My two tone kitchen reveal sans backsplash
My kitchen is finally finished! Well, except for the backsplash and a change of paint color. It has been an interesting journey, with a few twists and turns, but I am happy with the final results.
Details:
Floors: 18" Travertine
Cabinets: KraftMaid Hartwell/Harrington Square
Base Cabinets: Cherry w/ Rye Finish
Wall Cabinets/Hood: Maple w/Mushroom Finish
Hood Liner: Fujioh BUF-Pro Series
Granite: Magma Gold
Sink: Blanco Silgranit II Diamond Super Single Cafe Brown
Faucet: Graff Bollero Olive Bronze
Garbage Disposal: Insinkerator Evolution w/ Air Switch
Microwave: Sharp 24" Microwave Drawer ADA Compliant
Range: Frigidaire Professional Slide in Range ADA Compliant
Refigerator: KitchenAid KFXS25RYNS French Door ADA Compliant
Dishwasher: Bosch 800 Series
When we moved into this house 5 years ago, we redid all the flooring and renovated all the bathrooms. The kitchen wasn't horrible, so all we did was replace a really ugly backsplash with tumbled marble. Here is a picture of the kitchen taken from the family room before renovation:
Our kitchen renovation started on Black Friday 2012 when my husband texted me a picture of a kitchen display at Lowes and asked me if I liked it. I said yes and he texted back that he was going to buy it! It was a new display that had only been in the store a couple of months. I had seen the display in person and really liked it, but was worried about it fitting. We had new travertine floors put in our common area 5 years ago and any renovation would have to fit in the existing footprint. The display had no refrigerator and a range, while we had double wall ovens and a cooktop. Here is the photo my husband sent:
This is the original plan from the KD at the store. I was never really sold on this option due to the venting for the hood. Our kitchen is in the center of our house and is open to the living room and I couldn't wrap my brain around a stack going up to the vaulted ceiling. It was logical to put the range where the cooktop was, but it just didn't feel right.
While I was mulling the design over, we were in the process of selling our other home. We spent a year remodeling that house to get it ready to sell, so when we finally closed last February, we needed a break from reno, so put our kitchen on the back burner for a while. Black Friday 2013, I finally found a range that I liked, a Frigidaire Professional Slide In, and things kicked into high gear again. I reworked the layout, replacing the old double wall ovens on the opposite wall with the range and hood, and ordered the cabinets we needed to complete the kitchen the first of January.
Another dilemma was what color wall cabinet to use next to the hood. I eventually decided to match the pantry instead of matching the rest of the wall cabinets, so this is the only cherry wall cabinet. I also decided not to add the glass at the top to balance out the weight of the pantry and hood. After all the agonizing over the decision, I am happy with the way it turned out, I really like the way the hood looks flanked by the cherry cabinets. Right now the hood fan is recirculating, but will have a stack vented to the outside.
After much hemming and hawing, I made the decision to buy a microwave drawer, allowing for a straight run of cabinets on the fridge wall. I chose the Sharp 24" model, which is the exact same size microwave as the 30", only the face plate is different. So far, I really like the microwave drawer, easier and more comfortable to use than the OTR and it is not sitting on my counter!
The dishwasher and microwave drawer placement were switched from the original plan, easy to do since they are both 24 inch. I am so happy I switched them, the dishwasher is just more comfortable to me on the right. And with my dish drawer in the base cabinet just to the right of the dishwasher, it is easy to unload. We ended up getting a new Bosch 800 Series dishwasher last weekend when our 5 yr old Electrolux died, that was definitely not in the plan!
I fell in love with this Magma Gold granite slab at the stone yard. I had planned on using a lighter countertop, Giallo Ornamental or Star Beach. But when I saw this slab, I was done shopping!
I chose a Blanco Silgranit II Diamond Super Single in Cafe Brown. I debated between the Cafe Brown and Truffle color, but I think the Cafe Brown looks good with the granite. I bought it without seeing it in person and was a little surprised at how big it was when it came in. The first one was cracked during shipping, but the second one was perfect! I decided to drop in the sink because I liked the way the deck looked and it felt too deep to me under mounted. I kept my original faucet, a Graff Bollero in Olive Bronze. It is the perfect faucet for this sink, water hits dead center, no splashes. One of my favorite things I did was add the air switch for my garbage disposal. I painted the white cap myself to match the sink, It has been in use for over a month, so far, so good!
