oh! oh! oooooh! i adore your kitchen!

you don't know how much i want a blue kitchen, but i am too chicken. yours is just lovely. it has so many elements i would love to have... right down to details like the vertical reeded glass.

thank you so much for sharing this... i am going to go over inch of your photos and dare to dream. :)

What a swell kitchen! I love it! Warm, folksy, well-organized and very individual! No cookie cutter kitchen here. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I can definitely see why you've been enjoying it!

I am NOT a blue person, but the wood counters and the richly colored backsplash really are kind of unexpected and make it all work for me. So warm. I love it. Really excellent combination of choices.

Your kitchen looks so inviting and warm! I want to come hang out with you there and have yummy snacks. Rhome's right that the BS really makes it all work. You have a keen eye to pull that off. I have those same SS bowls like the one on your counter.

I appreciate you posting these now and for including one of your MUA system. City code guy tells me I'll need one too, but I'm burying my head in the sand. Thanks again!

Well, finally!

(Don't mind me. I'm just feeling a little more pressure to finish now that you're out of the ABP club (all but pictures).)

It's really lovely. Great example of how to make a small U look magnificent. Your design really makes the stainless bling up too in a way that it often doesn't. Very, very harmonious.

I am a blue person and I ADORE the color of your cabinets. Just beautiful and homey!

I am also a blue person and love your kitchen. I think non blue people would love it too. The blue is so soft and just looks so natural there. organic?
looks great. love it.

I love it!

When you said Blue I was thinking something shocking.
But this is a soft warm inviting blue that sooths the
soul and ignites the chef within. I love the pots hanging
above. Are the insides of those glass cabs painted?
I LOVE IT. It is a soft warm beige or creamy yellow.
Your backsplash pulls everything together with the slate,
brick and warm browns. Truly this is a great kitchen.
And fucntional as you can see the details in your
storage.
Fantastic space.
~boxer

I AM a blue person and I love your kitchen. I want a blue kitchen!
Everything goes together so beautifully and it looks so functional.
I'm with Boxer - not what I was expecting to see.

What color blue are your cabinets?

Another blue person and that is a great blue shade for cabinets. You put together a warm, personal space that is so cozy and inviting. I just love that blue against the stainless. Thanks for showing us.

Oh, beautiful! I really love the reed glass--I love reed glass! Enjoy the new space!

Cj

A wonderful blue kitchen - I love the color. Great use of a small space. Enjoy.

Wow I love it. The backsplash and other colors make your kitchen amazing. It is great to see something that isn't the same old look. Your grey blue and green is so restful and inviting. There isn't a detail I don't love.

Very pretty! The shades of blue and browns are homey and feel like a warm hug.

I'm so glad you posted your beee-u-ti-ful kitchen! It looks so marvelously cozy and functional! The BS is perfect to tie it all together and make the blue cabs sing. Now, however, we need details, please! BS, paint, counters, light over sink, appliances, etc.---please (pleading puppy eyes here). TIA!

I'm so glad you posted. I'm going to note that your upper cabinets go to the ceiling without crown to maximize space--I think that is so clever. I love the reeded glass too. Thanks for sharing pictures of your storage solutions--I looked forever for pictures of half moon blind corner units when I was considering options for my corner.

And finally...the BLUE. I have to say it is one of the prettiest blues I have ever seen in a kitchen. You did a fabulous job of pulling colors together, and I do love that blue against the stainless.

Great space.

MUA heat: Electric coils in the galvi box with thermostat somewhere downstream? What is the white assembly, a motorized damper? Or do I have these backwards?

Nice kitchen, btw. :)

kas

I love blue but I don't have the nerve to pull it off in a kitchen. Yours is so inviting and warm. I love it!

Yay, yay, another blue kitchen! Can you post some details? What is the cabinet color.

Love the reeded glass in the cabinets. Don't know if that would work for us at all.

Wow! nice to see so many Blue fans! I picked that colour first, then chose all the other elements to coordinate. Now about the details...

The cabinets are no-name frameless RTA from a local showroom. They had a number of show kitchens on display, and they all looked great, despite the limited range of door styles, etc. All their cabs feature soft close doors and full extension drawers, and the shop arranged custom staining/painting, plus installation. All for about 1/2 the price of the local full service kitchen shops.

Since the hubster didn't think there was anything wrong with the old kitchen (guess who cooks in this family?) and I was paying for this with a recent inheritance, he didn't offer too many objections to my choices of colour and materials. But he was somewhat alarmed when I described my desired cabinet colour as "antique Rubbermaid blue".

The floors are ceramic tile in a warm terra cotta colour with charcoal swirlies and grout that pick up the cab colour while concealing spilled milk, dog hair, etc.

Our original plan was to have maple countertops, but the fabricator was backed up for 10+ weeks AFTER templating, which was unacceptable considering everything was already behind schedule. Plan B was Quartz. Sorry, I don't even know which brand, let alone the colour code - I picked one that had dk blue bits in it which coordinated with the cabs. The other colours in it included bronzey and olive tones in a yellowy-tan matrix. I carried around a sample to almost every tile shop in town to pick back splash tiles, and ultimately chose earth tone mini slates, which also have some charcoal bits in them, repeating that tone from the floor and cabs.

My GC was nagging me to pick wall paint, as the painter was scheduled to come in within days, but I didn't want to get pinned down before the counters and BS were installed. Good thing - I chose a wall colour I would never have considered (pale greenish yellow) before those elements were in place. It took me all of 15 minutes once I could observe all the undertones of the quartz and slate.

