I LOVE IT...the counters are awesome!!! Your kitchen is just gorgeous and the backsplash will be great. Oh to have money...huh!!!

(Don't you love how I kept moving the pink flower around? Dork! Someone can't wait to have a nice kitchen!!)

Oh, this is looking really, really gooood! Sorry to hear about the templating error. But the solution sounds reasonable enough. Otherwise, your kitchen is shaping up really nicely. I can't wait to see the final reveal!

Oh - thank you Vampiressrn! I must have posted the above comment at the same time you did.

Oh yes, with some REAL money, I'd knock down a wall (saving/moving the antique cabinet doors of course!). I'd make an eating area (we actually have a small breakfast room but it's literally in the next room and faces West during breakfast time! We use it as an office) and that would have french doors going out to a deck off the back yard. Sigh... Oh well! This is still a huge improvement for us!

Note the big broken tile:

Hey - where's the dishwasher???!

Oh THERE'S the other broken tile! Aaaaack!

Thank you also, Martha! (I keep responding to one and then missing the next!)

Well I don't know how good my reveal will be if I keep posting, showing pics of the process, haha. Or if I burn everyone out w/ my thousands of questions!!! ;)

Theresse - smashing :) Just curious, will the uppers remain white and the lowers gray or will it all be gray? Either way will be lovely, but the two tone right now is sharp (especially with the black hinges on white and the accent for the great new sink.) Or maybe I just confused you more (sorry :)

It is a huge improvement, Theresse. You must be very excited watching this stunning transformation come about before your very eyes. I can tell you that just by staring at my monitor at the work in progress, I'm already impressed. But those "before" photos help me to appreciate your new kitchen even more. Good for you!

Those counters look so sharp! I love the look ;)
They give it such a crisp neat look and totally work with your style cabs.
You can post as often as possible and I will still be psyched to see the progress. I am living vicariously through all the transformations until we get started, lol....

This is my "one to watch" right now so please keep posting progress pics :)
I love how everything is coming together, the counter looks fantastic and I can't wait to see the backsplash go up.

I also couldn't help but post pics every time something happened although I promised myself every time that I wouldn't do it again until it was finished, lol.

Your choices are just so tasteful and I'd say your floor is adding some charm, authenticity and warmth to the room so don't sweat it!
Thanks for sharing!

This site is acting wonky today anyway...I keep getting error messages like my post wasn't accepted but then I go back on and it is there...get ready for the crash...save your pix.

I agree...keep posting...we love it!!!

Theresse,

Oh, those counters are gorgeous! Would you mind my asking about the new faucet? What kind is it and does it pull out or down? It's very nice.

L

It looks SO great, Theresse! The uppers look new with the new base cabs and counter. What paint color are those lower cabinets?

Found it...BM Fieldstone Gray. And I'm really torn whether I hope you leave the uppers white or paint them gray... Either will look so great, just don't know which will be better. I'm really liking how the white uppers and window flow together and add a lot of light at eye level, but the gray cabs with the brighter window could look sharp.

I really, really like that counter. Really, really. I want to do the same. I'll be a copycat, I don't care.

Everything is looking gorgeous -- new cabinet doors, paint, and stainless counters. I can't wait to see the marble wall tiles. My guess is that your kitchen will start a new vogue for stainless counters!

Love it all! The stainless countertop is beautiful. I love the gray cabinet color you chose and the backsplash as well. Keep the pics coming.

Its beautiful and that gray is fabulous. Your kitchen might not be big, but its mighty. I think I'd keep the white on the uppers and the floor to ceiling ones.

Commiserations from the running outta funds club.

Wow! Those countertops are fantastic!

I have to admit, I've been watching (stalking. perhaps?) the progress of your kitchen. I just knew it was going to be killer. This is my favourite kind of reno (could it be because I have a circa 1910, 11x11 kitchen?). I just lurve it! It is even funkier than I imagined - I even love the rustic floors. I, too, am loving the two-tone, but if you're doing all grey, I think that will work as well. But maybe just consider the uppers staying white....? Okay, I admit it, I have a two tone kitchen and favour that look. Either way, it is a stunner. Well done!

