I'm a secret admirer, too, mamadadapaige! :)
Could you also tell us the dimensions of your kitchen/dining area, as well as the dimensions of the island?
Thanks so much!

bump

Mama thanks so much for your response. That's so exciting that you have gone back to school to be a KITCHEN DESIGNER!! By the looks of your own remodel I'm sure you'll be great at it. I'm in the NE also, in Connecticut.
Good Luck with the new career. So exciting to be working in a field you love : )

Karen, So happy for you. You are going to be an awesome kitchen designer.

Thank you so much Mary... have you posted finished kitchen pictures yet? what happened with the soapstone?

Karen--I just posted my finished kitchen a few days ago--I was hoping you would see it, as you will see a number of design elements you inspired...especially the windows!

Glad you are well. You'll be an amazing KD! Is your showroom on the North Shore?

Judydel--I don't mean to hijack. I have windows similar to Mama's, only they are slightly above the counter in a box bay. Not easy to open, but they look so pretty! We installed finger sash lifts (from Van Dyke's) and without those they would be pretty much impossible to open unless you climbed on the counter. Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: finished kitchen

Holly,
I just looked at your kitchen pics and just love them... it is so comfortable and clean and bright - you must be so happy. I hope the book is coming along too... any news on that? so nice to hear news from you!!

yes, the showroom is on the northshore. very nice... a long standing showroom that recently moved around the corner so all new displays, just gorgeous - they have live subzero/wolf as well as viking kitchens set up and thus can bring in chefs for demonstrations, etc. I have to say that it feels so good to be so immersed in this and I just enjoy it so much. Thanks for your wishes.... very much appreciated.

I'm so glad for you that you are done and such a nice outcome!!!!!!

Hi mamadadapaige----I am also an admirer of your beautiful kitchen and have a couple of questions for you. Can you tell me what your lighting fixture is (over your table)
Thank you!

hi moegaff, thanks! it is by visual comfort. I ordered through New York Lighting which had a good price and very quick shipping. Below is a link with more info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Visual

Thank you so much----I sent my message so quickly, I did have another question. Can you tell me what sink you have and what the dimensions are and also what is your faucet?
Thank you again!

THE SWIMMING POOL is out early next April. We have gotten some wonderful blurbs from Anita Shreve, Tom Perrotta and Elinor Lipman, so far...it is all very exciting! Thank you for asking!

if we needed anything else for the kitchen I would come visit your showroom--but nope, the $$$ is all gone :)

I was just reading this thread... also a huge admirer of your kitchen, and now that you are studying KD and specifically dealing in woodmode/brookhaven, could you do me a HUGE favor and give me your opinion on my sink install? My cabs are brookhaven, and I am heartbroken over the sink installation.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0617142330159.html?28

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0617142330159.html?28

hi ebse,
oh my! just took a look at your picture and can understand your disappointment. I think there should be some sort of fix for this. I agree with erikanh that a drip rail would help. In the showroom where I am interning there is a white Brookhaven frameless kitchen with a Shaws farm house sink with a mahogany drip rail (I think the countertops are marble if my memory serves me... the combo of that little bit of mahongany with the white cabinets and white marble is very very nice). It is stunning. The piece of mahogany is full depth, but you could probably mimic this with whatever material you'd want to use. If the showroom owners don't mind, I will post a picture of the sink setup (won't be in there again until Saturday).

I do know from reading through multiple posts over a long period of time here on gardenweb that farm house sinks are tricky because they are never a totally standard size (unless it is stainless)... but the porcelein - there will be variations. The bottom is curved and it really requires an excellent carpenter (which you appear to have).

Another idea, which I am not sure you'd be able to entertain would be to replace your sink base cabinet (just this one) with an inset cabinet base and pull it forward so that it is flush with the doors of cabinets beside it. It think what is so jarring about the picture you posted is the recessed area above the doors (again the drip rail would help or having everything flush via an inset cabinet just on this one). Obviously this wouldn't be ideal given the expense involved and the time to wait for the cabinet to arrive, but before your countertops are installed is your opportunity to get this corrected and I would be sure you have explored all options before proceeding.

I will get back in touch with you after my next day of work either way...

