jen,
we must all be driving you crazy with questions but your kitchen is most certainly an inspiration!!!!!!!!! i have an island about your size and i am struggling between 2 or 3 pendants. yours looks great with 2....do you know the dimensions of your lighting? i think the ones i want seem to be pretty large so 2 might be enough. even the name and brand will help and i can look up dimensions if that's easier. THANKS!!!!

Pluckymamma- Well, it turns out there is only 12 inches from the back of the island to the edge of the side, but with the granite, which overhangs the island by an inch, the overall total is 13. It is working fine for us so far.

gglks- I don't mind at all! I have gotten almost all my inspiration and a million questions answered from this forum, so I am just happy I have something to share. I don't know the exact dimensions of the light, but they are pretty big. They are antiques so I will have to measure them and let you know. I too struggled with two or three lights, but now I see that three would have been to busy in my kitchen even with smaller lights.

jen, i would love your opinion on this.....i'll try to post a plan but i don't think it would do any good....we are doing trimwork detail on the ceiling (almost looks coffered) so i feel like trying to fit 3 in the ceiling may look to busy. my kd will be giving me sketches of ceiling detail early next week so maybe i can send that out when i get it. the pendants i'm looking at are 14in height and 12 inches in diameter and my island is similar in size to yours. i have a feeling your fixtures are much bigger. anyway, thanks for sharing. i feel like i want to wait to see how the kitchen all comes together but the electrian is coming this week and wanted an answer.....any input would be great!!

hi gglks- I do think mine are bigger, but I still think two could work. If you look at just the lower part of the glass, not including the glass lid at the top, my fixtures are 14 inches long. However, they are much wider at 30 inches. My main suggestion is that you wait until your island is in before you purchase your lights and try them in the space. I had two other lights that I though were "the one", but when I got them in the space they were clearly not right.

That is one beautiful kitchen. I particularly like the sink window and the pendants. Thanks for the pictures.

Oh my gosh, how did I miss this kitchen? I love it! It's beautiful! So happy to see your antique nordic black countertops as ours should go in in two weeks! I LOVE your whole look - the beautiful inset cabinetry, and my gosh that window is to die for! Any more photos?

GORGEOUS!!!! Can't wait to see the rest! You must be so proud and happy!

jen4268, we would all love to see updated pics of your gorgeous kitchen! How are you liking your antique nordic black countertops?

Me too....love this kitchen!! I have changed me mind so many times about the look of my kitchen, but I think this is the one! Did you finish the backsplash?

Jen,

Absolutely beautiful kitchen and a great inspiration for my redo!

Could you give me the approximate dimensions of the window unit? Which manufacturer?

Do you like having the windows go down to the counter? That's what I'm planning and am a bit worried about breaking a window if anything hits them while washing big pots, etc. I know they'll need to be wiped a lot because of water splashing . . . that doesn't bother me as much as the thought of breaking one . Let me know how they're working : )

I love your kitchen! I too would like to know more about your window. I would like to do something similar in my kitchen. Was it custom? Was it terribly expensive?

Jen, I went to Sherwin Williams and they said they don't have Almond White. They carry 8180, but it is Gosling and that is not your cabinet color. Can you check on your paint color for cabinets and repost the color please? Yours is one of my favorite kitchens.

I went to the SW store also about the color. They said it was a Duron color and they didn't carry it. The Duron store was too far for me, so I ended up going with one of the cabinet makers color. I really loved the Almond White though.

Jen, where did you get the stools? Forgive me if you already posted up above. I'll reread the post.

Wow! I didn't expect all of these messages after so long. Thanks! Let me see if I can answer some of the questions for you-

I *love* the nordic black granite. I did seal it with the 511 sealer that has been recommended on this forum, and I have not had one issue with it at all. It looks so unique that I always get questions when anyone sees it, and I really like the way it is not too shiny or too dull.

Judydel, enright- on the window- it is still my favorite part of the kitchen. I am very happy with how it goes all of the way down to the counter. I will say that it works much better because we did a small bump out of the sink area as well, which give you some additional room between the water and the window. Because of that, I only occasionally have to do any additional wiping of the lower windows.

The brand of window we used was Jeld-wen, the premium wood Siteline series. I don't remember the window costing more than what was predicted by our contractor, I will look at the info tonight when I home and give you the actual dimensions and costs.

