Love the crisp, clean lines. Paint color on the walls?? Neat idea to use towel rack for your dish towels! Much more relaxing space than the before even though I personally like the color blue. It all works!! Congratulations on a job well done.

Did you ever resolve your granite issues??

I LOVE it! You totally nailed the 1920's charm factor. I can see why you liked your old kitchen so much but I think you retained the "feel" of it while adding beauty and function. The blue range and other blue accents, like the striped jug are totally knocking my socks off!!!
Fabulous!

It looks so amazingly different. You did a fantastic job. I love the cream color cabinets with the dark granite. Your range is so pretty with all your other blue accents. I use the same colors. Love the way it turned out. Very warm and inviting and so much more updated. Thanks for sharing the pictures and hope your very happy in your new kitchen.

Very charming! I'll bet you are enjoying the added counterspace and the new cabinets!

Wow! Yours is now one of my favorite kitchens! I love your beautiful blue Bluestar and the blue stripes on some of your light fixtures, the window shade, cabinets, pantry, work table, and small marble topped accent table--ok, everything! LOL! You have completely captured the 1920's charm while increasing your functionality & efficiency by I'm guessing at least a factor of 10. Is your work table on wheels or stationary? Give yourself a well deserved/earned pat on the back and sit back and enjoy your new kitchen!

Hi buffalotina...

I think you did a great job maximizing your kitchen. Your first kitchen was really nice too, but I can see that your new one is much more functional. Really pleasant to look at too! Love the blue stove!

I am really happy that you could continue getting use of your laminate flooring. I have laminate too. Was this a budget issue or did you choose to keep it? It's a little hard to see it in your pictures...Can you give a little more details about it?

KA:)

Everything works so well together. The Blue Star styling looks perfect in your kitchen. I now have your photo in my inspiration file. The kitchen looks beautiful, functional, authentic, comfortable -- and just makes you want to be there. Congratulations and enjoy!

So pretty! I had never seen the before pictures. What a transformation. It has a wonderful feel to it, clean but comfortable. All of your little details are just perfect. You know I love your adorable BLUE Bluestar. I love the granite as well.

One quick question -
I noticed the range has vents on the door which I have never noticed before.

Gorgeous, sharp, clean, warm...Very well suited to the house while being a great place to work and cook!!! Enjoy! You did an amazing job.

Oh, this is such a great remodel! That blue kitchen of yours was such a cutie! I feel like you really paid proper homage to the old girl by keeping her spirit alive in the new kitchen.

Your picks are classics and I am sure they marry well with your house. That blue range makes tears well up in my eyes...I can tell you loved your old blue kitchen!

Enjoy the new space. It looks terrific.

Me likey!

My mistake, I just looked at your pics again and realized the light fixture with the blue stripes was in your old kitchen--my bad. Your new fixtures are beautiful (striped one had just caught my eye the first time around). I just love looking at your range!

I am so happy for you - it looks wonderful and I just bet its easy to cook in.

Congratulations.

Beautiful...you did a great job of capturing the flavor of the 20's and it looks so perfectly designed. The shade at the window is a wonderful touch too. Just perfect all of it. c

Oh my goodness thank you everyone for the nice comments. I am so glad you think I caught the 1920's feel....the house is 1923 and I do love the style. I had to keep blue as the accent color: homage to the old kitchen, and, I really like blue! And yes, it is MUCH MUCH more functional than the old kitchen. Some quick answers:

chris45ny - I now feel rather embarrassed that I was so picky and upset with my granite install.... honestly I do love it now. I do think it could have been done better, but that can be said about a lot of things in the kitchen.

kitchenaddict: If you look at the old pics you will see that the laminate floor runs in my entryway, through the kitchen and into the breakfast nook at the back. It then runs into a small powder room. So I guess it was a budget decision to keep it: It was not completely worn out and I would have had to redo the floor in the whole linked space. Since the new kitchen went in I decided I really like the look of the laminate with the new cabinets and even if I had to redo the floor now I might go with the same! Say what you want about laminate but it is very practical. Mine was installed well, back when they GLUED it together. I think that is important in a kitchen.

