Kitchen open floor plan remodel, 6 months later. Thanks GW

11 years ago

We moved in the end of June and have SLOWLY been putting the finishing touches on. We gutted the first floor and much of the second floor. This is a remodel of my husband's grandma's place that we moved into. It is a 2 family philly style in Boston. Auntie lives on the first floor w/ 2 hidden bedrooms on 2nd floor, We occupy the second (living space) and third floor (3 bedrooms, 2 baths). We do not have have a finished basement or family room so this is our only living space for soon to be 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 adults, so space is a premium and opening the floor plan was a must.

We still need to finish painting and Window Treatments (why do these need to be so expensive), new front porches and update our heating system. We already put in all new windows (both units), new electrical (our unit), new floors, 2 new bathrooms, new insulation, kitchen.... an so on.

This forum was a great help in deciding what we needed, wanted and great for resources. There are quit a few things that we did that are direct result of all the research and threads on GW. Thanks:

photos on a cloudy day, much brighter when it isn't so gray out:

{{gwi:1567368}}
{{!gwi}}
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looking into the living space from kitchen:
{{!gwi}}
into kitchen from living space:
{{!gwi}}
saved the old dining hutch:
{{!gwi}}
Living space:
{{!gwi}}
My office tucked away with door to front porch and DD easel, my desk is tucked away on the other side as well as a closet.
{{!gwi}}
Pantry/half bath/laundry off the kitchen on the right of photo:
{{!gwi}}
Close up of quartzite:
{{!gwi}}
Anyone that lived in the city might understand why I am so excited about this "room" our half bath/laundry/pantry. To not have to walk 2 or 3 flights of stairs to the basement to do laundry has been awesome (especially since I have a new baby coming end of January). This room needs to be painted and I think I will hang a curtain or fabric to close of the w/d. This was an old useless unfinished 3 seasons porch:
{{!gwi}}

Thanks for looking, sorry if it is so long.

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Comments (57)

motherof3sons
11 years ago
Your remodel is outstanding! The use of space and keeping the character of the building is commendable. Love that corner cabinet! I am all about making the space work for your family. The laundry/powder room is perfect. My son and DIL lived in a home identical to yours with laundry in the basement. It was a workout especially with a newborn. The kitchen is fabulous. The reclaimed lumber open shelves bring a modern vibe. Love it all!
hellokitty2012
11 years ago
I love your kitchen and style. That gives me some ideas of my kitchen remodel. I have some questions:

Question 1: What brand is your kitchen cabinet?
Question 2: I really like your cooking stove. What brand is it? What's size is it?
Love it all!
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Wow - thank you all so much! I really did design the whole kitchen using this forum for inspiration, so I feel funny taking all of the compliments - I have to give credit back to this site! :-) Circuspeanut - I'm not sure what happened with that post - I did also email you pictures when we finished the counter, but perhaps cyberspace ate them. No matter - I'm glad you like the island - wouldn't have done it without your help!!! And I think of you almost daily as I wipe it down, or look at a particularly interesting spot and think of your "crime scene" that you had in one post. As for the patina - do you have the turquoise/blue/brown areas? Or just all shades of brown? lisa_a - we decided to put the garbage disposal under the coffee bar sink rather than the main sink. We're on septic, and by putting it in the less-used sink, I have significantly cut down on using it, which is better for our system. But, yes, there would be room for a GD under there. Not a monster one, but a compact one for certain. Our builder designed it such that a GD could fit. Is there anything else you'd like to know about the pull-outs? Oh, and by the way, when this project started, I was most definitely paralyzed by the process. I couldn't even figure out where to start. So I started here, at GW, and the rest is history. :-) flowers_n_co - your dogs would NOT be a problem on the cork! And yes, we love our main sink - I can lay multiple large pans in it - FLAT! :-) 22laura - Formica Mineral Sepia in the Radiance Collection. I was mistaken that it was Wilsonart - we got it down to a Formica and a Wilsonart, and the Formica "matched" the floor the best (was least offensive with the floor????). Thank you all again - your comments are so kind, and so appreciated. When I think of all of your beautiful kitchens (those of you who are finished and whose kitchens were my inspirations), I am humbled and amazed by your kind compliments about my new space. :-)
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pricklypearcactus
11 years ago
Wow! Gorgeous!
deedles
11 years ago
I think it's beautiful! Those floors look incredible with all the cool, white/grey colors and like that you put the wood shelves up... nice touch. I like your chalkboard. And that old sideboard is gorgeous. The right window treatments (yes, expensive. *ack*) will "tie the whole room together, man". Just lovely! Congrats on your impending arrival, too!
supergrrl7
11 years ago
Ratrem,
I love it! It looks so very pretty and functional. I love the floors! Can I ask what is the color of your wall paint?

