Redroze...what granite did you use? It looks great!

Redroze--natural beauties look great "without their makeup on", just like your kitchen. It is already so lovely; you must be itching to move in and start using it.

Redroze -- It gets better with every addition. Simply beautiful!!!

Stunning!! I love it! The white grout will be perfect.
To answer your question about the window..yes, I would probably put up some sort of window covering because that brick wall is distracting. Another thought...instead of a window covering, you could plant a tree or some sort of greenery outside near that brick wall.. Possibly a rose trellis?

The backsplash looks fantastic. I love the way the dark floors ground your space - such a timeless and dramatic look.

It'll be the perfect frosting on the cake. Very nice.

Redroze I think your kitchen looks fantastic! Backsplash is great and your faucets are perfect. I know you thought your pictures were too dark to post, but I lightened up the exposure for you a little in photoshop so the beautiful details show thru better. Hope you don't mind.

Redroze, the backsplash is wonderful! Actually, I don't mind the brick -- looks like an interesting element to me! The whole kitchen is just so pretty! FABulous! You're right, all the lovely finishes are even more lovely and defined with the backsplash. ( I remember living with a backsplash of bare studs covered in plastic for two weeks while waiting for my tile.)

Your kitchen is beautiful! I'm not a white cabinet person, but I might become a convert seeing beautiful kitchens like yours and some of the others here. The backsplash looks terrific.

Ok, what exactly are those tiles? Your kitchen is stunning! I keep going back to your lights over the island-- they add a beautiful touch of sophistication. Absolutely beautiful. Please post a closeup of the bs once it's grouted.

Your kitchen is gorgeous, can't wait to see it all finished and accessorized. Those floors are to die for!

Wonder if your neighbor would mind if you had a mural painted on the side of their house, maybe a lovely beach or mountain scene?! LOL! I don't think it would bother me too much unless I had to hand wash a LOT of dishes. But I think a roman shade would look really nice in there.

Your kitchen is stunning! The backsplash along with every other aspect of your kitchen are so pulled together. You really should be proud of your new space.
Barb

Your backsplash looks great even without grout! And I love your floors--they are a great contrast to your white and your granite.

Thank you for the kind notes!! I get excited about every bit of progress, and I owe it to everyone on GW who puts up with my questions and frequent rants to give you some progress pics!

Dickinsonian - It's Bianco Antico. It has a lot of depth in person and was the ONLY granite that had the tones we were looking for - gray, white, bronze, and bits of black and red.

Maydl - We've been using it, believe it or not. We didn't have our hood insert until recently so we were opening windows and staying away from frying or sauteeing too much.

Laurie - I love your idea about the rose trellis! Love it, love it. I phoned my mom and she will help me plant a rose vine just outside the window, not to totally block the view but to frame it. I do like roses because they're so timeless. And it would be fitting for my screenname.

Lmalm - How sweet of you!!! The photos look great!

Minette - Good point. Better a brick wall rather than some awful aluminum siding or a concrete wall...I love catching the occasional bird of squirrel perched on the fence.

Nys29 - They are 2x8 Heath handmade ceramic tiles, the colour is Chalk White, in a matte finish, and I purchased them from Ann Sacks. They are a "skinny" take on the traditional 3x6 subway tile. I will definitely post a close-up once all the tiles are up and it's grouted.

Everyone, thanks for your wonderful posts. We get a bit of progress and i just want to keep going, going!! Next stop, kitchen table and chairs and drapes!

Beautiful!

But enquiring minds what to know why you haven't started moving back into your kitchen! :>)

Raehelen - We're "cooking" in it (literally and figuratively, haha) and believe it or not, all our pots, pans, dishes, and everything are stored in the bottom cabinetry right now. But a bunch of things still need to happen: crown molding, undercab lighting, upgrade electrical for our potlights and pendant lights, grout backsplash, wall oven installed, buy kitchen table and chairs, barstools.... So that's why we haven't moved back in. I can't wait until we can vaccuum up all the sawdust and give the cabs a good cleaning.

Redroze absolutely stunning. Love your backsplash, and yes it looks great even without the grout. It just gives such a finishing touch to your beautiful kitchen. Couldn't wait to see them up and they didn't let me down, there even nicer than I imagined!! The color on my screen is a perfect match, great job!!!!! This is my last step, the backsplash and I have been going back and forth for two months now. I have to just make a decision and do it. I have Monday off from work so I think I will take the plunge.

Wow! Love the clean simple crisp look: everything goes:
love the brick wall view! I though it was part of the splash/lol! You did great: Nice granite! Almost looks like a St Cecilia Grey:

Best wishes:

STUNNING!!!!!!!

I can't believe I missed it! In my own defense, parents are here, crazy day yesterday and today--forgive me for the delay, ok?

It looks just as awesome with your kitchen as I'd imagined, maybe even better!

