G O R G E O U S!!!

I love the blue walls, the warm wood ceilings (swoon! forget the TV, I'd be staring up at the ceiling all the time), the granite, the built-in bookcases, the banquette ... your wonderful view seals the deal. I'm green with envy. You've created a gorgeous kitchen. I can't wait to see it finished.

Thanks so much for posting -- your new kitchen is unique and gorgeous! I also look forward to seeing the final kitchen and learning more about all the interesting details (like your Staub island display).

Wonderful! It's very beautiful with the blues and whites. And the wooden ceilings add such warmth. You must be getting very excited. When will it be completed?

I don't even know where to begin... It is all so lovely and homey feeling yet elegant too ;)
The banquette and ceiling are amazing and add a lot of panache.
Your kitchen itself is classic and functional with soothing elements. In our area, most new construction looks a lot like every other new house. Builders decorate to appeal to "everyone" and it shows.
I love all the special touches in your house and how it all ties together. I can't wait to see your stuff and all the finishing touches added.

Wow - everything is beautiful! I too love the ceilings and the blue walls, the cabinets, counters... all your choices. Congratulations!

Beautiful!!! I have loved watching the progress of your home. It is all coming together so well. I really love the banquette and ceiling--so fun!

I have a question about your island. Did you mean that your island will be lower than the standard 36 inches high so that it can function better as a place to roll out dough etc.? If so, just curious how high your island is going to be.

O...M....G!!!! That is stunning!! I'm drooling. I've never seen that granite before, and I don't usually like dark granite, but I am in love. I'm also in love with your ceiling, the paint colors, the kitchen shape, the views, the backsplash, and the banquette. And you're planning all that without even being around to supervise it??! Amazing.

Maybe you'll find me happily cooking in that gorgeous kitchen by the time you get there! I'll race ya!

DrJoan, It certainly is lovely. I love the blue, beige, wood, white, dark granite and gorgeous marble. I have been watching and reading your build and it is turning out so nice. You don't even have your things in there and it just looks great without! You will enjoy that view from the table and just living in your new home. Love looking and thanks for posting.

Beautiful! And that's the kind of 'open kitchen' I could like...Open to the more private and comfy family space, but not to the whole house. Can't wait to see it finished!

So lovely! I think, if it were my kitchen, I'd be sitting in that fabulous banquette area as much as possible...looks perfect for morning coffee and crosswords.
:-)

DrJoann...Thank you, Thank you for sharing your amazing new SC home! It is absolutely dreamy! Love everything you have done to make it your own! The warmth of the wood balanced by the Nantucket fog and all of the white trim are just stunning. How soon will you be moving? Hope you post pictures of the whole house once you are settled.

Which Culinarian did you finally pick? Did you go with the blue? Hope to hear it has finally been delivered!

Everything's looking quite lovely. I can't wait to see more.

Thank you, so much, for all of the complements. It makes me feel so good since it isn't the easiest thing to do all of this remotely.

When I was first planning the island, I thought I would use that area for cookbooks. Then, I realized that I tend to peruse cookbooks while sitting in the family room and only use one at a time in the kitchen. That's when I realized I should turn the half walls between the kitchen and the island could display my Staub French ovens. I have the pumpkin shape, the chicken shape in grenadine, an oval yellow cocotte with the rooster knob, a blue bouillabaisse with the fish knob and a plain round in grenadine. I think they will look good against the black and add color to the space.

DH gets all the credit for the stained wood on the ceilings. I would have painted them white because I was afraid they might look too rustic. I decided that they could always be painted if I didn't like them, but I love the warmth they add. To carry through, we also did stained tops for the built-ins and the mantel in the great room.

The builder thinks he will be done by the 1st week in December, but I don't think that is likely. We found several things on this trip & I think it would be pointless to come back for a final walkthrough until those are taken care of.

dianalo - your words are perfect. Your description is what I wanted this area to represent. It means so much to me that the intent comes across. The word that I always had in the back of my mind when we were designing the house was "gracious". It wasn't about formal or informal; it was about a person walking into the house and feeling comfortable and welcomed knowing that effort went into trying to make them feel that way.

This is a custom house that we designed ourselves. There aren't many white kitchens in the portfolios of the builders we looked at. Our builder really loves the stacked cabinets and never had a house done that way, before.

I am 5'2", and, based on feedback from the forum, decided to make the island 32" high (actually, it will be closer to 32 5/8"). I'm told that I will likely end up do lots of my chopping there since the height will be so much more comfortable.

If you had told me when we went to the slab yard that we would get that granite I would have heehawed in your face. I really wanted classic soapstone & marble, but DH really wasn't into the dark color. We went to many yards here in Houston to get ideas & I was turning myself inside out about it. On the trip to SC just before we went to contract, we saw the granite at a local yard & that was it.

rhome410 - again that is what we were aiming for. I'm including a picture that looks through the keeping room to the door out onto the screened porch where I imagine we will eat in mild weather.

