After ONLY 45 weeks, kitchen is 99% done and I am about 75% unpacked and moved in (no final fru-fru’ing done yet) so I took some time today to take some pics to post here for everyone. I have been hanging around here for four years planning and building this kitchen, and have greatly benefited from all the discussions, advice and pics. Soooo many people I’d like to thank ... sadly, many of them moved on long ago ... but for the ones who have been here a while (and you know who you are) THANKS!!!! I am very grateful to you!!!

Can’t wait to cook the Thanksgiving feast in here! I have a BIG menu planned!

I have posted some of the pics below. To see more click on the link at the bottom.

The details:

Cabs - custom, oak - painted, Fine Paints of Europe, White Cafe 2048
Cab hardware - Blum hinges & drawer glides; Emtek Tuscany Twist / Silver Patina finish knobs & pulls
Floor - original Acme Brick pavers
Counters - Crema Bordeaux granite (periphery and bar); Bianca Carrera marble (bake center); Brazilian Cherry end grain butcher block (island)
Backsplash - (Country Floors) Lancaster Travertine field tiles & ogee, Lyndhurst Allegro Molding, FlatIron Apollo Plaque
Fridge - Sears Kenmore Elite French Door Fridge (Titanium finish) - reused; Sub Zero Fridge Drawers 700BR
Dishwasher - Fisher & PayKel Dish Drawers - reused
Microwave - Sharp Genius - reused & vintage :)
Range - Lacanche Sully 1800 range, dual fuel with warming cabinet
Range hood - Ventahood, 2 - 36" 600 cfm liners TH236SLE in custom wood mantle frame
Ice Machine - KitchenAid KUIC18NNTS
Faucets - Kohler Viannata (reused) (main sink); Kohler Deck Mounted Pot Filler K7323; Rohl Pull-out Bar Faucet R77V3S (small prep sink by range); Barber Wilson 1070 (island sink)
Sinks - Elkay Gourmet Triple Bowl Sink ILGR6022L (reused) (main sink); Kohler Trough Sink 22" K3154 (small prep by range); Custom granite sink (island); Whitehaus Hammered Brass bar sink WH690 (bar)
Garbage Disposals - Insinkerator Evolution & Evolution Compact
Airswitches - Mountain Plumbing
Instant Hot Water Dispenser - Mountain Plumbing Little Gourmet MT540
Undercounter lighting - Seagull Ambiance low voltage linear xenon strips; WAC Lighting HR86 xenon pucks (next to range)

My best,
MaryT :)

WOW...just stunning.......wonderful job.

Printing out now for inspiration for my Mom....

The bake center...the hood...the custom granite sink along side the butcher block...it is *all* just so gorgeous. (I know she will absolutely love that sink with the drainboard but I don't think she has enough space for one that large. Wonder if it comes in just a double?)

Congrats!

I'm guessing there has to be a story behind the week 'tally'.

Do you mind sharing what it is? Did you find it depressing or encouraging to keep track of time that way?

Rae

Also wanted to point out that there are links at the top of my main page that take you to the details and extra pics pages. I think some people are missing those links. They are kinda hard to see. Sorry.

acoreana - Yes, they make both single and double bowl models. A quick google and I found this page on which you can see them. Don’t know anything about this site - so I am not recommending them, except for looking. :)

The Gourmet Collection from Elkay
http://www.everyfaucet.com/asp/show_collection.asp?XnID=14283

raehelen - I put up the sign around week 30, I think it was, to "nudge" my GC and remind him just how long it was taking to get my reno done. He was not amused - but I was! LOL! At the beginning (last Jan) he told me it would be done by the end of March (HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!!!), then as time marched on, he took to saying it all would be done "in two weeks" (HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!!!). We had a huge nightmare inept painters disaster with painting the cabs - so I added the extra "description" above the week sign [grin]. I have to say that the sign has gotten LOTS of attention from everyone (guests and subs alike) and everyone gets a big laugh out of it. It neither depresses or encourages me - but does make me feel better to put up the new week sign each week ... to continue to "jab" my GC a little. :)

Thanks...and again, fabulous job!!

Congrats!

The little rectangular sink by the range has a garbage disposal and I do most of my daily prep work in front of it, so I can just push the cuttings, trimmings and peelings right off into it. Very handy. It is a bit far back to do alot of washing of veggies, etc so I do the "big" washing at the main sink then move to the range side for final prepping. I also am finding it great for draining rinsed items and just leave them there in the sink til I am ready to prep them. It is too far back and too small a target for emptying big pasta pots - but works fine for smaller pots I want to drain. My main sink is close but it is really nice to have that little sink right there by the range. Just a "little" thing that makes my life easier.

Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful compliments!

My best,
MaryT

I'm still blown away by your kitchen. It is truly stunning. I would not have thought of going with the stained crown/white cabs but it is just perfect. Too many great details to comment on even!

I'd love to see your pictures,
-a

What are the dimensions of the kitchen area? Especially from the sink wall to the end of the fridge and from the fridge wall to the end of the peninsula.

Maybe the problem lies in the depth of the liner bec because it stops in the middle of the burners. Can you pull the liner forward if you cover the exposed 3" with stainless? You may need to buy a new liner, not nearly as expensive as the blower part. Another GWer had a sheet metal fabricator widen their liner and said the cost was reasonable.

A 36" height wouldn't be all bad if you have tall ceilings. At least no one will be bumping their head!
I hope you get this resolved to your satisfaction.

