Yay! Maybe if we all pressure each other, my kitchen will actually be "finished" and I can finally post "Tada!" pics.

dawn t, we started in 2008, too. DIY is tough, because we usually have 14 projects all going at the same time, and it's easy to set aside a liveable project for months while working on something else. I'm right there with you.

catmom, I never tire of seeing your kitchen. I (heart) your backsplash. Love the bottles! They're so sculptural. I have such a love for glass(I collect perfume bottles,) and your accessories are perfect. It's so nice to be able to have helpers in the kitchen now. The previous kitchen was so claustrophobic, that I would never let anyone else in(the kids could bake with me, but no party help.) They just got in the way.

I haven't posted finished kitchen pics. I'm one of those horrible DIYers who mostly finished over 2 yrs ago, but refuse to post pics, until it's done, done....I'm going to make it a priority to "finish" this year, and finally post finished pics.

I'm in. I'm in! I'm joining this club! :-) Not as a DIYer, but most definitely as a FRH (final reveal holdout)going on 2+ years now. In my pitiful defense, I will say that, for those who have been here a while, I have already posted enough partial photos of my kitchen over the years such that, by the time I get to my FR, there really won't be that much "new" stuff to share here. (But for the newbies, here are some previously over-shared samples):

Range wall of my small galley-style kitchen

"The bistro"

Detail of multi-colored veining in Green Mountain Original Soapstone Countertops:

Now, despite countless promises I've made to "soon reveal" my kitchen, Laxsupermom's post today is timely. That's because I'm currently hard at work assembling my "correct and finish" plans and the team that will execute it. So, today I take the pledge: whether "done" or not, Marthavila will finally do her "final" kitchen reveal this summer! :-)

Laxsupermom, your kitchen looks so exciting! Just those few photos you have posted have really caught my attention. Love the hutch and the kitty cut-out, backsplash, cork flooring, and stenciled slogan. Shucks, I love everything I'm seeing including your adorable children and that charming towel squirrel. Count me in as well as one who is really looking forward to seeing your final photos!

Thanks laxsupermom--I haven't tired of looking at any of the stuff we've done (or bought for our house) either! It just still amazes me and DH, and absolutely tickles us to no end that "we did this" (finally renovated/furnished parts of our house), and we'll often just stand in the doorway to one of the completed rooms and just drink it all in. We never could have imagined that we'd finally get to this point.

With luck, we'll actually complete the rest of the house someday so we can enjoy it for a good long time!

I am so glad you are enjoying your new kitchen as well, and am genuinely happy for everyone here when I read how much they are enjoying there new spaces. There's nothing like seeing it all come to fruition

marthavila--you know I can't wait to see the big reveal! The pics you've posted merely whet the appetite, and have me anxiously waiting to see more! Small it may be, but your kitchen looks to be very well thought out and filled with many lovely details (almost as lovely as her owner!).

Martha- I love it so far. I love your range and the feet on your cabinets. I can't wait to see more!

Laxmom, love your kitty door! So cute!

marthavila, your Aga cooker & Modernaire hood make me drool each and every time I see them. I think, you, myself, and rhome410 may have some of the oldest kind of/sort of/almost, but not quite ready for FR kitchens in GW history. Thank you so much for the kind words. This was really a small budget, DIY remodel(with that barcode tile as the one really big splurge.)

Thanks for the compliments on the hutch, spider96. DH did a great job turning my drawing into a reality. When I drew up the kitty door, I wasn't sure if she'd use it, but she loves it.

laxsupermom, you have always been one my true favorites, so to see your name, your *incredible* kitchen (yowza!) and scrumptiousu son just made my morning. Thank you so much for posting! I love how inviting your kitchen is, I really do -- warm and friendly, just like you. And your Tinkerbell has such a beautiful smile ....

And like you, I can never get enough of cat_mom's and marthavila's kitchens. I am totally coming to NY so I can visit you two, because I already know j'adore you both plus I can then visit in your a-ma-zing kitchens and pet cat_mom's cats! Love love love your kitchens and just can't get enough of either. Delish.