The main light fixtures are recessed pots. We had halogens in them at first, but have since found CFs that provide similar light quality and last much longer. We don't live in CA, so have a good choice of bulb types that screw in. The fixture over the sink was a last minute pick-up at a big box retailer after our not-too-bright electrician failed to install a pot in the correct location. But that was a mild mistake compared to what he did when replacing the main box.... The under cab lighting are Xenons. I know some don't like them for the heat they generate, but where we live, that's usually a good thing.

The make-up air system was a huge unplanned expense, but required to meet local codes (which were upgraded only months before we commenced work). We had it designed and installed by an HVAV contractor. But it is soooo nice to have decent ventilation in my kitchen, as there was none in the original version. I can hardly remember what my smoke alarm sounds like! Note to Kas: The white thingy in the photo downstream of the heater is the intake fan. There is no auto damper.

What have I forgotten?

I love the blue cabinets with the SS appliances, and the slate warms it up nicely. Really lovely.

I clicked on your post mostly out of curiosity, as I couldn't imagine I'd like a blue kitchen. Yours is wonderful. I love how you've kept it warm and cozy with the slate, the floor, and other touches. Congratulations on a job marvelously done!

I love it! Count me in as a blue person also! It is such a warm color. Your kitchen looks fantastic.

What a gorgeous and functional kitchen!! The trend seems to be moving toward white or creamy kitchens, but I love color and your kitchen is super fabulous. Enjoy!

I am all about a blue kitchen, and yours is beautiful! I bet you just love cooking up a storm in that wonderful kitchen!

Congrats and thanks for sharing your lovely space!

This looks like a jolly kitchen to me. Love the plants, the relaxed feel, the functionality.

What a beautiful beautiful kitchen! This blue was done in a way that will appeal to the masses. Love how the stainless steel appliances are set off by the cabinet color. The counter top surfaces constrast beautifully with the blue and tie in so nicely with the flooring. I agree the backsplash pulls it all together. What a great super functional space you have!

Would love a little more detail on a few things:
What is your microwave? What size cabinet is it in?
Love your little kitchen scale. Would love to know what it is?

I understand wanting to use money received from an inheritance on a space that you use every day and can continue to receive joy from daily. My parents have both passed away recently (mom 2006, dad 2010) and I will be using money from an inheritance to update my kitchen. My mom LOVED to cook and had a gourgeous gourmet kitchen in her last house. My dad knew I loved to cook and I had him over lots for meals after my mom passed. I know they both would be very happy with my decision to update my kitchen (even though much like your hubby - my hubby thinks our existing kitchen is fine). I am sure your family is glad you used the money to do something that will give you great joy day in and day out. (HUGS) and I am sorry for your loss.

So sparkly! All your choices go so well together. And I love love love the blue!!

Honestly, you really pulled it off with all the colors and textures to make an adorably inviting space. I am so impressed with your knack for color! It is a blue kitchen but I feel you have made it a vibrant yet neutral palette that makes me feel all cuddly. That is the perfect kitchen in which to enjoy a cup of cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream!

The microwave shelf is 24"W x 16"H x 18"D. These are stock cabinets and that was the only size available. We had to chop off the L front corner as the diagonal corner cabinet's door hit it. That meant getting a new smaller MW than our old one which we expected to keep. The new one is a Panasonic, about $120. We consider MWs to be disposable appliances, so want to be able to replace easily if/when it dies.

The kitchen scale has lived with us for over 20 yrs. We purchased it when living in England, with both metric and imperial weight sets.

Someone asked earlier about the cupboards' insides. They are faux woodgrain melamine. The boxes are 5/8" particle board.

This is SO unexpected - I love it!! Very unique and cozy. I can see how you would fall in love with this kitchen. :)

Love the kitchen! Can you share the size of the island and the pot rack. We'll also have a small island with a pot rack in the middle of the room and I worry about the pots encroaching on the walking space. Do you wish your pot rack was smaller or does it work? Also, do you have an lighting within the pot rack? If not, do you have problems with lighting on the island?

Thanks!

Understated, warm, and cozy. I love your kitchen, your color scheme, and your finishes!

Love the French blue cabinets. This kitchen feels so cozy to me. Glad you have been enjoying it.

Very nice! It's refreshing to see a kitchen that is so unique and charming. I really like the colors in your backsplash. It perfectly ties together the warm tones in the flooring and countertops and cool tones in your cabinets. I'm especially intrigued by the placement of the range and hood. We have a similar layout that is open to the family room below. I never would have thought of putting the range against that space. Well done!

Perhaps it was some other poster but I seem to have a memory of looking up the paint color of a blue kitchen you posted....so I'm dying to know what paint color you used! I think your kitchen is gorgeous and so well-pulled-together. Love all the practical functionality too. I have a feeling your blue cabinets are going to be a GW trendsetter. :-)

I don't think it was me. My cabs were RTA units and were sent out to a pro paint shop before assembly and installation. I don't know what brand, or the colour name used. I just checked the can of touch-up paint we were given and it says "Blue Horizon" hand written, but no brand name (or label). I'm not much help, am I? Most of the stuff in my kitchen was similarly chosen. I saw, I liked, I bought. I carried around samples when I could, and make pretty fast decisions when I found products that worked.

That sounds like me! My husband thinks I'm terribly indecisive, but the truth is, while it may take me a long time to find the right thing, I know it when I see it and that's it.

I missed this back in February. I'm a blue person and I love it, and yet it doesn't "scream" blue to me. And I love all the silvery, sparkly touches, and the plants. Oh, and the glass in the upper cabs. Terrific mix of textures which makes it all so warm and welcoming.

Becky