Your Kitchen and home is just beautiful!! Can you tell me what type floors you have and the finish.

Love the kitchen! Where in pnw are up?

Greenhousems--You make me blush. Thanks!

Ice1 (Svava)--Thank you for posting! I'm not sure how shipping works, but my knife drawer insert can be purchased from Amazon.com and many other online stores. I would think you could get one shipped from somewhere. As for the fireplace, yes I will be tiling it. I'm some time away from choosing tile for that though. Need a backsplash first! I plan to tile up to a few inches above the actual fireplace insert and put mantels on both sides, with just paint above.

Lynn--Your sadness pierced me again. I hope you are able to keep leaning on your friends for support like that.

MileHighDiva--I hadn't given much thought to the cookbooks in the beginning either, but I knew I couldn't waste that space by drywalling over the short ends of the fireplace walls. Then I had a eureka moment! ;) Thanks!

Amy--I'm a complete slacker!! I know you asked me for the pull sizes some time ago. Apologies. When I ordered the pulls, I wasn't completely sure which sizes I'd use for which drawers/cabs so I ordered a couple dozen extra of all the sizes. When they arrived, I walked through the room holding up various pull sizes on cabs until I found what looked right. I was aiming for the Golden Mean, but fell of the wagon in a couple of spots where what should look right didn't.

Drawers
30" wide stacks and wider have 8" pulls
18-24" stacks have 6" pulls
17" drawers have 4" pulls

Cabs (very few)
all pulls are horizontal on cabs
11" doors have 4" pulls
15" doors have 6" pulls
glass cabs will have some sort of knob when I get around to looking ;)

I am very happy with the Aubrey pulls. I love the delicately slim, but very solid handle and how square the escutcheons are. As I mentioned before, the screws are NOT decorative. They mount from the front, just how they look. I didn't think about that being a possible long-term strength issue until someone on the forum mentioned it. My cab maker looked at the screws before mounting them and said they would be fine. My drawer and door fronts are very thick and made of solid wood so maybe that makes a difference.

Dragonfly--I really did try to find other pulls I liked as well as the Aubrey. Just couldn't! Thank you for the kind words.

Jshoregirl--Thanks!

Francoise--The walnut is just shy of 1.5" thick. Interesting that it looked thicker to you, but is the same as yours...

Lynn--Terrier prewash?! I would love to see that! Thank you for the kind words.

Jean61--My floors are 3" white oak stained with a Jacobean and Coffee Black/Dark Walnut mix (75%-25%). They are finished with Bona.

Pdxkit--I'm up the road from you in Washington. Thank you!

Breezy- Your kitchen looks gorgeous! I saw on another post that your island has Osmo Polyx Oil on it. How has your experience been? I plan to do a wood island. I don't want to cut on it but I also love the look of it without a furniture finish on it.
I have a Boos walnut cutting board and they treat it with their Boos cream which can be alternated with their oil. I love the look, but wonder how it would hold up. I bought some samples of products to try on an unfinished walnut board from Craft Art. Satin Waterlox and also the Salad Bowl Finish from Rockler's Woodworking.
Just wanted to get more info on what you used : ) Thanks!

Breezy - Thank you for the sizes! I like that you ordered different sizes and walked through with them. That might be the ticket! Can't wait to see the rest of your decisions as you make them. Regards.

Oh, and do you cut or plan to cut on your island?

Wow, your kitchen is captivating! I've spent waaaay too much time looking at, sighing at, and analyzing your pics. Something confused me, though, and after a few rounds with google, I discovered that it's called an "air switch" and is for turning on the GD. WOW!! I want that! (I want lots of things in your kitchen, but this one might be a possibility.) On the few that I found for sale, the finish looks cheap. Yours does not. Will you share where you got yours?

I keep coming back to look at your lovely kitchen.
~boxer

Breezygirl, I had to come back and look at your kitchen. Thank you for your kind words about my Skeeter. I miss him so much. After my tax season, I will revisit my kitchen and my cabinets. I just adore your cabinet style and how great it looks with your marble counters and so many windows and light. Again, I love your pulls so much and feel they are perfect for your kitchen. Your cats are adorable. Skeeter loved cats.