flowrs_n_co: Yes I love my old striped light. It is hard to see in the pictures but the new lights have thin BLACK stripes on them! The work table is not on wheels, but I pretty much leave it where it is. I put felt on the bottom of the legs so I can push it around slightly if I need to.

sayde: Yes, with all its plusses and minuses, I think the style of the Bluestar does suit my kitchen. I like cooking on it and I hope that it has longevity.

odiegirl: I guess I have the "new" oven door with the side vents.

bmorepanic: Thank you for your honest opinions last year about the "blue box" in my old kitchen. I LOVED that cabinet... however, once I got my head around getting rid of that...well then it was pretty easy to decide to just do a full remodel and be done with it :). Actually it was one of the first things to go as it had to be demoed ahead of time: the chimney is behind it and we needed to get a good measure on the available space.

One of the biggest things I love about the new kitchen is hidden: I had the old laundry chute repaired and I made an access hole to it through the pantry cupboard - it is incredibly useful. I made the door out of painted plexiglass and it is held in place over the opening with magnetic tape on the back of the door/cover.

Tina

Laundry chute:
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

I think everyone has said it all...so nice! Blue range really makes a statement! And clever, clever, laundry chute!

Yes, what is a1920's kitchen without a laundry chute!! It was quite a task because when I removed the old cabinet I found that the old chute, which had clearly been accessible in the ORIGINAL 1920's kitchen, had a piece missing where it presumably had a door at one point. The metal was all ragged and that explained why it was snagging clothes sent down from upstairs. So tricky as it was, I lucked out and found a talented sheet metal guy who replaced the whole section. He did a wonderful job. Now the whole chute works better (no snagging) AND I can use it from the kitchen :). It is priceless.

I know it caused you a fair amount of anxiety so it is nice to see it turned out so beautifully. You have a great eye for combining elements without pushing things too far (I'm glad some blue made it back in - the range is fun). Simple, warm and inviting which, for me, is what you want in a kitchen. It looks like it is intended to be used not impress the neighbours (though I am sure it does anyway).

Oh buffalotina, I can't wait to come back tomorrow morning and spend lots of time with your pictures. I'm just checking in quickly while my rice comes to a boil. I have to smile because I see lots of kitchen elements we now have in common. I'm so glad I was able to help, and I feel so complimented by your shout out. If I were there, I'd give you a big hug and pour us a celebratory glass of wine!!!

More tomorrow!!!! : )

WOW...really nice job...I so love it when folks stick to the era of their home. Your cabinets are gorgeous along with that awesome stove and your laundry shoot is brilliant. WELL DONE!!!

LOVE your range and all of your lighting choices. So much character in that space!

Hi buffalotina..

Your floor looks in great shape..Mine is Pergo Select but it's not glued, it's just clicked together.. however I have had it throughout the rest of my home for 7 years, so I was happy to continue it into my new kitchen. It has withstood so much abuse and even liquid accidents, I am confident it will be great in the kitchen as well.

Thanks for responding to my question..

KA:)

let me just say how lovely the kitchen is. in fact, my husband and i just went through the photos and your photos inspired us to make some changes. good thing since we're about to put in the cabinet order. but we were going to do all stainless and i looked at yours and realized that with the bluestar 30" - and i'm getting the same one and either in blue - tho i think i'm going for the next grey-er blue - or stainless - and the hood is stainless - having the fridge and the dishwasher in white lended a moment of relief to the whole thing. thank you so much. what a big change and the minute i saw your photos i knew it was the right thing to do.
what a great kitchen.
by the way, how long did you have to wait for the blue bluestar since it's a special order?

Beautiful job, BT! I remember the struggle you were having deciding about what to do with the cabs. You've retained the charm and dramatically increased the fucntionality - best of both worlds!

Enjoy!
Eliz

Brilliant! Seems like SO many nights a week I am stripping off all my clothes in the hot kitchen, and then having to leave something unattended on the stove while I go allllllll the way down to the basement to add them to the laundry. You found the perfect solution!!!

