About your flooring - if you can't get a good match in that hole you found - I suggest putting in a nice old wrought iron floor vent.
We have them in our old house and I used a few for other holes that we found as we uncovered the old wood. they fit right in and no one would know that they were not 'in use'.

good luck with your kitchen - looking forward to seeing your pics.

Wow--what a great find! Isn't it such a great feeling when things match, or just plain work out even better than you'd imagined? Congrats!

Nice looking handle but on the practical side, do you think it might "catch" on clothes? Just a thought; I'm always too practical. I think it is very pretty though!

Ha! Sjerin, I'd be leaving my pants in the kitchen with pulls like that.

Ok, more on pulls and paint.

1. Have labelled the two colours I'm considering (colours aren't quite true on my computer, but close enough for a straw poll)

2. Have also loosely installed three pulls I'm considering.

Thoughts on both elements? (I'll voice my own leanings after I've heard everybody else's) :)

Boy, you don't make things easy, do you? The Almond Biscuit gives you more light and contrast, both of which you were looking for, but I like the color (as projected on my monitor) of the Wooden Spoon. It has a lot more life. Both are nice, but you know that already :) I guess, AB if you want "bright" and WS if you want "cozy".

I like the dark pull with the Wooden Spoon, for contrast and warmth. With Almond Biscuit, I like the shorter, shiny one, for the modern, bright look.

Very nice......glad to hear how well it's turning out to be : )
I agree with your choice, I like the chunky square handles and really like the shorter one on the right of your last pic. Can't wait to see more.

Spoon looks a lot like the cabinets... would give a more open, monochromatic feel -- but your cabs will NOT take center stage. The lighter color, biscuit, is brighter and more lively, but will definitely contrast with the cabs more and make for a slightly busier feel.

As for pulls... NOT #2. :)

HA! You see, I absolutely adore #2. They're period-inspired, they're chunky, they feel good and I really REALLY like them. But now I've put them up, I just don't think the cabinets are tall enough or the space big enough to carry that big a pull - it will be more like "Brushed steel bungalow pulls with kitchen accompaniment", especially once I add them to a 4-drawer stack! Yes, I have to agree. Alas. Which doesn't mean I'm going to give up on them yet but... well, yes. Sigh.

The one on the right is, strictly speaking, a Colonial style square bin pull, but it's entirely functional turned through 90 degrees and the proportion is better. I quite like it.

I quite like the shape and design of the dark one - and it has a rather lovely greek key design etched on it, which you can't see in the photo, but I'm not 100% sold on dark pulls - sink and faucet are stainless, and appliances are white, so that may all get a bit busy. That said, it may tie together well with the dark backsplash. However, I like the chunky proportions. (And would you believe it's from TARGET?!??! They have an amazing selection of pulls, actually, and many of them are quite different from the ones I've seen elsewhere. Go figure!)

Creeky, I'm thinking that my backsplash is the thing I most want to "pop" (especially since it's darker), hence why not necessariliy such a bad thing if there's a bit of monochrome colour into the cabinets. (In fact, about to go update my paint thread on that score...)

::smacks self, muttering "It's only a kitchen for heaven's sake!!"::

:) :) :)

Yeah, it's only a kitchen. Only the heart of your house where you nourish your family :) It's worth the effort!

So, left field time. How about custom pulls? Since you want to highlight the backsplash, why not make pulls out of some of the individual tiles? It might look really cool without adding another element to your small space.

Yeah, yeah - I know I'm only lying to myself if I try to be, yanno, NORMAL about it all instead of TKO. I'm doomed... DOOMED! Whenever my daughter seems me staring at the new space with "that" look, she just rolls her eyes and says, "Mom. It's paint. PAINT. ONLY PAINT! Geez, you are SO weird." lol

Ok, so... how does one MAKE pulls? Enquiring minds want to know!

