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H202

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H202 commented on a discussion: Talk Me Out of Corian
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Joseph Corlett, LLC

Altering Corian is easy and that's one of its advantages. Remove all tool marks from the new cutout, leave radiused corners and no sharp edges top and bottom. Heat conductive tape on cooktop cutouts please.

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H202

Ha! My very handy, but often-leaves-it-worse-than-he-started father just power sawed through his corian counters to accommodate a wider range. He didn't want to bother calling a countertop person. I can't believe my mom, who is anal about design, let him do this. They told me over the phone, and I was horrified and assumed it was a disaster. But honestly it looks fine, as the rough edges abut against the range and you don't really see them. If my dad can do it, it must be easy to cut corian!

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H202

My husband used to use his single cup stove top coffee maker on our Bosch 800 cooktop - no problems. It was probably 3.5 inches.

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honeyclair

Thanks to all for your comments. Will be going back to the Bosch and using the frying pan idea for my brown butter

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H202 started a discussion: Help selecting double wall oven
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darbuka

We found our Miele double ovens (one is a combi steam) had a very short learning curve. The interface was pretty darn easy to master. Eight years, no issues.

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BPMBA

Hmmm, well ... I rarely use the oven timer (use my phone instead) b/c the "I'm done!" chime isn't very loud and I'm often elsewhere in the house. There is a separate "light" button outside of the touchscreen on the Pro series, so no scrolling there. I love the side-opening doors & full-extension racks so much. I think speed to get to your required temp & the evenness of temps (with a variety of convection set-ups) are also great. But, as a back-up, I'd vote for SKS. I have that 48" range top and it's all knobs and solid quality.

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H202 started a discussion: Clearance for single door fridge/freezer
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H202 commented on a discussion: Avoiding white countertops
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H202

I am a lazy cleaner - I am not one of thise people who does a full kitchen counter wipe down every meal. I have had white counters, and I have had a lot of dark swirly granite counters that I inherited where you cannot see any dirt. The white ones are MUCH easier to keep clean. It takes two seconds to wipe the one dirty spot. Versus dark counters where it takes two minutes to eye it from different angles hoping you found everything, or worse, five minutes to wipe it all down. White is a lazy cleaner’s dream, imo.

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la_la Girl

Congrats on the reno!

agree with Mrs. S - the floor is going be super bossy in that space - I wonder about a simple/classic charcoal slate tile, which will give you so many options for countertops? there is something to be said for having the flooring recede and support the other elements in the room


but if you are sure & love it, then just ignore me :)


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ShadyWillowFarm

If you don’t want to see dirt you need a small pattern granite that has a few colors in it.

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H202 commented on a discussion: Kitchen reno tip for first time homeowner?!
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H202

The only thing I would change is get rid of the blue artwork to the left of the kitchen! It's what's making the green look 'off'. Both are nice colors, but the green is much more current. You should be leaning into those colors in the rest of your adjacent living space. Otherwise, the green is going to bug you. But yes, this is a beautiful kitchen.

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AnnKH

Our house has a pony wall behind the kitchen island, and if/when we remodel the kitchen, the pony wall stays. We don't use it as an island - it is right in the walkway (even though the previous owners had stools there, it's only 18" wide - not suitable for seating).

Like arcy's son, I like that the half wall provides a bit of separation between the kitchen and living room (which is all one big room). The bar gives us a nice place to put a candy dish, a vase of flowers.

This is our house (listing photo). The hallway to the right of the kitchen goes to the garage entrance, so that's a main thoroughfare.


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Mark Bischak, Architect

Very disappointed it is not a single family residence located in northern Michigan.



I am currently looking for a small house in the north west corner of the lower peninsula, and there is A LOT of crap out there. (minor venting)

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H202

The one is too bright. The other seems quite vanilla/yellow on my screen, but it's appropriateness entirely depends on your lighting in your own space. Could appear "white" in the right space, or could look like a tuscan yellow.

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chispa

Pick your counters first and then the white paint color that goes best with it.

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H202 started a discussion: Freestanding Bosch vs Thermador fridge?
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dan1888

The most popular frig in Japan is a Hitachi. We need quality products here.

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rj vost

We have a Bosch 800 (just under a year old). I will share pluses (mostly) and a couple of minor minuses, and also comment re Thermador. (They are indeed the same but with slight differences not adding up to $1800 in itself.)

