Wow, it came out beautifully! I love your cabinets, and the hardware is awesome.

I think what's most exciting is that you probably have endless options for a BS, with the neutral tones in your kitchen. You could go bold or completely neutral, I feel like so much could work. For some reason, I instantly picture some sort of diamond shape BS tiles. Maybe bc of all the horizontal lines of the floor tiles with the horizontal bar hardware.

Anyway, I'm no expert on any of that. But I do love how your space came out. Great job!

wow! it looks quite beautiful already! would you consider doing painted glass backsplash, or longer (like 1x12 or 2x12 type) glass tiles? or i could see mother of pearl too.

Very nice! What a great microwave cubby. And your kitty sure seems quite at home. Enjoy!

Great transformation! Love the cabinets and the hardware!!! I can't wait to see your choices on your bs. I'll try to help once you post your choices.

Big improvement with the soffits gone! Is that a skylight in the ceiling? Glad to see the paint color MS MD I've been considering that. Looks great with your cabinets.
Please tell us about how you like your range. Another consideration for us.
Love the hardware choices too.
Especially love how Kitty is trying out for the meow mix commercials! So cute!

Elegant! Love the pulls! I agree MOP would be fabulous, you have many great choices.

Beautiful job. Like the microwave cabinet. In not a fan of OTC ones. Looks like you have used every square perfectly. Takes a lot of thought.

Beautiful. I especially like the open shelves at the cabinet run end. It seems to open up the kitchen even more (though you'll be tending to the kitty fur there, I know from experience!) And the glass uppers at the back just seem to make it look like it goes on, like there's more beyond. It is so elegant! Enjoy!

I also love the MW cabinet! Can you tell us how you did it? I want that too! Such a lovely transformation.

Wow! Your kitchen is smashing! I just love it. The wall color, the cabs, your hardware. It all works together to make your space so special.

Best wishes for many happy hours in your beautiful kitchen!

You can do almost anything in this kitchen. Glass, a mosaic, a simple cream tile or a multi toned BS.
Have you looked on Houzz? You can get inspiration there. Then, when you narrow your idea down, we can help you with your selection.

Just lovely! I love the rich color of your cabinets and the graceful lines of the sink and faucet. Great job, congratulations!

Thanks everybody! This kitchen redo was not without it's problems and stress ridden situations (everything from mold to contractor problems) so I can now truly relate to many of your stories! I will take some closeups and answer questions later as I'm at work right now. The drawer inserts will arrive today along with a new NXR range ( a long story) so we are still busy trying to finish up the last details.

Thanks again for all the support during a tough time.

What a transformation! I especially love your new floor, and removing that part-wall to show the cabs and display shelves makes a world of difference. Ceiling is way nicer too ... is it a skylight in the center?

Great job! The cabs and quartz look great together. Enjoy your lovely new kitchen!

Maybe a gentle-wave-shape for the backsplash to balance the strong horizontal and verticals, and pick up the curve of the handles?

And say, what's that "must see" on the chalkboard door? Can we see inside?!

Fabulous!!! I really like smaller kitchen renos since you need to be especially creative and careful given the space constraints. Very well done. I love the chalkboard door - is that to a pantry or basement stairs? Also, really like the MW cubby. What a relief to almost be finished. Congrats!!

bpathome... I'm LMAO about the Must See pantry. Must See is the name of the contractor's company! The pantry was always there and we haven't changed it all except for the door hardware.
Yes, there are 2 big skylights in the kitchen and they were always there, but we removed the old ugly fluorescent lights and put all recessed lighting in. There is a combination of CFL's, LED's on dimmers above the sink and UCL along the rear wall. That alone made all the difference in the world. For people doing just a minor update to their kitchen, I would highly rec changing out the lighting. Aside from saving my eyesight, it opened the room up tremendously.

Thanks for the nice comments and BS suggestions. I will post some details and photos later when I have some time.

Looks great,.....for the BS I would tie in the floor color and you could go in any direction..traditional, modern...

Nice redo! I like how the bigger pass through really opened up the space... that was a good call.

The mother of pearl backsplash suggestion is a good one. I could see that in there.

WOW!!! It turned out wonderful! Kudos to you!

I have selected similar colors for our redo...you may want to look at hirsch glass signature series glass tiles.... I have ordered a full sheet sample of the mp036.... It would introduce some pop color, not sure you were thinking of that direction. If you want to keep it more serene in the colors, how about small white beveled arabesques. Plumb tile.com could probably source anything for you. If you want bling, look at google images kraftmaid backsplash and you may like the Casa dolce Casa tile they use in their advertising. I do agree with all the other comments. Your kitchen is outstanding. The cabinetry is so rich in appearance . You are making me reconsider my hardware ....enjoy it in the best of health....and good cooking.

Carree, thanks for the tips! That Hirsch tile is gorgeous! I have a hard time shopping for tile on line because I don't trust the color. Let me know how you like your sample. Do you have any idea how $$ it is? No prices on Plumbtile.

Our new NXR arrived and was installed yesterday and all the WoodHollow inserts came (love them!). Hopefully I'll get some close ups this weekend.

Abqdeb, you can find it for about 60.00/sq foot at plumb tile ...but retails for about 80.00/sq foot. Not inexpensive. It laser cut and these tend to be fairly costly. Will let you know what I think after the sample arrives.

carree, the Hirsch tile is gorgeous, but waaaaay out of my price range. I'm going to post a new thread for BS help.

I'm finally back with some more details and hopefully some better photos. We just got the new NXR installed and a few last minute details finished. We made our first "real" meal in the oven tonight! Whooppeee-- feels like a real kitchen now. For those who asked about the NXR, I will try to post in the appliance forum, but the first one arrived with damage (ordered from Costco). After trying to get it repaired with warranty company, we opted to just return it and get another one. Smart move... should have just done that from the start. Anyway, the 2nd one is the charm and it works well.

I'm posting a few new photos just because I'm embarrassed by how blurry the first ones are. Maybe I should edit the original post?

I posted the insides of my drawers in another thread. As for the MO shelf, it looks nice when it's closed and seemed good when it was planned, but not sure that I would do that again. It's hard to open the cabinet next to it if it's open and it's just a PITA to open and close it. We are not big MO users, but our kitty seems to insist on having his food heated for exactly 8 seconds!

Thanks again for the help and BS suggestions.

Love the kitty and your rich, warm kitchen. Great transformation! Enjoy!

abqdeb, got your email and link to this page. Glad you sent it to me because I had missed your reveal post. Your kitchen looks all grown up, sleek and sophisticated now. Love your hardware! Glad I was able to help you with the pulls.

It has been a couple years since I have been to Albuquerque but we do know a few people there so we will probably be back again someday. I will keep your email address on file so you may hear from me again one of these years.

Wishing you lots of good times in your fabulous new kitchen.

What a lovely transformation! I love your beautiful cherry cabinets with the little glass doors on top. I also think the microwave cabinet looks great; too bad it is not fun to use.