Okay, so I have my fingers in many pies because I am horrible about ever truly finishing a project: I usually get "close-enough" and then I'm on to something else. But this is the project I SWEAR I am going to finish. Swear it. All that's left is to get the fretwork (which I'm having made) which will face the cab doors (around the fp), & paint & install it, of course, have a glass panel put in the one upper cab door, and finish painting the overmantel. Yahoo!!!

This was about 3/5 other-done, 2/5 ME ME ME done (I want credit!).

The mantel and all the cabs are new. Oh, and the windows and lights.

We had the fp put in during our kitchen remodel three yrs ago, but ran out of both steam & money to finish it then.

And this is what it was like when we bought the house four years ago -- the fp was in a dif't location and the white cab is there for reference. We did have it ultimately removed and new cabinetry built to accommodate the new fp surrounding cabs.

I still need to finish painting the gingham pattern in the laundry room (and then it is done, baby!) and then stenciling a tone-on-tone pattern in the powder room (which feels flat to me). But as Spring is upon us I'll be in the garden! But like laxsupermom, one day I'll be "done" (as if, ha ha)!

I'm in when I get a backsplash, get my wall hood up, get some hardware, and get my stainless shelves up. Now... all I need is the money!

I think I make up for those that don't post pictures. I'm one of those horrible DIY'ers that post pictures of each step of the way. I'm not even done and I think everyone has seen enough of my kitchen already LOL!

Another DIYer that started in 2008--2007, if you count when the wall came down. It takes a loooong time when all you have are some evenings and weekends to work on it. UGH.

I have been painting baseboards and shoe molding this weekend, so hopefully soon...

So, I'm almost "in". And yes, like Dawn above, we are TIRED, but in the home stretch!

Loving everyone's pics. LAX, ooh and ahhh! Martha, lurve lurve lurve!!! Cat, love your kitchen even more in these informal shots! RM, XOXOXOX love the big clock and all the cords!

Soon
Is the operative word here. I will solemnly swear to
post real pictures As soon as I can. Hopefully by the
end of lax season.
~boxerpups

Okay count me in. I am planning on it within the next two or three weeks. I know you guys have been going nuts with my glimpse pics and stuff.

I hadn't realized how many FRH(final reveal holdout)s there were. Now that we've all signed up publicly, we need to hold each other accountable. DH is building my cookbook shelves as I type.

boxerpups, the problem is that lax season is never really over. Spring rolls into summer travel, which blends into fall ball, which ends just before box lax begins.

rmkitchen, you just made my whole weekend. For you with your absolutely gorgeous kitchen, and your incredible sense of style to say such kind things about my little kitchen really warms my heart. I love your fireplace & built-ins. Your Delft style children tiles are so very perfect and your vision is so close to complete. I'm cheering you on.

You can fully understand why my kitchen is taking so long.
; )

No promises...As there is far too much over which I have no control. I just said to DH this morning that we have about 50 things that need doing/finishing in our house that top the priority list. I'm afraid trim in the kitchen isn't at the top of that list. "Functional" has to be good enough for awhile.

But, Laxsupermom, you don't know how happy I am to see your Kitty Loo! One of the things on the list is to create a pet center in a 5 ft alcove that was supposed to hold the downstairs laundry set we've decided we can do without. The cat box is one of the things it should hold.

rhome410, one of my early concerns about hiding the cat box was that it might be out of sight, out of mind, and could get disgusting. As it turns out, my cat is more OCD than I am, and if I miss even one day, she'll let me know she wants a fresh box(she'll nip my chin if I forgot.)

So, just participating in this thread energized me enough to start working on the microwave cab wall again.

Of course it figures that I'd run out of 2 1/2 inch #10 screws to secure the hanging rail (*!#@#) and I live 1000 miles from a hardware store. Well, not really, but it is Sunday and I do live in the sticks :)

That's ok - I'm gonna leave the big, ugly, green masking tape markers all over the wall. Hopefully that'll embarrass me enough to keep at it!