Your kitchen is gorgeous!! Where are your cabinets from? I have always wanted SS counters in my kitchen and after seeing your counters, I think I am sold! Do you know how SS compares price-wise to granite or marble? And where did you find a fabricator? Thanks and congrats on your fabulous new kitchen!!

You are doing an amazing job - it looks great. Love the stainless with the gray and the marble transitioning into the white uppers is going to be fantastic. I don't think it is ever exactly like we think it will be. You need to agonize over it as you do it but when your long done you'll alternate between being glad you fussed on some things and wondering what you were so worried about on others. Good luck the rest of the way.

Your kit is going right up there with my favorites. All of your choices are perfect.

Those counters are sooo nice. Love it!

Holy cow! That is absolutely gorgeous!! You've done such a wonderful job in keeping the vintage feel of your kitchen while adding function. I also absolutely love your white uppers and your gray lower cabinets. A nice subtle look. And your marble backsplash coupled with the stainless counter...fantastic!

(And I so empathize about the things going wrong. It just seems to happen, despite research and the best intentions.)

It's like a "cove" when it raises upward at the back rim. I would leave it exposed when I would tile the wall. Not putting backerboard to pull the tiles forward by 1/4" means you get 1/4" more space. This may be good.

You said "... mistake... countertop doesn't go back all the way... it stops short by 1/4" .... having a countertop stick out into the room more than necessary when I already have such a small kitchen w/ a galley-like area?"
But I would say that you got 1/4" more countertop, with more overhang, and that is a good thing. You don't need more walking area.

Looking forward to seeing it again with the new lights.

If you find the paint color is too much, everywhere all the same, you can add a lighter shade coat on top of the wall cabinets only. A subtle variation.

It's looking really wonderful!

And as far as your floors---I think they look awesome, but maybe that's because my floors look EXACTLY the same.:-)

I just tell myself instead of "hand-scraped", they are the next big thing: "shoe-scraped", or "dog-scraped". Maybe "Lego-scraped"? Hmm...

Oh my goodness, that is gorgeous! I love how your kitchen is coming together. The backsplash with the two tone cabinets and stainless counter top will look amazing!

I really, really like that counter. Really, really. I want to do the same. I'll be a copycat, I don't care.

I so agree with johnlui. How does the cost of stainless compare to a higher grade granite (I have champainge taste in granite)

The floors were the best thing to keep.

Changing the base cabinets was essential. What you did on top of that is a ton of great little changes that make it stunning. Many changes combine well in the new shape of counter / bumpout / toekick / new sink / crowning it with a wall faucet that has a pull-Off hose resting in a channel.

To respond about the faucet: it's got one name (#1012 - Wall Mount Bridge Mixer 10" Pull Off Spray ) but many "companies"
/ Jaclo
/ Steam Valve Original http://www.jaclo.com/products/category?cid=120
/ "Hornbeam Ivy" hornbeamivy.co.uk

That is looking terrific---congrats! You're in the home stretch!! (And I *love* your floors as-is....so wanted to use our fir subfloor in our kitchen, but got vetoed on that because of our dog. Boo!)

Question, though: when you say the cabinets will all be gray, do you mean including all of the uppers and doors/built-ins, too? Because I actually love the contrast between the white and gray right now---have you thought about keeping some of it white (either the uppers, or maybe the trim if you paint the doors gray?) I'm very biased because we're planning a very similar mix with the "new" looking cabinets in a green or gray and the "old" looking ones in white to match the trim, but one of the things that drew me to it was the contrast, which your kitchen has too. Maybe wait for the backsplash to go in before making the final call on the original cabinets and doors/trim?

