What a great kitchen! I love the island as table look. I also love that pantry and what a brilliant idea to put wine storage above the fridge. Looks great too. Your kitchen layout is similar to mine where the living room and kitchen are all part of the same space. I love it that way!

breezygirl --

The pantry is 83" x 48" x 9' tall. The shelves are all 16" deep. It is more than enough space for our needs.

The island has no knee wall. The cabinets are just deeper than normal, and there is a piece of wood running the length of them on the stool side (to cover the seams.) They are three cabinets total. The one on the end is very large inside (30"d by 33"w) and opens on both sides (so it isn't a faux door.) I thought this would be a more functional use of this large space and whatever I have in there. Also, I thought it would look better with the door there. Don't tell anyone, but I have two trash cans in there (one on each side,) recycle bins, a compost bin and all the associated bags. I'm not a fan of pull out trash cans and prefer this space flexibility. :)

The doors are Andersen sliding french doors... I believe they are the 400 series. They are not cheap by any means, and, unfortunately, they are a bit drafty in this 15f weather. I am hoping to be able to fix or improve that, though.

Ooh, so beautiful! It is so fresh and clean, but not cold at all. Love your trim work!

What is in that cabinet that goes to the counter next to your dishwasher? Inquiring minds (OK maybe just mine) want to know. ;^)

LOVE your fireplace wall with the built-ins!

Congrats on such a beautiful home!

shelayne - The upper cabinet has all my dishes, bowls, glasses, cups, pitchers, etc. The lower cabinet has silverware, knives and similar. I knew inset upper cabinets would have limited depth and wanted one large cabinet that would hold larger dishes. Also, I can open the doors on the these uppers and the DW door and stand between them. Then, I can VERY easily undo the DW! :)

The other reason I wanted that cabinet is because visually I felt that it ended that side of the kitchen, as did the double oven on the other end. I didn't want backsplash tile ending in the middle of a wall just because the cabinet ended. I don't know if that even makes sense to anyone else or if it would bother anyone else... I might just be a little strange :)

Beautiful kitchen!

Lolauren how generous of you to post more pix of your family room cabs in progress! VERY helpful, thank you! Fantastic storage for media, books, etc. I love to read, but don't want to see the books on shelves aroung a TV and fireplace in my family room. That would be too cluttered for me.
Sadly my fireplace wall is an outside wall with no room to expand out in that direction even if I wanted to, but will keep for my contractors because stealing a foot from the family room for AV equipment and books might be doable. Thanks again!

Very nice!

island... it's no problem at all :) I know what it's like being on the design/planning side all too well and how helpful pictures were for me. good luck!

Gorgeous! I love the millwork around the fpl.

Enjoy!

beautiful white kitchen!

I just love everything about your kitchen especially the floors! I love your choices. I am definitely saving this post.

Thanks for sharing.

Lolauren, I can't think of anything that hasn't already been said about your kitchen. You did a wonderful job of designing. I'm working on designing mine now and wondering if you would please share the brand of your cellular shade? I'm looking for one like yours that's almost invisible when not in use, not only in my kitchen but throughout the house.

How did I miss this thread?! It's lovely! And how fun to see the finished product after watching your plan unfold here at GW.

functionfirst - Unfortunately, I don't know, and I can't find it on the shade itself. I used a company called "Budget Blinds" to do my windows. They come to your house with samples and ideas, measure and then come back to install. I think it's a national chain. (I have faux wood blinds, plantation shutters and this cellular shade from them --- all were from various manufacturers.)

With that said, I am guessing most cellular shades will fit your need to be relatively hidden when closed.... ? I just made sure to match the color to my trim as much as possible.

Lisa_a -- :) You guys helped so much and pretty much ruined my original plans. Thanks for that! I am very happy with the functional result :)

Your kitchen is beautiful. The ingenious design of the built ins around the fireplace makes me smile. I've always hated the look of speakers and electronic equipment. Your solution is brilliant!

Wow, how did I miss this one? Ditto what everyone else said! Love the floors, the cabinetry, the latches!!

Your home's layout reminded me instantly of Jbrodie's kitchen--it has such a nice serene, yet warm family feel.

Just gorgeous.

your kitchen is so beautifully classic-- there won't be any concerns about trendiness or becoming dated for you!
like island, I was wondering about your sliding glass doors as we're also looking at andersen double sliders like what you have. When you say they're drafty, is it in the middle where the two doors meet and latch, or where the moving doors meet the fixed panels?

thank you!

Thanks again, all. :)

mtnfever - They are drafty primarily along the bottom of all the doors, especially the bottom where the two doors meet. I am not sure if there is a way to address this during the build proactively for you? The doors themselves are quite cold this month, as would be expected with all that glass.... I just didn't expect that draft underneath. My husband and I haven't attempted to remedy this yet, though. If you have any more questions on them, please don't hesitate to ask. I wish I had some feedback when I was looking into purchasing them!

What a beautiful kitchen, and space overall! I love how bright and inviting it is! Your trim and millwork and floors are all gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

Love it all!!! Beautiful light inviting space!