I love your kitchen and am seriously considering crown-point cabinets. I am trying to decide if I need to go so high end with my cabinets, and if CP is the way for me to go. I am choosing similar colors to you- a painted white and stained island, so i think CP will provide a nice durable painted finish. I do not really need custom dimensions, and I am not looking for bells and whistles like pull outs and such, but, i do want a quality cabinet.....so is it really worth me going with custom cabinets? Now that you have crown-points and are a kitchen designer, what are your thoughts on CP and/or other brands worth considering. What is the best quality cabinet for the money? Thanks!!

Mamadadapaige, thank you! KD is coming over again today and I will bring up that option (although I'm not really sure whether our budget will allow for that).

Hi Dr. J G,
thanks so much for your nice compliment... read this post this morning and have been thinking about this on and off through the day.

Since I am new to KDing, this advice comes from me as a homeowner and someone who recently renovated their kitchen.

I think this first decision to make is inset vs. full overlay vs. frameless. If inset is the look you want then that narrows which cabinetry lines you'd want to look at. The craftsmanship required to do inset well is more exacting so you'd want to choose a line that does this very well, so obviously CP would be someone to look at. Woodmode too and people on here have really liked Plain and Fancy. These are all lines I looked at when shopping. the P&F was the least expensive, but the girls in that showroom had limited experience and given some of the decisions they made while working up a price, I lost confidence in them.

This gets to my next point... how much help will you with the design? and when I say design, I mean the functionality of the layout as well as the unique touches you can put on it to make it stand out.

I would say the answer to this should guide you. Visit showrooms and get a sense for who will be designing your kitchen. If you decide to go the CP route ask others on this board who they used for a designer and how much help that designer gave them to bring the plan to a different level (or not). I think of erikanh's kitchen as a standout as well as Gina's (not sure what her handle is but her kitchen has been in numerous magazines and she is now designing a new kitchen with the same CP designer and the plans looked great... if you get to that point, you could post a question asking for more info on her).

As for custom cabinetry, I would think of it this way: A full custom line will be able to do for you whatever it is you need, which may be nothing beyond their basic offering. As a for instance, CP would have been able to match a Benjamin Moore color for me (would have cost me a % upcharge, but they could do that because they are full custom). I didn't need that but the option was there. a couple of my boxes needed customization - one is not as deep to accomodate a jog in the wall and one has three draws across the top over four draws below (stacked two next to two). You'll only be paying an upcharge if you need the customization so don't limit yourself by staying away from custom. What you put into your kitchen will also play into the value of your home and how long you'll be there, etc. etc...

Some of the semi custom lines I priced out were more expensive than the CP that I ended up with so you never know how things will shake out.

If you aren't going for inset cabinetry than you have more options. You may also consider custom cabinetry. I did but for me it was a bit dicey as they were going to have me sign a waiver on the painted finish (which would have been done by a painter of my choice on site). I really like the idea of a baked on painted finish with a warranty (particularly since I have little kids running around the house) . The kitchen we replaced had painted oak cabinets. We had a professional painting crew do the painting and it looked pretty good for the first few years, but toward the last several years before removal there were plenty of chips and flaking paint.

So, in summary evaluate the type of cabinetry you want and then assess your need for design help. Spend A LOT of time working out the design (I wish I'd had more time... I definitely regret a couple of decisions I made). Aim for as few regrets as your budget will allow in terms of getting the help you need and getting the quality of the appliances, cabinetry, counters, tile, lighting, flooring, etc. Consider a built in refrigerator if your budget will allow... if you spend enough time on these boards, you realize how many problems it solves to have the fridge flush with the cabinetry and I think it is one of those things that makes a kitchen look high end (just my opinion). Consider a custom hood or some sort of unique hood treatment. I just love the Modern Aire hoods that I see on these boards and I also love my custom Range Craft hood (although because it was expensive it meant I couldn't go as far with the cabinetry as I would have liked ... the island suffered as a result - I had to eliminate many cool but $$ features I wanted for it). It is really like pulling levers back and forth to bring all the pieces together when you are working on a budget but that can be the fun of it if you have the patience.

I hope this helps and good luck and thanks again for your kind words.

Mamadadapaige,
Thanks so much for your opinions and guidance. I would say the vast majority of my kitchen design is of my doing. On your advice, I think I will price out plain and fancy just for a comparison. I plan to get inset cabinets- are your CP cabinets the regular finish (not milk paint or farrow and ball). what are your thoughts on the cp finishes? I am considering the F&B or the standard painted. F&B seems easier to touch up. I also have 2 small children....
thanks so much!

Thanks for your response about the dimensions of the kitchen and island. And congrats re your new career move!
peace