traci-- just perfect. Everything! I love it. So sleek and clean looking but so inviting and warm. Definitely a place you want to be. Everything looks amazing. I know it was a long and amazing haul but even the floors look spectacular!Add a close up of your glass island counter also! LOVE IT ALL!!!

Odiegirl13 - thanks! Well, as for more pictures...here are a few showing the beginning and some progress :) I feel as if we could have built at least 2 entire houses by now, but that's basically due to a variety of factors. Looking back at these makes my blood pressure go up - haha!

The beginning - looks as if we have a very large treehouse!
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View from back of house (the back yard is STILL a mess a year later, but hopefully we'll have some progress on that soon - and the house won't be green much longer - yay!!). The doors/windows on the second level are for the master suite which is supposed to have a small balcony at some point in the future. The dog loves to go up there and look out!
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The old kitchen was still intact in this photo - where the refrigerator is sitting.
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Greta making her rounds inspecting everything. She's not sure what to make of the space now that it's not completely empty!
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Temporary wine storage while the kitchen was in progress :)
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Old kitchen in process of being demolished, but microwave still hanging - haha!
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Greta in her favorite position - she loves to lie in the kitchen with her paws crossed to watch me cook. Just hoping for a morsel to fall on the floor :)
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Small view of kitchenette upstairs
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Faleash - thanks! I was looking through the photos and realized I don't have a very good closeup of the glass shelf on the island. But here's one before the kitchen was totally finished that's more of a closeup:

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Oh WOW! As others have already said, you've done an amazing job of mixing traditional with contemporary. I wouldn't have the nerve for fear it would look mishmash but you pulled it off without a hitch. Nicely done! Bye-bye microwave hanging by a chain!

Cute dog, love her crossed paws pose.

I recognize one of the wines on your mantle: 7 Deadly Zins. Love the name, love the wine.

I love, love, love it-- what a great place to cook and hang out. You did a fantastic job. Congratulations!

I am going to use bruce from DWTS vocab.

That is a SEXY kitchen!!! wowwwww. That stone is simply out of the world. those lamps, floor, cabs everything is just outstanding.

did i say sexy already?

Fabulous!! I love how you mixed traditional and contemporary. Such a terrific warm and exciting space.

Traci: Gorgeous! I am such a fan of the marble tiled backsplash. So glad to see we will have yet another example of how that can be stunning. I really toyed with the same but I couldn't convince my DH to embrace the marble, so our granite and backsplash will be a white granite.

Are your toekicks stainless???? They look shiny! Is that the plith lighting you were talking about??? VERY intrigued by this!

It is fabulous. You did a great job. Congratulations!

Thanks everyone - I'm so flattered that you like the kitchen!!

Lisa_a - believe me, I worried many nights about the possibility of it looking "mishmash" :) And I still think at times that it's not quite right, but I have to admit that it came together better than I expected considering I was flying by the seat of my pants as far as designing a kitchen!

Pharaoh - LOL, that's hilarious! I couldn't for the life of me think what DWTS was, so had to google it - haha! I've actually never watched that show!!

Ptyles - I'm glad you used the word "warm" since I sometimes think the kitchen is rather cold feeling and lacks character - that's the part I'm still working on, but maybe it will develop some once it develops a more "lived-in" look :)

Firsthouse_mp - thanks! Oddly enough, my husband wasn't crazy about the idea of a marble backsplash in the kitchen either, but now he really likes it. It was one of those "I told you so" moments for me of course :) We used marble in the master bath also, so he just thought there was too much marble - it looks totally different though, as the marble in the bathroom is Venatino. I can't wait to see yours - I'm sure it will look great!

As for the toe kicks, yes they are all actually stainless - it's simply a very thin layer of stainless steel over wood, rather than solid stainless. The tiny lights in the island toe kick are called plinth lights in the UK, but I couldn't really find a comparable term for the US! I initially found them in British design magazines and had to have them. They serve no useful purpose really and are simply decorative :) They look nice at night with the other lighting dimmed.