The dripping sound you hear is me drooling over your upper cabinets. They are gorgeous; it was brilliant of you to keep them; and the new lower cabs work great with them. Can't wait to see your progress.

For the record, wood floors lacking spaces the boards large enough for small children to fall into are called "pristine." I think yours look pretty swell. O the patina! O the history!

Love the grey lowers with the white uppers. The stainless is gorgeous, and the backsplash will look amazing.

Oh WOW - is it my birthday?? You guys are all so incredibly kind!! I can't believe I of all people would get such a good "grade" on my kitchen choices, from you. I never thought I could be good at this! Thank you so much for all your positive feedback. I tried to show my husband this thread as if I were Sally Fields at the Oscars: "they like it...they really like it!" But he could care less about the kitchen and didn't want to take the time. Geez!

First though, let me say that most of my "good taste" is really not my own, but borrowed from so many sources here on this forum - much as I'd love to take the credit! The choices that were really my own: the bump-out feet's shape (I researched 1913 kitchen furniture); the choice to have the non-bumped-out portions be without a toe kick, coupled with the bumped-out toe kick part. Because in a craftsman kitchen as mine essentially is, they didn't originally have toe kicks so I tried to blend together the look of craftsman with "furniture piece with feet" - I knew I'd be more likely to use the bumped-out part for prepping cause it has more room there, so I probably wouldn't be doing work over where the lack of a toe kick is; I knew I wanted my marble to have a white background and have subtle veining/not be very busy looking, w/ both gray and little bits of tan here and there (i.e. calacatta w/ some cherry picking so ordering more than I needed); and finally, I knew I wanted my marble to be 2x6" in size which I'd never seen anywhere besides my original bathroom's subway tile...so I had to have my tile cut by a stone cutter in order to get what I wanted. I hadn't considered stainless for a counter (too modern) until I was inspired by prettykitty's kitchen pics and I remembered how much we love our small island's stainless top and how easy it is to take care of and not damage (if you're not afraid of a patina that is); the final decision that was my own was to have the countertop thickness be 1 3/8" instead of the standard 1/5". I thought the standard made the stainless feel too modern and 1" or even 1 1/4" looked too think (almost cheap). 1 3/8" appeared to be the perfect compromise and I'm happy w/ it. :)

When I first looked into materials for my kitchen I was going to go with something a bit more common and popular in an older home but that came to a halt when I saw prettykitty's kitchen, via gardenweb:

http://picasaweb.google.com/quapaw/Our1890HomeAndKitchenRemodelRestoration?feat=embedwebsite#

I knew I preferred subway tile over slab for my particular kitchen, but other than that I went gaga over the combination of her stainless and marble, which I'd never before seen. I was going to do cream as she did or keep w/ white cabs but then I realized I really preferred the look of the lowers being a darker color (the influence of seeing pics online, of course!). That's when I asked for advice here, explaining what type of color I was looking for which is when one of you posters suggested the Sally Wheat kitchen (Texas designer) due to that perfect BM Fieldstone Gray color (putty like w/ an ever-so-slight hint of green). Her kitchen also had a similar layout as mine.

To the many of you who like the look of the uppers being white (or just different than the lowers) I love the look too. I'm going to wait until the backsplash is in to make my final decision there - but so many of you pushing me toward keeping them different certainly helps! If I make the rest of the cabs/trim a different color such as a buttery cream (would look great w/ the black hardware I think), I might then either continue the gray on the walls, or perhaps find something different for the walls - a third color (ideas?). I could perhaps do a lighter cream on the cabs/trim then due a more buttery cream for the walls (mayonaise?). I could also do the wall opposite the countertop (which is a lot of wall - no cabinets) in the gray color but then on the 3 remaining walls I could do that third color which would run straight up onto the ceiling. All that said, Sally Wheat's way is still very tempting and bold.

