In our den (where we have built-in cabinets) I chose finished ends. I'm going to hang artwork there, and with or without the deco panels I just didn't want an expanse of cream (the color we painted the cabinets). I'll have to go take a picture so I can show you ....

Probably in May weÂll start unpacking and then the artwork will go up.

In our kitchen we used deco panels, but in all fairness there is only one spot where we needed it: the end run which is the side of our dishwasher. It is in prime view of our breakfast nook, and I absolutely know if we hadn't done it we would have hated it. Hated it.

We have separate freezer and refrigerator units, and theyÂll flank a passageway into the dining room. The finished ends of those each have a magnetized chalkboard.

Originally we didn't have the panels on our end runs. I thought it looked unfinished and was pretty unhappy with the result. So we went ahead and ordered "doors" for the end panels. I think we needed 6 extra doors. It was a big expense but I really prefer the look.

Wow! rmkitchen I love your kitchen! It is going to be beautful! I soooo wish I could do that look, but I have old white painted cabinets (circa 1965) now and I hate cleaning them all the time. But all the kitchens I gravitate towards have the same look that you have.
The caulkboards were a great idea!

I think what I have decided on is to do the 2 cabs that face my dining room with the deco door and forget about the other 5.... wait maybe not! I can't decide.

rmkitchen, Where did you get your magnetized chalkboards? I love them! What a good way to keep the family organized.

We originally had planned to have the decorative doors rather than finished end panels but, like you, we encountered budget issues and eliminated all except the ones on the back of our "mini" peninsula that has an actual cabinet on that side. We felt that a cabinet back that was just finished would look out of place next to a cabinet w/doors.

Yes, they are quite expensive [probably b/c one of the most expensive parts of a cabinet are the door(s) and drawer front(s)]. Our rationale was that we can always add the decorative doors later when we've finished paying for the other things we need done plus college!

I recommend asking yourself the following questions:

(1) What is not that important to me and doesn't add functionality? [Candidate for elimination altogether]

(2) What can I do at a later date? [Candidate for deferring until a later date]

(3) What can't be done at a later date and I can't live without? [Candidate for keeping and doing now]

Once you've identified those items that fall into the lists above and have determined your budget status (above/below), you should have a clearer picture of what you can afford to do now, what you can completely eliminate, and what you can put off to do later as money becomes available.

Some ideas:

Backsplash....can be done later and, depending on the tile and the intricacy of the design, can be quite expensive

Purely decorative items like door panels and furniture molding...can be done later

Window modification that would allow your window to be at counter height....can be difficult to do once cabinets and countertops are in (but, I'm sure it's not impossible). If you are considering a bay or bow window, make sure you have enough counter material left that will fill that area (and make sure you get it and save it yourself!)

RMKitchen...I also love the idea of the magnetized boards...maybe one chalkboard and one white board? Hmmmm...

We didn't put panels on ours. I didn't feel strongly that it needed it, and still feel that way. I think it might be more "important" with "busier" cabinet doors (more traditional raised panels, for example), where there is more contrast between a plain finished end and a door panel. Also, I think that wood grain is already "busy" enough, whereas it might matter more with painted cabinets. But all that is just my humble opinion...! I know others feels strongly about panels giving the kitchen a more finished look.

Here is one end without a panel:

{{!gwi}}

I ordered finished sides and as they were being installed I ordered door panels. Maybe it was my cabinet maker, but the finished ends did not have the depth/interest of the cabinet doors. In my kitchen I did not want the additional detailing on the sides and have flat panel doors on the sides.

That said, if "the cost for the doors would put me way over budget" I would not do it or I would find something else to downgrade/eliminate.

I guess I lucked out in this regard. I ordered finished ends, but one of the ends ended up having a brown spiral-y swirl thing. Turns out it was a worm track (!) in the wood. Because it was in a very unsightly spot, my warranty covered the cost of two panels (one to cover the flawed end, and one to match on the other side). They are just plain panels, but it really finished off the look.

I have a mix of both. On one end of my island there are two doors that open up to a chalk board for DS to play on (he has a toe kick drawer below it for his chalk). All of the other sides have "stuff" on them, (book shelfs etc) so if there was a foot or so blank it got a fake door. Wait now that I think of it...I think they're all door panels...hummm LOL this has me wondering what I ordered LOL I'm gonna have to be suprised :oP

Maybe go for the suprise approach like me...no decisions, just suprises (my KD completed the order while we were in the hospital and that time in life is a bit fuzzy)

shanny75 -- thank you so much for your nice words! In our previous house we also had a white kitchen (which I painted -- when we bought the house it was old-lady face powder pink) so I totally know what you mean about having to clean it lots! And back then I only had a husband, not two small children and a puppy .... But it's the kitchen of my dreams, and if it means I'll have a sponge perpetually in my hands then for me, that's the price I'll pay so I can fulfill my fantasy.

jaymielo -- I'll have to ask my cabinetmaker where he sourced the boards. My idea had been to have one chalk, the other cork, but my husband nixed that idea (with the kiddos and pushpins -- good catch!). So then we'd decided on one chalk and one magnet, and the cabinetmaker said "how about magnetized chalkboard on both?" Bingo!

I'm so glad rachelle posted pictures -- what a perfect example of how finished ends (without deco panels) look terrific and do not detract from the kitchen.

