None of your images show.

Thanks, I know.
Finally, got them to show above.

Here is a link that might be useful:

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 23:22

dup

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 23:19

And again. Note that the chairs at the island were with the KD software - we will use simple stools.
And if you look close you'll see spacers next to the hood - it's because his software didn't plug in the correct size range hood - but IRL the hood is wide enough

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Sat, Sep 28, 13 at 23:20

Your choices of the blue and white are beautiful.

Have you seen the counters side-by-side? My concern would be that the patterns of the two might be too similar in size and they might fight for attention. It looks like the island countertop might have a slightly larger pattern but I wonder if the difference is enough. Are you planning for one of them to be a standout or do you want everything to flow from one pattern/colour to the next.

It looks like you are using white appliances. I'm not questioning your KD as it looks like you've done a lot of work on your choices but just be careful that any undertones in your cabinets, appliances and backsplash aren't clashing.

eg. I happen to hate pink undertones and it was important to make sure that there were no pink/red undertones in the floor or cabinets.

Thank you Blfenton. I just took a photo in natural light of the stone samples I have. What I've been concerned about is the scale. I like it that you put it as flow. I think I am looking for nice flow. If anything is to be the star it is the honed marble backsplash, which has a cool white undertone, and the lights.
The refrig is the Jenn Air white glass model, which also has a cool undertone. The other appliances are stainless.
I don't have in hand a sample of the white painted cabinet, but I will recheck. As far as I recall its an "opaque" white and I didn't see any undertone. I especially don't want pink or yellow undertones.

We will be having floors stained on site, and right now dh and I are thinking warm walnut, med dark.

So no one here is jumping up and down saying "yuck! Don't put those two stones together" ?

I like the stones and think they'd go together well. But, intead of having both cabs and countertops in different colors, I would prefer to use the island countertop on the perimeter as well. Loved your island color and backsplash btw.

I think the midnight blue cabs will be fantastic!

I'm not a designer or decorator, but my layperson's eye sees this:
2 different cab colors
2 different cab styles (based on the drawing)
2 different countertops
2 different appliance finishes
2 different types of hardware

I would question whether the size of your space can accommodate all of this in a cohesive manner.

I love the 2 stones. Not so much the very warm floors with them. Would you consider a white oak, or pickled, or white wash, or stained gray look instead? I wanted a cool toned kitchen but have made some compromises to keep my (all through the house) warm sapele floors. I guess I could've ignored the floors and just gone ahead with the other elements in all cool gray, blue, white, stainless...but I agree that flow is important.
The 2 stones together are well done - which isn't easy. Congrats!

Peony4 and KKsmama, thanks for the input.
Let me go through some of my decision process and see what you think,
First, my inspiration kitchens when I started out were

Sena, I don't have the backsplash sample board here, I had to leave it with the builder for a few days to source it, so I can't get a picture. I can tell you that it looks fabulous up against the blue pearl. It works in the same room with the quartzite, but it doesn't look great right up against it. That would be my number one reason not to consider the quartz all around. I love the quartz, but I'd give that up before the bs right now.

Thanks for this explanation. When I see the kitchen drawing, there are two different styles of cabinets to the right of the range, and then one of them carries along the top. Visually, this adds to the mix of finishes in the room.

What you'll notice in your inspiration kitchens are that the cabinets are one color, and only the countertops contrast (and then, not greatly). Your kitchen has 2 largely contrasting cabinet colors, and 2 contrasting countertops. Altogether, they're producing a varigated theme that's not present in your inspiration kitchens.

I think if you have your heart set on the midnight blue cabinets for the island, you may want to consider dropping the Blue Pearl (which doesn't read "breezy" to me at all--it's a visually tightly speckled traditional granite), and having the lighter quartzite on both perimeters and island. This would lend flow and cohesiveness to the space.

Is it evident from the drawings that those cabinets that have the millions are glass doors? They're same white box, same door style, but with glass fronts.
I'll have to give that some thought. Think I'd rather go back to white cab base on island. I get what you're saying.

Yes, I assumed that! I apologize for my confusion. I still consider a glass-front door and a solid door of the same style name to be different styles visually.

I have Fieldstone cabs, by the way, and am very happy with the construction and quality, for what it's worth. And mine are the conventional white finish, which in my kitchen doesn't appear to have any funky undertones. It's just a nice, white finish. Good luck!

mlweaving_Marji - I think you have a terrific plan. The stones are gorgeous together. I'm not so sure about the two diferent cabinet colors but suggest (if you haven't already) some time on Houzz looking for kitchens with different cabinets and countertops. If you find pictures you love, then your vision is sound! Otherwise, keep the two lovely stones and use one material for the countertops. (We have same counter top on island/perimeter, white perimeter cabinets, cherry island).

