My word - I'm fretting about my future kitchen remodel and my entire kitchen could fit on your island. Nice job!

Thanks, everyone!!!

bethpen, here's my inspiration pic:

We actually hired the same cabinet maker/designer, Savage Designer Cabinets, to do our kitchen. Originally, I wanted a groin vault ceiling in the kitchen, but due to a structural piece of lumber that went across our kitchen ceiling, we wouldn't have been to achieve the groin vault without the ceiling being too low. So...we ended up with a barrel ceiling. Now I'm glad it turned out that way because the lighting would have been difficult in a groin vault, since you'd have to put a chandelier in the center, which wouldn't have been center over the island.

laxsupermom, it's funny you mention that because the granite installers were sure to tell me before they left last night that "no one is to get on the counters for at least the next 48 hours". Were they reading my mind or what???!!! ;)

remodelfla, I call it Hawai'i, aka the "Big Island" and I could live there as well...maybe someday.

boysrus2, I love the arch elements, too! If you saw the rest of my house, you'd definitely know I have a thing for full roman arches. :)

katmandu_2008, I am a kama'aina (grew up all over Honolulu and left when I turned 18 - island fever!) Yes, the granite on the island is 8cm (the perimeter granite is a little smaller, though, and I'm embarassed to admit I don't know the exact size - could be 6cm I think?)

pluckymama, I'm glad we went with 8cm for the island after all...seeing it now makes me realize that if it was any less, the sheer size of the island and the chunky posts/columns would make the top seem, well, sort of insignificant. The 8cm is perfect for the island, IMO.

jennabanenna, thank you and I know there's a lot of "mess" going on in my photo, but I also knew the GW Kitchen people can spot a diamond in the rough!

cooperbailey, thanks and I will post more pics when the appliances go in (I'll be just soooo excited when my burgundy red Lacanche is in her place!) and doors/drawers are installed, so there will be a couple of interim photos before the official "Finished Kitchen Pic". :)

josie724, I'm flattered and I think if my kitchen ever did make it on a magazine cover, I'd...I would...well, I don't know what, but I'd be speechless with a smile!

scootermom, you're welcome and I'm hoping it should be finished sometime this month. Knobs and pulls, I'm stuck there...but other than that, I have everything I need to finish it.

moonkat99, you know, I got my first round of cleaning the countertops today (the granite guys left late last night and I was too tired to clean them then). I'm 5'3 1/2" and I am just lucky I have long arms, so cleaning that island wasn't a problem at all...lucky for me! Or wait...would DH be the one cleaning them if I couldn't reach? JK!

cat_mom, thanks for your "WOW!!" too and I can't wait to use it when it's finished. I've been living in our motorhome on-site, so needless to say, a "real" kitchen is something I greatly miss...

katrine822, thank you! (Missed your post as I was writing mine).

AMAZING!!! Love your kitchen. I am not usually a dark wood girl and I would move right into that home and kitchen in a heartbeat. Can't wait to see it finished. Congratulations!

The "Big Island" *chuckle*

Tell them to hurry and finish--we are all waiting impatiently for the finished pictures!!! GORGEOUS!!!!

You kicked arse on that inspiration picture my dear. All I can say is Oh My God!!! I want to polish your legs :oP (And drink wine at your counters) Want to house swap????

Igloo beat me to it...I was going to say that your kitchen has far surpassed your inspiration kitchen. That island is so fantastic. I love the thick counters. That piece of stone on the island makes quite a statement.

Very nice!

emilysmarathonmom, thank you and this is the darkest wood I've ever had in my kitchen (I came from maple mocha glaze and white before that)...and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!

moonkat99 :)

lsandler, thanks and I REALLY can't wait to see the Lacanche and backsplash go in...yes, hurry, hurry, HURRY!

igloochic, thank you...and now that you mention it, everyone keeps staring at my chunky, shapely legs! :p Oh, and you're invited for wine anytime you come down to wine country...just let me know. Hey, if we house swapped, I guess we wouldn't miss our Cluny 1400's! :)

Don't know how many of you remember my posts way back when I was going back and forth between having two islands or just one big one, but after all is said and done, I'm very happy with one!