(Me, back in the kitchen after the long trudge to the laundry room)

(btw: your kitchen looks just fabulous! And I say that as a restoration fanatic who typically sobs whenever people remove antique/vintage cabinetry.)

:-)

francy

I love your kitchen! The colors, the cabinets, the whole style--it looks great. Like everyone else has said, I think you did a perfect job in keeping with the style/era of your house. You added just the right touch of "modern" with the polished black granite counters. The range is awesome! Great job.

lol, Francy! There was a post on user names when I joined a couple years ago - How people chose them/how others interpreted them, etc. - and I remember writing that when I first saw your name my eyes read it as "bare and fancy." It took me awhile to rearrange the letters in my mind, and now this post.......

But back to this kitchen --- It's a great job. Had never seen pics of the original, which had charm & originality, but the remodel elevates the space to a dream kitchen. Especially like the clean lines of the backsplash w/ the black trim.

buffalotina, I missed all your ups and downs, but it looks like it was completely worth it! You and I have similar tastes, though I was renovating a 1981-turned-1995 kitchen, not restoring/renovating for a particular period. I can imagine what effort must have gone into what you did.

I love the creamy cabinets with the white trim and black counters and black accent in your backsplash. I always love white subway tile. The blue range, the glass-front cabinets, the window shade, all absolutely perfect for your kitchen. A soothing and refreshing change... I know you will enjoy it!

(BTW, I will always think of you when I see my Sillites. I may never even use them but I am so glad to have them, instead of the plugmold!)

^ ^ Francy has quite a sense of humor! : )
0 0

I don't know how I missed this!

It is sooooo charming and full of character--true to your home! I love your blue range--it is a perfect fit in your kitchen. And I love that you could keep your laundry chute! We have one just off the kitchen, and I would be sad to see it go.

Your kitchen if very comfortable and inviting. Congratulations!

I love everything about this kitchen and would like to be invited over for tea as soon as possible please. Thank you! ;)

Wonderful job. Love the black accent in the backsplash.

It's just gorgeous! I love all your color choices and how you stayed true to the character of your home! It's a beautiful kitchen - Congratulations!

It really is a lovely kitchen, and so in keeping with your older home. Even though the footprint didn't change, there are so many improvements over the old space! You must love the new cabinet next to the pantry with the glass door and drawers. I love the rollouts in the pantry...they look like they'd hold a ton. Also love the big deep sink. And the laundry chute.

Your stove wall reminds me so much of mine! The towel bar on the end of the cabinet, the plain cabinet side without a fancy panel, the use of the liner tile as the accent...but you have that sassy bluestar range and I have to admit I'm a little jealous. Don't you love the enclume utensil rack? It looks like you almost have the space to add a second one if you need to hang more stuff.

You must just be so happy with the end result. All your hard work and planning paid off. Will you be posting it to the FKB?

I have been offline for a while but I just wanted to thank everyone so much for all the nice comments. I do love how this kitchen turned out and it is SO much more inviting and functional than the old one. I love using it!

Arlosmom: Thank you for your comments! Yes, our stove walls are very similar and I admit I think I stole the idea for the towel bar and the placement from you! Thank you! Your kitchen was an inspiration and still my favorite! Yes, I could mount another utensil rack on the adjacent wall but I am scared to drill a hole because it would be above the electrical box for the light switches and I might hit the wiring. I wonder if there is a way to know where the wiring is? Yes, I love the pantry rollouts!

Caryscott: Thank you for your very sensible advice at several points before and during my remodel. I have also enjoyed all of your knowledgeable posts, especially about frameless cabinetry. You and bmorepanic were the ones that convinced me the old kitchen had to go completely :).

Francy: I agonized about getting cabinets that were more period... wanted Crown Point, but the budget prevailed. I also admired all your pictures of the period cabinets you had built. In the end I went with the Brookhaven frameless and I am pretty pleased with them. They are not strictly period....but very practical!

Many thanks to everyone again for all the help and advice I received here. Oh yes, and a special thanks for Buehl for the continued excellent knowledge and advice on this forum. Your black granite and advice about it is what convinced me to go for absolute black, despite worries about maintenance. So far I love it!

