Beautiful remodel! You must be very happy with it! I like how you took before and after pictures from the same vantage point, very helpful to see the changes.

Two questions: With two years of planning, do you have any things you wish that had been differently now that it's done (big or small) ?

How do you like the backsplash tiles? We're looking for similar tiles for our remodel in progress.

Mike & Beth

Your kitchen turned out so nice! I love the new cabinetry, backsplash, counters, and flooring. It looks much larger now!

What a great Christmas present!

Nice job!! It looks beautiful. Love your colors, and the knife rack is really unique. What a great idea. Enjoy the holidays in your new kitchen.

Hi Mike and Beth:

We're glad you liked our kitchen!

Anything we would have done differently? Other than move? Nothing major. We think that overall, we maximized the space as best as we could. There are always compromises. I gave up the idea of a wine cooler. DW is still looking for a good way to store her pot lids. We went back and forth around single vs. double ovens, but are happy with our decision. It also took DW a while to get used to the pull-out drawers in the cabinets. Originally, she thought that she was losing a lot of storage space. However, the convenience turns out to outweigh any loss.

Doing the design ourselves probably added a lot to how long it took us. Combination of stubbornness on my part, plus anyone that we did speak with seemed more interested in form over function.

We did have one little design hitch; no one to blame but ourselves (really me.) The location of the hood prevents one cabinet door from opening fully. We can get to everything; just have to be careful not to bang it against the hood. There was just limited space to work with and we were trying to maximize storage.

As for the tile: we love it! There is a Daltile showroom here in Houston; they were really helpful. we knew we wanted some accents to break up the brick pattern, but didn't want to go crazy; they add to the cost considerably. The designers helped us with the layout.

One thing: If you do go with a 'cracked' glaze, make sure it is well sealed before you allow any moisture to get on the tiles (same for the grout.)

What a great transformation! I am partial to white kitchens with glass cabs ! What bayou ? I am from NOLA originally and still have lots of family there.

I love the knife rack too. I am also trying to figure a better way to pot lids . Keep us posted as to what you decide. Merry Christmas . c

SO lovely!!! I bet it's nice to use the microwave without a step ladder. ;-) I am at a loss for words about how nice it looks and what a nice update you did. Fantastic.

Lovely remodel! Very nice details. never seen a built in knife contraption before.. the window turned out beautiful...

merry xmas, and enjoy the holidays cooking in the new kitchen :)

I love the Wilsonart Laminate Big tiles in the kitchen. The coloring is so nice and they look real. What a nice transformation. Happy Holidays.

Hi back bayou_cityzens. You did a great job with the design. We spent 6 months hammering out the design for our kitchen remodel after living with the previous kitchen nightmare for 20 yrs. So we had a pretty good idea what would work for us. And we still had a few small things we'd do differently.

We howled when we read about your cabinet which would not open fully behind the hood. We have the exact same situation, which we hadn't caught in the design. Take a look at the corner wall cabinet behind the hood. You are not alone!

Thanks for the tip about the crackle glaze tiles. We are considering using them to add a little interest to what are otherwise somewhat dull tiles.

Happy Holidays,
Mike & Beth

Here is a link that might be useful: Hood crowding corner wall cabinet

oh wow! congratulations.. it's just lovely!!!

You did a great job! It's very tasteful and well thought out. Enjoy!

Congratulations on a great job. Hope you're enjoying it during the holidays!

Great pictures: now you get to enjoy you great new kitchen!
I really like the knobs! What a great special touch the knobs and draw pulls add!!! Detail!

~Congradulations~
Happy New Year~

I am impressed with your kitchen on so many levels, and thank you, thank you for the photo of the industrial power strip and led undercabinet lighting. I could have spent days figuring out those details; instead, I saw your photo and caption and I'm done! Thank you!

trailrunner, I grew up within spittin' distance of White Oak bayou in Houston (and it nearly kissed my living room carpet in a couple of floods), but seeing the house, I'll put money that the o.p. lives near and is referring to Buffalo Bayou, also in Houston.

Fantastic update and great details! Congrats on enjoying your new kitchen!
vic

A beautiful transformation! I love how you opened up the room by removing the ceiling-hung cabinets over the peninsula. Everything is just lovely. Enjoy!

Slateberry51: You are right; we are just off Buffalo Bayou. One of the 'nicknames' for Houston is Bayou City.

Re: the power strips: These are from Tripp Lite. If you decide to use these, a couple of hints: There different versions of these strips; they vary by length and by being corded or hard-wired. We went with the hard-wired, primarily because the outlets were ivory instead of black. However, mounting them was a real hassle. The corded ones have clips that you can mount to the cabinet, which then grip the strips. The hardwired ones have to have the housings mounted to the cabinets, which requires removing the cover that contains the outlets. The problem is re-attaching the cover, given the limited clearance between the wall and the back of the power strip. We swapped out the tiny screws that secured the cover plate to the body on each side of the strip with long screws that we just drove through from one side.

If this is not clear, and you need further info, just email me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tripp Lite Power strips

what a beautiful kitchen! I am also intrigued as to the brackets you have hanging over your french doors in the adjoining room. Are they shelves and brackets? do you leave them as is or do you decorate? Would love to see more pics of that design feature. Thank you in advance.