As far as your floor, you may want to use a low sheen finish (darker floors show scratches and dirt more; the low sheen helps hide this).

Your backsplash looks good with everything and the wisdom I've learned from the forum (the hard way) is to plan this in the cabinet and counter top selection process.

Thank you so much for the rug suggestions in the decorating forum; I enjoyed browsing through them!

In your MW stack, is there any way you could include a MW drawer, lower, and increase your CT space? Also, suggest you take that stack of cabinets to the ceiling. Waste of space otherwise... and it will match the hood area.

LOL, this is what I love most about GW.
If you ask for opinions, not just affirmation, you're going to get them. And that's good.
I have to keep telling myself to EDIT. I started with a vision.
Then I look at a million pics and love this and love that, and add this and add that and add and add.
And all of a sudden I have to edit because it's a hot mess.
So can you imagine that this is my edit?
Vision starting out had all white cabs stacked with glass over solid shaker doors, with perimeter countertops dark stone and island counter a white marble look-alike.
KD added the all glass front cab to right of range, and I liked it.
I added the color to the base of the island.

I'm going to make photo copies of my drawing and go to work with a crayon, and color in several options, and you're probably all right, I'll end up back with a white base island cab.
I'd rather hear it now than regret the choices later.

We do have the blue cabinets going into built-ins across at the long wall of the great room. When I stand at the sink I'll be looking at the fireplace wall and the blue cabinets. So it's not like I'm losing them altogether.

I appreciate your input.

next question, do you think I should do all pulls? Or is it still okay to mix knobs for doors and pulls for drawer fronts?

Absolutely fine, if not better, to mix (says she, who did so). We'll be here and we love seeing pictures :)

Thanks OB2b!
As to that end cabinet stack - it's not a microwave in there, it's the Thermador steam oven. Boy did I have a time with the KD getting that thing placed! I'm so excited to have one, can't wait to start using it and go through the learning curve. I tried to have it placed next to the refrig, to give me open counter all the way along the long wall, but I got worn down. Also, the clearances and the vent space required for each didn't make for a compatible pairing.
I love to cook. I'm not so much a baker, but I Love cooking, and entertaining. I'm going to love the open floor plan which doesn't remove me from whatever is going on in the house when we have guests while I'm cooking. But most of the time it's just me and dh. My kids and grandkids live half a country away.
Backing up to the oven tower is my cookbook bookcase. Dh joked with KD that my cookbooks just might fit in there! I'm not sure I'd want that going all the way to the ceiling given the solidity of the oven stack. I should post the rest of the elevations, to show how the heights work together.

Looking from the bkfast room area

I think it makes perfect sense to put pulls on drawers and knobs on cabinets. Like oldbat2be - I also did it. For some reason it makes sense to me - mine are in the same family.

I'm not sure who pointed it out but a good point was made about the 2 different colours of cabinets and the 2 different counter tops. Your counters are so well mixed and matched that I would give up the blue island and go with the different counters. They will really make a statement in the room.

Carrying the blue of the perimeter counters across the room with the blue built-ins will actually help to visually balance the entire space.

It's important to edit design details, as you are discovering, for a couple of reasons. If you have too much going on your eyes will be bouncing all over the place and you will wind up with a kitchen that just doesn't have a vision.

The kitchens that you have posted that you like are very calm places with a fairly monochromatic look. Just by adding the blue counters you have increased the acitivness of the space. There will be a heightened awareness of the space - I don't mean that in a bad way but more in a be aware of it.

My impression is that you are trying to include every design idea/trend in your space. Don't - your inspiration pictures don't. Compare your drawings with that of your inspiration pictures and pick out the differences that you have added. There are probably quite a few.

There is actually a really good thread about comparing an inspiration picture to the result - I'll see if I can find it.

I love your inspiration kitchens, and loved them before I started. And I went through the same "adding" and now wish I'd had this thread to consider earlier.
I also have a big honking stainless fridge, and wish I'd more thoroughly considered a panel (but I bought a floor model, not panel ready).
My floors have quite a bit of red, the inspiration kitchens don't; I wish I had either of those inspiration floors.
Blfenton's post is excellent! I had been thinking that it was what was in inspiration pictures that I could copy but it is as important to notice what is not in them.
I think I'm going to love my kitchen when it is done, but I have not done a good job of choosing and executing a cohesive plan. I wish you a less stressful experience!