I know it's a small project (just one wall) compared to most here, and that the "reveal" hasn't even happened yet but I still want you to know that you've each absolutely made my day...thank you so much. I've been paying attention to your words and pics and have asked a zillion questions and then some. Your knowledge and experience, great taste and willingness to share, answer and help, has made it possible for me to finally narrow my focus! :)

I'll respond individually in the next post...

Who recommended the Fieldstone Gray to me and Sally Wheat's kitchen?? I can't remember and searching through old posts could take decades!

Sparklekitty - thank you and no you didn't confuse me! ;)

marthavila - thank you for your honesty about my old kitchen - hahaha! You have no idea...remember that pics tend to make things look better than they are?? Thanks for the compliment!

dianalo - I'm so glad you think the countertop goes w/ the cabs. That was the gamble and so far I think it's working! Don't you also have stainless? Sorry if I'm confusing you w/ someone else. Thanks for being psyched! :)

Rookie - you're so good for my ego!! I too can't wait to see the backsplash go up (am very nervous though as I just realized the space behind the counter is 1/4" behind half the counter and almost 1/2" in other places! How will my contractor make the whole back even for installing the tiles? If I end up having to pay him even more because of this mistake, that's going to be unfair. :( I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels she keeps posting too many pics before "the reveal."

Vampiressrn - uh oh - you think there will be a big crash? Yep - I'll be you're right! I'm so flattered by all your comments here that I thought it would be funny (and yet, probably not tasteful) to somehow print out this thread, and put a pic of the kitchen above it, then frame it and put it in the kitchen! Haha! But seriously, I'd hate to lose all your kind comments permanently...they're so sweet and so affirming.

Liriodendron - Thank you! The faucet isn't a pull-out or pull-down...it's a pull-off! As davidro1 was saying, it's the Jaclo Steam Valve Original 10" wall-mounted faucet. Once again, one of you posters on this forum (please step forward!) suggested the faucet in a thread about faucets and much as I didn't like the big black area around the spout, I kept coming back to it and slowly fell in love with it. I was still on the fence when I found a floor model in a local store and then I was sold. It was so solid and tight in person and the polish on it was incredible - just watery looking. I loved that it was all stainless and wasn't as blue as chrome or as yellow as polished nickel (I love PN but I knew it would be right next to a stainless countertop so I liked that it would match, being stainless). I liked that it had all replaceable parts. I REALLY wanted a wall-mounted faucet so I wouldn't have to clean around anything behind the sink, but I was determined to have a sprayer, and preferably without having to drill a hole in the countertop (why have a hole if I've made it this far without one, you know?). It was the only one that had ALL this, on the market. BUT AT A COST. Freakin' expensive at just under $1,200!!! I almost let it go rather than go in debt for it (which it turns out, I have), but I'm happy I chose to buy it cause I see it as a great focal point, lined up there between the windows and over that sink. I love how it has both stainless and black so it incorporates the black hardware with the stainless and future polished nickel hardware below. And I love how it's classic but is a little funky and different at the same time, having the funky sprayer-over-neck and that black spout. Well...after all that, the company should be paying me for this advertisement!!

Rhome410 - Hi there my countertop sister! Thank you so much!! If I did all the cabs in gray, the window and door trim would all be gray too! That's how Sally Wheat did it and is partly what made hers so unexpected and stunning. But indeed, I'm leaning toward painting the uppers a cream color (same as her walls). I'll decide for sure after the backsplash goes in. I think that will make it apparent.

Johnliu - I really, really love your comment. Really, really!!! :) Thank you so much...

Francoise47 - Hahaha I don't know about a new vogue (hardly the first - and if you're talking about giving it more of a period look, I'd give prettykitty the credit...where has that woman gone, anyway?!) but I was tickled pink by your having said so!! ;) Thank you.

Odiegirl13 - Thank you!

Bmorepanic - funny - I had a thought last night and at first I thought you had the same thought (paint white also where the lower cabs go down to the floor and have the gray color only on the cabs that bump out!)...but now I see you mean that other wall. Yes - if I do the uppers in a different color, that wall of cabs would become the same color as well. Thanks!