The last piece to the puzzle arrived last Thursday, my KitchenAid FD refrigerator. Although I haven't had it long, I love it and the extra drawer is pure genius! I use it for produce but it would have been awesome to have when my kids were young. The best part about it to me is that because the bottom of the fridge is glass, I see in the drawer every time I open the fridge. I am actually eating my fruits and vegetables because I see them now, instead of having them hiding in a bin! None of the other brands had this feature, so I chose this model without ever seeing it in person and am very happy with my choice.
I love the fridge, but I really don't like the way the open side looks. I am going to live with it for a while and see if it grows on me.
Here is a view of the kitchen from the family room. The green wall is going to be repainted the same color as the other wall, hopefully this weekend. We have not installed the cherry piece on the edge of the knee wall, waiting for a trim piece we had to order. And we also have 2 more bar stools, but they are at my son's house at the moment.
And last but not least, my dog does indeed match my two tone kitchen!
Still up for debate is the pendant lights above the counter. I can get single pendants that match the chandelier in the breakfast nook. My husband wants to leave it as is and I am too weary to make a decision.
As for the backsplash, I know I want a plain subway tile, maybe a crackle or a matte. It hasn't been easy to find exactly what I want that will play well with everything else. I do like the warm Carmel color of the painted backsplash, not sure how that will translate to tile though.
This post was edited by fishymom on Thu, Mar 6, 14 at 13:05
Comments (28)
Mgoblue85
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agogreenhaven
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
My reveal - Two-tone, modest budget
Comments (39)parts-I did not use a light rail. With the tape they go up pretty flush so you don't need to. Plus, my KD had contractor mount them on the front rail so that they are even less likely to be noticed and they tend to light the mid-back of the counter better - which seems to work nicely bc overhead lights get the front part of the counter. I've attached a picture so I think you can see what I mean. However, I will say this...when I'm in the DR, I can see the undersides of the cabs a little. It drives me a little batty. So I'm thinking about getting the paint matched and slapping a couple coats on the underside so the cream view doesn't get broken up. (I don't know if that will help and I plan to ask KD before I do it, maybe it's a terrible idea?!) So I don't know if a light rail would have helped to cover that issue? Yes, they are full overlay. However, this is probably one of the places where a cab line a step or two up would have been better. There is def a small gap between cabs. Completely within reason for the specs given, but bigger than I have seen in other more expensive lines. Doesn't bother me enough to have spent more for less gap, though! :)...See MoreBacksplash? No backsplash? What kind of backsplash?
Comments (25)didn't have time to read all the answers. I have no backsplash and have never regretted it...been over 6 yrs. It is painted with BM matte...which has ceramic in it. It is as beautiful now as it was when first painted. I love the fact that I can showcase other things ...art etc in my kitchen and no competition. Also if I ever want to change it is as quick as a paint brush...expense is minimal..paint only ! All in all I think it is serene as you point out . Here is one pick. Since I have a lot of high heat cooking in my kitchen..built in deep fat fryer as well as gas cook top I can definitely speak to the longevity of paint only. c ( more at this album )...See MoreReveal : two-toned kitchen
Comments (41)And here is my sink.....my very expensive sink ....sigh. Everyone says I overspent on this. The previous sink was a double integrated sink. They were 17" wide each. I found that I use the right bowl more often. I have used a large single bowl before and did not like it. So this time around, I knew that I wanted stainless steel double sink, a minimum 18" wide bowl on the right side. All the ones I could find had the large bowl on the left. It was so frustrating searching for the right sink. I am happy with what we have but the price tag still hurts....See MoreIs this backsplash too dark? - Peek at reveal
Comments (34)I found two sources for the look. Mine are Mockett SS. The other source is Linnea. Mockett was considerably less expensive. We are super happy with the choice. They come with 1" SS screws, but we needed longer ones for the drawers because there was the drawer box wood and the the drawer front - so much thicker. So if you order, specify longer screws if you will need them. The doors were fine. The screws are SS and metric, so kinda pricey if you have to buy them yourself....See Morefishymom
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9 years agofishymom
7 years agoIt is hard to believe it has been two more years since our kitchen remodel, it has been a busy few years! We adopted a new puppy in October, our little brown boy Jackson also matches the kitchen! At 10 months old, he is 70+ pounds but has no clue how big he is.
Blfenton, we decided against the pendant lights, but we had the direction of the recessed lighting changed to increase the light over the bar, which has worked out well. We added pullouts to all the base cabinets that did not have drawers and that helped quite a bit, but my next kitchen will have ALL drawers! I still love my granite, an impulse buy that is my absolute favorite piece of the puzzle. I am still happy with my appliance choices, except the stove, I not so secretly hope it gets ruined by a lightning strike or power surge. Looking forward to catching up!morgan932002
4 years ago
blfenton