Great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

I'm doing a quick check-in, but will come back to savor the details. Thanks so much for posting!

That is a really cool pantry! Nice detail of the plexi retainers on the door spice shelves.

But, for anyone looking to replicate, notice that the (bulk food) shelves are too thin for that span & it looks like all of them except for the top one are sagging. (And that's under what would be, for my pantry, a light load!)

I'm curious about something in the album--the walnut on plywood stuff. Is that flooring? Do you remember what brand it is?

And thank you for sharing your goodies!! What a fun day & so wonderful of you to share some of it with us!!

I just have to keep going to back to that transitional kitchen by Acorn. It's simply gorgeous!

hi ci lantro... that is a flooring sample at Moda Cucina. The picture doesn't do it justice. it is called Blood wood. It was stunning.

I was suprised to see such wide doors on that pantry without a stile... didn't notice the sagging shelves but can see how that would happen.

there was a really nice modern kitchen display for sale including appliances. $10K ... original price $30K. I wasn't able to get a picture of it.. too many people milling around at that point.

Absolutely fabulous inspiration pictures! I wish I could have 4 or 6 or 10 kitchens ;D
You must be having a ball-I am envious.

Some day I'm going to have a CP kitchen :) Seeing more details makes me want it even more. Thanks (or not LOL)

Wow, floored by that white kitchen. Also thats quite the pantry.

I noticed the 4 tobacco sauces too :)

Nobody at the table needs to ask to pass the tabasco; everyone has their own; makes perfect sense.
What's with that marble arch?
I can't stand arches that shape, as in the range recess. Can no-one draw a decent arch? It looks like it was left to the framing carpenter or the drywall guy, where something that critical should be left to the architect. IMO, it's one inexcusably ugly arch.
Casey

Casey,
I, and I am sure many others, think it is an exquisite arch. Given that this is in the design center, I can pretty much guarantee that it wasn't left up to the drywall guy or framing guy... you may have missed the mark on this one.

The inner arch - the one made of tiny glass tiles is fine. The bigger arch does look a little "off". Too high in the center?? I dunno.

Very beautiful kitchens. My favorite is the small hideaway one. I'd love to have a small super-efficient kitchen.

I love the pictures! Thank you so much for sharing. You will have to keep us informed as to how you are doing in the class. I love the walnut frame on those drawers. Just beautiful. But then, I love walnut wood anyway. It is so pretty.

I am happy to see the Szeged paprika on the door. Those are old continers. The new ones don't look like that any longer.

The marble arch seems a bit more 'mausoleum' than 'marmalade', don't you think?

Yes.

So where is the ventilation in the Acorn cooking niche?

I think you're all missing the point. it is a showroom with a non-functioning kitchen... is for SHOW!! thus the multiple bottles of pantry items and the gorgeous arch which is in keeping with the really tall ceilings in this building.

I spent a good hour preparing these pics to post on GW as I thought people might enjoy the nuances of some of these really nice kitchens and most of you did... for those that didn't could you just keep your negative comments to yourself? you're making me wish I didn't bother to take the time to post these photos (and honestly, next time I won't bother with it)... I certainly have enough other things to occupy my time but thought people might appreciate some of the nuances of these kitchens.

OOo, Love those kitchens! thank you for taking the time to compile these pictures- I just started my little kitchen reno plan and am totally overwhelmed by it already. I particularly liked the blue(?)oriental paneled -double door fridge(maybe subzero?)

I LOVE that apartment kitchen - and, in all honesty, it has more storage than my kitchen in my old apartment had: with the same 4 base spaces, I had one storage cabinet (below the sink), the rest being taken up with the oven, washing machine and under-counter fridge.

So I would have loved, loved, loved to have that arrangement!

Mamadadapaige, I don't think any of the criticisms I've read about the actual designs are truly negative. They are their own reactions to the designs. It's the same for any work of art. Any kitchen design will have both aesthetic and practical advantages and disadvantages. I believe it's important to be aware of both. I love the design with the arch, but the lack of a practical hood was the first thing I noticed as well:(. Reading this forum probably makes people a bit more hyper-aware of certain features than they otherwise would.

