You are off to a great start. The cabinets are beautiful.

Looks like a very nice start. Have you considered a simple new light treatment? It's pretty inexpensive, and very simple to do. We did a minor facelift to our So Cal kitchen of similar size. We removed the old 80s flourescent fixture, added a simple modling where the drywall met at the edges (once the flourescent fixture frame was removed), then installed a newer track lighting system and a couple of eyeball lights. The ceiling was easy to patch, and it made a huge difference in the appearance of the kitchen.

Oh my gosh, good for you! It looks beautiful and I am always so impressed with DIY's. Kudos to your DH, nice job! I love how your upper cabs over the peninsula are opened up now, the glass looks really nice. A little OT, but do you like having a single sink after having a double for so long? Does your granite have a little blue in it?

What rich, warm looking cabinets! I love that huge stretch of workspace on your peninsula and around to the sink.

How long is your peninsula, if I may ask? Thanks!

Chris

Very, very pretty. So light and airy looking now. I love your cabinets! Can't wait to see it all finished.

sarschlos remodeler - yes! someday, I'd definitely want to change the lighting. I agree it would make a huge difference.
mominthedubc - thanks for your kind comments, and YES I LOVE the single bowl sink! I can wash huge pots and caserole dishes with ease. I can leave something soaking on one side, while using the rest of the bowl for something else. I load the dishwasher right after eating, but if dishes or pots, etc. can't be cleaned right away, they sit in the sink and the counter is clear so mess and clutter is out of sight. When I wash pot, pans, bowls, etc, I just squirt a small amount of dish soap on the scrubber sponge. I'm not one who would fill up half of the sink with soapy water, so no, I don't miss my double bowl sink at all. As for the granite...no there's not any blue in it. The colors are black, white, grey, & taupe/tan. I'll attach a pic below.
Chris - Thanks! I make a lot of good use with the space on the peninsula. I like a lot of countertop space when I cook
and when we have large family dinners, I like to put all the food out on the counter so everyone can serve themselves smorgasbord style. There is a 10 inch overhang of granite, but we don't use bar stools there even though we probably could. We have a small eating table in the family room and a larger table in the dining room. The peninsula is 72 inches by 34 inches. The span between the sink and the edge of the peninsula is about 60 inches.
Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone : )

Luna Pearl
{{!gwi}}

Laurie 2008 -

Your old kitchen looks too familiar to me, could be a duplicate of my old kitchen before our remodel. Any chance you live in Orange County?

Claire

Do those great windows look similar too? I only wish I had those and that beautiful generous counter running right out to them. You guys have done a great job, Laurie, and it'll be a wonderful inspiration for people still in the wistful stage.

claireanne - Yes, Irvine! Can you post a link for me to your kitchen?
Thanks, rosie. I enjoy my counter space & the natural light from the window : )

Laurie, what a beautiful kitchen! You and hubby did a GREAT job. I am in awe. My hat is off to you DIY'ers. I love your choices. It must be fun to work in your new kitchen.

I too used to live in Irvine. I really liked it. I was across from the University in Turtle Rock.

Hey, I recognize Laurie's kitchen too!!! But then I live five houses away. :-) To celebrate the new kitchen, Laurie hosted the most wonderful breakfast last Monday. It was delicious and so relaxing. I did not want to get up and go to work.

Laurie's DH did an incredible job installing the backsplash! I know, I checked it out very closely. It's flawless.

Sure looks like Rosie may be a neighbor Laurie.

Jodi-

Looks wonderful! And I'm jealous that you were able to find 3cm granite here in CA.

another Irvine (uni hills) resident here. Hummm sounds like a lot of us renovating kitchens....

Yes, that is my old kitchen...the Sycamore model. Actually, your pics through me off a little because years ago we changed out the simple kitchen window to a garden one and we added a breakfast room beyond the family room where your slider is.

I haven't posted pics yet, but you are welcome to email me and come over and see the new kitchen and other work we did on the first level...we live near the Stonecreek pool.

Claire

oops, that's "threw me off.."

C

Can I go too, can I, can I, can I? :-)

Jodi-

Jodi -

Of course you can, we are trying to get away for a little family trip to Lake Tahoe. My daughter and her boyfriend as well as middle son and new bride will be joining us. This is becoming quite an undertaking...

I'll email you and Laurie soon.

Claire

Looking forward to hearing from you Claire.