Marytw - thank you!

Daisychain01 - Thank you for stalking! That only makes me feel good, of course! Yes, to answer your question, I'm sure it is because you have a circa 1910 11x11 kitchen. I wish I could figure out how to find other forum members' kitchen pics by doing a quick search...I never seem to have any luck w/ that. Ok I just googled your kitchen and found it! It's great - I love it!! Saved the link. Isn't there a small kitchens forum in here somewhere? I need to go there more often cause I often feel out of place among the huge grand mansion kitchens - lol. Thank you for thinking mine's funky - a little bit of funky is a good thing!

Drjgreenberg - thank you! I can't remember if my contractor built the dabs less the doors or if he bought them prefab. My cabs are from DC doors here in the Northwest. My contractor recommended them and they're pretty affordable: http://www.dcdoor.com/

More in next post (trying to keep posts from being too long - giving the illusion anyway!)...

Oops -

Drjgreenberg - here's more I meant to include w/ my response to you: I don't remember how countertop prices compare except that granite costs less and stainless is about the same cost as a high-quality hardwood countertop. I googled "stainless steel fabricators" for my area and found 3 companies and visited all 3, once the first one was bad. The first company didn't make a stainless that was the standard glossy look (it was really grainy) but they charged only $1,700.00 for my 12' long countertop in 14 gauge steel (tougher than 16 gauge which is the norm for countertops - but I wanted as dent-proof as possible so was willing to pay more). So I went to the next place and the guy showed me around his plant and it was beautiful stainless, also 14 gauge but he wanted something like $2,300 not including the underlayment stuff that it wraps around, nor measuring, nor delivery (which would have cost a whole lot more). With the third company I visited I got the countertop for around $2,000 which included the underlayment as well as the back going up a little (will be hidden by tile) to prevent water damage and also included measuring and delivery. Yes they made a mistake by not making it all the way to the back wall but I'm sure mistakes can happen to anyone (hopefully this isn't regularly occurring - the guy seemed pretty knowledgable) and I still thought they did a great job in every other way. At least they knocked a hundred off the total price. We'll see if that's enough - I didn't talk to my salesperson about it. It was $300 for installation and a couple of hours of work w/ a couple of guys. $200 would have been a bit more reasonable in that dept. but I'm glad someone w/ experience did it - they needed to do a little welding in one corner and it was done well. Anyway the name of the company is Pacific Stainless and my sales guy is Matt. Here's their site: http://www.pacificstainless.com/index.html

Caryscott - thank you for your positive and encouraging words - especially regarding the things that can and will always be a bit off! I really like the look overall and just hope the tile will be straight/flush in the back!

Eandhl - Wow - thank you so much for that compliment!!

Jterrilynn - thank you!

Pickle2 - I knew I'd seen your kitchen before but couldn't remember which one it was so I just looked it up and I love that kitchen! Every time I see greens and yellows together I feel all warm and fuzzy inside...I wonder what that is. I love all your choices - and I'm sorry to learn of your soapstone cracks! :( Thank you for seeing the "vintage look" while using the stainless. That's what I was going for!

Davidro1 - well as I'm finding out, the space left behind the countertop is 1/4" in some places and closer to 1/2" in others! So there will be some backerboard back there either way. I know why you say to leave that cove there, but I really like the traditional look of no cove. But the metal's much thinner than 1/4" so nothing's really lost because of that cove itself...if I'm understanding you correctly? I don't need more walking area, that's true I suppose but what I don't need is the look of being more cramped in that kitchen, if even subtly. But I did need the 1/2" overhang which is why I made them bring it away from the wall. When they first put it in place they left me with no overhang and that didn't seem acceptable. But once it was moved to get the overhang back, the far right corner stuck out just beyond the door trim (door jam?) which is pretty ridiculous. It's not enough that it will ever cause a problem I don't think, because we have the old swinging doors that don't ever swing inward (haven't in years - we only keep it opened into dining room corner or else closed flush, and the hinges are in the area where the countertop is, in its favor) but it's still annoying to have to see it at all. The other issue is that when you put your fingers under the overhang you can feel where the wrap-around has ended and there's just a hollow space. Not in all places but in some. It's all weird - though looks good which is maybe all that matters. I was wondering if I should put something up there? If so, what? I dunno...maybe I should have them redo it but that just seems excessive and a waste. I can't imagine how they'd even get it off at this point! Thanks for the paint suggestion!