And, as usual, buehl is an incredible source of helpful tips. As we've been living with the finished sides of our den cabinetry I notice the large expanse of plain face and wondering if I should get panels ... and then I remember about all the art I have planned for there. But just as buehl wrote, it's such an easy addition later down the road -- definitely not written in stone for "right now."

Based on what you wrote, shanny75, I think I'd wait on the deco panels until the kitchen is in situ and then decide what bothers you, if anything! What if it looks great as is, like rachelle's? Then you won't have needed to spend the money.

I'm looking forward to watching your kitchen progress!

rmkitchen, I'm so happy you checked back to this thread! So now I have some more questions... Are the chalk boards "built into" the cabinet or just affixed to it? It looks like they have a little tray for chalk. Do you know the approximate size? Looks like maybe 18" by 40ish"? Do you have any close ups of them? I think they are really fabulous and if you don't mind, I may steal your idea. I have the perfect place for it in my kitchen and my final specifications should be going to the cabinet maker next week.

Thanks so much for sharing!!! Jayie

I agree with Rachelle. My kitchen is "busier" and really needed the paneled ends. I had the same decision to make while our house was under construction. Our kitchen was 300% over budget and framing of the actual house started a few weeks after hurricane Katrina. At the time, the amount of $ for the upgrade seemed like a huge amount of money but I did it anyway. Fast forward 2.5 years later and I am so happy that I decided to spend the extra money. We've had time to "recover" financially from the build and now the difference in cost seems a drop in bucket. I would really be regretting it if I didn't go with the paneled ends.

{{!gwi}}

rm tell us more about the chalk boards :) I think I'll have to paint my own...but I suppose I can have the painter do it...how were your's done? Is the paint chalk and magnetic or are they separate boards (they look like part of the unit).

I can't wait to see your kitchen :)

jynx...nice pic...SHOW MORE LOL (she is being urged to in the decorating forum)

Hi jaymielo;

I'm delighted you like the idea of our magnetic chalkboards enough to do it in your own home! What a compliment. I did a quick internet search for "magnetic chalkboard" and there were oodles of hits. I'm in Boulder, CO, so unless you're close I'm not sure how useful my cabinetmaker's (local) source will be ... but you let me know if you want me to ask and I shall!

You were so close about its size! ItÂs 20" wide by 48" high. The white side panels (it appears to me) were cut out and the chalkboard panels are mounted in the back. Not sure how to phrase it -- hopefully this is where a picture is worth a thousand words!

back:

close-up of back:

front:

close-up of front (you can see here how the white panel is cut and the chalkboard is behind it):

chalk ledge:

Our children are soon-to-be four and soon-to-be two years-old; we wanted them to be able to access the chalkboards and chalk, so the ledges are ~26" from the floor. Even though they're low for adult-use a wonderful thing about the ledges' height is that they're low enough to not catch us (adults) in the thigh or hip (our [okay, my] widest parts [as opposed to our calves]), and the edges have been eased: I wanted them rounded but my husband didn't and since he didn't want marble and we have acres of it ... I was happy to concede.

Hope this is helpful  if not, let me know and IÂll measure / take more pictures!

What a cutie!!

jynxed23 -- if you come back, is your son hapa? Mine are, too!

rmkitchen - I had to google what hapa is but YES he is! Half Korean (from me), 1/4 English, 1/8 Sicilian, and 1/8 German. My daughter is the same but looks nothing like him
{{!gwi}}

This pic is more kitchen related (sorry for the hijack)
{{!gwi}}

We did the door end panels on all the end runs. Ours are painted and it just gave it a bit more ummph. and since it is a small kitchen, umph was needed.

rmkitchen You are the best! Thank you so much for all the detail. I LOVE it. I have a 5 and 3 year old so the chalkboard would be good for them, plus, I like to have somewhere to jot down stuff like grocery lists, phone numbers, etc. Your idea seems infinately better than the scrap of paper I usually have on my fridge front. I'm super excited! Thanks so much for sharing! Jaymie

Oh my goodness -- my pleasure! I totally forgot in my penultimate post to say YES -- these are for our (adult) use, too! And just as you wrote: phone numbers, grocery list, and to pin up the dry cleaner receipt! I know (esp. knowing us) that it will probably end up being a little messy but that's just who we are and how we live. I like the kiddos being able to do their doodles someplace safe (as opposed to the wall which is not safe because I'll yell!) and I like having one spot where we can put all our random scraps of paper we'll need (like the dry cleaner receipt or prescriptions, etc.). I'm really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out! Thanks again for your nice words, Jaymie.
-Brooke

rmkitchen - I love your kitchen! So classy! I also love the brown walls. I now remember your post from the decorating NYC Housewives forum. I read it and thought, wow, that could be me writing this. I can't believe what your b****hy friends said! DH and I are slowly emerging out of the whole constant construction phase and we heard plenty of catty comments such as we're the laughing stocks of our town, etc. Now that the dust has cleared and I've started having playdates here, I'm getting b***chy comments from friends who live in smaller homes such as: (1) I would donate to charity before I built a house this large and (2) I think its so obnoxious that people live in big homes and keep the temperature so cold inside (I keep it 71 and we have whole house radiant so it actually feels a couple degrees warmer) - I was told 75 degrees was the minimum a house should be kept!

So hang in there! Your kitchen is so tasteful and classic and I can tell that you are putting your heart into the remodel. Just remember, your friends' unsolicited opinions/comments say way more about them than about you!