Details...

Where are the details?! ;o)

It's beautiful!

There aren't enough 'Wows' to express my reaction! I love, love, LOVE it!!!! The improvement and change is overwhelming, amazing, and wonderful. I never pictured something like your result from the 'before' photos, and the IKEA renderings sure didn't give your vision justice!

The brick and beadboard were great choices to finish off the masterpiece. The perfect icing on a fantastic cake.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the brick! Beautiful job! Enjoy.

BEAUTIFUL...it is so amazing to go to that from what you had...great job!

What an insanely fabulous transformation! Holy cow. Not only does your kitchen / dining room appear to function heaps better, but aesthetically it's just gorgeous. I cannot stop looking at your photos! Honestly, it makes me wish IKEA were closer (we don't have one in our state) ....

Fabulous!

So, demo started November this year???

I'm impressed, and a little depressed. :>) I've been waiting to finish up the little things before posting, and we started demo June 07!

Like seeing inside your drawers- (hope that doesn't sound too rude). Can you buy the cutlery organizers separately?- still waiting for DH to custom make wooden ones for me- perhaps I'll save him the trouble and buy the IKEA ones, they look like they will serve the same purpose.

very cool!

Your kitchen is beautiful. I love everything about it. The brick, the soapstone, and those gorgeouse cabinets. You did a terrific job!

Terrific job!! I went back and forth through your photos a few times just to see everything. Great space and great combination of materials. Enjoy and hopefully you'll have the last few touches finished in no time at all!

Thanks all! The pendants were from Revival Lighting, they make them to order. Here were my specs:

Sheffield canopy; Smaller diameter pole with middle separator; Sheffield shade; Vented shade holder; Overall length 25" Â from top of canopy/ceiling to bottom of shade; Nickel plated

I wanted something that looked original, but shiny new. I LOVE them! The pics don't do them justice. They are the jewels of my kitchen.

Ikea: cabinets, oak countertops, all drawer organizers, stainless shelves, and paper towel/utensil holder.

And, yes, that was November this year. We really worked hard to get it done. It was a nightmare, that's why the detail work has got to wait a bit til we gather up the strength.

I posted more pics to my picture pages with more closeup and drawer shots. Thanks for looking and for the wonderful compliments!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Revival Lighting

absolutely love it. you've done an amazing job!! love the way you opened the rooms up to each other and just love the unique and stylish details you added. well done!

Congrats! It looks great with lots of attention to detail. I am so impressed with your speed, you clearly had all your ducks in a row!

WOW! Gorgeous transformation! Wide open spaces, like a prairie! A BEAUTIFUL prairie! I LOVE the different counter tops that all tie together. The marble looks gorgeous with the soapstone and butcher block. LOVE the built in hutch! You did an insanely fantastic job!!! I am in awe!

Wow, you must be thrilled with how your vision and hard work have paid off-- it's fantastic! Great choice of materials. The brick on the exterior wall is pure genius. You have a wonderful spot for family gatherings. Don't you just love your Ikea cabs and organizers? Enjoy!

You did a fantastic job!! I can't believe you did all that in less than a month - amazing!

I bet you will really enjoy the holidays in that beautiful kitchen.
Absolutely wonderful. Love every detail.
So many pretty, complimentary details. Wonderful job, Enjoy !!!

It's beautiful! I love everything you've done!

WE're also doing an Ikea kitchen. The floors are schedule to be refinished the week of January 5, so we're in the homestretch now. We've also DIYed, and I understand what you mean about gathering strength!

Congratulations on a job well done!

I can only repeat what has already been said -- this is one fantastic kitchen reno and complete transformation you have pulled off! The fact that you probably saved a great deal of bucks by using Ikea (Ikea rocks!) and doing most of it yourself, makes this beauty of a job all the more impressive. You and your DH deserve all the congratulations you receive . . . and more! A+++

I am chiming in late here, but I LOVE your kitchen. It is such a big change from the old one and all the details are fantastic.

I know how you feel about being tired of the project. I just completed my renovation a few weeks ago and there are a few things to do, but I'm not up to it at the moment!

Congratulations on your new kitchen - it really is great!