Lax, my cats would *heart* your kitty cabinet! :)

{{gwi:1543235}}

Dawn

I swear - those are *not* paw prints on my oven door ...

Dawn - Some of those pretty cats look like Maine Coons.

Love the cats, Dawn! I grew up with them, and I had find a new home for my calico when I married dh (he has allergies + we were moving to a no pet apartment). I used to have happy dreams of cuddling with tons of kittens, and he said that would be his nightmare! LOL

Lax - thanks! Love what I've seen so far! And everyone else's kitchens too.

Dh put up crown moulding over our cabinets yesterday, so I just have a few finishing touches and will hopefully have pics of our kitchen fairly soon. But right now we're all Eastered up, so I'll probably wait until it looks a little less seasonal.

I wish our cats would nip to get the box cleaned...They 'punish' us by using something else. Yuck.

Dekeoboe, I'm not sure? They're just part of our (large) barn cat herd (strays, rescues, abandoned, etc) that we've looked after for years. DH started letting a few of the old girls inside, while he stayed at the new build to deter theft (and I stayed where there was running water ... LOL)

They're actually all sweethearts, but oh the HAIR!!!

Wait a minute. Is there some relationship between being a FRH and being a cat lover? The # love of my pet life is a cat named Zoe. I'm noticing that besides our official Cat_Mom, being a cat mom is a status that a number of us on this thread have in common! To that I say: Final Reveal Holdouts and Cat Lovers Unite for the Finish! (Don't worry, Boxerpups, et. al. Even dog lovers can still be welcome as bona fide members of the FRH Club as well.) lol!

Cats rule!!! (so do dogs!)

Actually marthavila, I am not a FRH--I have posted finished kitchen pics, I just never took/posted pics of the glassware on top of the cabs (which we acquired about a year or so after we completed the kitchen, and some months after we'd posted the finished kitchen pics). Can I still be in the club? LOL

Ooh, Dawn, I love your kitties! They are beautiful!

I have two "girls". I didn't want to show them laxsupermom's delightful kitty potty, lest they start begging for one. They have already taken over the banquette by the window. They hardly need a beautiful carved kitty cabinet to go with it.

So don't anyone give them any ideas! ;^)

Wait a minute. Is there some relationship between being a FRH and being a cat lover? The # love of my pet life is a cat named Zoe. I'm noticing that besides our official Cat_Mom, being a cat mom is a status that a number of us on this thread have in common! To that I say: Final Reveal Holdouts and Cat Lovers Unite for the Finish! (Don't worry, Boxerpups, et. al. Even dog lovers can still be welcome as bona fide members of the FRH Club as well.) lol!

Marthavila, you are so right! It is a "catspiracy" to keep us from getting those final details done. I was wondering what happened to all my Reynold's Wrap! :^D

{{gwi:1783123}}
(snagged from Google images)

laxsupermom, I was going to email you but this saves me some time. Mark tomorrow/Tuesday on your calender to visit Atticmag. Thanks again for taking photos for me.

I am wondering if I can belong to the FRH club.
1. my kitchen is not completed yet.
2. I do not have nor have an affinity for cats (allergic to contact)

I think I am more a Progress Reveal Holdout. I used to post plans and idea pix frequently. Once the kitchen started to take shape, I realized I'd wait to reveal it once it was all gussied up. Now, I am thinking that once I have counters and can put my table in its place, then that will be close enough. My stove won't be functioning for a month still because we need permits, but that won't affect the pix of it. I also am solemnly swearing to not wait until the dining room and den are complete to post, as that will take a while. It is a very open layout, so I will just crop and take photos carefully to not show how undone the adjacent spaces will be, lol.....

Catspiracy - Hee! You all are so funny! We of course know that if any household pet were to be the mastermind behind a diabolical plan, it'd be the cats. dawn t, your kitties are so beautiful! I love how well they coordinate with your floors. :)

allison, it'll be so exciting to see my cat hutch on Atticmag! It's only my favorite decor blog ever. Thanks so much!

The thing that gets me about Dawn's photo is that she managed to herd 7 cats to the photo session. It may not be so hard to get a shot of one, even two cats in a single shot. But 7 of them, all grouped together, and with most of them facing and/or posing for the camera? Amazing!