I'm also sitting here contemplating telling my GC and DH to go to hell and just painting it a deep pumpkin-terracotta-sage-gold (if such a thing exists) just because I WANT to muahahahhahahaha

:)

It's hard to tell from the photos, but the individual tiles look like they could be the right size for pulls. If that's so, you can drill them and put double screws in them (a bit tricky to do without breakage), or epoxy them to appropriate hardware. You can also check to see if there are pulls ready made to accept your stone or tile. Then you can just adhere them with epoxy, or another adhesive as suggested. If they're not long enough you can do two together with a small band of contrast, or just butted together. If you want knobs, you can get the workmen to cut some on a wetsaw. Same if you want them narrower. You can also break them and make mosaic with them. Or you can take pieces of your stone and tumble them in a rock tumbler, and then adhere them to hardware for a more organic look.

The place I used to know for hardware doesn't have it any more but I found this place, Maguire's Stones, which will do it for you. Also, Nature's Hardware.

Oh! Here! This place, The Hardware Hut has some findings. Just so you can see what they look like. There's a bigger variety on the market. I just can't put my finger on them right now.

I like almond biscuit (but I'd be willing to consider pumpkin terracotta). The cabinets are so pretty I wouldn't want them to blend in.

Pull #2 really IS too LOOKATME for upright positioning, isn't it? I think it might actually work fine horizontally on drawer stacks, but vertical it's bossy. It also shows fingerprints!

nice cabinets! i vote for "wooden spoon" and the dark pull on the left. i like the square pulls much better than your original...with those cabinets... kren

How about holding off deciding about any pull until the kitchen is completed and you get a sense of the whole space? Your primary features are your beautiful cabinets, outstanding countertop and backsplash. Nothing else should detract from those features. Take a step back. Get the big picture completed first and then fine tune with pulls, paint, accessories.

Home Depot has practice boards used by faux finish painters to practice finish projects. Narrow your paint choices to six or so and paint a practice board in each color. The pieces are large enough that you will get a feeling for the color. They can be moved to different locations and placed in different lighting conditions and will give you a more secure feeling about your choice under different conditions as opposed to having one spot along with ten others in the same location. Be sure and use the painted practice boards in areas surrounded by white so you can get the truest sense of the color you are considering.

JB1176

For our shaker-style cabinets (Kraftmaid maple toffee) we chose pulls and knobs from the Mulholland Square Suite at Lee Valley Tools. Several metal finishes are available.

Lee Valley has a great return policy giving you 90 days to return the unused items for a full refund (I think they even pro-rated the shipping cost.)

I believe the smaller pulls are actually 3" center to center. You could call to confirm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Mulholland Square pulls

Wooden spoon and the pull on the right. It works best proportionally with your backsplash.
Simple ;)

We have the same ones or similiar to Dixie in ORB and they look nice. We got the longer ones at HD of all places (I went everwhere) and the little rectangular ones at the Great Indoors. The were not expensive and looked best as they weren't bulky.

Progress! All cabinets (uppers and base) now installed, microwave in. Thin plywood base for countertop in. Most wiring completed. Countertop measured and marked out - it's almost eerie how well it's going to fit, and for the most part the polished edges are even in the right places!

Walls are now primed and they suggested I have the primer tinted so I could look at it and make a final decision - I did, and I'm very happy with it. It's definitely neutral rather than bling, but it's a neutral which changes colours in intriguing ways, sometimes reading as milky-tea, sometimes as rich caramel, sometimes as almost greenish, and sometimes leaning to a gold. Which is pretty much exactly what I had in my head before I started that paint-sample-marathon, so I guess I got it right in the end! And I think it will set off the backsplash tile very well indeed, and since that's my favorite element of my materials, that's probably as it should be! And I'm thinking that if it's TOO "boring", I can stipple or something over it when I have time off in the summer. We'll see - for now, it's lovely. And it's a decision - FINALLY!

