Looks gorgeous! Did you say it's not like the fancier kitchens here? Are you kidding me? This is stunning.

BTW, when will you start on the 3rd kitchen? lol :-)

Mari

LOL Mari.

I mean the cabinets aren't new, I don't have full extension drawers, I have 2cm (poorly installed) granite, and 25 year old flooring. I definitely don't think this one's on par with some of the fancier kitchens!

Fabulous! I'm gonna disagree with this one having function over form. It is lovely. That hood worked out perfectly, didn't it? All that second guessing..

I'll be the first to beg: will you come help me finish my FIRST one please?

WOW!! That is a fancy, gorgeous kitchen regardless of what you say :o) I love so many things about it, and you are right about that sink it is a beaut. I really dig your lighting choices, they go so well with that kitchen. Enjoy!

I LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it! I'm tickled that you 'took on the challenge' and kept the bones to create such a well thought out kitchen. And, I too, agree that it's one of the best kitchens on GW - and a great inspiration to all of us! Congratulations and Enjoy!

NOT one of the fancier ones? Omigod, it's gorgeous!!!

I definitely don't think this one's on par with some of the fancier kitchens!

Coulda fooled me! It's beautiful. It looks like a totally new room.

I think you've done two in the time I've done about 30% of one :oP Show off!

And it's gorgeous. I love that sink!!! I tried to work a farm sink into the second cabinet order (going in this week) but it just won't work on a corner :( So Sad because I love them!!!! Can I have dinner with you tonight? I want to play in a pretty kitchen!

Good heavens! What do you consider a "fancy" kitchen????

Ummm, stay away from my kitchen pics, will ya? ;-)

It is amazing. And congratulations on the focus on the reuse - there is so much talk of greenness and conservation but I realized part way through ours that frankly, the ultimate green choice is to toss as little as possible. And you did that with absolutely no compromise on form whatsoever - it looks amazing.

Isn't having a good workplan great????

It is gorgeous! I still think your tilework and chandeliers are some of the prettiest I've seen, and I like your new rugs too.

And because it's so functional, you'll love it even more down the road.

Aw thanks y'all!

Here are some of things I can remember about the kitchen. (Again, I could have told you EVERYTHING about the first kitchen. For the 2nd, I'm struggling to remember anything!)

Sink: Granite farm sink in Desert Gold. I think it was $375, or may have been $475. I know it was under $500!

Faucet: Delta Saxony in Stainless Steel, bought from Ira Wood for $250. (Bad experience w/Ira Wood. Would NOT use them again.)

Insinkerator hot water in chrome. Also from Ira Wood for around $125. (It was on sale...don't even care that it doesn't match!)

Mini Chandeliers: From Minka Lavery bought from lightingbygregory.com for around $65 each. (Cheap, huh?!)

Kitchen table chandelier: Minka Lavery Bellasera collection around $275.

Kitchen paint color is Benjamin Moore Wheeling Neutral.

Electric Wall oven is Kitchenaid.

Microwave is Kitchenaid.

Range is JennAir Pro-style Gas range. (I know JennAir gets pummeled over on Appliances, but I LOVE this range. Great burners, continuous grate on the top, has a warming drawer beneath, etc.) Bought from a scratch/dent place for $1100.

Fridge is KitchenAid as well. (Sears outlet, $699)

Cabs were primed and painted by my DH, who bought a great Wagner paint sprayer for the job. We used Sherwin Williams "Alabaster", but had them add a few pigments to warm it up a little.

Our super-carpenter built the wood hood, the window arch, the hutch, and refrigerator cabinet. I think it was around $2000 for labor/materials.

Backsplash is plainjane white American Olean tiles from Lowes. The black dots were plucked from a mesh floor tile sample that I bought. Labor was $400, tile was around $200.

Ventilation is JennAir 1150 cfm insert. Retails for around $1100. Bought ours at a scratch/dent place for $499. (Best money spent in the kitchen!)

Glass is "seeded glass" installed by us.

Knobs are cheapies bought online for under $100.

Granite is Butterfly Green, 2cm. Counters have beveled edge, and the island has an ogee edge. $2400 for all. (Horrible granite job. I have the thickest, ugliest seam in the world. But oh well. We'll put a towel over it....)

I think that's it!

OK Starpooh... where does a second kitchen go in the Finished Kitchens Blog???

"Reno-Fan Redux" perhaps?

Wow reno_fan, that looks great! I especially like the hood and backsplash, and the way you echoed the hood design over the sink. Is it my imagination or does the arch over the sink have a thicker stacked molding than the rest of the cabs? Looks great either way. The contrasting wood counter and higher height on our hutch add a nice touch of visual interest too. Great work!