BTW, Rmkitchen -- love what you did with that new mantle featuring portrait tiles of your children, the new porthole windows, built-ins and lighting! And, yes, by all means, do come and visit us in The Big Apple! It could even be the reason for another TKO meet-up, ya know. Just say the word! And Cat_Mom, you know that I've always raved about your kitchen. The glass art collection just makes your place shine all the more!

I'm one of those horrible DIYers who mostly finished over 2 yrs ago, but refuse to post pics, until it's done, done.

I am SO in on this. And what a timely thread. We started in early 2009, and I actually WOULD have had a "finished" kitchen yesterday, but we found a HUGE problem with our cabinets :(

Although our kitchen proper was pretty finctional (just missing toekicks and trim) We've been living with primed, doorless cabinets and a dirty plywood counter in the adjacent pantry/desk area for almost 2 years. I finally gave up on DH building the doors and bartered with a cabinetmaker friend to build them, then painted and installed them a couple weeks ago. DH made the cherry counter and installed it 2 weeks ago. This weekend he installed the kitchen's toekicks, lightrails, and top trim, but we discovered that some of our base cabinets are sagging badly. :( Argh- kitchen is not even finished and it's already breaking!!! The cabinet rep is coming tomorrow, I trust they will replace/fix it all.

DH is building the cookbook bookcase this weekend, and I just need to tile the pantry backsplash. We're ALMOST there!

And here is a pic of our kitties in the kitchen (hearth seating area):

:-) to you marthavila! You are too sweet! (my fellow mutual admiration society member!!!)

rm--you know I would love to have you over!!!!

You are making that house of yours so beautiful and so special; can't wait to see more!

You mean people actually finish kitchens????????? Mine was functional in 2002-3 & that's pretty much where it stopped; the sad thing is, I still think of it as 'new' but one day I will finish painting the cabinets & decide on a cornice trim. It only took 5 years to decide on the perfect backsplash!

Laxsupermom - love your kitchen, especially the kitty loo & the wording above the french doors, not to mention the killer soapstone.

gulp...this makes me remember the last resolution thread, which hasn't been carried out yet in my case...blame the economy...but soon I'll...

As I begin to type I am hearing Naked Eyes "Promises, promises" swirl around my procrastinating, inability to complete projects head....

I love each and every single one of your kitchens!

My last promise was made in the fall while waiting for my new fancy camera. got it end of October and here we are with no new shots of the kitchen. life happens and luckily maybe you guys forgive! I've been moved in almost 2 years now and I just left DH a message today saying we really needed to schedule in a "hanging party" this weekend. The blank walls are getting to me.

LOL, Marthavilla, I'd love to say that they are extremely intelligent and well trained kitties. But truth be told, they are just (im)patiently waiting for their morning treat. I was holding the Whiskas tin above the camera :)

Thanks for the nice comments everyone!

Kudos to Laxsupermom for starting this thread - as it has encouraged me to start working on my kitchen again. Funny how once it becomes barebones functional all the finishing gets put on hold ...

Dawn

Lax, LOVE that hutch and kitty door! My kitty would be jealous for sure. Can't wait to see the big reveal of yours and all these other amazing kitchens (Martha that means you, my dear :-)

RHome, your kitchen looks so fab every time I see pix that I can't think of what's left to do. And cat_mom, love that glass! You and DH have so many beautiful structural pieces in your home.

Thks for sharing these bits and pieces - we are all awaiting the reveals anxiously but in the meantime I hope you are enjoying your kitchens anyway and cheer you on in your progress!

Eliz

Here's a link to the post!

Here is a link that might be useful: Built-Ins For Pets

Oh No, Stacy! That's awful! Has the cabinet rep been out yet, today? What did he have to say? I hope they come up with an appropriate resolution. Love the photo, btw!

Dawn, this thread has gotten our butts moving again, too.

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone. And check out Allison's post. Lots of great ideas for us pet owners.