Your kitchen is Beautiful!!! I am sure you will have only enjoyment from all your hard work and planning! It is perfect, thanks so much for sharing. (So glad I saw it)
ilene

Breezygirl, I can't stop looking at your kitchen! It's gorgeous! Congratulations! It gives me hope for mine...

"My floors are 3" white oak stained with a Jacobean and Coffee Black/Dark Walnut mix. They are finished with Bona."

Did you install and finish the floors yourself? Can you tell me more about them please? They are beautiful!

Breezy - stunning! Can't wait as we are t-3 weeks to demolition.
If you have a chance - take a look at our plans on GW - creative name "our kitchen"
It won't be as stunning as yours - but I am sure an improvement.
Your cats are in love with the new space - but they think you did the remodel just for them!

2Littlefishies--I've never seen a Waterloxed product so I don't have anything to compare my Osmo to, but I love how the Osmo looks. It doesn't look like it has any sort of coating on it. The soft, warm glow of the wood is all you see. I have had a couple of scratches and do have some dents from dropping heavy things on it. My woodworker came one day to look at some other projects at the house, and he kindly brought his sander with him. In about 15 minutes, he had sanded down the island top and recoated it with Osmo. Done! Scratches gone. The Osmo is very easy to apply, and you can only do a small section if necessary without working the whole counter.

I have a large walnut Boos board also (to match the walnut top). My old Boos was maple, and I only occasionally schmeared the Boos cream on it. I abused the heck out of that board daily for over 17 years and it still looked good. I'm trying to care for my new walnut board a bit more, but not sure how well I'll do in the long run. It's only a cutting board. :)

I never planned to cut on the island. That's one of the first questions my woodworker asked me. If I had, he would have probably recommended doing the top a little differently. I don't mind the kitchen looking used, but don't want to beat it up intentionally.

I'm sorry but I stopped focusing on your kitchen pictures when I saw the pictures of your cats. LOL Oh.My.Goodness. They are too precious! : )

Fouramblues--I appreciate your kind words. I love the fancy little air switches! I'm not sure of the brand as my electrician bought them. I've looked for the little box they came in, but can't seem to find it. I do know that they weren't anything expensive at all (probably from HD) and that it came with four different finishes (polished chrome, brushed chrome, white, and ORB) so you could choose. I remember the brushed chrome looked cheap, but I think my polished chrome looks great. If I find the box, I'll let you know.

Boxer--You, my dear, are too kind. :-)

Lynn--I often think about you and Skeeter when I miss my Archie. Hugs to you.

Ilene 84--Thanks!

Mpmg--Thanks for the compliments. The floor was installed by a local wood flooring company. I chose white oak because I didn't want any red or yellow undertones. The 3" boards seemed to fit my house and I didn't want the huge upcharge to the wider boards that I really liked. They installed the boards unfinished. When it came time to stain them, I brought some pics to the house of floors I liked from the forum along with some of the stain colors I knew folks here had used. The flooring guys laid out some stains straight out of the can and also mixed up samples of the stain colors I wanted to see.

We adjusted the colors until I found THE ONE, which was a mix of two stain colors--Jacobean and Coffee Black. (Coffee Black is almost the same color as Dark Walnut in a more common brand.) It was mixed as a ratio of 75% Jac and 25% CB.

After the staining it looked like this.

The next day it was finished with two coats of a water-based product from Bona. No swedish finish or anything toxic. We had moved out for the reno anyway so didn't have to breathe it in, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined.

In this pic, the second coat of Bona is being applied.

We remodeled the whole house so the wood floor went down all over the main living area--kitchen, DR, family room, living room, mudroom, and front entry. If you click on one of the flooring pics, you'll link to my Flickr account with more pics of the floor and of the construction process. I hope that info was what you wanted. Let me know if it wasn't.

Wow, wow, wow! Your kitchen is so handsome. Your cats are darling, too.

I've been holding off commenting on your kitchen, figuring I would wait until the formal reveal. Nevertheless, the size of this thread is clear evidence that your kitchen is a slamming "good golly, miss molly!" great-looking kitchen the way it is right now.:-) No need to wait for the finish. And, certainly no need to waste this opportunity to chime in and say what a fine job you've done/are doing. Very nice!