You wrote that the floors were the best thing to keep - I would think the original cabinets above and on the other wall were! ;) But yes I get your drift. It's just that we've already refinished them once and they had been refinished before us and my floor guy says they can only take one last refinish. Too bad - I love wood floors. Once these are finished as in DONE forever, we'll probably do marmoleum - or maybe some sort of sustainable, re-used wood of some sort. If we ever win the lottery, that is! Thank you for liking my choices - all the little changes! I have to admit that I'm still surprised by how good it looks so far - what a relief! Thanks for posting the Jaclo info.

Honeychurch - Haha yes Lego scraped indeed! Sounds like you know exactly what my floors are like! Only do yours ACTUALLY GIVE YOU SPLINTERS in your feet as mine occasionally do?? No fun! That's pretty pathetic that mine should injure me - lol! Thank you...

Katsmah - thank you!! Well actually I don't know how much it costs compared to the higher grade granites. I compared it to black honed granite and the stainless was probably twice the cost. For my 12-foot countertop it was about $2300 total. And no holes drilled, remember.

Artemis78 - Thank you! And darn your dog! ;) We once had a dog named Boo, speaking of dogs and boo! Short for Martin Buber! I'm probably going to do the uppers in a different color so you're going to be okay - haha. But yes I'll wait for the backsplash to be in before making that final decision. Can you show me a pic of your kitchen so I can remember which one it is? I know I should remember but I'm drawing a blank at the moment (sorry)!

Honorbiltkit - Oh so THAT's what that dripping sound is! And here I thought it was my clogged gutters outside my window in the rainy Northwest! Thank you for appreciating my upper cabs - and for thinking they work with the lowers (that was a big concern). FYI, I couldn't afford to replace the uppers if I'd wanted to (!) but it's true that I didn't want to. It's not everyday one finds a house w/ so much of the original features in tact (you should see all our great original light fixtures)! So glad you appreciate my crazy floors, and history in general!

Gsciencechick - thank you for your positive feedback!

Thanks again everyone!

I will be saving this for future copying heh heh. I'm starting an 1889 kitchen and love love love your original cabs and hardware. I also really love the gray cabinets. I have a similarly placed window to yours that begs for those cabs!!!!

I have stainless in our other house and must say I adore stainless counters. I may shake it up with zinc, but if not that, definitely stainless again. It's nice to see in an ooh kitchen so I can get the feel before I do metal here.

As to your floors....I just pulled up 50 year old carpet only to find sub floor (used to be parquet) and since we can't replace them now, I went ahead and painted them a green so dark it's nearly black. I love them and everyone else compliments them even when I don't hold a gun to their head. It's such a great floor paint it kind of sealed down the splinters and we have no issues now. If you are going to paint I can pull out the name for you....but I must admit, I nod of link your well trodden floors myself :).

I want to see the rest of the house lol. You are a tease to an old house lover

Hey igloochic! I know your kitchen - I'll never forget that incredible mosaic w/ the chickens! Your dark green floor sounds amazing - can you post a pic? I'll probably try refinishing once more after which - next time - maybe I'll give painting them a go before trying a whole different floor! Thank you for your sweet comments!

Here's the rest of my house's main floor (but the living room picture is terrible. We have brown leather chairs/ottoman now instead of chair-and-a-halves (ugh!) and a better looking rug, and I'll soon hopefully get rid of those yellow walls and bad curtains!):

Here is a link that might be useful: Our long-ways-to-go but potential-is-there house!