I'm so glad this got bumped! Beautiful kitchen and inspired cabinetry in the FR. I love the look of soapstone, but your granite is a lovely alternative I'll have to check into. Is it sealed? I also really like the posts on your island--very nice detail without being fussy. And your floor--what a beautiful contrast both in color and texture to your cabinets! I'm sure you're going to enjoy your new home for many years to come!

flwrs_n_co: There are several others on this forum with this kind of granite. Everyone seems happy with it. I also like soapstone, but opted for this muted granite because of availability here and durability.

It wasn't sealed in any way from the fabricator. He polished the sides and underneath, but the rest all has a beautiful, natural texture (can a texture be beautiful? :)) The counter does absorb oils (which make darker spots,) but those spots fade with a little time. When we first moved in in September, that scared us and we thought about rubbing mineral oil over the entire thing to even out the color/protect it. (I'm still going to test mineral oil out on one of the scrap pieces from my granite.... but that idea overall might be silly. shrug)

A few parties/guests/heavy things dropped on it later, the granite looks beautiful...

What a beautiful kitchen! I love, love, love it!

Your kitchen is stunning, and just so classic. Enjoy that beautiful space!

So I'm a little late to the party, but I'm very hit and miss on GW since we finished our house. But because I've been talking with you I wondered if you'd posted pics of your kitchen and look at that! It is beautiful-- I love it! That window is so great and I am quite jealous that you had the space for 2 sinks. :) You really did a great job...congrats!!!

Beautiful, Beautiful... just an amazing space, Love the combination of wood floor tone, paint and counter tops. You really have an amazing kitchen. Enjoy it:)

Really lovely! Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures.

wow! Much love for your kitchen! Everything looks so at home, and it's just spectacular! Love the wine rack over the fridge too!

marmoreus, I'll trade you a sink for your living room ;)

thanks everyone. such sweet comments

lolauren -- We have a similar range wall layout and are trying to decide between a smaller hood and three stacked doors on each side of it OR a larger hood with two stacked doors on each side of it. Would you mind sharing the size of your hood and the wall space on each side?

I've also been a bit concerned about having the cabinets/backsplash end in the middle of a wall so I totally understand!

Thanks, and congrats on a beautiful kitchen!

erinct: the hood is 42" wide & 44" high (from bottom of cabinet to top of moulding...)

The cabinets on either side are about 55" wide total. (The first pair are 36" wide, the single cabinet is 19" wide.)

Let me know if you want any additional info!

Thanks lolauren! That really helps to give me some perspective!!

I am going for the exact same look in my basement bar/kitchen area and found your post while searching for faucets!! so glad to see what you have done because yesterday I ordered uba tuba leathered granite instead of soapstone! I felt that the texture and subtle color was warmer for a black, and went with the wood floor better than the "grayer" blacks. Also have the white, shaker cabinets coming in 2 weeks. I am now deciding between black or stainless sink and faucet. How did you decide? I have been looking at both.

Congrats! Your kitchen is GORGEOUS! I especially love the hood and wine storage above the frige. Your home is lovely. I hope you're enjoying every minute of it!

Hi Krisall.... I think you'd be happy in the end with either a leathered granite or soapstone. :) Both are beautiful. I opted for the granite since soapstone is virtually unheard of in this part of the state.... I loved the leathered texture; if you are into texture, you'll be very happy with your choice.

As for the sink, I was not a fan of my old stainless sink. It had scratches and looked bad within a year. I read a lot of positive reviews on silgranit sinks on this site (eg, good durability, easy clean up.) In the end, I decided I wanted a sink that matched my countertop. If you want something that visually stands out and you like stainless sinks, that might be a better option. If you want something that blends in, black silgranit is the way to go.

As for the faucet, I wanted the faucet to match my hardware... so it is also a very dark ORB. It could easily have been a stainless toned faucet and looked fine....

megpie... thanks! :) we are loving it, except for all the new projects!

lolauren, beautiful kitchen. You did a great job designing it! I was wondering, how do you like your stools? Are they comfortable to sit on?

Thanks.

jenhp - I think GW designed it, to be honest :) thank you.

The stools are very comfy. My husband insisted on something on the comfy side, and I am glad I went with that idea.
We sit in them all the time, even when watching TV in the great room.

(The negative - The company sent one of them in the wrong color, which they promptly replaced. Also, the legs are too brown-RED for our floors, but I didn't care enough to...care. ;))

Very Nice!

hi again, Lolauren,
now that it's almost a month and half since I asked you about your 4-panel sliding doors, have you had any luck addressing the draftiness at the bottom where they meet?

I talked to our local Andersen dealer (2.5 hrs away is still local in the western wide open spaces). They were unable to offer any prevention or solution, other than for us to consider the 3-panel which of course latches more securely/less draftily. But the 3-panel doesn't open as far, blocks more of our view, and to me is less welcoming and worse for "bringing the outside in".

Is it warm enough yet where you are that you've opened up the doors much?

tia

Lolauren, it is such an amazingly beautiful kitchen. I was actually looking up kitchens with cambrian black granite last night and I've already picked my granite! It just all works so lovely together. My dh insisted he didn't like a white kitchen, but I think I could get him to sway with this one!!
Enjoy!!