Oh, and almost everybody who walked into the house saw the pulls and said, "The dark one. And definitely NOT the big one". So I have succumbed... dark pulls from Tarjay it is... :)

I tried to get some pictures, but the old kitchen is still in the line of sight and it's impossible to get a shot of anything that doesn't look a complete mess with all our detritus competing with the general building-site mess all around, so I guess y'all will have to wait! Suffice to say, I'm very pleased so far. And I LOVE my supersusan corner cabinet! I got licence to start filling 'em up so all the pots and pans got moved across. A thing of beauty to be able to FIND any pan I want simply by flicking a turntable...

Ah, life is good. Now if we can just be able to cook by Christmas.... :)

sounds great! I'm glad it is all finally coming together for you. :) Can't wait to see the final pictures.

To comment on the 'catching pants on the pulls' concept mentioned earlier in the thread: I have pulls shaped much like that, and yes, I'm always catching a pocket on them. But I still like them.

Was gone all day and came home to find the countertop in.

Sort of.

The two side pieces are fin, but the piece with the sink attached is sitting UPSIDE DOWN on the counter.

As yet it is unclear whether this was simply as far as they got today and they'll be installing it into the sink cabinet tomorrow, or whether there are some kind of alignment issues. A quick perusal suggests the latter is possible, although I'm not sure. Fortunately, if it's going to require a rethink and moving the sink cabinet down slightly, because i did my own design I HAVE a rethink that would give them an extra 3" if they need it, and it's not even that complicated. However.... I am REALLY hoping that it's simply there because they downed tools before they had a chance to finish it!

Things which make you go "hmm".

It IS normal to hit hiccups along the way, right?!?! (Just reassure me - this is the first thing that's happened that could potentially be a "problem" rather than merely a "oh, so THAT's how it's going to work", so I'm just trying to keep calm. Right? RIGHT?!!!?? :)

Ok, scrub that. Just got the email answer (wasn't expecting one so soon!) - they just have to ease the window trim a little more to get the counter in place. No problem at all!

::mops slightly fevered brow::

It's all your fault GW! Until I started reading here I was merely over-keen as opposed to COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FANATICAL!!!!

Where are the pictures???????

***HEE***

I don't think there's a cure for the TKO :)

So glad it turned out to be nothing much.

Ok, you talked me into it - here ya go.

I personally think this is hilarious, but then I have a weird sense of humour :)

Btw, today is the FIRST DAY that I have seen my countertop horizontal and in normal light - it's always been stacked since the first day I went to look at it in its previous owner's garage!

(to the left of shot - OLD, UGLY, CROWDED AND DISORGANISED KITCHEN!!!! And seeing this I realise that yes, I AM storing cooking oil, cornflakes and Barkeepers Friend right next to each other on the counter. I mean, doesn't everybody? Obvious, really - not only organised but, uh, so safe. Oops ;)

Oh, and that's not the paint - that's tinted primer. The paint is the same, only a bit darker. Looks yellower onsscreen than it is in IRL (where it's gold/greenish), but the cabinets look darker onscreen than IRL. FWIW.

Meant to include:

No, it's not soapstone or a deeply coloured granite (one of which a cost-no-object dream kitchen would be using), but for $600 I can't complain! The even-ness and neutralness of it is ideal in this space, really, and it has just enough shine to make our little kitchen glow. VERY happy with it - can't wait to see it finished!

Very nice - our house is very unique and our kitchen is still a work in progress - I have to get moving on the paint color one of these days.
I think you did great given the budget. We almost went with Silesstone but it was the same price and the color just didn't pop out so we went with granite, which my husband really wanted - he doesn't normallly have a lot of opinions and I knew he wanted granite so why not. Why do you need the plywood base? We didn't have to have one installed for it.

The old kitchen will be gone soon enough - at least you have it there to use - imagine the rest of us... I refused to use our when we moved in and we went months without one. Just one pedestal bathroom sink as our main sink and a microwave and toaster oven... what fun. But, then again we live in a DIY construction zone so you get very used to it.