Theresse-
Your countertops and kitchen look wonderful. The backsplash is just going to be beautiful. Was it you who was posting last week about the doors coming in as two, rather than single doors? I really like how they look. I think the butterfly hinges on the bottom would look good--not too much.

Theresse, what a wonderful butterfly/Cinderella kitchen. Your upper cabinets must be so pleased : ). It's absolutely gorgeous, and inspirational too. And one more vote for your wonderful old wood floors -- they are perfect with the stainless steel, cabinets, and backsplash.

Wow what a charmer. You are doing it wonderful justice. I absolutely cringe when I see homes like yours done in a modern style that makes the original house just a ghost of itself.

We bought a Victorian in November so I'm doing another kitchen but this time I have to avoid the chickens and go authentic ummmm ish lol. (I'm not cooking on wood!)

We swore we wouldn't start for at least a year and in general haven't, having only done cosmetic stuff in the dining room and smoking parlor. Getting the 50 year old carpet out was a must lol. So even subfloors painted was better than that stinky stuff. But I actually like them. I'll post a pic later today when I'm on a real computer since I don't know how to cut and paste on this iPad thing. My laundry room floor is also painted, but that is original in a soft green that would look great with your cabs. I may be doing that in our kitchen since we don't know what is hiding under the lino! My laundry room is actually about 1915 though so the color is historically correct for your home. The darker color I used in the other rooms was historically correct to the 1880s in England (our owner was English so I use that as inspiration).

Anyhoo I can't wait to see more as you progress. It's a wonderful home.

Beautiful countertops, wonderful kitchen! Your house is beautiful & you are making such wonderful choices. Looks like you're getting the results you are after & having fun! Keep up the good work!

this is really inspiring to see! i'm currently planning a 'two toned' kitchen using gray on the lower cabs and white-ish on the uppers so this is so great to see.
it's so unique! it's been hard finding good photos to refer to when trying to visualize this look.
love love love the steel countertop!

Here is a link that might be useful: designsmitten.com

Twosit - thanks for the compliments! Well I decided a few days ago to bite the bullet and get concealed hinges afterall. The reason I thought I couldn't was cause they're so big and space-consuming on the insides of the cabinets that I thought giving up that much space wouldn't be worth it...but I was stressing out so much about the aesthetic issues from the outside that I finally said "why am I putting myself through this" and decided to give up some space to have the less cluttered and competing look. I'm so glad you like the way it looks with the double doors, thank you! I'm happier with them now knowing the hinges will be concealed and I won't have to put on twice as many butterflies! ;)

Beckysharp - thank you! I love it - a Cinderella kitchen! :) Does this mean my husband might turn into a prince??! That would be terrific! Oh no, wait, that's my pumpkin might turn into a coach. Oh well. Hey that gives me a great idea!!! I should get one of those fairy princess coaches w/ horses, from Playmobil, then some battery-operated white lights to put around the coach (so it can be seen on a porch in the dark), and then carve a pumpkin to look like a coach!! How fun would that be?

Igloochick - I'm with you on the old homes, new style furniture. I mean people have the right to do interesting and modern things with any spaces, they really do IMO, but I like it best when they're period-appropriate just because it's fun being transported in time and also is just attractive and fitting and honors history. How lucky you are to have a victorian! Speaking of authenticity and cooking on wood, I'm one of those who would LOVE a vintage stove an old stove in my grandmother's basement (also 1913 but much larger house than mine)...I was thinking how much I'd love to use it but alas, it's wood-burning!!! I think a lot of the stoves in the Northwest were wood-burning for obvious reasons. When you say sub floors do you actually mean the boards under what would/should be the woof floors? I've never heard of anyone using those as the real floor - but maybe I'm misunderstanding. Now WHERE THE HECK are your pics???