Great family kitchen! You did a fantastic job!
I love the unique details that make it your own.
vic

Momof3kids...wow! Not only is your kitchen very pretty and a stunning transformation but I can't believe you did SO much is so little time. We had our kitchen demo'd mid November and still don't have the walls back up! And that is that we're not even doing it. You must be a very high energy woman to do all that in such a short time and with 3 kids to boot! Congratulations; I hope you really get to enjoy it over the holidays.

Fantastic job! You must be so proud of yourselves! It's wonderful looking and so well laid out and organized. We're also 95% done DIYers and I can so relate to the burn out : ) Hopefully after Christmas we can finish the built in desks and painting... or maybe we'll shoot for before summer starts. Happy holidays .. enjoy your new kitchen!

Such great layering of materials\textures and great use of of stock cabinetry to create such an orignal room. Cute trio but they look like trouble (it's always the innocent looking ones).

Oh man, it's fantastic! Yay, Ikea!! I can't believe you guys did so much yourselves in so little time...you put some contractors to shame!!

How does your littlest one do w/ the stools? (very well in that photo!).

Tell me more about that recycling cab...is that new from Ikea?? I've never seen that.

raehelen, I don't think you can buy the drawer things separately as they snap on and are contoured to the drawers (they may have other ones that are not, but I don't know for sure). I like the drawer things but I just wish you could buy them part by part. A lot of times I'd just like to separate the drawer in two, but you have to buy the kit with 18 separators, it's kind of a pain. But, I guess I can't complain because it still was so much less money. But that would be about my one Ikea cabinet complaint. The rest I just loved. They were really easy to put together (I glued and extra screwed). They were okay to install, not a breeze but we've never done cabinets so I'd say overall we did okay. I love the full extension and soft close. I actually have many empty drawers. I'd guess not for long once I live with it awhile and get a good feel for where everything should be.

I'm so glad to hear the compliments on the brick! It definately was a crap shoot. I really wanted it because I don't like tile and every time we were in a pub or cool restaurant with an exposed brick wall, I just got stuck on it. I got nervous half way through and started to doubt it, but once we saw it complete with the countertops etc, it really gives the space some interest and pop.

The speed of it came down to those 3 kids. I figured we could either live horribly for 5 weeks or semi crazy for 10 weeks. I just couldn't stretch it. In some respects it was great to not have to rely on someone else because if I wanted to work til 1-2 am then I could. Plus with stuff like the brick, I would have never trusted anyone to do it exactly how I visioned it. But it was so very hard, and the kids did suffer and get neglected. I told them we could keep the xmas decorations up for an extra few weeks AND they've been getting to choose their favorite meals each night AND help me make them -- which I don't mind at all now because they are not right on top of me! We have space!!

There might even be some cookie making this weekend...

scootermom, the "recycling cabinet" is not a standard ikea thing. We got a 24" cabinet base and two 24" x 15" Lidi doors, which are meant to be vertical but we used them horizontal drilled new holes etc for the 24" drawer glides. The plastic bins are also Ikea, they fit perfectly and lift out completely and easily to be emptied outside. I wanted/needed big bins as we have lots of recylcing and nothing standard would cut it. I think that's one of the benefits of Ikea, you can "modify" the standard. It takes some finagling but it can be done.

Are you kidding me? Your kitchen is beautiful! Truly amazing. It just sparkles...almost as brightly as those 3 adorable children! Congratulations on a job well done and so quick, too! Have a Happy Holiday!

danielle: I forgot to add... the ikea metal shelves were actually a 48" wide shelf that we cut in half to make two smaller shelves. I don't think they had them in 24".

momof3kids, Fantastic transformation. Love your countertops, especially your soapstone ;). Can't believe you got all that done in 5 weeks. Your brick backsplash adds so much. What a great idea. And I agree w/you that those pendants are the jewels of your kitchen (and your adorable children). Gorgeous kitchen in time for Christmas. Amazing!

Your three little kitchen messer-uppers brought a smile to my face. What a great kitchen, and you did it so fast!! AND you did such a great job, everything looks perfect and professional! How nice that it's all done in time for the holidays -- it's going to look great with snow outside those windows.

Do you mind a couple more questions? Did you spray or brush on the paint? And, what's the name of the marble on your island? It's beautiful!

