bj inatlanta. Thanks for the tip for the locker for my dog. I am also going to need a base for him in it with a drawer to store all his dog clothes. He is a toy poodle, only 5 lbs, and has a whole wardrobe for the cold winters up here in Upstate NY. He goes outside year round to go to the bathroom. He really freezes in our cold winters here, even with his dog clothes. It can go well below zero here at times. Although I suppose he might not need as many of his clothes when we move to NC. Thank goodness because he hates walking in the snow! I will be feeding him and our 3 cats in our next house in the mudroom. We are currently looking to place a dog and cat door from the mudroom that has a safe outdoor enclosure (outdoor pet habitat) from the mudroom for all my animals to use. My dog is too little to be left outside using an invisible fence A hawk could carry him off if he were alone!

Fudgie: The paint color on the cabinets is Ben Moore Ivory White. The paint itself isn't Ben Moore (it's a pre-cat Lacquer that the cabinet maker sprayed on) but we match that color. It is the trim color we use around the house. There was some concern during planning that it would be to yellow - turns out we think it's perfect. sallybeth: We are really enjoying the Sub-zeros. Some people prefer the racks and look of the european fridges (i.e. Miele) but these suit us well. We went with the door and drawer options over the single column as we think it's easier to just open a drawer when you need it - plus you can open the large door with children around and not have them immediately crawl into the fridge (an issue around our house...) The wine cooler had a rattle after it was first installed, I called the "white glove" service group and they came out the next day. While it really only needed a quick spot weld to secure a coolant line that was vibrating, they replaced the entire compressor assembly - pretty impressive. The same service folks are coming out to ensure our ovens and grill / griddle are well calibrated (seems like the ovens are a little lower than the set temp and the grill is a little uneven.) Nit picky stuff, but they haven't raised an eyebrow at my requests. Next day appointments too. Impressive stuff! Crafterbeth: Thanks for the suggestions, I'm looking forward to diving into the backyard once the thaw comes! I still owe all of you final (with backsplash) photos. Still looking for a time to get the kitchen clean and empty for some shots. I haven't forgotten!

Beautiful kitchen!! I am just starting or should I say 6 months in the designing phase of a remodel. I have changed my mind so many times & very in decisive. I was sure I would go with a contemporary walnut slab cabinet. Changed my mind to white cabinets with the Calcutta marble with a wood island. It is really funny that I ran across your kitchen cause it has the x glass cabinets that I just decided on a few days ago and wood floors. I am meeting with the cabinet maker in a few days to go over the changes. After seeing your kitchen I am now sure I am making the right selections. I just voted for your kitchen, of course, it is the most stunning kitchen!!! Good luck!

Whenicit, I like the idea of the recessed cabinets, did you actually cut these into the wall? This would really help with our working space, although I don't think we could do these right now. The house is almost finished and we are expecting to start moving in a little over a week. (I think our contractor would have a heart attack if I gave him another modification at this point.) Spitfire01 and Ajsmama--Thank you SO MUCH for the ideas. You are both making me rethink putting a larger piece right behind the door. From the beginning I've pictured a small desk there, but I can see now it would be too tight. I was looking last night and found a small bookcase, 31" wide with 6 shelves, in craftsman style -- something like this at http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Craftsman_31W_Six-Shelf_Bookcase/540/. It would provide the shelf space for books, and wouldn't be too deep...what do you think? This small area is visible from kitchen so I don't want too much clutter here. I guess I could skip the desk, but I'm pretty attached to having an area for my cookbooks near the kitchen. I have at least a couple shelves worth. And maybe a small space to put my laptop (out of kids reach). Our main office area is up on the second floor, and I don't expect to be up there much during the day. Also maybe I could put small baskets on a couple of the lower shelves, for mittens and such. What do you think of this small idea to solve the laptop place and charging area? It sounds perfect, although a little on the modern side. It is very low-profile, if I can get it in white. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10139134 The idea of a launching pad is great. I love the idea of having a space for bags and backpacks, can't seem to figure out where these would go. I have to admit I take a LOT of books out of the library (I am a librarian by profession, although a full-time mom now). So we have one bag for the local library, one bag for the county library, well you get the idea. So a place for purse/backpacks/bags is crucial. Spitfire01, I spent a long time last night going over your options, I like 2 and 3 better. I do like the Pottery Barn ones but they're pretty $. I looked all over elsewhere, but couldn't find nice looking cubbies. I guess most people have theirs made? I wonder if just having upper and lower hooks over a portion of the 60" wall would work. By the way, our main coat closet is just beyond the pocket door, so I guess putting things in the coat closet would not be a major issue. Because of the little dividing wall by the mop drain, it might make more sense to put a bench here. It is right inside door and would also come out almost as far as the wall. I've seen some with shoe storage (sliding doors). The only thing is that we could probably only find one about 48". 60" is a nicer size for the bench, but then the bench would have to go on the opposite wall. Ajsmama, our outside door in the mudroom goes right outside. We don't have a garage (older neighborhood), and share a driveway with our neighbors. There are a few steps up, and a small landing with a gabled roof over the landing. I was also thinking of putting a hook or two right over the dog shower area. The subway tile only goes up about waist height, and then there is drywall. Having a few hooks, or a pull out steel expandable drying rack, would help take care of the really wet drippy items. The one side of the mop drain also has raised ridges so that might be a good place for wet shoes just while they are drying. Ajsmama, our laundry room is upstairs on the 2nd floor. Our architect originally had the W/D in the mudroom, but I really wanted a separate space and closer to our BRs. In our old house I tromped up and down the basement stairs like 100 times a day. No room for a desk, but there is a nice counter space with room for stools, we are planning to use this for crafts like painting and play-doh. I would never have thought of having a mudroom in our house, our architect just mentioned the idea when we were planning last year (in conjunction with putting the laundry by the kitchen). But this is one of the things I'm most excited about with the new house! :) Any more thoughts? Thank you so much...! Amy