wall either, so that saved some money. We did have vinyl floors in the kitchen and wood in the dining room, so we had to go to all wood. Then new sheetrock for the walls and ceilings.

One problem we did find once we took out the wall was that the two rooms were not even! The floor was much lower in the kitchen. So, we had some issues getting everything level. There was a six inch difference from one end of the dining room to the other end of the kitchen! If you look at my crown moldings on the cabs you can see the difference.If you roll a marble it goes right to the end where the dishwasher is.

But I am so happy we did it.I think the dining room was about 11.5 x12 feet. Pretty small!

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi, You may have shared this already but I did not see it posted anywhere, what is your ceiling height and the size of your cabinets and moulding? Thanks! Laurie

lau123rie456wise-
Our ceilings are just average a little over 8 feet.
The upper cabinets are 35 inches high and the crown is about 9.5 inches. Although when we took out the wall the floor in the kitchen was so much lower than the dining room. If you look closer you see the crown is huge by table, then gets smaller and smaller as you go to the dishwasher. We should have leveled the floor, but didn't. Oh well!

HTH!

I haven't been on this site for quite a while but just came back and noticed you mentioned my kitchen was one of the ones that inspired you. I'm flattered, and wanted to say how beautiful I think yours turned out. It's soft and serene, but also has a lot of unique touches that make it seem personal. Congratuations, you must feel great!

I am in love with every single detail of your kitchen. It's hard to believe that you had trouble making some of the decisions, the finished product is perfect! Like you knew exactly the look and feel you were going for. The CE is just beautiful!!! Definitely quite different than the slabs available at the yard I am using...wonder if maybe they are mislabeling it, it has almost no veining and is much lighter than yours.

Admiring your kitchen again!

It really is beautiful!

Couple of ?s:
1. What size is your island? base and overhang

2. Where did you get your kitchen table? Love it!! The base is beautiful!!!

3. Where did you get your DCS range? It is beautiful. Are you happy with it?

4. How are you liking your KA frig? We currently have a KA side by side love it except for the ice bin/door - ice is always getting stuck in it. I think we have had a working ice dispenser 6mos out of the 3+ yrs we have owned the frig.

Thanks so much for answering!!

Hi Positano-love your kitchen, great job on everything! I am from North Jersey as well - looking for white subway tiles. I will be heading to Fairfield today to look for sinks, so maybe will stop in Med. Tile. Just wondering, is your granite polished and the tiles matte or are both polished? I can't tell from the picture

Love, love, love it!! The love the counter area by the refigerator. I can picture a scrumptious breakfast buffet laid out there (among other things)!

The granite is gorgeous! I admit to being green with envy. ;>D

ejbrymom-Hello! My kitchen island is 31.5 inches x61 inches not too big, but I love it! The overhang is just 12 inches.We use the island all the time, its a great prep space.

My kitchen table is the Harvest Table from Pottery Barn. It has an extension to fit 6 to 8. We put a glass top on it, its been very easy with the kids.

We got our 30 inch all gas manual clean DCS range from PC Richards in Paramus NJ. We do love it! I think it looks beautiful, the simmer is amazing,and sealed burners with stainless that is so easy to keep clean. It also has 5 burners which is an added bonus on a 30 inch range. The oven is convection and it bakes perfectly. My husband is a chef and he really likes it. We could have gone with Wolf, but got a great deal on the DCS. I would look into it!

My KA french door counter depth fridge has been perfect too. I find the stainless doors very easy to keep looking clean. The temp is great. You just have to make sure you close the doors or the alarm beeps. The kids are trained to make sure they close it all the way. The french door is awesome, we use the island as a landing and its perfect.And it looks good too.

If you scroll up to where I posted the kitchen plans I put in a link for island seating where I answered more questions about our island and clearances.

Blakey!- So nice to see your around again. Thanks for the praise. Your kitchen was a great inspiration, I would move into it if I could.Its the reason I got that gorgous tile!

Ginad- How did it go at Mediterranean? My granite is polished, but not super shiny which I like. It is so easy to maintain, it hides crumbs, doesn't stain and is indestructable. The tiles are also shiny, but not super shiny and have the crackle finish. Sonoma Stellar 2x6 and the color is Krazy Krackle.

Houseful, I just saw your cabinets. They are so gorgeous. Can't to see the next step. Thanks for stopping in!Yes, I do use that area by the fridge for a great buffet. One of my favorite streches of countertop!

Hello, Positano. Love the new look! I have a question about the granite overhang-- did you need to install some L brackets or Corbels that aren't visible in pics? My granite guy said a 12" overhang would need support but maybe you have a better option? Just didn't want knees banged up. Thanks!!

Hi Bonnie,
I just happen to see your post. We did not install any support for our 12 inch granite overhang. They said if it had been any larger we would have needed supports.We have had no problems at all!
Hope that helps!

Hi Positano,

I love your kitchen!!! I am gonna do my kitchen this way too! Do you mind sharing some information. My kitchen cabinet top still have about 10 inches space to the ceiling, where do I order the stuff (stuff name?) to fill in the gap and then add the crown? what's your granite counter name and where to order it?