The great thing about such a neutral background is that you can change the accent color at any time and totally change the room. I love the little pops of orange you have in the living room and you could totally swap them for another color and change the whole mood when you get tired of it.
momand3boys
11 years ago
Your kitchen is very clean looking. Love the style. You could add color accents if you want to change it up, easy enough! I like how high up your brought the backsplash. Like your style in the living room also. Great remodel all around!
debrak_2008
11 years ago
You said you went cheaper on the Backsplash, well it turned out wonderful! Great kitchen and living room.
taggie
11 years ago
Love it, you did an amazing job! And no it's not too long, if anything just the opposite, you can't have too much detail or too many pictures for a kitchen reveal thread IMO. :)

I really like the pantry cabs surrounding the fridge, especially with your integrated microwave cabinet and the drawers below it. That looks amazing. And I love your counters and the backsplash and height you took it to.

The colors looks great and your gorgeous floor keeps everything warm looking. Lovely kitchen. Best wishes for many years of joy in your new home for your whole family, 2-legged and 4-legged. :)
User
11 years ago
Beautiful ! I love the light airy space . The gorgeous open shelves..I am a sucker for salvage :) Your laundry bath area is wonderful too. I hope you will get wt's that you love that won't break the bank . Wonderful remodel.

Congratulations on the new baby !! c
p.ball2
11 years ago
I think it is fabulous. I am partial to white kitchens but it really is lovely. I love the counters. The creamy swirled color is beautiful. I also love the fixture you have over the dining table. Could you share where you got it and the manufacturer?
I also love that you kept the old built in hutch in the living area. I am sure as you add more of your personal touch it will look even better!
suzanne_sl
11 years ago
Thinking of color: I love the blue goblets in the built in hutch in the dining room. Where else could you repeat that blue? Although the red accents here and there are nice, they don't have the impact of the blue. Maybe a blue and yellow Provence tablecloth? Or blue, not Provence, like the second photo?

If a tablecloth is too iffy with little kids, try place mats. These particular tablecloths are way overpriced (the second one is $300!!), but they are good examples of the color I was thinking of. I have 3 Provence tablecloths that I bought at the Farmers' Market for around $35-$40 each, two in blue and yellow and one in red and olive. My Farmers' Market purchases are just like the ones for sale in Provence, which also didn't cost an arm and a leg. I bought a bunch of place mats in Provence and they didn't break the bank.

There's a lot of brown furniture in the family room, but maybe some more of that clear blue in throw pillows or the throw(s) on the couch/chair? I love your kitchen/family areas and just think they need some planned pops of color.
alexx
11 years ago
Adore this kitchen and living room. Gorgeous together. Congratulations!
A few questions:
1. Wall color in living room.
2. Source and color for the counter stools.
3. Size of pulls and the drawer sizes.
4. Where did you get the salvaged wood for the open shelves? How do I find those?
5. Where did you get the beautiful drawers under the tv.

Can you totally tell I love what you've done? ;)

Thanks!!!
islanddevil
11 years ago
Beautiful livable space! LOVE your quartzite! Can you please tell me what kind it is?
Floors, cabinet style, backsplash, rustic piece under your TV, corner cupboard, love it all.
Agree about the chalk board. I don't think your space is bland at all, but a piece of artwork instead of a chalkboard could add a little more individuality or color.
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
Wow thank you all so much for the kind words! The space really has been working great for us so far. We went from a larger single family to this smaller space and having this kitchen has been incredible for us to stay organized. Definitely the nicest kitchen I have ever had and this was by far the biggest renovation we have been a part of.
I really think that we will be here for a while as the neighborhood is great and my husbands family is so happy to keep it in the family. We really hope to make lots of memories here.
I will give all the details as this should answer a lot of the questions:

Cabinets: Shiloh Polar white beaded inset in Homestead
Wall Color- Ben Moore Revere Pewter threw out the first level
Range and Fridge: DCS, 36" range came with 2 free dishdrawers
Dishdrawers: 2 Tall dish drawers on either side of the sink, with regular cabinet drawer under. this has been awesome b/c I hated to lean all the way down to load/unload (we hand wash pots and pan mostly)
Range hood-Viking
Open Shelving-Reclaimed wood from Elmwood (awesome company to work with) mounted directly to studs
Faucet: Blanco Culina
Dining light Fixture- Robert Abbey Thalia
Table-antique farmhouse salvage
barstools-pottery barn
knobs/pulls-restoration hardware
Counters- Taj Mahal quartzite
Backsplash-daltile contempo marble subway
Floors-rift and quartered white oak site finished with bona traffic hd super matte. (kids bedroom still have original pine)

This is after we gutted:

I will admit when I walked up and the house was like this I had a mini panic attack about what we got ourselves into, but the end result has been fantastic. So any at this point feeling the same panic feeling know the end will be worth it.
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
The piece under my tv is from Restoration Hardware, there is a similar one at Anthropologie.
The drawers near the stove next to dishdrawers are 36" and the ones under the micro are 27" all with 6" pulls, the dishdrawers have 8" pulls and all the other drawers have 4" pulls. Next to the range is 24" drawers, next to the other dish drawer is 24" (can't really see them).