My wood frame is 32.5" in the middle and curves down to 27.5" from the rangetop on each end. Inside the wood frame, my VAH liner in 34" off the range top. Due to carpenters not paying attention to my specs, side to side the hood only extends maybe 1" past range top, and the front of the hood is back 2 or so inches from the front of the range. (It was supposed to extend 3" past side to side and be level with the front of the range.) But I came home one day and it was built and mounted - so I sighed and crossed my fingers.

I was worried about this, but it has been absolutely no problem even though the hood is over the open space of the peninsula. That VAH just has such great suction that it pulls all the steam, etc even from the front burners. Still, it would have better if it had extended out further and it would be easy for your GC to do that, as napagirl said, using some sheet metal to cover that extra space in the back. There was a thread here with pics from someone who had done that, but it may have dropped off by now.

I really don't think I would raise it to 36", and would keep it as close to 30" as you can. I had to raise mine to 34" because of the design of my hood being curved - but the sides coming down to 27.5" helps the "catch area." On the other hand, I know people here who have gone up to 36" and have not had any trouble.

redroze - thank you for the kind words. I do love my new kitchen and cooking in there is a dream.

My best,
MaryT

Todds - I am so sorry, but I just noticed your question regarding dimensions. Are you still wanting them?

MaryT

I do have a question (or 2 or 3!!!): can you tell me more about your recessed lights? Are they 6"? How far apart? How many (total) in the kitchen area? How far from the upper cabinets? Where did you buy them? Do you have baffles in them to remove glare? Do they produce glare, especially with your granite counters (my granite is absolute black!)? Are the baffles white or black?

I have been searching for such info as I am days from having to make that choice without guidance. Also, do you still like and use your potfiller? I too have chosen a deck-mount. Tell me about your potfiller....of course, if you have time. I am so anxious as I am afraid of making mistakes as I don't have the budget for kitchen designers.

Thanks and God Bless.

Thanks for the compliments. I luv my kitchen. :)

There are 8 cams in main kitchen area. As you can see in the first pic above, they are centered over the island and the walkway areas, so the spacing was dictated by those dimensions in the kitchen. I think they are 6" - but truthfully, I just told the electrician how many cams I wanted and they did the rest. The only choice he asked me about was the baffles and I chose white to make them blend in better with the white ceiling. They supplied them so I don't know the manufacturer. I have absolutely no glare - just lots of glorious light when I want it. Most of the time I just use the ones over the island, but I can really light things up if I want to!

I suppose I am not really answering your spacing questions very well, am I? :) I would advise that it would be best to have more lighting than you think you may need ... you can always turn lights off or not use them ... but if you don't have enough, it's miserable. Been there, done that. :)

I love my potfiller and use it constantly - even more so than I thought I would. It is a worthwhile luxury for me and I am sooooo glad I have it. It is a Kohler.

HTH,
MaryT

Seeing your brick floor makes me realize that might be a good choice for our morning/sunroom. We have a Tudor home and already have some brick outside, so it would seem natural to bring it inside (the other floors are hardwood).

I read that your brick floor is "orig Acme Brick pavers". Can you tell me more? I assume you love it, but is it difficult to clean and maintain ... what is it sealed with ... and is sealing necessary?

I peeked thru the orig diamond-lite window and saw the brick on the house ... do you have a Tudor style home?

TIA,
Sharon

My floor is made from full sized solid brick pavers, as opposed to the thinner 1/2 - 1" thick brick "tile" pavers. I know they are made by Acme Brick because, well, some of the pavers are stamped "Acme Brick." Yes, I do love the floor because it is virtually indestructible. It is easy to clean mainly because you can't really tell if it is dirty LOL. I only vacuum and damp mop and don't worry about it. Always looks good no matter what.

As far as sealing, you do need it especially to fill tiny crevices that hold dirt. Mine has a coating of acrylic so has a lovely very slight sheen. I highly recommend this treatment as it is soooo easy to maintain - as in no maintenance. Really. I've lived here 15 years and only reapplied after the remodel cause the kitchen bricks' finish took such a beating during the remodel. I found the man to apply it in the phone book. He cleans and restores tile and brick floors, and was in and out in 2 hours. Acrylic dries VERY quickly.

I love the Tudor style, but no, my home is more a traditional style, built in the early 70's.

HTH,
MaryT

I don't have the required depth for full 2" thick brick, so I would need the thinner half-brick. I checked out Acme Brick's website and was surprised they offer custom engraved brick (up to 3 lines of 3/4" block letters) - no doubt an expensive option but one that could be interesting to work with.

Thanks again for posting your pics and giving me the idea of using brick on the morning/sunroom floor! I like it.
Sharon

well done. love your cabinets--great detailing right down to the panels on the sides. hood is incredible.

i assume from your posts that the floors are original to your home? or did you install those when you did this remodel?

did you have a designer?

kulagal - The island base cabs dimension is 27 x 98.5". It was painted a brick red, allowed to dry, then painted a dark brown. Fine steel wool was used to lightly rub through the dark brown in raised areas and around the pulls, creating the look of naturally "worn through with age" to prior paint color.

edlakin - The brick floor is original to the home and dates back to the early 70's.

My best,
MaryT

edlakin - I missed your last question. I did not use a designer. I designed it myself, down to the last detail. I designed my prior kitchen in my old home (which I still miss as it was HUGE), really love to cook and I knew what I wanted.

MaryT