Hi Redroze,
I love your kitchen and all the materials that you've selected:) Are those white or cream tiles? Where did you purchase in TO?

Redroze,
It's perfect. Your kitchen just keeps getting more beautiful!

Hi Clax - the colour is Chalk White. The cabinets are very white and our granite has more of a gray, so the tiles are white with a tinge of grey which brings the counters and cabinets together well. I wish I could take a better photograph of it to really show you the true colour of the tiles.

I ordered them from the US and had them shipped here via Fedex. I looked EVERYWHERE for tiles in this size, which I could find, but the colour wasn't right as most of the tiles were yellow.

Marilyn - Thank you. I was so happy to find a perfect match. And I posted on GW with two samples of white just to be sure. Good luck on your backsplash choice!

Catmom - Nice to see you still coming around! Please come again. ;-) As much as I lusted after your opera glass tiles, I know they are perfect in your kitchen and that these tiles are perfect in my kitchen. So it all works out.

Hi Redroze,

I love your kitchen! What kind of undercab lights are you using? Also, where are the electrical receptacles?

I am very curious since we have finally decided on a granite backsplash and with all this stalling, I now think that I don't want to interrupt the backsplash with outlets. We are thinking of using low profile outlet boxes under the upper cabs. We are not sure what lighting company to use. Our kitchen has been stalled due to technical issues and health issues, but I am from Toronto and know that you have done your research, so I am trying to get some advice before the electrician comes this week.

Thanks and congratulations - it is really coming along nicely.

Hey Anna - To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of undercab lights we're using. I didn't even want undercab lights but GC was going to wire them anyway just in case, and somehow now they're in based on DH and GC deciding one day, go figure!! The electrical outlets are mounted underneath, no fancy plugmold or anything. I love that the backsplash isn't interrupted and of course it makes tiling easier. I'm a "use the electric teapot or toaster then unplug and tuck it away" kinda girl, so you need to be that "kinda girl" as well to do this. Or be okay with wires dangling from under your cabinets.

Here's a closer look. The light rails are not installed yet. Ignore the yellow goo between the tiles...and he still needs to tile under the cabinets.

Redroze,

Thanks for replying so quickly. I too feel the same way - use the toaster and put it away, afterall, I got a new kitchen so I wouldn't have such a mess on my counters!

My husband bought a Plugmold strip at Home Depot, but after taking it apart, and in the process, bending it out of shape, and not being able to fit the end caps on, and finally having to bang it back together (he couldn't imagine doing this upside down while it's attached to the upper cab), we are not going to use it. The outlets will be place like yours. However, I am curious as to where you will place them in your kitchen and how many you have decided on having?

You have also raised my curiousity about the undercab lights - are they xenon? From your photo, I can't seem to figure out how they work. I guess the light will face toward the backsplash since they seem to be mounted close the front rail? Am I right? How did DH and GC decide on placing them in this manner?

Of course I still come around--I've been waiting to see that beautiful backsplash tile installed! :-)

It really is perfect in your kitchen. I love the way all the elements blend so harmoniuously with each other and just "work." All of your agonizing and searching is really paying off, big time.

Thank you yet again for your kind words re: my splash (and my kitchen). It means the world to me that my DH's efforts and mine have been appreciated by others in this "community."

Enjoy Thanksgiving surrounded by the beauty of your new space!

So pretty--I cannot wait for your finished pix!!!

Anna2006 - I'm not sure if they are xenon, and DH isn't sure either. We tooka closer look and yes, the light will face towards the backsplash. I think they were mounted that way because if he put them face down, they would be quite deep and would not be covered by the light rail. DH and GC didn't really discuss he said, we just trusted GC to do it in the best way. It's not one of the things we gave too much say in. I'll let you know how it turns out! We have a rail each under the upper cabs on either side of the range, and none are installed on the other cabs so far...so not sure. Sorry, this is the one area that I didn't get too much involvement in, just out of lack of interest as I NEVER WANTED UNDERCAB LIGHTS IN THE FIRST PLACE!! Hopefully they'll work okay. =)

Janefan - Me too!!! Me too....

Your kitchen is just stunning and I had to show my DH. I keep telling him that I am drawn to white cabinets and he makes a face but I just showed him your pics and even he admitted that your kitchen is beautiful.

Ptyles - I am familiar with that exact face as DH had made it too when I suggested white cabinets. He came around though, especially because we did stained wood cabs as well. I hope yours does too! Best of luck.

Just wanted to end off this post with some photos of our final installed granite. The undercabinet lights are in...we're in the home stretch. Enjoy!

Oopsie..I meant final installed BACKSPLASH.

Redrose, I love how your kitchen is turning out!! It's so great when an element adds just what you hoped it would -- like your great lights and your backsplash!

I love Laurie's idea of a rose trellis framing the window. You mentioned enjoying the occasional glimpse of a bird or squirrel -- why not add a bird feeder or two in the winter and a hummingbird feeder in the summer?