Suzanne- I do love the blue accents thanks!
janetraz
11 years ago
That is one really cool kitchen! I love it. The whole living area is beautiful. You must be so excited.
SparklingWater
11 years ago
Very nice blend of modern and antique features. I like the openness of no uppers, rather tile all around up to range hood height. Your window gives a lot of natural light. Could a simple color pop, mixed in with that which others mentioned work there too (perhaps with hidden privacy blind under)?

As an appliance buff, I must ask how do you like your 36" DCS range for cooking, durability, cleaning? How long does it's fan run and how loud. I've heard good reports to date, but now it's production has moved to China and of course, we await new news.

Lovely living space amongst your generations. Enjoy!

This post was edited by SparklingWater on Sun, Dec 30, 12 at 19:28
smaloney
11 years ago
I love your kitchen!! It is one of my all time favorites! Even though I'm almost surely using stained cabinets, your whole space just glows! I'm from Boston and live just outside DC so i appreciate the space constraints....but your final result just seems perfect.

Ps what did you ever do with the wrong color cabs?
Congratulations on the outcome!
beekeeperswife
11 years ago
Hello!!! Good to see you back and thanks for sharing all you have done! It looks fantastic. We moved in to our house at the end of June too, and I should tell you that we are just hanging curtains in a 2nd room. But I was quite happy to realize that naked windows (especially ones with trim like yours) are acceptable. The only issue I have is the black holes at night!

Now, on to that kitchen! It is gorgeous! If you wouldn't have confessed that lack of uppers was for cost savings reasons, I would never ever have thought that. It looks so clean and contemporary without looking "modern". Sounds confusing, I know, but in my odd world it makes perfect sense! Love all your choices and really it all looks very high end, nothing looks like you skimped.

I have two tall dish drawers too, it was a change from the double one in the last kitchen. A WELCOME change! I also hated bending down to get dishes essentially off of the floor! I'm sure being 8 months pregnant you really appreciate that now.

Can you retrofit a foot pedal for the trash pull-out drawer? I know Beagles has one (not retrofitted, but it was one that the cabinetmaker installed during construction). You can always ask her for the details on where she got it, etc.

As far as window treatments, if you really want something to warm up the place and not be too expensive, you can get some woven roman shades. Have them match in all the windows. It would unify the space and you can get them relatively cheaply. Check JCPenney, Overstock, Lowe's... A nice honey color to go with the floors would be great. (My opinion, of course) ;-)

Couple of more days, and you will be saying you are "due this month"! Yikes. Time is going to go so quickly, so get ready to enjoy it.

Best Wishes,
Bee
cat_mom
11 years ago
It looks beautiful!!! Open, expansive, but not cold. Very inviting!
williamsem
11 years ago
Love it! Looks so calm and inviting. I bet it feels extra nice to ave it finished before the baby comes. Congratulations!
badgergal
11 years ago
I concur with what everyone else has said. That is one fabulous reno. Love all of your kitchen finishes and the furnishings in your other rooms too. Wishing you a happy new year in your new space and with your new baby.
firstmmo
11 years ago
I love the open feeling and the calm counters--far far from bland, it's all very clean, calm and beautiful. Do you miss the uppers? I am contemplating having no uppers too!

Fab job!!
niffy
11 years ago
beautiful kitchen!

And I love your shih tzus! Spotted the first guy in the chair, then cracked up when I saw the other one up front by the couch;)
function_first
11 years ago
Wow! This is stunning. Not at all bland -- love it just as you have it RIGHT NOW. And while I loved the kitchen, as I scrolled down and saw the adjoining rooms I loved the kitchen even more as it blends so beautifully with the paint colors, furniture, and decor. The whole space is just gorgeous and there is just so much harmony between the adjacent areas. You have a great sense of your own style and it just leaves your home feeling so cohesive with each space complimenting the others. Such a great job, hope you're calling/e-mailing editors -- this is one for the magazines, for sure!