Also, the fact that we found book-match granite slabs that were large enough to have only one seam in the 6' x 14' island PLUS the fact that the slab colors were exactly what I was looking for to complement the burgundy red Lacanche...well, I guess it was meant for everything to turn out this way and I'm very thankful!

rhome410 (btw, I could be rhome49) thanks and I love the edge we chose for the island also! The last two kitchens I've had both had the regular full bullnose and it was time for a change. Our fabricator first did a 1/8" eased edge, but I thought it was a bit too sharp, so they did a 1/4" and it's perfect!

vineyard, Knobs and Pulls are as Igloo says, the jewelry of the kitchen. If you are stuck, post some of your thoughts and let us join in on the fun!! This is such an exciting kitchen. Thanks so much for sharing your pics and letting all of us enjoy this with you.

About your thick island granite, and I agree, the granite depth balances out with the cabinets or I really want to call it kitchen furniture as it is so beautiful. Did you have to make your island a bit shorter to compensate for the height? I think you made the right decision going with the one large island.

Your burgundy Cluny 1400 is going to look just smashing in that kitchen! We got the 1400 as well and are eager to fire her up in a few weeks, when the kitchen is done. What a perfect range for your kitchen!

Can't wait to hear all the details. What kind of wood for your cabs? Do you have your lights picked out? Also, agree that inspiration pic has nothing on you!

Well, congratulations to the 9 of you then! :-) You have a fantastic home on a magnificent site. The Lacanche will look amazing in your kitchen, although it will have plenty of competition for attention, since there is nothing plain about that backdrop. ;-) Can't wait to see.

Gorgeous! That island is spectacular!

I agree with the others-you blew your inspiration kitchen out of the water...

OMG! That kitchen is amazing! I love how you opted for the lighter counter and darker cabinet...somewhat opposite from your inspiration pic. I can't wait to see the finished photos. Definately worthy of Architectural Digest!

Really, really pretty kitchen! Great choices. Everything is beautiful. I bet you can't wait until they are out of there so you can have a great "cook fest." Are you in the northern CA wine county? Central CA wine country? Southern CA wine country? Washington state wine country? or other countless wine countries?

i really don't even know what to say!!!!! speechless!!!!!!! i second that your kitchen blows away your inspiration picture!!! great job and keep posting, PLEASE!!!!!!

pluckymama, I think I will definitely enlist the help of GWers for my kitchen jewelry! I'll post separately. The island height is normal, what I did to compensate for that piece of lumber was doing the lower soffits on either side of the barrel ceiling. The lower soffit on the right side (near where the pass-through is) is where that piece of lumber would have interfered, had I done the groin vault ceiling. My cabinets are Select Alder in a SW Fruitwood stain with burnt umber glaze. My lights will be the can lights, over and under cabinet lighting and rope lighting in the soffits. I was going to do a chandelier, but there was no good way to center it in the kitchen and the island at the same time (and I design with balance in mind!) so I decided to skip the light fixture. Anyway, I'm excited to see your Cluny 1400 pics...I'll be looking for them!

rhome410, thank you and I also was so going back and forth between doing the island a different color than the rest of the cabinets and/or a different surface, but decided to make the focus on the Lacanche instead.

katieob, thanks and I have to give credit to Savage Cabinets, their work just keeps getting better (the inspiration photo was a kitchen they did at least 5 years ago, I think). Although I had the basic layout pretty much done, their design made my kitchen spectacular!

alliern, what a compliment...Architectural Digest, are you listening???!!! (JK!) I love having lighter counters as they don't require as much maintenance as the darker ones (I've had both).

mustbnuts, thank you and YES, I can't wait to be DONE! It's been 3 months of motorhome living with DH, 6 dogs and a cat. Need I say more? :) Oh, and I'm in Northern CA, the San Francisco Bay Area - Livermore Valley Wine Country.

gglks, you're too kind! Thank you and I will definitely keep posting progress pics!

Absolutely beautiful kitchen, cant wait to see the finished product!!!

All I can say is that all my life I've wanted long slender legs...UNTIL NOW!!! I'm in love with chunky. I'm just awed by your kitchen, there's drool on my keyboard and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

need a roomate?

Awesome! Massive granite ping-pong table in the kitchen!