Traci....stunning kitchen. I really love it. Had to laugh when I saw your temp wine storage, I showed my husband and he thought it was a picture of our wine spread out....great minds think alike!! Beautiful job on the kitchen.

Ooh!!! I want to come play in your kitchen! It looks great--stylish and spacious.

PS I want to come drink your wine, too--love the selection! LOL

Great kitchen and great mix of traditional and contemporary.

Of course, now I'm afraid people will think I am slavishly imitating you, but really, I hadn't read this post when I marked up my preliminary drawings to show I wanted a wine rack at one end of the island and a bookshelf at the other. I also had been thinking black on white for the perimiter and white on black for the island.

After reading the "expensive kitchens looking dated" thread, I was thinking that I would embrace more contemporary elements in my otherwise transitional white kitchen. I've always been drawn to eclectic kitchens, and you've totally mixed styles in a fabulous way. Yep, I'll be referring back here for inspiration.

I love the pendants over the island.

Here is a link that might be useful: Expensive kitchens looking dated

And what a finished kitchen it is! Wow -- stunning! I covet the manhandles......kept trying to figure out how to have those in my colonial kitchen, never did. It is great to see them as I just think they are so much fun! Enjoy - it is an absolutely gorgeous space!

Your countertop combination's are really awesome, overall well done kitchen. I had my granite countertops from the leading installers in the Bay Area, they just delivered what they had promised, I recommend them upfront.

Here is a link that might be useful: Granite Countertops

Pam2007 and Cat_mom - the wine "storage" location was primarily due to needing to have a LOT of it easily accessible during the course of this project - haha. Feel free to come by anytime and have a glass or two :)

Cawaps - I wouldn't mind at all if you had gotten your idea for the island wine rack/book shelf from my photos :) I'm just really flattered that anyone would even want to copy anything from my kitchen!

Alice462 - my opinion on the manhandles is that they are such an odd element that they'd look fine in almost any type of kitchen. True, colonial might be a stretch, but go for it if you really like them :) I can't find the other post where someone used one since I'm sure it's too old, but I think they used one large manhandle on a tall cabinet door (such as a broom closet or one of those pull-out pantry type things).

Literally breathtaking -this has to be one of my newest favorites on GW. I love each and every one of your choices and the way you took this in a contemporary direction with the hood, faucets, lighting(love the pendants) and bar stools, while effectively combining with traditional elements - wood, ceilings, cabinets, marble. The horizontal stainless glass front cabinets are a terrific touch. Just a beautiful, beautiful job from beginning to end. Congrats on a job well done and enjoy.

Eastcoastmom - thanks so much! I actually planned the stainless cabinets when I thought I was going with dark wood on the perimeter instead of the island (originally I wanted dark cabinets with a white island, but due to the dark floors thought it might look like a cave!). I think the stainless looks better with the dark wood, but I went ahead and used them with the white - it's not as much contrast, but I like having a different element.

Traci, your kitchen turned out beautifully! OH MY GOODNESS! You should be so proud! Every thing looks so elegant and breathtaking. Greta looks like she's enjoying the kitchen too :)

It was really nice meeting you last week during my trip to your neck of the woods! Next time I am in town, you will have to cook me a nice yummy meal in that fab kitchen!

Nebi - yes, just let me know when you guys will be back and we'll have you and your sister over for dinner!! It was great meeting you also! Good luck on getting your backsplash installed. I can't wait to see the finished product!

WOW, what a fabulous kitchen! What an amazing transformation. I love the manhandles - to me they look like dancers, and since we are dancers in my house, I'm going to find them and see if I can use them in my new kitchen. Happy cooking there :)

WOW!! I don't know where to start. This is a kitchen I can only dream of. It's fun and sophistacted. I love how you mixed contempury along with retro and traditional. It's fantastic. I love the deep color floor in contrast to the cabinets. I love the shaker style door and the glass sections below on the uppers and the pendants above sink and island. I think the two different granites look perfect next to each other The funky stools! Now that is just fun! And the new old kitchen sitting area..sure is cozy! Your walk in pantry is great, so wish I had that. The molding and door style is a favorite of mine.