Absolutely beautiful!

holy cow, just gorgeous and so huge!!! you've done a magnificent job.

Wow, that is an amazing job. And so fast! From demo to done in just weeks! No wonder you're tired.

egganddart: do you mean paint on the walls? we rolled it on. there is only one coat of brushed on "cabinet matched" paint on the wainscot on the island and behind the toaster area. The penninsula wainscot and hutch wainscot is still just pre-primed stuff! Plus all the base molding and window trim needs it's white gloss coat, that's all just primer. If you mean the cabinets, they're Ikea, prepainted.

The marble. I'm guessing it's carrera. We picked from the leftover pile and got a better deal ($448). It was already honed, probably a foot too long and 3" wider than what we needed so it was really a no brainer that it was "our piece". But there were a few other fancier "more expensive" cuts, as my showgirl kept reminding me, I really think this was was carrera.

And, thanks again for all the compliments everyone. I'm really just giddy hearing them. Thank you!

SORRY!

no, I just called "showgirl"... it's venetino! Good to know.

Silly question....how is the brick veneer installed? I absolutely love your kitchen and think I have found my new dream kitchen! I can't figure out what I like best because there is so much to love! I think the thing that stands out is the 3 different counter top materials. I love all of them and they came together beautifully. Great job.

Thanks momof3kids. Venetino -- just goes to show how much variation there is in marble. You got a great piece!

I was referring to how you painted your cabinets, but I missed that they're Ikea. I haven't decided what painting method to use on ours.

We used the Owens Corning brick veneer. I *believe* you can do it on drywall but because we had so much demo we had the construction guys rip out whatever we had on that wall and install cement board. Then we just drew on a grid with marker, used Liquid Nails heavy duty construction adhesive, stuck them on, we used stips of 3/4" wood scraps as spacers, then squirted in the grout (antique white/Home Depot) with a grout bag, then smeared it with a chisel. Then I got a cloth and kinda wiped the grout around to give it a softened look. It wasn't hard, it was just labor intensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brick Veneer

Wow! You really thought of everything. Very nice job using so many different textures and materials....it makes it not only a pretty and inviting kitchen, but also fun to look at from every angle. I'm amazed that you got it done so quickly.
Kudos!

What a warm and inviting kitchen! Great job. You have your hands full-but looks like fun!

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Absolutely stunning! We are doing IKEA as well, and seeing your incredible kitchen just makes me feel even BETTER about our choice!

I am so very impressed that you kicked out that masterpiece so quickly! Holy buckets! What a wonderful Christmas present!!

Thanks for sharing, and now I must wipe the drool off my keyboard! ;^)

Stunning--I love it! What an incredible use of multiple materials. So bright and warm, you did a great job!

Gorgeous! I just love Lidi. What did you do for the feet on the island?

Oops, I forgot. I also wanted to ask how useful you find the shallow base cabinets in your hutch. What do you put in them?

Speaking of the hutch, how deep are those base cabs? Could you also explain how you mofidifed them and the drawers to fit? Thanks!

Your kitchen is great!! And your kids are beautiful :) We have three little kids also - it's SO nice to have a big new kitchen to enjoy cooking with them!

writerblock: legs are from Home Depot. We also build a base out of the leftover pieces of the oak floor that the island is screwed into and then to the floor, it's probably set in about 6-7", we felt we needed that for stability. the legs are kinda just for show!

the base hutch is 12" deep same as the top. they are ikea standard, no modifications at all. the 2 middle cabs are shelves - I have bread/chip baskets and extra candle holders -- eventually I want to put the alcohol bottles in there, just haven't gotten to that yet.

the drawers, I have hot plates and trivets for the table -- since I don't need them in the kitchen anymore (soapstone!) and tablecloths and candles. the 12" drawers are shallow, and hard to get used to as I'm always pulling the heck out of them. I just did not want to put 24" depth ones because I didn't want to take up the floor space.

Thanks, momof3kids. Our local ikea never has the 13" drawers in any of their display kitchens, so it's hard to get a feel for how well they work.

Thanks so much. I didn't realize Ikea had standard 12" deep base cabs. That helps.

Happy Holidays!

Love your new kitchen. Thanks for sharing it with us.