Mamadadapaige, I'm so glad you posted your pics. I've been down to the design center and the kitchen showrooms are amazing. You can get a lot of wonderful ideas there. Not all of them will be practical, and some may lean more towards the artistic. But even on a limited budget, you can glean ideas to take back home with you. In addition to the kitchen showrooms, they have tile showrooms and paint showrooms and of course, all sorts of interior design showrooms. I had thought about heading back down there to take another peak and when you posted all your pics, I was saved a trip! Thanks so much and keep posting.

Another one to say thanks! for posting the pics, especially for pointing out the molding over where the cabinets meets. I think that is pretty neat idea and my try incorporating myself.

Mamadadapaige -

I really appreciate the time you took to post these pictures. I like the discussions about what "works" and looks good and what doesn't. It's not fair to expect everyone to love everything and these are discussion forums - if everyone always agreed it would be pretty boring.

Now, if you had designed these kitchens and were looking to show them off, negative comments would be impolite, but I think dispay/magazine/sample kitchens are fair game.

I know your taste is impeccable - your kitchen is amazing. But not everyone finds the same things attractive.

Thanks for the pics, I'm going to really take a good look at them later, hoping to use a few of the good ideas. Love the moldings covering the seams on the cabinets.

okay... I guess I was being a little over sensitive... not feeling well today and struggling very much with a cold/sinus infection. had to find someone to watch my son today and usually Thursday is our day for just the two of us all day, so I was in a bit of a mood to start with and my head feels like it is in a vice (x2 days already).

you are right, the back and forth is important. There was a point where I thought it was getting a little petty but I usually overlook that sort of thing... for some reason today, it was annoying and for some reason I posted my annoyance. not my usual MO.

Mamadadapaige -

Thank you so much for these beautiful pictures. I absolutely love the long, narrow marble tile behind the range in the Kitchen Living showroom. Did they note who made those?

Thank you again for the inspiration!

Thanks for the pictures..I've been practically living on that floor recently, I'm doing my kitchen..Went to kitchen living, dalia, and moda cucina. Now trying to decide between moda cucina and kitchen living. Anyone have any suggestions?

I love the girls at kitchen living, my friend used them a couple years ago. I'm also intrigued by moda cucina, the quality seems very high, and they offered to take us on a tour of their factory (which is in boston I guess). My husband is excited to go see...

I'm late to the party -- just discovered this thread -- but wanted to say thank you Mamadadapaige for posting. As a general comment I am just overcome with the fabulous information and support from GardenWeb posters -- thank you Mama, pluckymama, Erika, Rhome,paulines, Carey,bayareafrancy, and so many others-- not just here but also on the Appliance forum. I've really been inspired by this forum and not just by the beautiful kitchens, but by the posters' willingness to share information and support.

hi shauna... I didn't get a name on that tile.... if you copy the picture into a new post and ask for identification, I bet you will quickly have the answer!! never doubt your fellow GW'ers!!

Alexia... tough question. both really nice showrooms and nice and seemingly highly qualified people working in both places. If it were me, I'd probably go for Kitchen Living. I REALLY liked the style of the designer who showed us around. She was very approachable and VERY experienced (Maria was her name... I think??). I am hoping I might be able to "shadow" her for a day (something that the Pres. and Vice Pres. of the local student chapter of the NKBA are working to set up for us). Of all the people I met at the design center that day, she was the one that most impressed me.

Sayde.. glad I could help. I too am so impressed with the upbeat and helpful nature of this forum. I love the sense of community and feel fortunate to have stumbled across it while working on my kitchen. I hope your project is coming along nicely.

To Alexiadesignbuff - I would caution you to think VERY long and hard before embarking on any business transaction with Moda Cucina. In its previous iteration this business was Water and Fire kitchens in Newton. They have a VERY long track record of unhappy and dissatisfied customers due to egregious customer service, slow and poor service in general, shady business practices and have been party to many lawsuits (on both sides). You can investigate this in the records of the Newton District Court. Sadly, I know this from personal experience as a dissatisfied customer (who was a party in one of the lawsuits, and I willingly spent more $$ on legal fees than I would have incurred had I bent to Water and Fire's shenanigan's, but i could not in good conscience let them extort anymore $ from me.). They are all style, no substance, poor business sense and have the track record to prove it.

