The backsplash, which Sarah says is her new go-to backsplash tile is honeycomb marble. Pretty great looking, I think.

I think this just goes to show that less expensive kitchens can look truly amazing.

She appears to be using very nice looking tile for that range guard and smart to see it going all the way up as a SS hood or even a white one will look great against it.

Wonder if she'll add a library ladder to the kitchen to get to that top row of cabinets?

Potato sack meet Marlyn. LOL

The upper cabs on the far left appear to have a spacer of some kind to pull them slightly away from the door trim. But it still looks like there could be a problem with clearance.

As for IKEA cabinets being good only when you want something to look pretty, but not when you want it to function . . . I have to disagree with that assessment. My kitchen looks good and functions well.

People have been using cover panel to wrap ikea cabs for a more high-end look for a long time now (although the long panel to the left of the sink must be something else since you couldn't score those beadboardish grooves into ikea panel) . As for the difference in color, my guess would be that those are the new Ramsjo doors (a sort of pinkish-white lime wash finish), which for some reason don't have any matching panels.

The trim or the doors or both may not yet be painted the final color.

I just want to clarify that I'm not saying that Ikea kitchens don't function well. I have no idea if they do as I've never been in one or even looked at Ikea cabinets in person. I do know, however, that this is a question that is frequently asked on this board so whether it's true or not, there is a certain segment of the cabinet-shopping public who at least wonder about it. And there have been several comments to this extent when talking about Sarah Richardson's kitchens before.

I'm glad you love your kitchen jakeabedy.

Florantha, Sarah Richardson is a Canadian designer who you can catch occasionally on HGTV (cable). She's got a very classic, not overdone style that a lot of people like.

I'm curious to see this kitchen completed.

I TIVO'ed the 2010 season of her show "Sarah's House" on HGTV where she was adding on to/remodeling an old farmhouse. I didn't actually find the kitchen episode very helpful, but I loved (and watched multiple times) the two different episodes she did on remodeling the two bathrooms and took away many pointers on how/where/why to incorporate marble while still accomplishing a budget friendly bath remodel.

A good tip she passed along is that she pretty much always chooses a fabric for a jumping off point to design a room-even the bathroom. Now that said, I have to say I personally don't love a lot of the fabrics she picks, but how she pulls together a room is still instructive even if I don't love her whole design aesthetic. She and her assistant are likable/fun to watch and they share a lot of helpful tips.