Pluckymamma, positano- I am really surprised you had issues with the paint color. It was a Duron color but all of the Sherwin-williams stores in my area had no issue reproducing it. Most paint stores can match another brand's color if they have the number. The color was Almond White and was SW8180.

The stools were from Ballard Design, ordered online. They have a 15% off sale going on until Friday if you are interested.

Last of all, no backsplash yet, which is why I have not posted updated pictures. However, I will post a few later today of what I have done to date.

Actually, here are a few I had on my computer- a view of the breakfast room, desk area, and from the family room. Not much decorated yet, but we love the new space! The color on the wall came out waaaayy to yellow, but I have to gather some energy before making a change.

The last two drawers in this hutch wall are actually refrigerator drawers- which work great.

Our flat screen TV is actually hidden behind the large picture over the fireplace- We have really liked it there.

Your kitchen is just absolutely stunning. Please submit your pictures to the Finished Kitchen Blog so it can be saved for future reference for all of us. Thanks, you've done a wonderful job.

Really beautiful!! Thanks for sharing :)

Love this desk area- can you tell me where it is in relationship to your kitchen? We are trying to decide if we want a separate office adjacent to the ktichen or a desk space opening onto the kitchen.

Jen, What I ended up finding at one Sherwin Williams store is that the color Almond White was out of the Martha Stewart collection and that was discontinued so they don't have chips for it but still have the formula in the computer and can make it up in a sample container.

We, also, have a coffered ceiling in our family room. Did you paint the ceiling and your cabinets and trim the same Almond White as you did in the kitchen? Your home is really beautiful and I agree with the above poster, get your kitchen in the finished kitchens blog!

chaimama- the office is adjacent to the kitchen. If you look at the picture immediately above the office picture, you can see the opening to the office, with the small chest with the plant on the back wall of the office.

I promise I will post to the finished kitchens, but I am not finished- still waiting on my backsplash!

So elegant!! Love the flow. It must be great to cook there. All the little details add up to a magnificent whole. Great work!

Your home is beautiful! Could you please share where you got the light fixture in your breakfast room?

Love everything. All of the elements work so well together---congratulations! Can you let me know what your room dimensions are?
Thanks!

Hi- to those who had window questions- the large window in the kitchen is a custom window by Jeld-wen- the dimensions are 6.5 feet wide by 5.2 feet tall. They are actually three seperate windows, and the total cost was about $2800.

mommyof5- the light in the breakfast room is an antique.

moegaff- the room dimensions are 18 X 15. (just the kitchen area)

I love your kitchen. I love all of it. I love the way ALL of the elements come together to create a cohesive look.

jen, would it be possible that you have a picture of the OTHER side of your island? (You included a picture of the stool-side, and I was wanting/hoping to see the working side.)

Not as pressing, but I'd also love a shot or two of your living room ceiling. It isn't often that you see that kind of trim work (throughout the entire area) where all of it looks so put-together, so integrated with each other. (For the life of me, I can't remember the name of your ceiling...coffered? I know it isn't "trayed"....) How tall are your ceilings? Again, it is so hard to pull off that look with lower ceilings and you did it so well.

thank you so much for the window information. We plan to do a similar window and kitchen in our house. Your pictures have really helped us to identify the look we love. thank you again

Hi stw9540- here is the picture you wanted of the back side of the island. I have my "trash center" on this side, with a pull out recycling trash and a trash compactor. Then just three very large drawers for cooking items.

Also another picture of the family room that has some of the coffered ceiling included- we really had amazing carpenters who spent a lot of time making it look right. They custom built our mantel as well-

I looked through this thread and couldn't find any details on where you got the pendants. Can you share that? Your kitchen is very pretty. I am also doing white cabinets and hope mine turn out as lovely as yours. Congrats.

My turn for a question, please: about your breakfast table. Our youngest has graduated from his high chair to a toddler chair at the table (yippee!), and we've realized the table we have is just too small .... I'd noticed your table when seeing this thread earlier and it stuck with me (because I love it!). I'm assuming it's either an antique or an old family piece but thought it couldn't hurt to ask ....

Thanks for any tips!