Pluses: I really like that it's 72" high so there is a little extra capacity up higher and efficient use of space overall. No bending!

Lots of ways to configure the shelving, and plenty of storage in the doors. Excellent lighting, can see everything well given the shallow counter depth. The back of the refrig is stainless steel so (supposedly) can keep things you place toward the back a little colder.

The freezer has huge capacity and also easy to configure (I just flash froze a sheet and half of goodies). Tons of ice with an ability to "catch" more if you need.

The frig looks nice and it is easy to wipe with just water (per manufacturer, just use mild soap and water).

Minus: My biggest irritation which would be the SAME in the Thermador is the interior wide drawer is very flimsy. It's hard to open with one hand because it sticks (the seal) and so have to use two hands. Compared to the two crisper drawers which are on gliders, I think the wide drawer is a design flaw. BTW, on the 4-door Bosch, that middle drawer is where the two crispers are, so the problem with the flimsy wide interior drawer exists on that model as well.

Another slight irritation is the doors have to be pushed closed (esp the right door). Compared to the Fisher Paykel, which are self-closing, this is a negative.

Regarding the Thermador fridge, it has a white all LED back wall, but I think I prefer the SS back wall of the Bosch. The Thermador otherwise has exactly the same pluses and minuses (not including the cost).

However, one reason to consider Thermador right now is there is a promotion (buy more, get some free thing). So if you are purchasing more than one appliance, your overall investment might be fine.

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H202 commented on a discussion: No more white shaker cabinets in the kitchen?
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H202

White shaker is timeless. The blue island is 2021. That's what is making the kitchen feel like a trend that passed. (I don't think people should worry about chasing trends, or installing something that they love even if it is a trend that passed - but here it's clear even the OP thinks there's something off about the stylings). If you look at Houzz homepage these days, it's all moss green cabinets. No more blue. Amazing how quickly that happened.

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chloe00s

A floor plan would help! I had said you should move the dishwasher from right next to the corner sink, moving the small drawer cabinet to go in between. But then how much room do you have between the dishwasher and the island? Enough to even open the dishwasher? A floor plan would answer that. Island is too square. Looks like the island could be longer without blocking passage to the door?

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earthlyepicure

I agree, a white shaker is timeless and classic. We're doing a modernish, farmhouse-ish new build. My painted cabinets are all shaker front (various colors, from BM Classic gray, neutrals, to BM Hale Navy). My wood cabinets (not painted) are all face frame slab front, which I think is very clean and modern, yet also elegantly timeless given the wood. So, mixing and matching is OK!

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H202 commented on a discussion: Kitchen appliance recs for upcoming reno
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H202

You didn't say budget, but we're about to pull the trigger on a kitchen and here's where I am leaning:


- Bosch or Miele DW, indifferent to which model, but will probably choose one of their mid or slightly above mid-range options. I don't want the cheapest, nor the most expensive.

- Bosch 36" induction cooktop. You said you want knobs, so this one probably isn't for you. I'm picking Bosch because we've had their induction cooktops before and they're very good. I was at my mom's this weekend, and she has an LG induction range with knobs, and it was very pleasant to use.

- Probably going to get the Bosch 36" regular counter depth fridge (not Benchmark) . I was open to a built in fridge, but we are tight on space in the kitchen and didn't want to lose the 10 inches above the fridge that happens with all the built in brands. Our other requirement was no icemaker in the door, since those always break and honestly look cheap. That really limited our options, and Bosch looks the most high end of those.

- Wall oven: I'm torn on this one. This is the appliance where I think it matters least. I've had higher end wall ovens, and the often under perform the cheaper brands. Temp issues, long preheats, etc. You just want the oven to have a reliable temp and get hot fast. Currently leaning towards Fridgidaire professional, but not decided. I am actively trying to avoid anything with lots of digitial screens because (a) today's screens are going to look ancient in five years, (b) screens break quickly and (c) gimmicks and gizmos break quickly. I don't care about smart cooking and wifi.

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laurashear

Thanks H202 - We put a Whirlpool Gold Series in about 10 years ago and it's been great. Not sure what it's like in its current iteration in terms of gimmicks but it's been solid.

