Wow! Even with the small pics, those cabinets look extremely well done! Those little touches of bejeweled pulls and fixtures are so well-placed and really put your personality in your kitchen. I'm envious of that great baking/kneading area. How large is that, BTW?

Hooray for you! Enjoy it!

Hi tired...

Wow! That's some kitchen! Love those pendant lights.. You must be an awesome cook to have such a space...Very lovely and it looks like you are going to enjoy yourself when you use it...

KA:)

LOVE IT! BEAUTIFUL!

So different and so beautifully done!

Oooh. I love the cabinet over the peninsula with the drawers below on the counter. I was wondering about doing something like this over the peninsula in the new kitchen and I like it.. a lot.

Your husband did an awesome job with the cabinets. What a special kitchen. Love seeing your granite-I have golden lapidus. Don't see many kitchens with this granite. I also put in a similar tile floor. I also have a peninsula instead of an island. No wonder I love your kitchen!!!

very nice!!! Great job!

Thanks everyone so far!

Chris, I'd love to see pics of your kitchen, if it's here somewhere!

I can't figure out my pictures - sometimes when I open this thread, they are small and bad resolution, sometimes they are big and clear, and sometimes, a mix of big and small. On photobucket, I made them "small" resizes because that's what the "posting pics" thread here said. I can repost some of the shots in "big" if others are having trouble. How are they showing up for everyone else?

Tired

WOW, Congratulations to your husband. Outstanding job. We're DIY's as well and believe me I know what it takes to accomplish what you have. Enjoy your new kitchen!

Gorgeous, beautiful! Love the cabinets. Your husband did a great job with them. What type of mahogany did he use and what type of finish did he put on them? Are they stained (what color) or just polyurethaned or both? Enjoy your beautiful new space!

WOW! What a wonderful kitchen. Your DH did a great job on the cabinets! Love the lights and counters. I can just imagine what a HUGE improvement this is over the old kitchen. Enjoy.

Wow...just fabulous...CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Here are some higher res photos.

Hi Tired, you're kitchen sure isn't tired! It's fabulous! Your husband did an amazingly beautiful job. I'm totally blown away by the hood area in particular although I also love the baking center, floors and backsplash. Oh and I love the pendants and hardware......i just think the whole space is beautiful! Enjoy!

The mahogany is African. I had a great source where I purchased rough stock at a "reasonable" price and milled the stock down to 3/4". The stain used was Behr classic oil in a mahogany color from Home Depot. They pulled a fast one on me half way through the project and discontinued the product. As a result I had everyone I knew on the lookout to buy up all remaining stock they could find from their local Home Depot stores so that I could finish. Final finish after 2 coats of stain was minwax polyurethane semi gloss. I applied 3 coats of poly and rubbed with steel wool to achieve desired smooth finish. This was necessary as African mahogany's grain will raise after stain is applied.
Final finish is Howard Feed-n-wax wood preserver.

Tired's husband (who is even more tired!)

That is just beautiful!!! Tired husband, you did a fantastic job on that kitchen. We recently used Sapele wood for a bathroom vanity and I recognized yours immediately. There is something magnetic about that wood - it has a different feel to it when it's done and almost sparkles in some light.

I feel really dumb asking this, but what is the area that has what looks like black granite and is lower than the regular counter height?

The whole kitchen is just gorgeous!! I hope you both get some well earned REST now! And enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Wow! Your husband made those gorgeous cabinets?!? Congratulations to both of you. Beautiful job! I love the fabulous wood, the tile pattern on the floor, and all the little details and touches throughout.

The area with the black granite is her baking station. What a gorgeous kitchen, enjoy!

For Tired's husband - next time (ha!) you do a kitchen DIY style and want us to believe you, you can't do such a fantastic job. You need to make it more homemade looking if you want us to think it was not done by a pro!

I have to also say that you are ruining things for all the husbands whose wives are reading this forum. That is a pretty high bar you set. If any of our husbands give us grief about helping out with anything, I think they will get an earful about the kitchen you just made in your spare time for your wife all while being a great dad.

Now that we have seen it in its naked glory, I can't wait to see it dressed with your accessories.
This is one heck of a stunning kitchen made all the more special in that it was done with love ;)

Absolutely stunning ! Do you have a pic of the before?