Tucked just off that doorway in the keeping room is a pocket office for DH with pocket doors to make it easy to hide the clutter.

So, most of our living will be in this part of the house, but there are plenty of places to "escape" to so we don't get on each other's nerves when we're both retired.

The banquette is perfect for morning coffee, but we also put a terrace at the front of the house because that is where we will get the morning sun. The ulterior motive is that neighbors will drop by to join us & chit chat.

He doesn't say much, but I think DH wishes I had gone with James River Gray rather than Nantucket Fog. I was just afraid that it would be too dark & I had no way of looking at samples painted in the actual house. As we both say, "It's only paint", so we can always change it. I know he would like the island to be gray, but I want to live with it for a while.

I got a 36" Culinarian with a grill and 4 burners. With just the two of us, I know we will use the grill a great deal. I chickened out on the blue since I wouldn't be able to see everything together & stuck with SS. It is sitting in the garage waiting for installation. There aren't any grates, but I do have it.

Again, thank you for all of the kind words. If you have ideas on how to add some more color besides my French ovens & what kinds of stools and windows converings I should do, please, pipe up. Right now, I'm clueless on all of those finsishing touces.

Thanks - Jo Ann

WOW! Just gorgeous. And to think you're doing this long distance, that's gotta be hard. I love the beautiful blue for your walls. Your marble subways tiles are wonderful. That ceiling! OMG! And I love your beautiful windows and those charming archways. Would love to see more pics of your whole house as it evolves. BRAVO! Your new home is going to be fabulous.

Beautiful! Love the blue--so calming. Your granite is beautiful; I don't think I've seen that type before. My favorite features (well, the whole thing could be a favorite :)) are the wood ceilings and your floor. Would you mind sharing what kind of floor you went with and what finish was used? Thanks so much for sharing your new home!

There's nothing left to say about the house. Others have said it all.
Any one who will consider their blind dog when designing their house is OK in my book! Pictures?

Here is a picture of the house just to give the "flavor" of it. The screened porch to the rear right is not done, yet.

The floors are red oak and stained with minwax Early American. We were supposed to have #1 red oak, but when it came time to order the flooring, the price had jumped by ~40% (I know, insane!). So, in an attempt to control cost, we went with #2 red oak which was roughly the same as the original quote. Well, we really like the way it turned out and the slightly less than perfect effect.

pinch_me - pictures of doggie? Here is one with her favorite doggie bed. She is very "flexible" about the ways a bed should be used.

Here is another with her littermate sister using the bed in a more conventional way. She thinks the toys make great pillows.

We actually call the mudroom the dog room, so this is the knob on the door to the outside that will have their doggie door.

I'm so happy with the blue & white. At first, I was just looking at blues to complement the granite, but then I realized that my mom always had a blue kitchen even back in the 50's & 60's when it seemed odd.

Thanks for all the support. I do need some suggestions for what to put on the shelves over the stove & DH's sink.

Thanks - Jo Ann

Absolutely gorgeous!!!

Love the Doggie Room knob but your pups are the stars...
...so cute!

You can bring in pops of color... maybe with of colorful pillows in the banquette area or cushions on your stools, some artwork or something special to hang on the walls, etc. Your Staub ovens will steal the show though!

Thank you for sharing the outside of your tranquil hideaway - it helps put it all into perspective...Love the look of it and in such a lovely spot.

You did a great job with your floor plan....love the way you can be together yet find special spaces for private
time...so peaceful....yet inviting in every way...

After seeing your pretty granite...am sure you will be happier with the SS Culinarian....those blues are hard to match...

Hope you make the December 1st deadline! WIll be thinking of you and will be living vicariously through your pictures when it is all done...Cheers!

Cute kitchen, Cute house and Super cute dog.
~boxer

Gorgeous! It's all coming together. Can't wait to see the finished house. You are so close!

So far I am in love with everything I've seen of your house.

I had a blue and white kitchen in my last house. It was a builder spec house with the cheapest white cabinets but I knew I wanted blue walls as soon as I saw it. Mine were a little deeper, more the color of the blue of the chinese blue and white pottery used during colonial times.

Is the the family room painted a shade of green? And do I see a touch of yellow? Could you share the names of the other colors I see peeking through?

Thanks.

What a beautiful kitchen. Just try keeping your friends out of the cooking hub! It looks like a great place to be cook with friends or just gather and linger. Enjoy your new home.

What a beautiful new home you're building! Congratulations!

I can't get over that you did all this from so far away. I lived right here in my house during my kitchen and bath remodel and I worried the whole time whether it was all going to work out right.

Doggie names? I've seen my pets laying in the most uncomfortable looking positions.

