Here is the full kitchen

This is a great idea for a post, and I wish more would come and give "where are they now?" updates. We are making most of our big decisions right now so this is very helpful.

I'd love to see more pictures of your kitchen!

Aah, you beat me to it! Thanks!!

I was just thinking about your kitchen the other day, and here you are posting it! : ) I'm trying to make decisions on curtains for my space and yours came to mind, but I couldn't remember your screen name to look them up. I love how your shelves and window seat turned out. Love, love, love.

Thank you so much for sharing an update on what's working for you and what you'd change given the opportunity. That's a super-helpful thing to do. You've got me wondering about my non-dimmable UCL's that will be installed in a few weeks. I now will have to talk this over with DH some more before we put them in.

Here are a few more photos. The one decision that I agonized over for months, driving all over creation looking for was lighting. In the end, I splurged on a beautiful light for over the sink, then went with very basic milk white pendants from Home Depot - LOL!

My sink light...

Laughable - you probably remember the 9,000 posts about window treatments because I could NOT make a decision! I went for about a year without any treatments, but living in the Northeast, we have long dark winters and with 4 windows in my kitchen, I flet like after 4 pm my naked windows just looked like big dark holes - so I rigged up these treatments to warm up the windows a bit in winter months. They cost me about $40 to make all 5 treatments. A few yars of burlap, some ribbon, tension rods and a hot glue gun...since they are so simple, I can change them up by the season..here was my Xmas twist with them (ignore the little baker) ...

I love the openness of your kitchen.

The layout of your sink opposite the range is similar to what my kitchen is going to have. Awkwardly placed load bearing walls dictated the layout though we tried to do the best we could : so we have a slightly longer prep area near the range : the sink counter is the length of your range.

I look at the layout often and wonder how it is going to turn out. ie will carrying utensils from the range to the sink result in drips on the floor etc etc.

Could you share your practical experiences about the sink/ range placement?. What do you like / not like ? Would you change the layout if you were doing it all over again?

Many thanks

Hi gemcap, Yes - there is a walkline from the range to the sink. It was not my first choice but I did not want to use open counter space on my penninsula for my range - I wanted that open to make buffets for entertaining and for my kids to eat/do homework there without splatter from me cooking or risk of reachover/burns. As it turns out, I actually love the way it all works. Last night, we were cooking for a big superbowl party and my husband was at the stove making meatballs and sauce and I was at the sink cutting veggies, etc. We each had our own comfortable work spaces. There is enough counter flanking the range on both sides that we can fit a large platter, cutting board, etc. when cooking at the range. Yes, of coure there are drips bringing utensils from stovetop to sink - but I usually cook with a big platter next to the stove and once I'm done I put my utensils back on the platter and carry to sink. I do almost all my meal prep at my sink or peninsula and the end of penninsula is just a few steps from my stovetop (photo attached for you to see the flow better) ..and all my heavy cookware are in drawers under my peninsula, so I'm not usually going from all the way across sink to stove, (except pasta pots) it's more of a diaganal from counter to stove. I did consider a long, narrow high table/island to put in the middle to have a "resting spot" between sink/stove but I have learned to love the openess much more. I am really glad we stuck with the design in the longrun. I really love having the huge 84" length of counter at the pennisula that we would have sacraficed to put the range there. We use it for everything! Baking, homework, eating breakfast, serving buffets, etc.

Beautiful kitchen and cute baker! This is a great idea for a post. I have been mulling over whether I really want under cabinet lights. Not a lot of our kitchen will have uppers. I have never had under cabinet lights and never wished for them. But they seem so ubiquitous. I appreciate your thoughts on that.

If I had to do it over again. I'd skip the under cab lighting. It seemed like something we were "supposed" to do with a higher end kitchen but I honestly never use them. As long as you have a well lit space with good task lighting over your prep areas it's really not necessary. People use them at night, but I find that mine are too bright and I much prefer to use my pendant lighting on dimmers at night to cast a glow over my large granite penninsula. Think of what will be the "showcase" area of your kitchen. Unless it's a spot under your cab where your under cab lighting would hit, I'd skip it. But it's really a personal preference. It cost us about $1,500 - that is money I wish I had put towards a farmhouse sink instead :)

Many thanks Rebeccamom123. You've really made my mind a lot easier.

' all my heavy cookware are in drawers under my peninsula, so I'm not usually going from all the way across sink to stove, (except pasta pots) it's more of a diaganal from counter to stove"...

Thats a great tip as I'm just about finalising what pots and pans go where. I use a lot of heavy cast iron woks so ease of access (post wash/ pre cook) is important.