A2gemini--I commented on your thread, although I don't think I was much help. Funny thing about those little cats. The kitchen was done to this point before we adopted them. When we started, we had two other cats. Our orange tabby passed away in July 2010, and sadly, my sweet, black, old Archie died in July. Given the coloring of our new cat family, you'd think we designed the house around them. :) Thank you for the compliments.

Natebear--LOL! They are pretty cute!

Polie--Thanks! :)

Martha--Thank you so much! That's high praise coming from you.

Breezy - your name notwithstanding, how could that kitchen ever get "cold" with those three furry beauties helping inside and out of everything (the kitties, not the family ;) )?! At the very least, the peek warms my heart's cockles: thanks for all the generous glimpses of you and your family. It's your *own* warmth that provides the most rosiness.

Well done!

oh wow breezy - I missed the updates on here w/more pics on your kitchen! I'll have to spend lots of time looking them all over! I saw pics of open drawers! my, how we love looking at those things, don't we? lol! well, I DO! like my looking a yours (and others) will magically make some appear in my kitchen (I wish!).

That is a BEAUTIFUL kitchen!!! I love everything about it. Just Gorgeous!!!

What a tranquil space. The honed marble against the wood sets of its beauty just perfectly! And your pendents... Makes me want to totally redesign my kitchen just to make those work in my kitchen!

Thanks for sharing.

LOVE your kitchen! LOVE your cats! :)

Quick question: What is the distance between your island and your perimeter cabinets?

Aliris--You are so sweet, my friend! Thanks! And, nice to see you back.

Steph--Isn't it strange how we like to see in other people's drawers? Well, you know what I mean. ;) My drawers are far from final organization. I have a couple more boxes in the garage to unload. Then I'll see what really should go where. I also need some of those cool Lee Valley drawer divider slats to keep things where they need to be.

Mistydatn--Thank you!

Annna--Tranquil. That's an adjective I was aiming for. Nice that it translated through. I appreciate the kind words.

Gulfcoastgirl--Thanks! Happy to answer a question from a fellow "girl". :)

Aisles (counter edge to counter edge):
Fridge itself (not counter) to island is 42.75"
Island to rangewall is 41.5"
Island to cleanup sink is 43.5"

I planned 48" aisles during my months and months of layout decisions for the whole house reno, but needed to tighten them up to accomodate other rooms. (We moved the kitchen within the house somewhat.) Not once have I wished for wider aisles. These seem perfect for us.

Bonus pic! Snapped this one day when I was trying to get some shots of my troublesome rangetop simmer.

Hey there, Breezygirl! I came across your kitchen reveal and am wondering if you have put in that banquette up against the island. I'd love to see what more you've done since your intial photo sharing. In addition, would you be so kind as to provide me with the dimensions of your kitchen (or if you have your whole 1st fl. floorplan, I'd love to see how everything flows!). Thanks, breezy and congrats on a gorgeous remodel!!

Hi Dccurlygirl. I thought I answered your questions only to find that I hadn't. So sorry! Thanks for the kind words.

I'll show you my floor plan. The peninsula and pantry were off by a few inches in the final outcome, but this is more or less what I've got.

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I haven't done much to finish since these pics. As you can see above, I did purchase the counter stools. I don't have a pic, but I did find my cab crystal knobs for the dish hutch and DR booze cab.

DH started the ball rolling on the banquette design at work in early spring, but after my Dad's death, I lost interest. Plus, I know the decision on the fabric will be stressful for me.

One piece of good news this week is that my pendants were hung finally!! My long lost sparky showed up one day and finished up his small jobs he'd left hanging for months. Although I had planned a DIY mercury glass technique, I gave up on that for now because I couldn't find the Krylon paint locally. DH convinced me to hang them as is and then mercury glass them later if I didn't like the glare. I must say that they are beautiful in clear, sparkly glass. While I'm getting used to the glare, I'm not sure I'll keep them clear long-term.

Thanks again for asking about my kitchen! :)

Oops! Forgot to paste in pendants pics!

I just love your kitchen. It looks like you have thought of everything.

I always wondered how people bathed their cats, never thought of the dishwasher. lol

Your kitties are so cute. Love the picture of all three of them asleep in the chair.

Breezy:
How is the walnut island doing? Would love some feedback on it now that you've had it through the year...any problems?

Your kitchen is beautiful!!!

Wow I love this!! I am wondering if there are finished photos out there somewhere?