Hey Tia :) You're welcome to email me if you want to chat about the doors. I don't mind at all...

We didn't come up with any permanent fix for the doors, and I'm not convinced there is a solution. I got heavy curtains that help to insulate, but the bottoms of the doors are still drafty. I don't think a 3 panel would be much better as our draft is from the bottom.

(I actually wrapped insulation in plastic and wedged that at the base of the door outside. That was the only temporary fix I could come up with. It is in a covered area and we can't see it from inside. However, this is not a convenient thing to have to do!! I was just trying to improvise for this winter. THAT helped a lot, but obviously is a bit tacky and obnoxious since these doors weren't cheap!)

As for using the doors this season, we have not yet. It's still a bit brisk and windy here. We did use them in the fall when we moved in, though. Do you have a question about their use? They definitely "bring the outside in." Other positives we have experienced from them:
*lots of light
*a wonderful view of the yard
*a big opening if we want to move furniture in conveniently *an easy way to air out the house if we paint, burn something or similar

:)

yellowdog--- thanks! good luck with your hubby :) I had to twist DH's arm quite a bit for our white kitchen...

Beautiful kitchen! Definitely some of my inspiration in doing my kitchen. I have a question about your latches on the cabinets. Do they spring open? DH is wondering if you can really only use the side with the knob to open one door, and have to touch the wood to open the other side? I LOVE latches and the look of them, was all set to do them, but then DH started questioning me and of course I have no idea how they really work.

Thanks, slush....!

The latches don't spring open. Your DH is pretty much correct. I have to turn the latch and pull the knob side door open to even open the other door. To open the "other door," I pull from the inside of the door. I could try to grab on to the little latch closure piece only, but it would be hard to do. I never have to touch the wood on the outside of the door....... (I grab the door and put my thumb on the closure piece, pretty much.)

Hopefully that wasn't too confusing :)

The latches aren't that much of an extra step to bother me. People complain about it online, but I don't feel burdened or anything others complain about. To each their own. Like you, I love the look of them...... they make me happy to see every day! :) The best seal of approval was DH's grumpy, picky grandma coming over and saying she liked them because they reminded her of when she was younger. If I redid everything again, I would use them again. The only thing I would consider is flipping the direction they open on one cabinet. (If you need easy access to something, put it on the side that has the latch knob. Then, you only need to open one door to get to it...)

I will stop rambling... :p

Thanks so much for the response lolauren. It was very helpful, especially your positiveness about them. I'm doing IKEA cabinets which are frameless, so I think on a few single doors I can't install them, so am hoping that mixing maybe a knob with the same finish will be okay. OR I will just use them on the lowers instead.

Thanks again :)

Beautiful kitchen! I am curious about your appliances. Are you happy with them? I am in process of deciding on ours for our remodel and am having trouble! Thanks!

Which appliance in particular? The only one I would think twice about in the future is the dishwasher. It has a spinner/sprayer component on each level, which reduces the size of what you can put in there. My (normal size) plates don't fit on the bottom standing straight up. I'm not sure if this is normal for other people...... but I never had a problem with other DWs in the past.

I know you posted this a long time ago, but I just found the thread because I'm looking for info on Huntwood cabinets. Your kitchen is stunning! And, conveniently, your cabinets are exactly the style I am considering - although in the cream color to blend in with my existing inset cabinets. So, if you're still here, I hope you can answer some questions.

After living with the cabinets for awhile, what do you think? Do you endorse Huntwood's quality? Is the paint holding up well? I love the look of inset, but worry about losing space in the drawers and rollouts. Is that a concern for you? What made you choose Huntwood?

I love your island. Are the posts from Huntwood? Did Huntwood supply the crown moulding, and the footed valance thingy on the bases, and the wine storage above the fridge (I love that use of the space!)? I'm seriously thinking about using Huntwood, and need to figure out all the extras - beyond just the cabinets :) Thanks for any insights you have time to share (don't have to answer every question!!). And congrats on such a great space!

I googled cellular blinds in kitchen on gardenweb and this came up! I know this is a very late post, but just wanted to tell you how beautiful your home is! I think you helped me a while back when I was trying to pick a paint color for my home. I believe you had nomadic desert in a previous home?

Anyway, just wanted to ask you a question about your cellular shade in the kitchen, do you have any cords or are they cordless? They look cordless in the pics. I don't want any dangling cords, but I don't think I'd be able to reach the shade if it was cordless. Also are they top down bottom up or just bottom up? TIA!

jane- Thank you! Yes, my last house had Nomadic Desert.

RE: the kitchen blinds: they are cordless, since I wanted them to disappear as much as possible. The blinds are just traditional (bottom up) since I only needed the ability to filter midsummer sun. I didn't need privacy.

I mentioned to you on another thread that I can't reach the bottom of my shade at my height. How high will the top of your window be? How tall are you? If my window was a couple inches lower, I would be able to grab the bottom of the shade.

Cannot find any pictures, is there any way lolauren can repost pics? thanks