I love the hood and backsplash too, and am printing it out as inspiration. I also really like the granite you chose (despite the installation issues, do you like the granite itself?). I am meeting with my KD on Friday at the granite yard and then later at the tile store to discuss counters and backsplash. Now I have more to think about! THANKS! And ENJOY! It looks like a million bucks!

Reno, It looks wonderful! You have been an inspiration to me because of your "jump in there and get it done" attitude! That's not the way my project has gone at all, but I keep hoping that at some point it will! LOL! Anyway, you created a beautiful space and made it look easy, and I've enjoyed watching your progress! Enjoy!
Margie

Reno_fan, you are FAR too modest. Both of your kitchens, especially this one, are in my inspiration file. In fact I showed it to DH, and it is the first one he's liked - so much that he showed it to his mom as the kitchen ours wants to be!!!

We, too, have a white kitchen, new wood floors and are slowly updating the rest. Someday soon I'll post a thread to you asking your opinion on our plans.

Congratulations on a beautiful room. --Nellie

I love your kitchen, too! I think my range is the same one you have, so I'm happy to hear how much you like it. Mine should be hooked up in the next week or so - can't wait to try it out.

Congratulations on such a great job! I echo all the others who say you are far too modest.

You have great taste; I have admired pictures of both your first kitchen and this kitchen. Beautiful! I love the architectural interest that your carpenter added. Again- you have wonderful taste!

I love it! I know it was mentioned before, but I like that you preserved the floors. And while I used to say that I really dislike white kitchens, this is another example of one to prove me wrong! Lovely!

Well it sure looks FANCY to me! Beautiful job, congratulations...AGAIN!!! And where'd you get that sink for such a great price?!

Robin

I have always loved your kitchen, you have done an amazing job. So how long did it take you all together?

Beautiful kitchen!!!
I love the tile work! And I loved the backsplash in your other kitchen, too.
You have great taste!
Enjoy!

It looks great, RenoFan! I'm glad you're enjoying it after all the decisions.

Beautiful, I love it!!!

Hey Reno_Fan -
Your kitchen is beautiful. I especially love your the backsplash behind your range. It is gorgeous!!

Patti

Wow, what a fantastic transformation! Congratulations! I wish I could find a carpenter as talented as yours!

I really enjoyed watching your enthusiasm as you approached this project. Your previous kitchen was wonderful, and you did it again with this one. Your "super" carpenter gave you some spectacular results. Your backsplash is wonderful, especially as it mimics the arch of the hood above it. Enjoy it, it's terrific.

I've enjoyed watching this come together, and I agree that the finished product is something to be proud of and enjoy. Do both.

Just beautiful - you did a fantastic job!!

What a super, super job! I can't believe you're all done! I'm still at the 99-99.9% done stage, and still can't seem to get the last teeny bits finished, the rest of the clutter put away, or the pictures taken (and don't even get me started on accessories/decorations!).

Kudos to you reno!!!!

Hey reno,
I love all that you did with the kitchen. If this isn't fancy enough, then I don't know what is!
I especially love how you used simple and cheap tiles to create such an amazingly pretty backsplash. Sometimes less is more and the design is the real key. You kept it simple but it has such style at the same time.
You shoud be immensely proud that you created such a lovely room ;) Kudos too for not trashing it all and keeping what you could!

Lovely! And you sound relaxed and happy. I remember the discussion after the first kitchen, wondering if you were crazy to want to move, because your yellow and black backsplash has always been one of my favorites so I recall clearly thinking there was more going on (like the too-open kitchen you didn't realize you'd hate!). That hit a note with me also, since I couldn't believe how I'd agonized over things and then been surprised at how my priorities changed once the kitchen was done.

So aren't you glad you moved? And how wonderful to be able to have the perspective of the first remodel to help you through. Congratulations on an excellent remodel and beautiful new and inviting kitchen!

Thanks again everyone! I was sort of underwhelmed finishing this one; partly because the "thrill" of remodeling isn't as great the 2nd time around, and partly because it didn't feel like a "new" kitchen because the cabinets and floors were basically the same. You all are helping remind me that it is a new space.

And don't get me wrong, it's not that I think the kitchen doesn't look fancy, as but that's only b/c I put a few "bling" items in to make it look fancier than it is. The sparkly chandeliers, sink, and wood hood and backsplash (hopefully) draw the eye away from the older cabinets and older floors.

Igloo, I think you could still pull off a farm sink. You'd LOVE it!