Breezy, I think this is the first time I have seen this particular thread and again I must say how stunning your kitchen is! Your kitties are also the most adorable little things!

Love your kitchen!!!!!

Nice, very nice! Love your house!

Marti8a--My little DS did wonder what would happen to the cats if we turned on the DW while they were still in there. Yikes. Good thing he's not one that would act on such a horrible thought. Here's a pic I snapped today of one of the babies with their mama. The "baby" Coconut is bigger than her mom now!

Firsthouse--I'm still getting over the shock of you leaving that amazing White Princess kitchen! The walnut counter still makes my heart happy every time I see it, caress it, wipe it down, drool over it, etc. It's holding up like I think a wood counter would. I got a few scratches over the year along with a couple of dents where someone (who me?) dropped a can or the sort. When cleaning up the kitchen after my Dad's memorial service gathering, I found a "smiley" left in the seating overhang. Looks like the impression of a beer bottle bottom. No idea how it got there.

My woodworker owed me a favor so I asked him to come in November to sand down the counter and coat it again with Osmo. All the scratches came out, and the dents and the smiley, while not gone completely, are less visible. (I think of my father smiling every time I see the smiley so it's not too bad.)

Wouldn't you know it, but I got a couple more tiny scratches in the walnut on Thanksgiving. Oh well, I still adore the counter and know I can always have those scratches quickly sanded out again in the future. All my guests rave over the counter, stroke it, and ask what it is. Most folks around here have never seen a new wood counter.

I took a few of pictures today to show you the scratches and dents.

Prep zone with scratches, but they aren't really visible until you get right on top of them.

Closer look

Runnels with dings

Ratrem--Thanks! Unfortunately, the kitchen isn't done. Yes, its been a year since we moved back into the house and I still haven't finished many details. I took this pic today to help me evaluate my old pepper grinder's color. Sadly, its just not orange enough for my space. Too red. You can see the outlets still look like a rat could crawl through at any moment, and I have no backsplash. DH refuses to fix the drywall at the outlets until I have picked a tile. I think he figures the pressure will work. Ha!

The only good thing about living without tile for a year is that I now know I will need something that can handle the grease splatter from the rangetop. The grease spot behind that rear center burner is as bad IRL as it looks here.

Black Chamois, Heidia, and Mononoke1--I appreciate your comments!!

Breezy - I still love your kitchen - now, how do we get you out of the ABB club! I won't ask how you snagged that gorgeous bullseye grease spot!

I was thinking of getting a Boos cart with a wood block top - I have to decide on an oiled model - functional or sealed model - more for looks. Thoughts based on your wood counter

Happy New Year!

Breezy, how many coats of Osmo did he use after he sanded?

I believe I have two very light coats on my counter, and definitely need more. I had to order another quart. It has only been in a month, but I will run over it with a fine sandpaper, I think, because I feel abit of raised grain in spots.

thanks!

Nancy

Breezy:
Thanks for the update. I really love your walnut counter but I am worried that I won't be quite as conscientious as you are about them and they might look terrible within a short time. However, it's great to know that even after a year, they are wearing well and that you are still enjoying them. That counter and your whole kitchen are so beautiful!

Breezygirl,
I love your pulls. Have you had any problems with dirt or gunk getting into the screws? Also, where did you get your knife block for the drawer. Love it all!

A2--How do we get me out of the ABB? I guess I need to suck it up and start making road trips to tile stores again. I know I need help from everyone here also, but have been too afraid to post my own tile thread. My knees are knockin'! :)

The grease bullseye is just a year of cooking. Because my hood is only 600cfms and 24" deep, I try to do all my searing, woking, and other high heat cooking on that back center burner for best HOGS capture. Hey, I cook. It's a kitchen. BUT it does tell me I need a tile behind the rangetop that can handle that kind of abuse.

And I'm not exactly ABB, I still need a pantry door handle, ceiling fixtures, DR chandy, and banquette. I'm starting to feel ashamed that the kitchen has looked almost exactly like this for a year without me finishing much.

Will you be cutting on your Boos cart top? I'm guessing not if you're considering something other than just oil. I love the look and feel of my Osmo. It looks great for months before it needs another coat, although that's even less now that it's been coated a handful of times. I don't think I'd mind the regular maintenance of oil, especially in such a small area, but I'm not sure I could choose oil over Osmo now that I've lived with it for a year. For what will you use the cart?