I went down to the Boston Design Center over the summer and toured the kitchen showrooms. Maria at Kitchen Living went out of her way to help me with my kitchen even though she knew I was already in process and would not be able to purchase anything from her. This really spoke to me about the kind of person she is, as she had nothing to gain from helping me. She took the time to explain and answer all my questions regarding different displays. That was a unique experience for me that day in the showrooms.

dad81, please only relevant responses, it is so apparent that you're a competitor or have an axe to grind. No slandering please. I asked about moda cucina, not he company you mentioned. I am dealing with Shirin, she is one of the owners, and moved here from Florida 2 years ago.

Anyway, the style I'm looking to do is a sort of contemporary yet inset kitchen (think smallbones). My friend did a nice kitchen living kitchen with premium (I think) as the line. I'm going to visit the moda cucina shop this week. The references they gave me so far are some very well respected general contractors and architects, who all noted how quickly they serviced the jobs (makes sense since the shop is local). Anyway, if someone can post some moda cucina photos, of a moda cucina kitchen, and who isn't a competitor, please put them up..

Dad81, I remember your saga with water & fire.

wow alexiadesignbuff...nice response. Dad81 was just trying to save you a headache.

dad81,
I am so sorry for your troubles. did you come to any resolution? did you ever finish your kitchen? that is really horrible to have to go through that and end up in court. is it the case that if they are at fault there is treble damages due to you? I am fairly new to this site (Jan. 2008) so hadn't read previously of your saga.

I hope it is a story with a happy ending.

No, I am not a competitor; but I do have an axe to grind (as Pauline has kindly indicated). I had a miserable experience with Water and Fire ( as my saga unfolded, I learned of handfuls of others with similar situations). Water and Fire's legal problems involved unhappy customers, former employees, they left their most recent location in a court involved rent dispute and more (as I said it is in the public record of the district court should anyone else doubt the veracity of this post). Our situation was eventually resolved because of dogged persistence and numerous headaches, time and, unfortunately, legal fees. We are happy with the cabinetry itself (not built by Water&Fire) but we are stuck with a number of items of poor workmanship/installation for which we had no recourse with Water & Fire due to the legal unfoldings, and ended up having to remedy ourselves as best we could after the fact. At the time we purchased the cabinetry we were under the mistaken impression 1) they were a reputable business and we were knowingly paying a premium for superior service (WAY WRONG); 2) there were only a very limited number of vendors for euro-style cabinets in Greater Boston area (also wrong). I wish I had this information before we embarked on our renovation - this post is offered only to try to save others a similar experience; if someone is brave enough to use Moda Cucina - good luck; I really think you might need it!

Dad81, as an independent KD, I appreciate the heads up regarding Moda Cucina. I keep a fairly small circle of professional, reputable and price competative vendors that I refer to (mostly south of Boston), but it's helpful to know of a potential bad egg.

If memory serves me, there were a number of folks from GW that had issues with F & I and their KDers.

Mamadadapaige, I am also late in coming to this posting. I love the pictures you posted and will link to them for my own reference.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but when I read the "negative" comments, I saw them as being tongue-in-cheek rather than criticism. Hyperbole can be lots of fun!

Just wanted to give everyone an update. I emailed moda cucina today and got this response from our designer (who is also an owner):