Congratulations on your lovely kitchen!

Arlene

Thank you Arlene! I love that idea of putting a hummingbird feeder!!! What a wonderful idea!!

Ooooh, that's really, really pretty!

Redroze,
Your kitchen is gorgeous! Can you give me some specs on your backsplash (I'm up to that part of my kitchen). Where did you get them? Are they matte finish or glossy? What color are they? What grout color and spacing did you use? Are they 3 x 6 or longer? (Did I miss the specs in a prior thread, if I did just point me in the right direction). Do you love it?
Thanks
Melanie1121

Oh I read the entire thread...I see it now...Anne Sacks!
Are the tiles slightly grey?
BTW, I have the same faucet...cant wait to install it!
Enjoy your lovely kitchen!
Melanie1121

No problem Melanie! Yes, they are Ann Sacks, 2x8 (3x6 are the standard subway tile size and we wanted something more elongated), matte finish, colour is Chalk White. They appear more grey in photos than they do in person...they are very white with a tinge of grey, which works perfectly with our granite which has grey quartz in it.

That's great that you have the Danze Opulence...we've have great success with both our main faucet and bar faucet.

Here are more recent photos in good daylight:

What color grout did you use and were you satisfied with the 1/8" grout line? Also, since the tiles are handmade...how long did it take to get the tiles?
Thanks
Melanie1121

Great pics, the kitchen is coming along wonderfully! How long did it take to pick the backsplash tile? What color are they? (white, off-white, crackle glaze,etc)?

We're still trying to make our mind up on what subway tiles to use on our KT redo once the granite counters go in. Mike

I'm very very satisfied with the 1/8" grout line. However, I'm not sure if I would have been as happy if we went with a grout that contrasted with the tile, such as a grey or cream colour. When the tiles were not yet grouted, I felt the lines were too heavy. But with the white grout, the grout thickness looks perfect to me.

The grout colour is from Home Depot, called Bright White.

{{!gwi}}

Mikebeth - it took us forever to choose the tiles, mainly because we were undecided on the material at first. We thought we'd go glass, then decided to do a handmade ceramic tile in a matte finish. They are white with a grey undertone, no crackle, just matte.

Your kitchen is great. I personally think your kitchen would go well with a glossy subway tile, a white with a slightly creamy tone (as I believe your cabinets have a creamy tone to them?), and I think a bezel edge would look awesome (check out minidmoo's kitchen). Or you could do crackle. A subway tile with texture, I believe, would go so well in your kitchen.

I wanted something more subdued which is why we did a matte tile. Our granite has a lot of depth to it.

Here's a better photo of the tiles:

Melanie - The tiles took 6-8 weeks to come in since they were handmade. The most annoying part is that we didn't order enough, so we had to order more. I put in a rush order for more tiles, and they were able to turn it around in 3 weeks but i had to pay a rush fee.

Redroze, you must be thrilled to see everything coming together so beautifully. You carefully researched every decision, and it shows in the end product-- gorgeous!

They are Heath Ceramics tile. You can order them through Heath as well as through Ann Sacks. www.heathceramics.com
They will send you samples too. I used the 2x8 in Pisces green, but did it in a vertical pattern for a modern take. All of their tiles are stunning. I want to use them all!! Redroze, your kitchen is beautiful!

how did i miss this???????????? wow! isn't it great to see each new thing?????? just when you think your kitchen can't get much better, they do one more detail and it's amazing!!!! can't wait til it's totally finished!!!!!

Redroze, we meet again! You commented on Danze in my thread. Ooooooo....you're kitchen is BEAUTIFUL. What is the other faucet at your prep sink? Do you know of a manufacturer of hot water dispenser that will match the Danze oil rubbed bronze? BTW, wait delay was worth it on the floor! Fabulous.
Carrol

Hi Carrol, sorry for the delayed response. I should keep better track of my posts!

The faucet on my prep sink is the same style but in a bar faucet, Danze Opulence. I unfortunately don't know a hot water dispenser that matches the Danze orb. Have you tried phoning Danze? The manufacturers can be surprisingly helpful sometimes. I phoned Blanco directly when I had questions on their sinks.

I know, I'm so glad we waited on the floor!!

Gglks, how are you enjoying your wonderful kitchen?? I meant to ask you, how does light reflect through the silvered pendants? Do they basically contain the light or does it make the lights more sparkly? Any photos you can share? I'm thinking of doing silvered lighting in another room.

Keep checking in, I hope to post our finished kitchen pics in Feb/March. It's basically done, we just need to order furniture and the fabric for our upholstered chairs are backordered until mid-Feb (it better be good for that long of a wait!!)

Nice to hear from you!

Sorry to start up so long after but i wanted to see how your inset cabs held up! I am trying to decide if my kids will thrash them since they get off kilter