Nancy--After my woodworker sanded the counter in November, he applied one coat of Osmo Polyx Oil and asked that I apply one more in 24 hours. I have a tiny little can of the Osmo and it's last me through at least 5 coats. I don't use much at one time. For some reason, I didn't know you had an Osmo counter. Nice to have company!

Firsthouse--I don't really think I'm that conscientious about my counter. Unless you have wild hooligans that routinely run through the kitchen beating their chains and numchucks on the counter, I think your counter would look the same as mine after a year. I don't think I do anything special with it.

Alexx--Thanks! I love my pulls, too! Is that wrong to say? :) I have had zero problems with anything getting in the screws or with the fact that the pulls are mounted from the front. The knife block is a Wusthof 14-slot knife organizer. DH brought it home from work (restaurant supply co), but the Wusthof is sold many places, including Amazon.

Hope I answered everyone's questions! Your compliments are so appreciated.

--------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: I'll add a link to Part 2 of this thread where I answer the question below from Amanda. More pics!

Here is a link that might be useful: PART 2 of this thread!!

This post was edited by breezygirl on Fri, May 10, 13 at 13:24

I really LOVE your kitchen.
I really like your handles placed horizontally.

Sorry I didn't read through, but did you get any pushback when you said to install the handle os the doors (not drawers) horizontally?

My DH and guy friends think I'm nuts and SO WRONG to do it like that. They said that people will break the handle and/or door since the user will pull out the door instead of swinging it open.
Yes, I showed them your beautiful kitchen and they still don't get it.

Of all my cabinets, only 5 of them are doors; rest are drawers. So I think the door handles should be place horizontally just like my drawers.

How did you handle any pushbacks?
What besides "It-is-my-kitchen-and-I-will-put-the-handles-however-I-want" can I use to gain DH and friends' understanding?

Thank you very much,
Amanda

p.s. Thank you very much for your supportive posts on my threads. It has been a very long road and it is incredibly helpful to read such wonderful thoughts.

Breezygirl, I don't know if you check this any longer since it's been three years. Your kitchen is one of my very favorite kitchens. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on having a black walnut top made for my island. Part of my gut feeling is that it will be a mistake because I'm afraid it will get dented, but when I look at yours, I don't think I have the strength to resist the walnut :) The woodworker that will make it, if I go ahead with it, gave me a sample piece of wood. I dropped my keys on this board several times from about 6" and it left many small nicks. This concerns me. Any thoughts from your experience?

As long as we're getting a seance together to summon the spirit of Breezygirl, I might as well ask about the drawer pulls. What sizes of pulls did you put on what sizes of drawers Breezy? I've long had your kitchen as one of my favorites, and last week I was happy to find the RH Aubrey pulls, as they're the most "sash pull" like I could find in different lengths. Fast forward to today and your kitchen pops up and I see you have those very pulls. I'm going through the task of pondering 1 vs 2 pulls on larger drawers, and I like the way you did yours.

This is a very late comment, but I'm wondering if you can share the contact details of the company and person that made your cabinets? And (if it's ok with you) the approximate cost for them. I'm based in Seattle and we just bought a house, and looking to remodel our kitchen. Thanks!

(tried contacting you directly through your profile but couldn't figure it out :/)

Hey, not sure you still check this, but would love to hear from you on your experience with the walnut island top and prep sink. We are about to begin our kitchen remodel, and like yours, we have a solid surface perimeter counter (quartz, in our case) where the main clean-up sink will be located. Also like yours, we will have an island with a walnut butcher block top, that will include a small prep sink. I really would prefer an undermount like yours, but am worried about water/wood contact, and others have convinced me to go with a thin, almost flush top mount. But if you've had a good experience after this many years, I will switch back to an undermount. Thank you!

OMG! Just drag my bed in there. I could spend eternity in that kitchen!

Breezy! Backsplash? Still think about you:)

Love your kitchen. I want to have a window on either side of my range hood too but DH thinks its a fire hazard so we're still debating. Do you open them while cooking? Does the wind effect the flame?

Hi there! I know it has been years since you had posted your kitchen remodel. However, can you tell me what size of windows you have on each side of your range? How far off of the counter are your windows?