Congratulations! Thanks so much for sharing all the pics, they're fabulous!
Linda
11 years ago
Lovely!! Everything is so light and clean and crisp and so much storage! Enjoy!
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
Bee yes time has been flying by, and I love the tall dish drawers too, no more bending and it suits our needs perfectly.

Fistmap- I love having "no" uppers, but I would absolutely miss the open shelving I have. It is a must for me for dishes I use on a daily basis mixed in with a few for decor. I think no uppers can be done easily if you have some pantry storage and/or willing to do some open shelves for mostly used items.
We fit our extra dishes/glasses in 2 27" drawer.
Here is a better shot of our open shelving, the brackets were put in the studs so can hold a lot. Most our plates are in the dish drawers, all of our dishes we use on a daily basis fit here. My 3 year old has her own drawer under one of the dish drawers that holds all her plastic plates, utensils, cups and bowls, so she can reach it and put he own dishes away. Works very well for us:
janealexa
11 years ago
Beautiful!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Pipdog
11 years ago
I love your counters! The whole space is so inviting and looks so functional. I like Bee's idea of woven roman shades. That would add some warmth. I also think a rug in your dining room would warm up the space. Maybe something from Dash & Albert with some blue in it to pick up the color of your glasses in the hutch?
firstmmo
11 years ago
Ratrem:
Had to come back again when I had time to comment. I LOVE it. Really really love it!

I have not seen Taj Mahal Quartzite installed before. I saw it at our local supplier, but have never seen anyone use it and it's fabulous. You will love the quartzite. It's so amazingly durable and no maintenance. I might have to go back and look at it again for our remodel :) Yours has a warm feel to it and I wonder now about the slabs I saw.

Love your faucet. It's a beautiful shape and I am really liking the professional series look of it, but with a modern bent. So pretty!

I agree with Bee about the woven shades. The wood would add a warmth. I could also see a pretty fabric in a modern pattern like this Mark Alexander Uzbek fabric:
flgargoyle
11 years ago
What a beautiful home! Your layout is very similar to what ours will be in our new home. It's nice to see pics so I can get a feel for what ours will be like.
Ann Scheley
11 years ago
Absolutely lovely! A charming and cheerful kitchen! Congrats! You did a fantastic job! You should be PROUD! Your counters are sooooo pretty. I looked at that quartzite but DH didn't like, BUT I DID! ANd love love love your wooden shelves and the way that pulls in all the wood in your living area. ENJOY!!!
marcolo
11 years ago
I think I told you, I lived in that house, except on the first floor, with the two hidden bedrooms upstairs. In Davis.

Well, maybe not your house, but you know what I mean. One of the gazillions of Boston two- and three-family houses with the exact same layouts.

First of all, you must realize that your kitchen is about twenty times nicer than anything you'd see in a similar house, even a recent flip. Most of the renos are completely bizarre to me. They are either Home Depot specials or really odd, bizarre pseudo modern things with crazy tile and weird angles. Yours is lovely and fits the house. Looks like Wellesley.

Second, I can't explain why I think this, but U-shaped sideways kitchens like yours seem to work really well and feel just right in these old Boston places. It makes way for all the front-to-back traffic, but you still get a cozy space out of it.

As far as color and personalization--look into top-down bottom-up shades to give you privacy from the street while still allowing light at the top.

The other thing I can suggest, having lived in a space almost exactly like that one, is some sort of divider between the living and dining spaces, but one that blocks no light. From personal experience I can say that these actually make the space appear bigger. I'm talking about something not this busy, and not this dark, but this amount of see-through:
{{!gwi}}
Or maybe:

Put it where the hubs is sitting in your photo. Or behind the couch.

This post was edited by marcolo on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 20:36
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
Marcolo- I have seen some crazy renovations in these old places too. I think the worse is the ultra modern renovations, very rarely does it look good in these old buildings. We were very lucky that the original kitchen's footprint was so large. We just moved some things around and opened the wall between the DR/Kitchen but this was the original size kitchen.
Davis square seems like a great place to live we are enjoying so far, these philly style houses are all over.

I do think we plan on getting top down/bottom up shades...WE had then in our last place and liked them, but they add up so quickly when you need so many of them. Not sure if we will do a print or solid. Last time we had a solid color that let a lot of light threw and liked them the ones we had in the old house, wish I had taken them with us, maybe they would have fit!
cieler123
11 years ago
Your house is so beautiful, I love your floor, where did you get it? did you buy it on line?
293summer
11 years ago
Your entire remodel is fabulous! Love the photos. Can I jump on the "where did you get it" bandwagon and ask about your ceiling fan? I saw that exact fan just yesterday in another photo and absolutely love it.