Tina

Lovely kitchen!!! Looks like it has been there forever...in a good way!!! Really, really great job! Enjoy....

Dear Tina,

My apologies for not telling you earlier that I think your kitchen is wonderful. I remember an earlier post from you when you showed off the range and hood (lovely!) But to see the range and hood in context -- in your entirely lovely kitchen -- well, it's a real treat! You go girl!

Beautiful! I love the range area most of all. So charming and the blue is perfect! I imagine how thrilled you are! The prior blue kitchen was lovely too. I also love the pot rack on the side wall and the utensil rack by the range with the little light over it. Very cute, creative and functional! So many nice touches! Really wonderful kitchen - enjoy! :)

I was just admiring your finished blue kitchen wondering where you'd gotten the cabinets and why you kept the wire baskets until I scrolled down and the cream kitchen appeared. (duh!) Love both kitchens. Blue kitchen has partial inset doors, I think, which are my favorite, favorite, favorite door style ever, but drawers are better so I can see why you tore them out.

Hi Tina,

Specific lighting question for you:

I have some of the same lights as you do, and I am just getting ready to order a little one, like the one next to your stove. It is the size I want (2 1/4 fitter), but to do that size, the shade has to be open. Does it bother your eyes at all to be able to see the lightbulb, in terms of glare? I'm worried that I should go with the slightly larger fitter size, and do an enclosed light. But I already have that same little shade that you have on my sink pendants (sans stripe), and I just wanted to stick with the same style so as not to overwhelm my teeny kitchen.

Thanks!

:-)

francy

Hi Francy! I have had no problems with that shade and light...the only thing that bothers me about it is that I screwed up the calculations and it is not centered between the hood and the walll.. :(. My ceilings are 8 feet and I also have the open shade above the sink and honestly I never really look up at them to catch any glare. My rationale too was not to have too many different shades/styles. You can see that the fitter and canopy on my sink pendant match the small stove light. All my light shades have the black stripe but they did not offer the stripe on the one over the sink.

Good luck and I would love to see pictures of your finished period kitchen!

Tina

Thanks Tina! Same here in not wanting too many different shades/styles. Off to Rejuvenation...

"Finished" kitchen? Finished? At 4 years and counting, the day may never come!

But I can at least finish my lighting!!

:-)

francy

Just saw this...Great kitchen! I do like the old, but I like the new even better! It's so nice and bright and even looks bigger. You did a great job!

I'm glad you like your black counters...we still love ours as well!

Enjoy the kitchen!

So glad this was bumped as I really enjoyed these pictures. What a lovely timeless kitchen! I hope we achieve it so our kitchen gives off the exact same vibe!

You must be so proud of how charming it all turned out. I bet there are quite a few people keeping this as an inspiration kitchen ;) Bravo!

BTW - I just hope you saved your original blue striped light and re-purposed it elsewhere. That was so cool.

You did a fabulous job on your new kitchen! It is truly charming and looks right at home in a 1920's house. I love the touches of blue. The laundry chute sounds quite convenient.

Wow! I absolutely love what you've done! I love the vintage 1920s vibe, the crisp black and white/cream. And the pops of blue are perfect. The new space looks much more functional. Did you happen to save your original light fixture? Your new fixtures are stunning, but that old one could be fun somewhere else in the house (maybe). In any case, congratulations on your beautiful new vintage-vibe kitchen!

Oh buffalotina! I love your old country blue kitchen (one of my favorite colors; can't wait until it's "in" again!). But I love the way you have incorporated the blue into your new kitchen. It's lovely!

May I please add your kitchen to the Finished Kitchens Blog?
You can either give permission here in your post or send me an email: starpooh@gmail.com.
Then, when you find the time, please submit the FKB Category Checklist so I can easily categorize your kitchen.
Thanks!!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

I have been trying to post about your kitchen for several days yet always get side tracked. Love it! A while back you posted a picture of your range on a thread and I couldn't wait to see the rest of your kitchen. Your range even started me rethinking my choice. However, my choice (now whichever it may be) won't come into play for a while yet.

Buffalotina - where did you get your island? Is that a John Boos?