Dear Alexia, I got your email and was very surprised by what I read on the gardenweb forum. I am one of the owners of moda cucina, and I recently moved here from Palm Beach, where I was the lead designer for Robert Weinstein Design Group for 15 years. Moda Cucina has no relationship to water and fire other than 1 employee a moda cucina used to be a water and fire co-owner. He wanted to do things better and liked the idea of manufacturing locally, complete control, higher quality, no delays, no particleboard, etc. The other partners of water and fire were not commited to the massive investment required to do so, and he left. Moda cucina has no other ties, the management, owners and investors, employees, products, are all different. I resent being lumped in with any other company. I have been in Boston for less than two years, and have worked extremely hard to build the moda cucina brand and reputation. It is extremely unfair for my work to be attacked by someone who has never dealt with me or my company before.I run all design, sales, and customer service operations here, and I pride myself on our ability to give each client the highest quality, service, and a beautiful installation unavailable elsewhere. Our philosophy is exactly the opposite of what that person wrote, we focus on substance first, and then style, whereas other showrooms may have litle substance, with no fabrication or installation capabilities, just a designer and a display. We employ over 25 people, and are equipped to service clients, from concept design, to engineering, custom finish development, fabrication, and installation, In this entire process, we use NO subcontractors. I invite anyone who is interested to visit our fabrication shop to see first hand the high level of quality.

I look forward to seeing you and your husband on Wednesday.

______

Dad81, you're spot on.

It seems the past managing director/owner of f & w kitchens, Paul Hatziiliades, is now an owner of Moda Cucina.

It's very unfortunate how someone with an apparent litany of problems and complaints against them can just pick up and stick out a new sign.

Love the pics. I can remember on "House & Home TV" them visiting host and H&H Canada senior editor Lynda Reeves kitchen which was pretty swish but she couldn't boil water and then checking out the kitchens of some top chefs from around Toronto. All had very ordinary and extremely functional kitchens whick took more from restaurant kitchens than design magazines. This stuff is fun to look at but it isn't about cooking. Thanks.

I don't live in Boston but I'm curious is the person referenced as a former owner of Water and Fire and now just an "employee" at Moda Cucina just an employee or is he an owner? If he's an employee I don't see the problem but if he's an owner then you should worry Alexia because this woman just misrepresented the facts and tried to distract you with faux indignation. What does sub contracting have to do with anything, other than we now know there are no reputable sub-contractors to verify the quality of their product and service.

Is it me or does the indignation of the co-owner seem like the complete wrong strategy to take. It seems to me that a "I was sorry to read about what happened but... " would have been a much more convincing response. Her failure to even try to re-assure Alexia but rather focus on herself, her efforts and her achievments makes me uneasy. I'd have been out of there like a shot. Mabe it's just me.

I'm confused people, I keep reading about water and fire, and nothing about moda cucina. I just asked a simple question if someone did a moda cucina kitchen from moda cucina. Also, does anyone have pics of quartersawn oak cabinets with pietra de cordoza (or similar color) countertops....thanks!

alexia,
If you do a simple google search, you will see that Paul Hatziliades was an owner of Water and Fire. When you asked about Moda Cucina, Dad81 offered you his experience with Water and Fire (apparently now a matter of public record) knowing that the owner had now started another kitchen company called Moda Cucina. Dad's intentions appear from what he wrote to be in the spirit of cautioning you to spare you what he went through. Perhaps you could do some research on your own, and not just rely on a relatively new employee who relocated from another state, as to Moda Cuchina's relationship to W & F, and whether they have had any complaints. Just a suggestion.

Check out the website, if he's a mere employee then I'm a Kennedy. I suppose it doesn't make the new venture bad but it sure would give me pause and yet it doesn't seem to phase "Alexia" in the least. I wonder why that is?

In the 'email' posted above, shirin (supposedly) wrote, "...where I was the lead designer for Robert Weinstein Design Group for 15 years."

That would not impress or even satisfy me when shopping for a kitchen and I'll elaborate.

Robert Weinstein Design Group appear to be interior designers, not kitchen designers. In fact, their website portfolio (beautiful work, sigh...) consists of every room but the kitchen? The scope of issues and concerns vary quite greatly when designing a kitchen vs a bedroom or livingroom. There are technical aspects of kitchen design that wouldn't present themselves to someone trained and experienced in ID. I would want to know exactly how many kitchens, specifically, my designer has done.

Of course, if you don't intend to actually cook or entertain in your kitchen...