Can you tell I'm in love?
Congratulations on a job well done.

Like the dog too!!
Janice

Your kitchen is a work of art! The mix of contemporary and retro settles the "will it become outdated?" issue with a "no!" And you most certainly have made the slam dunk argument for doing an addition. Now you've got space, light, storage and organization, comfort and polish. (And a very happy pooch as well). Great going. Congratulations!

Stunning kitchen - it looks like a magazine spread from late, lamented Domino. I love how they mixed contemporary, traditional and just plain fun/funky to come up with warm, happy rooms with personality. Your kitchen has that feeling in spades. Congratulations on a job well done!

Ok, I resolved not to post anymore, but then you had to go and post your kitchen!

As you know, I've been a big fan of your kitchen from the get go and the finished product does NOT disappoint in the slightest, but then I wouldn't have expected anything less with your level of style and panache!!! I love all the elements and the way you put your own modern twist on the whole thing. I know you'll enjoy it for years to come and so will all those friends who are dying to be invited over!

You should be so proud on so many levels, but mostly on not harming your aggravating GC and that's putting it politely! It was so worth the wait and pain of getting from there to here though! Enjoy it and I'll be the first one knocking on your door if I'm in your neck of the woods anytime in the future! LOVE LOVE LOVE it all!

Kat :)

Oh my.... as the Brits would say.

Stunning!

Dancingcook - can't wait to see if you use the manhandles also :) The only issue with them is that they were one of those items that seemed to be basically the same price everywhere (or very close) and never went on sale! I wish I could have found a spot to use just one of them, but I don't think it would have looked right anywhere else. I ordered them from myknobs.com with the rest of the hardware, but here's a link to the Soko Studios site where they show the entire line.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soko Studios Manhandles

Janicecarolyn - thanks so much :) I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm honestly surprised that the kitchen turned out as well as it did. I honestly took the approach of choosing things I liked and hoping they all eventually looked good together - haha! I have to admit that I had some doubts along the way, but overall I'm happy with the result!

Marthavilla - thanks! I hope that you're right in that it won't become outdated, or at least not quickly! :) And should it not be someone else's style, specific things such as the pendant lights can be easily changed. I tried to keep other details fairly "classic" if that's even possible :) The one major exception is probably the glass shelf on the island but I really loved it, so went with it anyway!

Zeebee - thanks! I didn't realize the magazine Domino was no longer in publication - or maybe I'm actually thinking of a different magazine. I'm happy that you think it could be in any sort of home decor magazine :)

Kat - you're too kind as always!! I often think that the only way I've gotten to this point is by venting to you about all the problems :) I'm glad you lifted your posting ban for me - haha! I always love reading your posts, so am very glad you did :)

Solman - thanks! Are you British by chance? I loved the British design magazines more than any others and so wanted a clean modern looking kitchen as they depicted! Unfortunately (or fortunately!), I came to my senses and realized that it would be totally out of place in my house and I'd most likely soon regret it :)

Everything is gorgeous but I especially love the stainless steel lights above the sink, that gorgeous range, the ceiling beams and the walk-in pantry. Thanks for sharing.

you did such a great job blending contemporary with traditional elements! Your backsplash is gorgeous, love the island lights, ceiling, layout, etc. now crack into one of those bottles and enjoy - cheers!!

your coffered ceiling is GORGEOUS!!!!

How high are your ceilings?

Mairin - thanks! Maybe all the wine will help dull the memories of the headaches and hassles to get to where it is now :)

Rtorgyl - thanks, I'm really glad we did the coffered ceiling! It actually was decided on due to needing a support beam for the upper floor, so seemed best to put the coffered ceiling in rather than having just one beam by itself - haha! The ceilings are 9 ft. tall - wish they were 10 ft., but they don't look too low even with the coffering.