Celticmoon, I thought the same thing about the FKB! What do you do when you have 2 kitchens listed under your name? (Aside from getting a therapist, that is.)

Chiefneil, I can see where it looks like the stacked crown is thicker over the sink, but it's the way the carpenter made the hood. It's constructed as sort of a box, then the box indents down to the arched part. The way the crown is sitting on the upper part of the box makes it look like it's really thick crown. And the hutch height was designed solely as the "clutter zone". I learned a good lesson from the last kitchen; the busiest corner in the kitchen will quickly become the "drop zone" for daily mail, keys, cell phones, etc. I raised the height so that there would be no chance of that corner meshing with the cooking part of the kitchen.

Socalthreems, I LOVE the actual stone. DH was super nervous about using dark counters, as we had light granite in the last house, and it never looked dirty. He was afraid it would show everything. But there's so much white, gold, etc, that it doesn't show any dirt at all. I don't see fingerprints or smudges either. I really really like the stone.

Nellie820, I'd LOVE to see your plans! Now that I'm done here, I need to find something else to channel my energies into!

amck, I hope you like the range as much as I do. I LOVE it!

muscat, the floors are so weird. I really like them, but a lot of people don't. I wanted the kitchen to be a "refined rustic with a nod to the traditional". I just don't think any other flooring would give me the same look.

rmlanza, I found the sink at a local builder's supply warehouse. Since I'd wanted a copper farm sink, and knew their price tag, I was shocked to see the prices they had on their granite farm sinks! I normally hem and haw about such purchases, but I bought it on the spot. It ended up being the star of the kitchen!

caminnc, I think all together it was around 2-3 months. We started before we lived here, and were trying to get it all done before we moved out of the old house. That didn't happen, but we at least got the major stuff done. We were simultaneously selling our other house, and had LOADS of projects we were finishing over there as well. For about a 2 month period, we were working non-stop. Ugh. Don't EVER want to do that again.

And thanks all, for the kind words about the backsplash. I'm surprised at the responses about it, and I was surprised that I picked such a simple color/design (esp. after my last backsplash!) I only recently realized why I kept gravitating toward plain white. The upper cabinets are *so* close to the countertop. My tile guy said the normal height b/w counters and upper cabs is around 18". My height is only 14.25 inches. My coffee pot barely fits! Somehow I think that I kept wanting white to help visually extend the cabinetry, so that it didn't look choppy.

Claybabe, I loved my last house, until my kids started getting bigger. We really outgrew it. And I mean it when I say I *hated* cooking toward the last year we lived there. 'Course I'll probably say the same thing here, when the kids start leaving home in a few years! LOL!

Reno_fan, you always do such lovely work. And the difference between the before and after is amazing! Now do I remember you saying that this is your "forever" house (for now). :)

I thought they were new! Just goes to show what a great job you did incorporating everything. My hat off to you ma'am. BTW, I tend to prefer 2cm granite or stone over the chunky 3cm.

I love the chandelier too.

Bravo reno_fan! Bravo! You created a wonderfully beautiful kitchen. I've always loved that floor :)
Monica

The magic touch of Reno - looks fabulous darling. I see that you kept the rugs and opted for bronze in lieu of the yellow and blue scheme. I love it.

Reno, what impresses me so much about your kitchen is how attention to detail can totally transform a space. You didn't have to change everything in order to come up with a spectacular kitchen -- you made thoughtful, dramatic changes.
How do you like your Verde Butterfly granite? I am leaning toward Verde Peacock because the gold would pick up the gold tones in my cabinets and limestone floor, but I worry it might be too green. Are you enjoying the Butterfly so far?
Thanks.

Hi Stephanie! While I loved your last kitchen, this one is just as beautiful and looks really functional (my own personal measure of a great kitchen these days!). It's nice to hear how much you're enjoying it.

I can totally relate to your feeling of your family having outgrown your last kitchen. I, too, have just finished my second (well, third, but my 2nd on Gardenweb) remodel, and am loving my new kitchen more than my last. Will post pics as soon as I get my knobs replaced and tidy up a bit. Best wishes, and many happy meals, Pam

Firstly, it's beautiful.

Secondly, it kinda says something about how "disposable" our society has become that the mere IDEA that your cabinets and floor aren't "new" - despite the fact that they're lovely - makes YOU feel like they're inferior! No way - it's all gorgeous!

Congrats on a VERY lovely space!

Wow Reno, that looks amazing! Everything is so well thought out and you still worked with what was there. Really, it's genius! I've really enjoyed all of your projects. Come on.....I know there are more projects! I'd love to see them.

Beautiful! I love your chandeliers. Very pretty!