Jodi-

mustbnuts - (I like your screen name)..Turtle Rock is a very nice area! I know a few people living there. Do you miss Irvine? There are always pros & cons to living in any given place.

alku05 - I have always admired your beautiful kitchen whenever I've come across it on the FKB or when posted here on this forum. We live fairly close to the city of Anaheim which has a ton of granite yards. Our granite fabricator uses Dal Tile as their source for granite. The Dal Tile yard is so huge that it's practically a city in itself! I'm sure that's how come I was able to get the 3cm granite. I asked the fabricator how often they install 3cm, and they said about 1 in every 20 jobsites.

drarc - another Irvine resident! What stage of remodeling are you in? Have you posted any pics?
I would love to see some.

Claire & Jodi - will keep in touch.

We have a very similiar layout, except we have a wall oven and our cooktop is located on the peninsula. I noticed you kept overhead cabinets, but added glass. We are thinking of doing the same. We aren't changing cabinets, so we have to keep the venting the way it is. A downdraft would cause us to lose major cabinet use. An island hood is pricey and we would lose all that upper cabinetry. Have you found that the glass helps it seem a lot more open? We have doors that open on both sides already, so we would just need to add glass. Your kitchen makes me hopeful!!

The kitchen looks great!!!

Do you like your faucet with the one handle?? Did it take you a bit to get used to it? We saw a few like that at Lowes and thought they were neat looking but weren't sure if we'd like one like that or not

Very nice and so much brighter looking.

Beautiful changes! I love the color of your cabinets and the flooring. The granite is just beautiful, it goes so well with the sink and new appliances. Keep up with the great DIY job, you are doing great! Hard work but well worth it, good luck!

I know well all about Anaheim and granite yards and tile places. I spent several days walking up and down tile row to find the right tile for our back splash. But there are great deals to find!

Laurie 2008 - I have been finished for two months except the backsplash.

ngng - what anaheim tile stores did you like the best. I bought my granite in anaheim and luckily only had to go to two yards (contract with kd) but I still took tons of trips. I have been thinking of going to look at tile, but I don't think I am up for it. Would be great if I only had a few to target.

lyfia - Thanks. Even my mood is brighter when working in my new kitchen : )

mab1964 - I'm really glad we added the glass on the cabs above the peninsula. To save money, we only did glass on 4 of the 8 doors. We chose to do glass on the 2 outer doors on the outside portion of the cabs (facing the family room). We did glass on the 2 inner doors for the portion facing the inside of the kitchen. See pics below. I feel like the glass adds a nice dimension and gives variety and lightens up the feel a lot so your eye doesn't only see wood. Another modification we made from the original over peninsula cabs...the new cabs are not quite as tall & a little less in length as well. This modification opened up the area a little and I still feel the cabinet space is sufficient. Now, when standing in the kitchen and talking to someone who's standing on the outside of the peninsula, I don't feel like the cabs are such a distraction like the old ones were.

hisgal - Thanks. I like my faucet with one handle very much!
My old faucet had one handle, although it wasn't exactly the same as this new one. So, it didn't take much getting use to. Below is a pic of my old faucet...so sad looking. I learned from people on this site that ceramic disc valves and solid brass construction are important features to look for when buying a faucet.

drarc - Any ideas about what kind of backsplash you may want to use in your kitchen? Dal Tile has a nice showroom in Anaheim. The public can look, but they sell to contractors.
Will your kd be involved with the backsplash? If not, you might want to check out Anaheim Stone Works (2020 E. Howell Ave, Suite F). They use Dal Tile and are located right across the street from them. Anaheim Stone Works did our granite and they probably do backsplashes, as well. We were very pleased with them.

ngng - Thanks for the nice comments : ) I was finally able to view the slideshow of your beautiful new kitchen! When I picked on your link, I got a black screen (even after waiting a few minutes). Then, I tried picking directly onto one of your pics in your post...and I got it!! All of your colors go so well together. I especially like the message center, granite & backsplash & the decorative plate displayed in the corner..so pretty : ) You did an amazing job on everything!

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Old Faucet : (
{{!gwi}}

New Faucet : )
{{!gwi}}

laurie 2008 - I have been in that Dal-tile showroom. I actually purchased my granite from the slab yard there. I just walked around and they don't talk to you if you just drop in so it added to my confusion about what I want. and no my kd is finished with their part of the process (cabs and granite). I think I am in the middle of a process of wanted to have a wow backsplash, coming to the conclusion that it shouldn't compete with the granite, realizing glass wasn't doing it and not wanting to wimp out on plane tile, taking a break to live with my kitchen..... I am just now getting my second wind and ready to hit the tile store again. I am looking now for something that is more ivory colored, possibly subway in stone, with a little zing......