Others have said it....I will say it again. Your kitchen is far superior to your inspiration kitchen. I have never seen such an elegant and well designed space!! Congratulations! Now I can't wait to see the rest. and while we are waiting for the rest of the kitchen, would you care to share some pictures of the rest of the house? I know others would enjoy it as well.

Cindy

I agree! FABULOUS!!!!!!!!! The"inspiration" pic is pretty great too.....but that TV WAY UP THERE is really SILLY! I LIKE your RICH colors much better! I can't wait to see it finished too! Those are some HUGE finished posts on the island! I am envious of the Lacanche! Can't wait!!!!
CONGRATS!!!

I actually like the way you did your kitchen better than your own inspiration pic! Beautiful. To me, it has that colonial-islands look that you find in the Bahamas. Those turned supports under your island are to die for!

Please tell us what other appliances are you getting besides the Lacanche? Will you be panelling your fridge? Am I seeing a custom hood and liner in there?

I'm in the East Bay. Very close.

Can I come visit your kitchen? I mean....can I come visit you?

;-D

vitta_2008, rmlanza, knifer, cdecker1, thank you all for your kind comments!

ccoombs1, unfortunately, since my home is new construction, any photos I have are all still at the "unfinished" stage. :( There are no "pretties" installed yet like light fixtures...but here's a pic of the outside (rear) and you can see my love for arches that I was talking about:
{{gwi:1965643}}

juliet3, here's my appliance list for the main kitchen:
* Lacanche Cluny 1400 Classique, burgundy red
* Northland 72" All Refrigerator/Freezer, custom panels to match cabinetry
* Gaggenau 24" combi/steam oven, anthracite
* Dacor IVS2 Integrated Ventilation System, hidden!
* KitchenAid Built-In Microwave, black
* KitchenAid Fully Integrated "U" Series Dishwasher (2), custom panels
* KitchenAid Trash Compactor, custom panels

Here it is for the serving/secondary kitchen:
* KitchenAid 30" convection oven, black
* KitchenAid Beverage Center, glass door w/custom panel frame
* Sharp 24" Microwave Drawer, black

Here are the details on the outdoor kitchen:
* Costco/Kirkland BBQ with infrared, burner and oven
* KitchenAid Built-In Refreshment Center
* 2 Bull outdoor refrigerators
* (non-appliances) KitchenAid trash pullout and 2 sets of access doors

moonkat99, DH and I have talked about having an Open House Completion Party, in which I plan on posting details here when the time comes. Maybe the timing will coincide with the Holidays in the Vineyards celebration in early December...we'll see! :)

Livermore! Know it well. That is where all the windmills are! Drive through there on my way to San Fran and vacinity. Thank you again for showing us pictures of your gorgeous home and kitchen. Don't keep us in suspense. Please continue to post as you progress in your build. Thanks!

Oh, that is really nice!! And you even have your own vinyard. VERY cool. Well, please keep us posted with pictures of the house as they are available. We all just LOVE drooling all over our keyboards! lol!

I actually said "wow" out loud! Absolutely stunning!

No wonder you couldn't wait!

But, I find it hard to believe you cleaned that island all by yourself, unless you wiped it with more than just your hands! As my DH used to say when our computer was on a teak table, I kept it polished with my 'you know what'!

Boy, can hardly wait to see it get finished.

Wow - spectacular. Can't wait to see the finished pictures. Are you going to have professional photos done perhaps? It certainly looks like it'd be worth it.

FABULOUS!!! Everything everyone else has said! Well done! There's something about just an enormous island that is just way too cool! Great detailing!!!

BTW The NAVY called and would like their Aircraft Carrier back!!! (hee hee)

Very cool! We are also doing a big island, so it's nice to see yours looking so good a little ahead of where we are (hopefully granite next week). Thanks for sharing - such a beautiful kitchen! (And my DH loves all the arches. I appreciate them, but he was drooling.)

mustbnuts, yes, I had forgotten about those windmills! (I only see them when I head out towards I-5, which isn't very often; we're on the other side of town in SW Livermore).

ccoombs1, we're hoping to get the backsplash started next week, so I'll post more pics as things progress.

armomto3boys, thank you and how cute of you to say "wow" out loud! :)

raehelen, believe me, I did wipe down the island with my bare hands using some paper towels and a spray bottle...and it took a lot less time that it seems it would!

mike_r_2000, haven't ever thought of getting professional photos taken...but perhaps our cabinet designer/maker will want to take some for their portfolio?

mindimoo, thanks and I'm just imagining the spread I could lay out on the island for our first party...I'm thinking of even having an ICE SCULPTURE in the middle! :)

snowyshasta, glad my pic helped you get a preview of a big island. Looking forward to seeing your pics soon, too!

vineyard, just checking how your kitchen is coming.