I don't think the ceilings look low at all- they turned out great. I am planning my kitchen right now as well, and I am the same as you were saying, I am nervous about picking everything out and it all coming out okay. I hope I get a fabulous result like yours!

Thanks so much everyone for all the very kind words and compliments!!! I really appreciate all the help provided by people on this forum over the many months of my project, as well as simply having the opportunity to vent occasionally :)

Traci29 - so glad to see that you survived all the turmoil, your kitchen is to die for! I love the Calcutta Gold backsplash, the whimsical stick figure cabinet pulls, and the crackle glass shelf. You have a unique, one-of-a-kind kitchen! Love it!

Enjoy your new kitchen :-).

Karena_2009 - thanks so much! I've survived the turmoil so far, but my patience is growing very thin as we attempt to get the rest of the house fully completed! :) Just a few more things inside and hopefully that will be the last of the messy contractors going in and out all the time!! Then they can begin on the outside, but I'm sure they will have some excuse to come inside and continue making messes! :)

Happy Holidays!

Spectacular!!

Love it... What color did you use for the room that was once your kitchen but now serves as a sitting room? I love it...

Oldhouse2009 - thanks, the paint in the "old kitchen" is SW Urban Putty. I really like the paint since it's kind of a neutral that would look good anywhere, but not too bland :)

ha! this is a collective consciousness, cawaps. we will have bookshelves at one end of the island, and the wine fridge at the other!

well done kitchen that pulls in so many elements i have seen here and liked. Bravo!

hot!!!

Thanks midwifekim and sabjimata!! I'm always surprised to see new responses to the post. Luckily I get them through email since I don't visit GW on a regular basis now. I'm trying to kick my kitchen addiction - haha!

Also trying to completely block out the entire remodeling process, although that's difficult to do since it's STILL ongoing! The majority of the inside is done at least and most of the dust cleaned up - I did threaten one contractor's life though if he created any more dust after I finally cleaned everything :)

Wow, wow, and wow! If I were you I'd stop worrying right now about whether or not I got it right! So beautiful and classy, streamlined but comfy. I've been looking online for stainless cabinets like your horizontal pair. Could you let me know where you got yours? I have been trying to find these online but can never tell exactly what they would look like. Can't seem to find them locally. (AK) Congratulations on the success of your project and good wishes for the rest of your plans.
Lynn

Hi Lynn - thanks so much for your compliments!! Our aluminum cabinets came from Maple Craft. They are actually just aluminum doors and you can get different types of glass inserts. Here's is their contact info and I've put a link to their website below also: Maple Craft USA - 800.756.8077

Good luck - hope you find what you are looking for!

Here is a link that might be useful: Maple Craft USA

Traci, Hope you're enjoying your gorgeous kitchen. All of us here know how much work went into it. It must feel great to have it come out so beautifully and to receive such rave reviews. I am looking for an interesting door contemporary door for my entry foyer closet and was thinking about a door with glass panels. Would love to know where you found yours.

Gwentm - thanks so much! We put several of the pocket doors with glass inserts throughout the house during the remodel/addition, and they were all from Lemieux. We compared doors from several companies and felt that they had the most competitive prices of all we looked at. We're happy with the doors, although not the installation! Our contractor installed them incorrectly, so now we have scratches in about 3 places on every door where they rub sliding into the wall, so will have to be re-installed and repainted - argghhhh! But then I shouldn't be surprised, since the quality of his work took a nosedive toward the end, that is, when he even bothered to show up! :) Good luck - hope you find the door you are looking for!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemieux Doors

Wow! Gorgeous!

May I have your permission to add your kitchen to the Finished Kitchens blog? It's a terrific way to keep your kitchen details available long after this thread has scrolled off the forum.
If you agree please either indicate here or send me an email (starpooh@gmail.com). Then, when you have some free time, please submit the FKB Category Checklist.
Thank you!!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

You have done a terrific job. We are jsut starting on our kitchen and we have chosen absolute black for the island and persia pearl for the perimeter cabinets.

Are you still happy with the persia pearl?