Well I have to say it has been an absolute treat following your progress. Congratulations!

Me, too. This is better than watching HGTV!

Ha! Glad to provide entertainment value - I'm certainly doing things a little, uh, differently than most (read: I have no money so I have no choice!)

And pcjs, the construction plan from day one was to leave the old kitchen in situ until new one was connected - my GC suggested that from the get-go and, while it's kind of a pain to have both spaces filled up with STUFF and, to be frank, we can't really cook properly because it's all just so chaotic and everything is moved around and disorganised to make space for the work, it is DEFINITELY easier than living without any kitchen at all.

Countertop is now IN and my Blanco sink (which I hadn't seen AT ALL yet due to aforementioned stacked storage) is lovely! Original fabricators did a lovely job on the undermount and it looks great.

Only compromise so far countertopwise is that because the counter wasn't originally designed for a peninsula and is only standard width, one side of the peninsula counter will have a slightly stingy overhang. We played around with this in situ and decided it was more important for it to have the best overhang on the dining room side (where it will be highly visible) than the short edge which forms the corner next to the sink; that's a tight corner anyway, and nobody will see it so we're just going to put our fingers in our ears and say "lalallalalal" and pretend it's "perfect" ;)

Kidding aside, I will say that this is where going the 2ndhand route might NOT be acceptable to some folks. This kind of stuff doesn't bother me particularly, and they're compromises I can live with; for some, it would be unacceptable (I sometimes feel like my "after" kitchen would be some people's "before"!). But we are happy with it. It will not be "perfect", it will not look like a magazine spread and it might not please everybody, but we're thrilled - the expanse of workspace is glorious compared to our prior 24", the extra storage (especially with the lazy susans and other inserts) is so much easier and more practical to use, the connection of front of house to back and the deck (something I dreamed of but wasn't convinced I could achieve) is wonderful, and the light, light, light (further enhanced by the side window reflecting on the countertop) is magical and makes the whole space inviting and friendly. The backsplash is really going to tie it all together beautifully in a warm, neutral kind of way. A couple of slightly mismatched cabinets, enforced handle spread/placement, and a not-terribly-visible short overhang on one 21" edge seem small prices to pay to enable use of these luxury materials. We NEVER could have done this any other way - even using the cheapest new materials we would have been scraping by and, to be honest, dissatisfied with the result. And this also has the added bonus (to us) of feeling like it's "always been there".

In any case, we're getting there. Thanks for the encouragement, all!! I really appreciate it, more than you can know. Watch this space for more pictures and updates coming soon! :)

Divamum, I too am having such a good time reading your posts. Not only is the progress fun to follow, but your enthusiasm and colorful descriptions are a delight. And I admire the heck out of you for making your dream kitchen (which I know will be gorgeous,) on a small budget. Thanks for sharing!

Divamum, NEVER apologise for your budget!! The best art is made with constraints. So likely you'll have one of the best kitchens :)

What makes me a TKO is how hard it is to actually cook in my kitchen. Similar to you. I'm getting a kitchen I'm going to love by mostly hiring people I know and trust, indulging my taste in appliances, and daring to be "different" on the finishes. You're getting the kitchen you want by finding the things you want for a price you can afford, finding a GC who is able, responsive and has a sense of humor, and obsessing about paint. And in the end, whether it's a big budget or a small budget, we're both getting the kitchens we want!

I know that you know where the mismatched cabinets are (call them points of interest), and where the overhang isn't optimal (call it idiosyncrasy), but the rest of us just think you're putting in a beautiful kitchen which will make your lives easier and more pleasant, and admire you for making it all work. And for having such a winning personality!

I'm loving following your progress.

what I really want to know is how bkf tasts on corn flakes?

Buffettgirl - BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!! I guess me answer has to be, "About as good as vegetable oil cleans your stainless steel..."

:)

As ever, thanks y'all! I think I'm much wittier in here than IRL, but thanks for the compliments!