OMG you are living in my dream house...
can't wait to see more!
vic

Boy what a kitchen. When I pulled up the photo the first word out of my mouth was "WOW", and then scrolled down to see everyone else said the same thing!

How in the world did the granite people get that big 8cm slab inside?

I am anxiously awaiting the finished photos.

How did I miss this before? That is stunning.

vineyard, I just posted a question to you about your mosaic and then as I was browsing, I found this thread...I don't know how I missed it before either! Your kitchen is beautiful..and big enough for those big Cane Corsos to lay on the floor while you cook :-) The mosaic is going to be beautiful in there and I can't wait to see it.

And just when I thought I had outgrown fantasy.....your kitchen appears............Wow!

Well, WOW! is what I said, too . . . just scroll up and read everything all over again, and you'll have my other comments -- what everyone else said!

I would not have seen the possibilities in your inspiration kitchen, which to me is overdone . . . BUT you saw the basics, reinterpreted it and yours will be gorgeous. Much, much more beautiful. Can't wait to see it finished.

I've seen the exterior of your house over on "Building" -- it's fun to see the inside!

Arlene

pluckymama and vicnsb, sorry I don't have any more pics as of today...but I promise to post more as soon I take some updated ones.

downsy, the slab is actually 2cm so it wasn't a problem to transport. Of course, they brought in two 6 1/2' x 7' slabs for the island, so it was kind of a big ordeal due to size! But the edge is actually two layers of 2cm granite sandwiched together as a vertical lamination below the counter 2cm granite. Hope that's understandable...let me know if you need more clarification. :)

Thanks, cosmonj...I'll definitely build this kitchen again in my next house!

gailrolfe, I just saw and responded to your mosaic post...thanks for thinking of me! Funny that we designed our home with extra wide hallways/aisles thinking of our Cane Corso lifestyle...in our last house (a tract home), we felt quite squished in certain areas of the home because they do like to shadow me!

karencon, thank you, this entire project is really like a dream to me!

hostagrams, thanks for your kind words as well. That's the nice thing about jumping GW forums, matching people's exteriors to their interiors...fun!

Cane corsos? Well, no wonder you needed the Big Island - you need space for all that food! ;-D

I've not awaited finished kitchen pics with this much anticipation since....well, since my own kitchen I guess! (which would almost fit on your island....)

Another WOW here!

That is one gorgeous kitchen!! I can't wait to see not only the finished kitchen, but the rest of the house as well!

Good luck!

Would love to see some recent pics!

All right...although I don't have the 100% completely finished kitchen pics yet...I apologize that I haven't visited GardenWeb in a while and I just saw this last post when I was searching "Lacanche" to find the latest thread.

I will post pics at HomeWebTwo.com ASAP! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My Photo Album

I can't see either link!! boo hoo!!

But I'm glad you saw this thread as we are waiting with baited breath to see your after pics!! Your entire home (well, what I've seen in the pics) is breathtaking!!

Sorry! I just realized that since it's a new domain name, it can take up to 72 hours to be "live" in all parts of the world. It's live where I am, but I already heard from others that they couldn't see it yet, either...sorry!

Keeping my fingers crossed that the new website will be live soon for everyone. :)

Aloha,
Leilani

OMG, do you have a Segway to get around that island?
I can't wait to see it finished.

mbarstow, no Segway, but I'm in my 30's so I still get around pretty well! :)

Anyway, the site's working now...here's the "right" link:

Here is a link that might be useful: vineyard's page

Vineyard, this is a gorgeous kitchen! Can you please post a finished look? What hardware did you use? I mean, really we won't mind looking at this again!