This forum has been brought to my attention and I think I can add something useful. I'm Milton, and my wife Amalia and I are architects and interior designers with our own firm archspaces (archspaces.com) We have worked with moda cucina, as well as water and fire, as well as Weston kitchens, metropolitan, and others. We did two water and fire kitchens, and also three moda cucina kitchens. The water and fire kitchens ended up being beautiful, but were long agonizing ordeals to complete. The parts kept coming damaged, incorrect, wrong size/finish, from Canada and Italy. It was one excuse after another from water and fire and their suppliers who I ended up calling directly.

Paul got a group of investors and partners together to buy into his moda cucina concept of locally made premium kitchens that can do not only traditional, but true european finishes. My wife and I loved the idea, if you look at our website you will see we are modernists. Each moda cucina went off almost flawlessly, with two minor exceptions, 1 kitchen which was somehow incorrectly measured. An entire 17 foot run of cabinets was re-built within 2 weeks and delivered before we even had to break the news to the clients. And one kitchen which had custom backpainted glass, the glass imparted a green tint to the paint and the client rejected the glass. The glass doors are being remade with starfire (crystal clear) glass. The response time has been fantastic, better than we've experienced anywhere, and the freedom as designers is tremendous, we've been able to think much more creatively with their custom work.

I don't want to take away from the validity of what the disgruntled water and fire customer had said, it sounds inline with what happened there. The first few years we heard nothing but good things about them, then as they grew, and their suppliers got busier and moved away from small specialty producers, things fell apart. I gave Paul another chance, and we've been very pleased thus far. I've been to the shop and it is very impressive, it takes a lot of guts to put it all on the line and say enough is enough, and make your own factory.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to email or call us through the contact information listed on our website.

It is always possible end up in an unsuccessful business relationship that sours and ends unpleasantly. It is also possible to learn from that experience. Let's hope that's the case here.

I don't know anything about Moda Cucina but in relation to what occurred in the thread to characterize the person who , according to you, is the driving force behind Moda Cucina as just an employee is misleading and suggests that the person making that assertion likes to play fast and loose with the truth. I'm not sure why anyone associated with an independant business venture, let alone a co-owner, would create the kind of correspondence excerpted here. Instead of explaining the situation she has opted to skirt the truth and go on the offensive which to me only suggests that the operation has something to hide. She may well be a fabulous designer but her written communicaion suggests she doesn't handle opposition well which strikes me as a glaring weakness in someone in her line of work.

I will just add that my difficulties (and other unhappy customers experiences as well) with Water and Fire were not just limited to slow and sloppy service. They included very unpleasant, unbusinesslike and deceitful interactions (which can best be characterized as bizarre, and were 4 standard deviations from the mean compared to normal problems that might come up in the course of conducting business) with Paul H. While Archspaces might have been willing to give Paul H a second chance, my experience was such that I would under no circumstances be willing to do that. I know I am not alone in this mistrust, having had quite a few conversations and email correspondence with a handful of others who had experiences that were similar to my own.

Dad81, it seems things continue to be bizarre, unpleasant & deceitful, unfortunately.

As someone mentioned before, it would be proper to stand up and let yourself be known (as I have), rather than slander people in online forums behind an online pseudo name. You either have ulterior motives (are competitors, etc.), or were genuinely offended by your experiences at Water & Fire and your experiences are as described.

Though you are free to do as you please, as my grandmother said, "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it", but my grandfather also said, "if you have something bad to say about someone don't hide when you say it". Though I don't know the exact #, I know Water and Fire did over one thousand kitchens. From my experience as an architect, kitchen renovations are not only expensive, but very emotionally charged renovations. Throw in overseas suppliers, and the high growth of the company, and it is normal to have 10-20-even 50 people out there that are genuinely upset. I've met some very happy customers of Water & Fire at various events, but the truth is, the unhappy ones tell 250 people and the very happy ones tell 5(I read this interesting fact somewhere), and the simply satisfied clients don't say anything either way. I won't get into mudslinging, but I have had my share of serious disappointments with other kitchen showrooms in Boston.

I hope I've been able to shed some light, and sorry to the original poster who did an excellent job posting pictures to have steered the discussion off course. if anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me. My website is archspaces.com

Well, kitchen living went out of business. So the entire discussion was moot, we ended up buying from moda cucina, thank God.