Fwiw, I'm also going with white perimeter cabinets and a stained gray island (to be mimicked in the butler's-pantry) and my KD actually encouraged this because he reminded me how much abuse the island takes from seating, work, etc and that white will show everything. A friend says her big regret of her (fantastic) kitchen is that she did a white not dark island...

Anyway, GL - and I happened to love your original vision! I'm sure it'll turn out beautifully no matter how/if you tweak it!

This is going to be a lovely kitchen! I have some thoughts on elements other than finishes:

1) Is that a pantry over next to the fridge? I'm hoping so, because otherwise you'll be forever reaching over your head and hoping you can actually reach that can of beans or the raisins without having to go find the step stool.
2) Is there a reason that you have lower cabs vs. drawers under the steam oven and to the left of that one?
3) What sort of a corner cab solutions have you chosen for that inside corner? Such a little thing that makes a big difference in function.
4) Where are you planning to put your everyday plates and bowls? I was going to suggest in drawers in the island on the side opposite to the DW.
5) I think that oldbat2be is right about the height of the bookshelf/steam oven stack - take it to the ceiling. When I look at the front view, it seems like the cabinets sort of stair-step to the right.

Mixing knobs and pulls is probably more usual than having all of one or the other; however, other choices are also viable. In the end, this is truly a matter of what appeals to you.

That is a pantry next to the refrig.
I didn't see the stairstep until you mentioned it. I'll call KD tomorrow and find out about the possibility of taking that to the ceiling.
As far as functional features, the lower corner features a lazy Susan with pull outs. To the right of the range the uppers have built in spice racks on back of doors. Right now the lower 9" w cabinet between corner lazy Susan has tray dividers, but I'm considering asking for a pullout set up for bottled goods like oils and such.
The cabinets flanking the range are drawers. KD put cabinets w pullouts under the steam oven and I didn't really object. I'm thinking that may be where some heavy items live like food processor, and I have an easier time lifting if I can get my hands underneath.
He had tried to give me my prep sink where that cabinet is to the left of the steam oven. I nixed that. I'd rather live w one sink and have it in the island. There simply wasn't room there for cleanup sink and I'd lose too much counter space.
Anyway, the cabinet base stayed when the sink came out. I could easily change that to drawers. The island has a 36" sink base, a dishwasher, a trash pullout, and on the end we fit a mixer lift cabinet. On the public side there will be close to 8' of 12" deep cabinets where I will keep 2 sets of fine china and serving dishes. We're going to put the push-to-open hardware there so that there isn't any shiny visible hardware under the seating area.

I just moved all my Houzz pics and pinned inspiration kitchens to one pin board. There are over 50! Anyway, there are some consistencies that come through. I like balance, but I am comfortable with quite a mix of pattern and texture. I'm thinking about keeping the glass transom cabinets but making the glass front cabinet solid. I'm also thinking about finding out about building a cover and changing out the hood for one that is behind a cabinet-face front. I find I really don't care for big hunks of stainless, and that hood is center in my kitchen.

Again, thank you for your input.

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Sun, Sep 29, 13 at 9:35

If you change your pullout from trays to bottles, be sure to find another place for the trays. We put them above the fridge and that works well. We used Rubbermaid dividers rather than buying a cabinet with dividers.

For my kitchen and family, a stained dark island makes sense as rpets suggests. Stained dark is more durable than blue paint, blue paint more durable than white, factory finish white better than local shop finish white. Building on my earlier point, I think it is fine to depart from your original inspiration/vision, just be clear about how and why you do so. I wonder if you would be better off with a blue on blue island, and white on white perimeter?

I want to thank everyone for your input earlier.
We talked about it and went back to KD and priced out some of the changes. After considering budget, function and aesthetics, this is what we're doing.
In the interest of not having big hunks of stainless in the kitchen we're having a mantel cover built and have changed out the Vent Hood to one that is an insert.
We changed the glass front cabinet to a solid door to the left of the oven stack, and we are taking the oven stack and bookcase at the end of the run up to the height of the hood.

The countertop selection for the perimeter changed too. Not because I decided to make it the same as the island, but because the blue pearl granite we could find here in stone yards had no blue at all, and frankly we didn't like the slabs much. Instead we ended up tagging a gorgeous piece of soapstone. And it's paid for already.

This is another view showing the bookcase and the other side of the L.
Before someone suggests changing out the lower cabinet to the left of the oven stack to drawers, let me just say that that is one of the options we decided against. We ran up against budget and the two other changes were more important.

Did you ever post a finished product? I'm interested in how your kitchen turned out. :)