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H202

Slim shaker is probably close enough to shaker closet doors such that I can not imagine there being much contrast between them. That said, I do think slim shaker is having a moment, and that moment will pass within three years….. I actually really like them, but doesn’t mean they won’t date your kitchen.

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lanikaicoconut

Herbflavor, there will be a stainless steel pop-up counter to the right of the stove for added counterspace. There's a second egress that I cannot permanently block (though it's currently blocked with a huge air filter now to help clean the air while cooking). It would be difficult to place a counter where the 3 cupboards are as it needs to be shallow for clearance to second egress.

I am working with a designer right now. I don't think I've got the drawings with the measurements.

Jan Moyer, that is the crown molding in the dining room. The dining room currently has picture railing which will be taken down and crown will be added. The ceiling will be painted gold to match the pattern on the wallpaper. This is the wallpaper we're using:

https://rebelwalls.com/uk/opulence?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwztOwBhD7ARIsAPDKnkDVg4KITfEy8KGSdh4s-ZIfUuoK3gHHc4ztNtkceQg1RcSKbg9MqscaAsneEALw_wcB

The trim and doors (dining room currently has 2 sets of pocket doors and one swing door - the swing door will be removed during the reno) is already painted in white. If we paint the crown a different color, wouldn't it look a bit odd?

I appreciate all of your points everybody is making. I think I'm leaning towards the standard shaker even though I do love the slim shaker.


ETA: The drop ceiling is like a 2-3 inch drop for cove lighting. You can see an example of that in this link. I'm using the same designer.


https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/bastionmade-manhattan-apartment


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Debbi Washburn

I don't feel like the kitchen cabinet doors need to match the house doors.

Is that really a thing? If it was, we would have tons of kitchens with raised panel door style to match the classic 6 panel colonial door in most homes around here.

You are in NYC - eclectic is the name of the game. It also is a place of breaking all the rules.

I think you are on the right track. I happen to really like the micro shaker and hope it stays for a long time.

Good luck!!

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H202 started a discussion: Midcentury kitchen with warm undertones
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herbflavor

define your wood for that share of the cabinets first. It will be significant share of a budget from what you generally describe. Do you have a plan? a layout? You might be able to insert upper aluminum framed with smokey glass in a share of wall section. The crisper whites in the images above are probably inserted to actually play off the grain in the woods they chose. but what is the wood that you will use....? You can get a little creamier look in some of the light or natural stains on quartersawn oak for example.....and then work on whites or lights that correspond. I think the effort needs to be on the plan and how/what are you sourcing for your wood slab doors. A 1951 original kitchen from my reference would NOT be LARGE so you might be able to do the wood on uppers and lowers with perhaps open shelves or some metal framed glass as described. there are many details yet to get the correct opinions/help.


wood uppers and lowers ..perhaps with some editing to keep the walls free in some areas [or removal] of part or whole walls.....

Mid century Modern kitchen · More Info


SouthEnd RowHome Kitchen · More Info


Mid Century Portland · More Info


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H202

Hi thanks for the quick response!


Answering a few of your questions: Kitchen is 16x14. So quite a good size, because the previous owners already did a renovation and expansion 25 years ago. We have a kitchen layout 95% in place, that's being done with input from our architect (whose focus is on our area's MCM houses), kitchen designer and custom cabinet maker. There's not a lot of flexibility in the layout, because two of the walls have counter-to-ceiling windows the whole length, one wall (14' run) will have all the full height cabinets, fridge and door to walk in pantry, and the fourth length (16' run) is open to the house. So other than the 14' run with full height, everything else in the kitchen is restricted to counter height.


As to wood choice, that's precisely the next decision I need to make and why I'm here. I'm open to species, based on inspiration pictures. Floors will be a slightly creamy terrazzo. There are existing wood veneer features through the home that are showing signs of age and will be replaced or refinished during this remodel. Our plan is for those to tie into the wood in the kitchen. They aren't very dominant features, so the kitchen should drive the decision.


Thanks for posting picture ideas. The first one is more aligned with the ones I posted with the cooler undertones. Love the second one. The third one is overall too dark; I'd like to stick with white or off-white contrast. Just with warmer undertones. Once I get some inspiration photos, I'll work with my team to figure out how much wood the kitchen can take before it becomes overwhelming.


Thanks!

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