Good news/bad news today:

Good: Backsplash is in and I LOVE it - adds just the warmth and "antique" feel I had hoped.

Good: Countertop is now in place, and the sink is lovely - I even got to (finally) play around with my faucet and see how it looks! I think (shhhhhh... ;) that my replacement faucet for the never-arrived Ebay one is actually going to work better than my original choice, so it's all good - very happy with how it looks.

Bad: the countertop seams ain't exactly, uh, minimal. Funnily, the least noticeable one is somewhere we had to piece it in the back at the corner (the only piece that wasn't an easy fit, in fact) - a seam that shouldn't be there at all barely shows. It's beautiful - top notch. Unfortunately, because of where it had to be cut due to the limitations of sink placement, the two main seams are craters AND I don't like the colour he used (too light - he didn't use clear because he thought the width would show more and what he did use reads as nearly white). I've made it known I'm not thrilled about those and we'll see if he comes up with an alternative; I've noticed that if I throw out an idea like that and then just let it percolate, he sometimes comes back and tweaks it - we'll see.

Bottom line, of course, is that it doesn't impair function (to be honest if I hadn't been reading in here I probably wouldn't even have realised that you could GET nearly invisible seams in stone!), but if it can be modified to be a bit less obvious, I'll prefer it. Just changing the colour so it's closer to the background of the quartz would help, I think (Sharpie marker?!)

Anyway, that's today. Tomorrow it's all about plumbing, I gather - with luck, we should have functions running by the end of the week!

A little teaser... backsplash was grouted today and wooHOO!! Thrilled. Also, the Ikea faucet went in - I'm not 100% sold on the pulldown yet, but I'm sure I'll get used to it - we had to futz with the counterweight to get it to stay in place and now it's a little stiffer to pullout out than I'd like, but I'm sure it will be fine as it "wears in". I like the way it looks and feels, and the porcelain handle will be a nice touch to pull together the appliances (once they're in).

I still am disappointed at the colour of the epoxy (or whatever it is they used), but even after 1 day I'm noticing it less so I guess I can live with it! I'm still hopeful there may be a way of putting another bead of silicon or something there that tones in better with the counter colours so it's not QUITE so obvious. Short version: don't shout at me about my seam! I know it's not a perfect, fabricated-to-order seam and, while I hope there's a workaround to minimise it, I can learn to live with it if there isnt :)

Anyway,

Also, not at all by the way, thank you all for your kind words and support regarding my incident yesterday. I'm fine - very tired, and worried about my 9 year old DD who was still awake and heard it all and was VERY shaken and is still pretty upset - but fine. It could have been so very much worse.

And I have floodlights now, too!!!

:)

Whoohoo! It's a kitchen! The backsplash is beautiful, and so is the faucet.

Odd thing to do for the seam, if you can't minimize it, why not maximize it? Get some tiny crystals and gem chips (from the bead store) and stick them in with epoxy. It'll be a sparkly little decorative feature rather than an oops.

P.S. Thank goodness you're all right. It's horrible that your daughter is so shaken (maybe it's something to check back on in the months ahead to make sure it doesn't stay with her). But as you say it I think of the university girls who walk alone at night and hope that the only lasting effect she'll have is to take caution seriously when she's older.

I am glad you are safe. I had my husband and his friend install a motion sensor light in front of our house - it is ulgy, but great. What I also did was petition the county for a street light as our section of the street didn't have one. All our imediate neighbors signed it and about 8-10 months later and several demanding phone calls later I got it. My neighbors were thrilled.

Your kitchen looks great. The seam looks good. You'll get used to it in a few weeks. Or, call in an silesstone person to see if they can use the silesstone stuff and finish it off. Or, get a papertowel holder and place it on the seam to cover it some.

E Countertops has caulk that matches the Silesstone:
http://www.e-counters.com/eOther/eOSPcaulk.cfm

It's only $4.75 plus shipping.