I have a footprint doorbell........in the box it came in 15 years ago. Never did get it installed and there isn't even a doorbell at this house.

Oh my goodness!

I am such a sucker for a blue and white kitchen! (I have one too!) It looks SPECTACULAR so far!

I am dying over your ceiling, too! Just beautiful!

I love everything about this area of the house. What is especially beautiful to me is that there are different rooms, and crannies, and archways and openings--so that there is a surprise around every corner. Yes, a surprise. unpredictable. interesting.

You may have the same square footage as a huge single room (think football field) which dazzles you all at once, but once you see all the details, there are few architectural surprises. In your house, you turn a corner or you turn your head and there's something new-a new use, a room's purpose.

You done great, girl--and long distance.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh it's gorgeousssssssssss! i'm loving the ceiling especially! i could stare at that all day and not care that i would need a neck brace. how can you NOT look up all the time? i saw your pics on the building forum. it all is looking so lovely. i'm so happy for you. and i'm truly amazed on how well you handled it all long distance. amazing ...how did you do it all??

Again, thanks to everyone for the complements. I think it is going to my head. GGG!

The great room paint that you see through the barrel arch near the banquette is a custom mix based on a camel colored flannel sheet set (easier to take a pillowcase to the paint lady than one of my favorite blazers). I know it looks greenish in some pix, but is definitely camel IRL. The hallways & small rooms are 1/4 strength of the same camel. The dinning room (I don't know if it shows in these pix) & powder room are SW Peacock Blue (yummy). Master suite is SW Softened Green (very, pretty but not as "sophisticated" as the other colors) & the guest suite is BM Jicama (gorgeous, soft, cheerful yellow which DH thinks looks like the hallways).

The now blind doggie is Venus (Bearticelli's the Bearth of Venus since all of our breeder's dogs have "bear" in their name). When we went to chose our puppy from the litter, an as yet unnamed pup came bounding up to 9YO DD and said, "You're my girl & I'm your doggie forever & ever." DD thought she was getting a boy & had picked out Neptune for his name, but when she got her girl home she said, "You're too beautiful to call Neptune; your name is Venus."

Venus has such an incredible joie de vivre that, a year latter, we agreed to have her littermate sister, Sadie (Bearcedes) come live with us for a while to see if Sadie could get a "personality transfusion" and show better since she is so physically gorgeous. Well, after a few months, she was less shy but wasn't likely to finish in a reasonable time and she had bonded to me like glue. Almost apologetically, our breeder asked if I wanted Sadie to be my "forever dog" & I said "Yes" in a heartbeat. The girls will be 15YO in February and were always meant to be together.

There is a doorbell next to the door with the dog knob, so I will have to get a paw doorbell installed after we move in. What a great idea!

This is a 2 b&tt kitchen in the sense that DH doesn't cook, but it keeps his b&tt out of my way when I'm cooking & he is doing his cleanup or making coffee. But, yes, it will be easy to have friends or my DD work in there with me which will be so nice. I'm capable of delegating.

The secrets to a long distance build? Spreadsheets! I'm only half kidding because it really was important to be organized & the spreadsheets were invaluable, especially since this was the 1st (& last) time we ever built a house. I think the other thing that helped is that I'm a project manager for manned spaceflight hardware. I'm use to having the domain experts (in this case, the subs & suppliers) do their thing & bring me the results for integration (although this was really the builder's role, we did a great deal of the interfacing via e-mail & phone). I dunno, it mostly worked.

I thought I was going to be sewing custom cushions for the seating on the banquette, so the height was designed lower to accommodate the cushion. DH loves the stained wood so much, and the bead board on the backs that I think there are only going to be a few throw pillows for color. Any thoughts on what I should do for window treatments?

The octagonal ceiling was an add-on after we saw the half octagonal (larger) in our builder's house. The keeping room ceiling is a double vault. I'm so happy with the fan we got (MinkaAire Delano) because it has an uplight that just puts a wash of light on the ceiling.

Pretty much all of this part of the house is at 45 degrees to the rest of the house. There were days when I was drawing it out in the software that I never wanted to see another angled wall in my life. But, it does create all these nooks & crannies & interesting views. Our current house is a 1992 spec house, but it is very well designed. This builder had a little blurb in one of his brochures about the importance of sightlines in a house and how the views should be interesting looking different ways in different locations. We tried to take that to heart.

I don't want to go too far off-topic, but since y'all seem to "get" this house, I'd like to share one view of the master bath. Those clerestory windows over the vanities (lights upside down) were a moment of sheer brilliance on the part of DH.

Also, to give perspective to the keeping room arrangement, here is a view from the side (again, unfinished screened porch). The room at the lower level is my sewing/crafts room and those windows are just amazing for the light they bring in. I am so lucky to have that space.

Thanks, so much & I will post more pictures when there is further progress.

Jo Ann