Dianalo -

I'm frozen now that it's time for accessories - I don't know what to choose! I want to pick my textiles for the banquette cushions and the valance/curtains for over the sink and behind the banquette, plus potential upholstery on stools at the island and the kitchen chairs, none of which have been chosen yet. I can't figure it out - should those elements be touches of yellow, or red, or some other color I haven't even thought about? Additional wrinkle is that at least on the banquette, the fabric will have to be weather proof and industrial strength - that's where the kids sit, and it's like a food explosion after every meal. I'll have to be able to practically wipe down the banquette cushions - that probably limits my choices!

It would be great if anyone had any thoughts!

After those elements, then I can do the tiny touches, like items over the range and in the display box above the baking station, which should probably be yet another color touch.

It's probably pretty clear to everyone who got all the design skill and confidence in this marriage!

Squeaky -

Unfortunately, I don't think I have any before pictures, unless they are pics of family gatherings where the kitchen just happens to be in the background. Before was 20yo "pickled white" light wood cabinets, white tile counters and backsplash, and white appliances of various "big box" brands that were installed by the prior house owner. The floor was oak.

Tired

Wow, an unbelievable DIY job -- your husband is a pro! The stove area is amazing! Love the finish, too, looks so warm. Congratulations.

Incredible job guys. You should be really proud of yourselves. It's something you can use and love for many, many years to come.

No pics yet of my kitchen as it isn't quite finished.

My husband wants to know if yours is a carpenter by trade-he was that impressed by his cabinets!!! I keep looking at your pictures and drooling. Details on the amazing backsplash area behind your stove please.

For accent colors on seating, window treatments, etc. how about picking up some of the colors in the kitchen already. Reds from the stove backsplash and light fixtures. Gray, black, gold, cream, from the lapidus granite.

Your kitchen is so perfect-one of my favorites I've seen!!

Tired - What a warm, beautiful kitchen. I would love to reach out and touch the cabinets, I can only imagine how amazing they look in person.

Regarding fabric, the warm yellow color on the wall is lovely with the cabinets - a nice compliment with out being too bold of an accent to take away from the wood. Consider that, otherwise try to find some samples of fabric colors (even in your wardrobe) and "hang" or place them in your room for a few days at a time to get a feel for what colors work for you. Good luck!

Hi Chris -

My husband is a landscape architect by profession, but cabinetmaking is his hobby. He's also designed, built and installed a cherry library in our house, so this is his second really big project.

The backsplash is Dune Emphasis Glass Mosaics "Trencadis Diabolo" color. The grout is Nutmeg, I believe. We're still struggling with the grout color - we had thought it was going to dry a rich caramel color, similar to some of the highlighting in the cabinet wood, but instead it dried that chalky grey brown color - there may be some additional adjustments to that color to get it closer to what we originally wanted. It is still pretty cool as is - depending on the light, it can look like textured copper, or even reptile skin. The photos don't entirely capture the real life look. We got it from Fast Floors dot com, where the price was about one fifth of stores in our area - win!

Can't wait to see pics as your kitchen is finished!

Tired

Here is a link that might be useful: Trencadis Diabolo

Mr. and Mrs. Tired: It's just beautiful. Congratulations!

Just beautiful! The wood and the design of the cabinets are stunning! LOVE the red backsplash and quite envious of your baking area, and I don't even bake. Well, maybe I would if I had something like that!

You can pick out any fabric and have it laminated. That would stand up well for everyday seating. I could not trust our sons with anything that could stain.
If you went with a faux crocodile pattern in vinyl or leather, that would hold up well and would mimic your bs nicely.
I think you should take your time and when you see a pattern (or non pattern) that hits you, you will know it. I envision reds and oranges for your kitchen. You can then add in smaller spots of jewel tones to give it some flair.

What gorgeous cabinetry! I love the warmth and color of your kitchen. I really like the backsplash you chose for over the range too! Unique and beautiful!

Congratulations!

That is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I cannot believe this was DIY! What an amazing job! Your cabinets are just gorgeous, and that range area just makes me drool!

Congratulations on an incredible job! Now ENJOY it!

Such a beautiful kitchen!!!! I am amazed at the fantastic job you did creating the cabinets. The lapidus is beautiful and the finer details really make this a gorgeous kitchen. Congratulations!