Or call them and see if they have something better.

Here is a link that might be useful: e countertops

pcjs you're a genius - that's exactly the kind of thing which is needed! Now I know that such a thing exists (I mean, I knew it must, but had NO IDEA where to look!) I can try to track down the appropriate colour for our Cambria. A little bit of that in the seam would likely do exactly what I want - I don't care if it's there, I just don't want it to look like bathroom tile!!

The funny thing is - after reading some of the "horror stories" in here about fabricators and poor seaming - my guy did a great job on the cutting, sanding and aligning (it's pretty much perfect in those regards), it's only the caulking part that fell down! Go figure.

In any case, you may just have solved the problem - thanks so much!

Really must get some pictures soon, but until then just a wee update... :)

I went away for the day yesterday and when I came back: FLOORS! Omg, we have lovely tile and lovely oak!

The tile has come out well - we did a border at the entrance to the kitchen area and at the back door and I wish it had lined up just a little better with the main body squares. My diagonal pattern idea was nixed unless I was prepared to pony up some extra $ - which I don't have! - for the extra time it would have taken to lay it out and cut, but we did compromise on these borders It looks good, although (if I'm honest with myself) I probably should have just kept it simple and gone with it all laid on the square rather than getting clever, but hey - I can live with it. What I am THRILLED about is that my free tile - which was lighter than I would have chosen had I shopped for it - looks FABULOUS with the cabinets. The sand colour veining in the tiles is more or less exactly the same colour as the maple, and it ties together beautifully. To be honest, it's the perfect choice!

We wound up with a glue-down engineered hardwood in the dining area - it carries a 20yr guarantee on the finish and the thinner strips made it much easier to level between the original house and the extension (we were having real problems with that - as it was, they had to build up the extension floor significantly to get it to match the lowest we could go in the original house; it wasn't such a problem when it was two rooms, but when it became one unified space this was a "problem to be solved", particularly as the ceiling at the rear of the house is already low). In any case, the best colour choice for the floor in the right thickness turned out to also be the cheapest choice available - go figure! I was a bit iffy about the strips as they presented in the box - they seemed so... well... so much less solid than the 3/4" solid gunstock which I had seen and really liked - but once installed it looks FABULOUS! It has the advantage of NO bevelled edges, either, which is the same as the house's original flooring. It doesn't "match" the living room in colour - we didn't even try for an exact match - but it doesn't compete with it either since they're both in a medium-dark tone.

They're doing baseboards and putting the shelves and door on the pantry today (yippee! I can finally store everything!), and may even get the dw installed too since the tiling is now done. THat would be a wonderful new toy for the weekend!

I really will try to get some pictures even though it's still got "construction mess" everywhere and the details and "fixes" aren't finished yet and I kind of want to pretty it all up before I share. But every time I look at it I just marvel that I did it. I DID IT! And I have to say... the reality is even BETTER than what I saw "in my head"! Makes me smile every time I walk in.

Oh, and about those oversized undercabinet lights that I didn't like? I still can't say I like the more obtrusive installation aesthetically (although it will be valanced which will make it liveable - not done yet), but the worklight it gives is AMAZING, just like my GC told me it would be. He has insisted from the get-go that he did it this way because he likes the same installation so much in his own home (he's the main cook in his family) and although I still like the sleeker look of hidden uc lights, this stuff is fantastic - fANTASTIC - for worklight, and much more efficient than the standard UC light (he installed one of those on a small cabinet where the bigger one wouldn't fit so I've been able to compare firsthand). My visually-handicapped DH is more than grateful for the added brightness! I suppose there's probably another solution which is both bright and hidden, but my guess is it would have been a more expensive solution and, as y'all know, "extra $" just isn't something available to us. So, it's a compromise, but in the event a fairly happy one.

Anyway, felt I'd been remiss in not posting. Maybe I'll get some pix over the weekend if I can clean things up a bit :)

PS and the paint colour? LOVE. IT. I got there in the end!