We've been mostly complete since last year. A few pics have posted here and there, but no official unveiling yet.

Backsplash and various unfinished trim pieces are underway today and tomorrow. I'm running out of excuses...

I am in this club.. We gutted it in mid-Sept and had it working by day after Thanksgiving.. backsplash came in at the end of December and had it up mid-January. DH is building our shelves and we pulled down/redid the crown molding (sadly, I still don't love it and want to rip it all down *sigh* that was a DIY thing that didn't work out, we made a promise if it didn't turn out well, we'd rip it down and pay someone, DH is not okay with that now
)
so we have shelves to put up and touch up paint. I don't know if I'll redo the buffet table we put in. No official unveiling at all. This weekend the shelves should be up and hopefully next week a full reveal.

I am in ... I promise to post 'kitchen complete' pictures as soon as the last bits and bobs get taken care of, hopefully before the end of April. We started this reno 27th July 2010 and we are nearly there! I will also post some outdoor/indoor pictures in some of the other threads, been meaning to do that all along, but PC went 'dunk' and it took some time fixing it all and updating the whole shebang while I was at it.

Petra, Spain

laxsupermom... snuggle bunny is sooo cute! oh and your kitchen is pretty cool, too. ;)

okay, i've been lurking a long time, and i keep thinking that i'll figure out one day what "lax" stands for. someone else has the name laxfanmom, so i'm assuming it's a team. in fact, i even asked dh at dinner recently, but he didn't know. please enlighten our ignorance!

i'm glad you are pledging to post pics soon, because i've always been intrigued by your kitchen!

ironcook, lax is the common abbreviation for lacrosse. With the x being crosse. Huge sport in the northeast, although there are a few excellent youth teams coming out of Texas right now.

Sometimes for me, it means lax like lackadaisacal - like when a child will come up the stairs saying, "he won't...or he took..., etc." And I'll cut him off and say, "If no one is bleeding then go away."

Thanks for the condolances, laxsupermom. The cabinet rep was out yesterday. They are going to take care of it, but it adds a bunch of design details that were not originally in the plan. For instance, we now HAVE to add feet to the island base cabs to prevent the same issue. And the very visual corner of a long cabinet run is going to have an odd toekick situation that I'm trying to figure out now.

The cabinet retailer is going to send their installers to carefully remove and replace the worst cabinet. I'm TERRIFIED they are going to crack my marble counter trying to unglue it :(

It's always SOMETHING, isn't it?

thanks, laxsupermom! the second interpretation had occurred to me until i saw laxfanmom post. that or maybe you live near or work at LA international airport, or liked some team in Louisiana...

i know, i need to get a life. ;)

Whew. I thought you were talking only about me. The only photos I have posted of the kitchen are the ones that the photographer took when shooting the backsplash.

And now, I have to find all of my photos (from my old blackberry and the old computer and get them uploaded, again, to Photobucket. The Kitchen Folder I had on PB disappeared.

I guess I'm guilty of wanting it to be really done. How's this? I keep moving the punch list from place to place as we work on other projects. It was on the doors to the laundry room closet, then the back door and then I found it folded in 1/2 on the washer. Well, last night I grabbed it and taped it up to the inside of the closet in the laundry room (look closely at the photo below of the closet, you can see it). You have to understand...the laundry room ONLY has a Washer & Dryer in it....the walls have been painted, the doors are MIA, the floor has been ripped up....all in anticipation of getting that gorgeous floor that WE won. Want a sneak pic of how it's coming along? I've placed some tiles on the floor with a piece of trim, so here you go. And I promise to post finished kitchen pictures too, soon. I mean I guess you won't notice if the backdraft thingy is in the venting or not, right?

(Oh and we've been working on the basement and I redecorated my 20 yo dd's room--been kinda crazy.)

So, some quick photos of the laundry room just so you know what's happening around here:

Stacy, I'm glad they're stepping up and making it right.

beekeeperswife, can't wait to see your finished pics! The tile is going to look absolutely stunning in your laundry.

bee, that floor is so pretty!

bee, those tiles are even prettier close up! and at your house, even better! ;)