Stinky gardener - thank you! Yes by having the kitchen done like this I feel like at least the main floor will be less embarrassing when we have company over. The living room is still a little embarrassing cause of the bright yellow walls and tab-top white curtains on the big front window and then dark green ugly curtains (that without rings, barely open!) on the side window, etc. but I'm keeping my eye out for ebay matching velvet curtains. A local Craigslist seller just posted "foam green" Pottery Barn curtains that are exactly my windows' sizes and amounts that I need, but foam green didn't strike me as the best green for my room. It's too pastel I think. Anyway, thank you again!

Jackier - I love your blog, your coveted cafe curtains and your cat! Way cool cat - love those eyes and that personality shines through! I couldn't see enough of your house (?) but I'm crazy about your back yard and those lights! What type of house/city do you live in? Thank you for loving the countertop! I just spoke to the owner today of the fabricator company and he's going to replace it. The miscalculations in measuring make too many compromises, even if most won't be able to see them, and if he's willing to do it over, i'm willing to accept (and delay things further...though it sounds like they'll put a rush on it). I so appreciate this and frankly, can highly recommend this company now. He said he ripped up my check and that we can deal with payment when it's done right. He spoke highly of his measurer (is there another word for 'measurer'?) and agreed that it was a fluke because his guy has been there for over 20 years and is very experienced. Sorry for ranting - I'm just happy I'll be getting what I expected to get in the first place. I don't think the error will be repeated. p.s. I'd love to hear more about your kitchen plans and see more pics. This forum is so awesome for the obsessed!!!

Do you have white trim around windows and doors throughout the house? I'm a stickler for continuity for those types of things. I guess I don't know the kitchen you're using for inspiration...I will have to look it up. Still loving the white and gray. :-) And the counters do look amazing.

Thanks Rhome! Yes there's white throughout the rest of the house. I agree when it comes to every room except kitchens for some strange reason. I guess I see them as different enough and if the feeling is different from the rest of the house in a pleasing way it's like stepping through some sort of portal. That doesn't mean I've really thought it through though - maybe once the trim is cream, I'd feel how different and off it feels and would want it white again! I see your point. I'm just so tired of white though. Have had it in this and last house so since 1996.

That said, I agree - especially with a fresh coat of paint and maybe with the white subway tile - that the continuity of it with the sink and tile in and of themselves could be worth it to keep it white (all that contrast, as well). But really, I'm waiting till the tile's in to make my final decision. I might still go with the gray and gray and more gray, as in my inspiration pic!:

Or, I could do some combo, like paint the other cabinets a buttery cream, the window and all trim white, and the walls a third color (or more of the gray or a lighter version of the gray or mostly gray than a pale blue ceiling, etc. etc.). Or I could paint the floor-to-ceiling cabs on the perpendicular wall the same, relatively intense gray color but do the upper cabs above the sink, white, and then have aaaaall the window and door trim et al be the gray color and then do cream on the walls like Sally Wheat did. So the only thing different from Sally Wheat's kitchen would be that the upper cabs above the sink would be white, to draw up the white from the sink and marble. Ha it would almost be like the shape of a trident when looking at it all dead on.

Sorry for thinking out loud there... ;) Thank you for getting me to think about those colors!

Your backsplash ties in the gray counter with the larger white around it. Keep the entire window wall area white.

The inspiration pic has open shelves and a nothing backsplash. You have way more eye interest going on, on the surface of materials. If you make your uppers gray, they come out at you and align themselves with the base cabinets.

Eyes wander well onto detail on your white window wall with closed uppers. Trim and hinges. You don't have those details below on the base cabinets.

Thanks davidro1 - what do you think about cream? There's tan in the marble (a little) and the hardware would still pop out. I know, it's not the same as white. I've just lived with the white so long I feel like I'm going crazy. Maybe I could have the trim be white and the cabinets cream and then do a third color on the walls (more gray or a lighter gray?)...

sounds good.

amazing kitchen!! I love the whole thing :)