Please please please? PHotos? I haven't been around for a while and I'm so excited to see how far you've come: But I want MORE PHOTOS!!

Oh stop it... stop it some more! :)

But SINCE you insist...

So much still to be done - a zillion finishing details, finish wiring, another coat of paint etc etc etc, but we are getting there. Funny how the kitchen seems to be taking sooo much longer than the attic did, but I guess that was in many ways more straightforward, especially since we weren't using the space while working on it.

Anyway, a little pre-taste (ugh, I can't WAIT to get in there and clean the fridge this weekend - we haven't been able to "get at it" and now that it's moved and next to all that fresh paintwork and pretty countertop it just looks GROSS!). Yes, it's still a mess and it is starting to drive me nuts (and given I have a VERY high mess tolerance as I am not a naturally tidy person, that is a BIG statement). But it's a functional, semi-LUXURY mess now! lol Old floor was a functional but icky-orange faux-oak laminate. New floor is ceramic tile in kitchen area (under the plywood down to protect it) and the engineered oak in the dining area. Stairs are just out of shot to the right; they'll be a mid-oak stain, I believe - they were just starting to mix up some colours for me to look at later.

Before, from living room doorway:

This was actually just after work started, hence why there is the same #()!#*# remodeling mess in this one as in the current scenario!). They had already cut the doorway between old kitchen and diner to allow for access to the attic, hence the exposed pipe etc. But, it does give you the idea of just how tiny the old kitchen was - what you see in the picture was IT.

Last night (still w/detritus - alas!), from same vantage point (fridge was roughly where that blue ceiling fan box is on the lh side; you can now just see it behind the pantry). Btw, this is a "panorama" that my camera's software stitched together, hence why it looks so crooked! It is level IRL, I swear it is, as is the first one! I'm not sure why they look like they drop off to the right, because they don't in reality.... hmmm.....

So much still to do... but we ARE getting there!

And here's before the floor and final cabinet went in, but it was all a bit tidier then ... ;) More the "effect" I'm aiming for when it's done. Back fo the peninsula will be skinned, of course.

Oh, pretty! I can't wait to see the floor :) It's great seeing the long shot. Can you believe you now have to have a wide angle to see your kitchen?

Looking good. You need to start another thread to post your photos when you're done. How much was your budget again??? Amazing......

Yes, photos of EVERYthing! I love my UC lighting. I kinda read all your posts, but missed what kinda of lights they are. I have a small kitchen that we just remodeled, so I know what your going through. BUT really, I love my small kitchen for my small family. It's easy and quick to clean, which means I have more time to spend doing other things beside cleaning!!!!

Christy

Here is a link that might be useful: Galley Kitchen Before & After

What a lovely efficient kitchen! It's looking beautiful.

I haven't seen your posts in a while, so I am very impressed with all the progress you've made. It looks great! I love your backsplash - it is beautiful. Great job!

Budget is $15k. I think we may run ever so slightly over as I think a couple of items went over the allowance (faucet, backsplash etc), but not by too much - to be honest, I think my guys have undercharged (seriously) and I'd rather come up with the grand or so I had set aside "just in case" than fall at the last fence! We've come too far to screw it up now :)

I can't wait to photograph it properly when it's not a mess - it's genuinely a beautiful space now, and not "only" for people who knew what it was like when we started. That said, everybody who does know what it was like before walks in and says, "NO WAY!! OH MY GOD!!" and starts raving about the light and the space even now, before it's properly completed.

So, we're pleased. I promise "real" finished kitchen pictures once we get there (I'm guessing probably 2 weeks or so to finish up all these bits and pieces that still need doing?) I feel these pix are somewhat premature but y'all DID ask!!

Oh, and I installled my revashelf base pullout today (myself - couldn't wait!). I'm in LOVE. :)

Holy cow is it wonderful! Congratulations, divamum. I am so v. happy for you all!