Thanks!
Jfay
11 years ago
Lovely space. re:chalkboard, maybe a pretty colorful piece of framed kid's art would work.
Thanks for the fun share.
tracie.erin
11 years ago
I love the whole space, OP. Really gorgeous in a spare, let the beautiful bones and features of the space show. I'm sure it'll be equally lovely with the window treatments.

swtceleb, that fan caught my eye too. Looks like it's the Minka Aire Acero in ORB/Mahogany.
ppbenn
11 years ago
Ratrem Is your new baby here?
Congrats if so... and hang in there if not ;)
293summer
11 years ago
Tracie.Erin - Thanks bunches! That certainly looks like the one.
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
PB thanks for asking about the baby! We just cancelled our repeat c-sec scheduled for tomorrow and are giving it some more time for her to come on her own accord with out surgery. KMFX that she comes soon!

Swtceleb- it is indeed the minka aire Acero. It is a decent air mover, though we had the MA Como before and that was more powerful, but of course this one looks nicer!

Jfay- I think kids artwork would look great there, thanks for the suggestion!

Cieler the floors are rift and quartered white oak, site finished in extra matte. We did order online. Hurst hardwood had great prices, Marc from countryplank price matched them, I have heard good things about both places.
whit461
11 years ago
Ratrem - dittos to everything already said. I was so excited looking at your photos today because this is so close to what we are hoping our kitchen remodel (demo starts in 2 weeks!) will look like.

Can you share the dims of the kitchen space, and comment on the lighting? We are struggling there, with how many, feet apart, etc. Like you, we will have no uppers, and a bank of wall cabinets opposite. Any insight to your lighting plan or design would be much appreciated.
laughablemoments
11 years ago
Your place looks great, nice job! : )

Regarding bottom up shades. DH and I just made some really, super-inexpensive ones. He bought a six pack of Redi-shades for $20. Then we attached stick on velcro fasteners to the window edge half way up, near the locks, and the corresponding fasteners to the top edge of the paper shades. We keep them tightly folded and clipped down (they come with the clips, kind of like clothespins), sitting on the windowsill during the day, and then unclip, unfold and lift them up to the halfway point and velcro them in place when it starts to get dark out. They're pretty unobtrusive. It's a great fix, and would give you some privacy while you save up for the more expensive deal if you want. (No, this wasn't our idea. We found it somewhere in cyberspace.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Redi-Shades at Home Depot
ratrem
Original Author
11 years ago
Laughable- thanks so much for the link, perhaps we can do something like that this summer when we have more time. Looks like a great fix for now until we can save the 3K for window treatments.

Whit- our kitchen is just over 16' long and 12' wide. For the lighting plan we actually have a small pendant to still put in over the kitchen sink. We originally purchased 2 pendants over the peninsula, but with the kitchen light fixture, dining chandelier so close by we nixed it. We used the highly GW rec. home depot LED 4" lights. We had the electrician put them where we needed them most and have 8/9 in the kitchen and then more threw out the first floor. They are all on dimmers. With out the uppers to worry about shadows on the countertop we rarely turn them all the way up. During the day I rarely turn on any lights as the place gets lots of natural light.
Good luck with your remodel. I really working in this kitchen and find it plenty big for us. We hosted Christmas and had about 5-6 people cooking/prepping and it was great. Cleans up well and the peninsula has been perfect for my 3 year olds meals and craft time and keeps her at bay while I cook.

Just wanted to ad our much anticipated new addition finally made her debute fashionably late on 2/13/13, a successful VBAC:

We are enjoying her just as much as the kitchen ;)
honorbiltkit
11 years ago
She's gorgeous and -- by virtue of her arriving when she's good and ready -- clearly a person of principle and determination. I hope she retains both characteristics (even though it will be occasionally inconvenient for the rest of her family)..

She's also lucky in that she will grow up in such a lovely home.

Congratulations on all of the above.
drbeanie2000
11 years ago
Congratulations on your beautiful kitchen! We had a "three-season porch" that my DH and I liked to call the "no-season porch."

Oh, and your baby is nice too! :)
sundownr
11 years ago
You have done such an amazing job - I love all of your "loves" in your first post! But my fave thing has to be the Taj Mahal quartzite. And that sweet baby girl!
gr8daygw
11 years ago
She is beautiful. So sweet. Love your kitchen, too, especially that Taj Mahal.
michoumonster
11 years ago
Congrats on the gorgeous kitchen and adorable new addition! I love the pic of your dog with the baby. so precious!!
djmarb
11 years ago
Congrats on your beautiful baby!

You said you did your backsplash cheap, but I absolutely adore it. Which brand of subways did you use?

Thanks!