Kelleg and rmkitchen- both the pendants and the breakfast room table are antiques (or at least purchased at antiques store). However, I think Pierre Deux had some beautiful tables that are similar size. I liked a few when I was looking-

Your kitchen is beautiful - we just finished our renovationa and we have very similar finishes - we also have the same countertop on the island and we love it. I've posted a picture - we even have the same crystal knobs

Hi Catsam- I have been following your beautiful kitchen! I love your contrasting island- I really wrestled on whether to do the same, but my kitchen area is so small I ended up keeping the same color and counter. I really wanted marble but I decided on the nordic black. I see you have both- they look really beautiful together. Thanks for sharing!

I just posted a follow up picture for my small marble mini brick backsplash. I managed to sneak a little marble in anyway :)

jen4268: absolutely beautiful!!

-Gorilla

jen4268 - I love the white island in yoru kitchen especially with the nordic black countertops. I find your kitchen looks timeless. Enjoy.

Gorgeous! I love the mini marble backsplash!!!

Jen: I just have to add to the complements you have been receiving. As they say here in the UK - well done! But in the US we say fantastic! stunning! beautiful! I have to say your kitchen will now become part of my 4 favorite kitchens on GW along with RiceRocket, Bosch and Allison's.
Thanks for the inspiration!

How did you hide your TV behind the picture and how does it come out? I am really intrigued by this. Can you post pics of how it works? Thanks.

epicuriousity- I actually posted pictures and information on the TV behind the picture on a post in the Building a Home forum- it was called - TV Over Fireplace: Please Show Me How You Designed Yours, Thanks!

If you search on this you can see the info. I hope it helps! I really love the system.

Absolutely beautiful - You've done a terriffic job! So much inspiration. Thank you for sharing.
Can you finish mine : )

I love the rugs in your living room and dining room and have been looking for the same thing, including the kitchen runner. I would love to know where you purchased them and if they are sisal, jute..or something else and if you are happy with them. thanks so much.

eileen12170- on the rugs- these were actually my compromise as I could not afford a rug right now, and I actually like these very much. The good news is that I got them online at www.naturalarearugs.com. If you go with their standard size rugs (mine was a 6x9 seagrass rug) then the pricing is very reasonable. They always seem to have a sale and shipping is free and not tax. It think the breakfast room rug was only about $100 total. The runner was custom so it ran a little more, but not much.

I hope you find one you like-

Jen4268 - does the antiqued granite require any more or any different care than polished granite? I saw samples of antiqued Cambrian and Kodiak last night and fell in love with the finish. I'm wondering if it's more susceptible to stains.

gemini16- Actually the antiqued is less trouble than polished, especially for black. I have black polished in another area of the house and it shows dust etc. The Antiqued hides the dirt much better- I sealed it when it first when in and I don't do anything special to keep it clean other than wiping it down.

hi Jen4268. Regarding your island...do you have 24 in deep cabinets and then a wall to make up the extra space? I was trying to do the math..24 cabinet + 14 inch overhang =38, so is there a gap of 4"? I would love to do an island that deep but am trying to avoid adding extra cabinets on the other side.

Jen, your kitchen is beautiful! I have spent hours on my laptop trying to find inspiration for my kitchen remodel. I look forward to seeing the backsplash you choose.

Here a few updated pictures- I hope to have my final pictures for posted in the finished kitchens section soon!

Hi Jen,
Wow, I missed your stunning kitchen the first time around! Two questions:

1: Nine months later, do you still love your countertops? I have absolute black in my master bath, with the traditional shiny finish, and could not possibly deal with that in the kitchen. I read one of your posts that said you had dealt with something similar and gone with the antique finish to avoid that problem. So is it truly an easy-care countertop now, or just not as bad as the shiny black granite?

2: How well do your rugs work in the kitchen?

Thanks -and hope you are enjoying your fabulous kitchen.

Bump...question for Jen.

Hi... Your kitchen is beautiful. We are going with similar colors (although our island will be dark - chocolate) and trying to select a black granite that won't show seams (or the one that shows the least). Do you have any seams in your granite? If so, are they visible? Thanks for your help...

Hi: Your kitchen is really gorgeous!!! I am putting together a new white kitchen now, and can't decide whether to put mullions on my cabient doors that have glass. Can you tell me why you didn't put mullions on your glass cabinet doors, especially because your beautiful windows have mullions? ...Please let me know why?