Hi Eileen:

The detail that you are referring to is actually a narrow ledge of about 5 1/2" that is supported by small corbels. It runs around the perimeter of the room. It was one of the details that attracted us to this house when we bought it. We only have one decorative piece on it over one doorway.

{{!gwi}}

The french doors are a project from a couple of years ago: we replaced a bank of large windows with the doors. Here are before and after pictures that give you a better look at the ledge as well.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

That is stunning! Thank you so much. I've been looking for a solution to "dress up" french doors without adding curtains or drapery and I think that is perfect.

Lovely kitchen!

Your granite looks the same as the one we were supposed to get before our kitchen company went bankrupt. (The day of our install!) We do have the windowsills, which I'm hoping I can use one of in my sewing room window. It's nice to see that that the pattern doesn't look too blobby as a counter. I love the colours in it!

Your kitchen is just lovely; pleasing to the eye and at the same time, homey-looking. I especially love all the personal touches and your color choices. Did you end up enlarging the kitchen in any way? Somehow it looks as if you did but you didn't say so directly. And may I ask why you changed the location of the cooktop? I have a similar layout as yours but will (one day!) put a cooktop in the spot you originally had yours. One more question: how do you like the undercounter led's? Is the light ok on your eyes? Again, you've done a beautiful job and I imagine you are thoroughly enjoying your hard work!

Your kitchen looks wonderful and I know you must feel like a new person with the project finished! I am interested about the under the cabinet lighting you used. I think it is LED. Is it a white light or a warm light. How does it compare to flourescent lighting. Thanks.

Sjerin: We did not physically enlarge the room at all. We removed the soffits and moved the peninsula into the room by almost three feet; that's what makes it look larger. Also, removing the cabinets that hung over the peninsula adds an open feel.
We moved the cooktop to the peninsula for two reasons: First; now when DW cooks, she can look out into her lovely garden as she works. Second, DW is a professional chef by training and conducts cooking classes at many venues. This layout gives her the opportunity to do private lessons at home.

Sjerin and Sisi1850: The undercabinet lights are LED. We got them from EnvironmentalLights.com. I have posted other information about them in the Lighting forum, but quick answers: these come in two color temperatures; we chose the warmer; it is still more on the white side than the yellow; but definitely is not bluish. They provide excellent task lighting on the counters. DW thought that she would be distracted by the reflection of all the bulbs in the granite; she quickly adjusted and loves the lighting. One big advantage over florescent: The fixtures are very, very thin. With the light rail, you can't even see them unless you really bend over and look up.

Wonderful job.

You have a darling new kitchen that is worthy of all the praises you've been getting. Add mine to the list!

Lovely remodel of your kitchen!
Can you tell me how you like the LED undercounter lights. Do they give you enough light? Where did you buy them?

Hi napagirl:

I've discussed the lighting in another thread: I've given the link here. It tells where I got them (Environmentallights.com) and shows how they were wired; plus shows how they look with all other lighting off.

Here is a link that might be useful: Undercabinet lighting thread

bayou cityzens, thanks for the link to the Undercabinet lighting thread, and the link to your pics. More decisions to make!

Sorry, b.c., I guess I lost track of this since I don't frequent the site as much anymore. Thank you for answering my questions. I wish I could put a cooktop in such a spot, but our cooking (Indian) is fairly messy so having the appliance contained is a must for us. Again, your kitchen is really very lovely and looks most functional too. Thanks for sharing, and happy cooking!, as Jacques Pepin would say.

Bayou,
Did you use the LED Rigid Strips or the LED ribbon flex with the track?

Bayou, Thank you for all of your help on the LED fixtures. That's what we've finally decided to do and you're right, the Environmentallights.com people have been very helpful.

But I do have one question: did you use a fixture length that's almost exactly the length of your upper cabinets and if you had not, do you think the result would have been odd looking (i.e., only part of the undercabinet being lit)? With the LEDs being so directional, I'm trying to figure out how important it is to try to cram LED fixtures under every inch of undercabinet. If you can answer this based on your experience thank you very much!

Hi Fern,

Our runs are approx. 6" shorter than the cabinet lengths, leaving 3 - 4" at each end. This is also true where we have a corner; the two runs do not extend all the way into the corner space and meet. They are connected by an extension cable.

We installed the strips 3" back from the front edge of the cabinets. This gives a very even distribution of light on the counters, with no noticeable fall-off at the ends of the cabinets. I don't think we would have wanted to make the runs much shorter. An inch or so less than what we've done will probably not matter too much, though.

Our runs include 8" sections; that means that they are not dimmable. We really don't think that matters. The lighting is more for task lighting then ambient lighting. The ceiling lights dim if we want to soften the room.

Bayou, That's very helpful information! I think that puts us exactly where we need to be to make final decisions and place our order! Thank you again.

Love it, Love it !!! You have given me soooo many great ideas - but I really need to know the name of your granite. That is exactly what I was looking for.

^^ I think it is giallo veneziano, one I'm considering, too.

Beautiful and lovely remodel!