This is the best use of open shelving I have seen it. I love the fact that the shelves are open but also far enough away from the cooking areas that they're not going to end up covered with grease. This is both beautiful and practical I can see why you still like it so much.

We don't use our under cabinet lighting either. We do absolutely no prep on the perimeter counters, as we use our large island exclusively for prep. It seems to be "common wisdom" that a higher end kitchen needs to have this lighting. Some may, but before spending the money, I wish I would have thought things through for my own needs instead of taking everyone's word that this lighting was a "must."

Curious about your cans with dimmers. Are they incandescent or LED? I love the very dim, warm light that lowered incandescents cast, but the LED cans (with LED dimmer) that we put in another room don't get dim enough or warm enough, and I'd like to see if we can get the right kind of light in the kitchen remodel. Maybe LEDs are better now or I just have the wrong hardware.

The key re undercabinet lighting (or not) is whether you have great task lighting otherwise. We do most of our prep on our island, but we have undercabinet lighting on the wall side, where we don't have great task lighting otherwise. The undercabinet lights provide excellent light. I wouldn't put them in just for decor or ambiance (and I don't ever dim them, because they're only on when I need the bright light to see what I'm doing!)

One year in, what do I love in my small galley condo kitchen (13' on the wall side and a 10x3-1/2 island, plus a separate pantry). I love the efficiency of it. As in my last house, I love the pull-out condiment cabinet next to the cooktop and the double-bin trash pull-out. I could not be happier with my induction cooktop, or with my paneled refrigerator and dishwasher. I love the long uninterrupted counterspace of the island. I like the microwave drawer (ergonmically and functionally) a lot. I like the after-market slideout thing under the sink. I love my backsplash (Fireclay crackle). What don't I like? I wish I had thought to make the cabinets on the back of the island deeper - 12" cabinets aren't even deep enough to lay placemats flat, and I have some bowls I'd like to store in there but can't. I'd like to have had more space for a cabinet for cutting boards and cookie sheets, but most live in the pantry. My one small drawer bank would probably have been more useful with 4 drawers instead of 3. Really, there isn't much I don't like, but I had the benefit of having done my kitchen in my previous home in 2005 or 2006 (designed by my and my DH and a whole bunch of fabulous GWebbers). Oh, one thing in my previous kitchen that was brilliant - I had a dedicated cabinet for the step-stool (9").

The kitchens posted above are beautiful BTW.

I, too, wish more would share a review of how their kitchen works for them after a year or two. Maybe someone needs to start a thread on it?

Love your kitchen. So warm and welcoming. Cute baker and I see that your children aren't the only ones who like the window seat, lol.

I'm struggling with my lighting plan and noticed that it looks like you only have your canned lights on the perimeter of the room, nothing in the center. Does this give you enough light all over the room or do you wish you had a can or two in the middle of the room?

Interesting points about UCL. I'm planning a run on the one wall that will have uppers and wondered if I'd use them much since I've never had them before. They are so cheap compared to even two years ago that I think it will be worth doing. Pricing those tape LEDs, which now also dim, it looks like it will be less than $50 to do a 5 foot run. But if I spent a lot more on them and then didn't need them, I'd be irked, too! I find as I'm getting older, I need more light. That seems pretty common. With your young child, that's probably still a few decades away for you. You might find that, in the future, they become useful and you will no longer resent the cost.

FWIW, I like your backsplash and sink. While I can see that a farmhouse sink would look lovely there, I think your choices of faucet and other items around the sink make it a very attractive space.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Thank you for sharing this with us. It is certainly great to hear that you still love your kitchen and most of the changes. I also love your window treatments, thanks for sharing how you made them! Would you mind sharing the name of your granite countertops? They are beautiful!

duplicate post

This post was edited by Cori4137 on Mon, Feb 2, 15 at 9:25

Interesting that several people say they are not using their UCL. Sometimes that is ALL I turn on, esp, if it's light out, but a grey day and I just want to boost the light where I'm working. I do have to use the cans if I'm using the peninsula for prep, but if working between the sink and stove near the window, I may not turn the cans on at all. I agree it must depend on what you do where. Just wanted to throw that out for those who are wondering whether to add it or not. I also have it on at night (open floor plan) when I just don't want that whole corner to be a black hole. But then I don't have pendants and have never loved ceiling lights, so that's another important thing to consider.

Also wanted to say thanks for the update. It reminds me of reading appliance reviews when someone says, "Oh, my X is the best thing ever, I've had it for two weeks now" Or even 2 months. I really want to hear from the 2 YEAR people!

That is a beautiful Kitchen! Your little boy and dog make the perfect "accessories".

What a lovely kitchen. It looks so homey but not "blah"! I really like your pillow with the ZIP code. I might need to get one for the ZIP where I grew up as my mom is selling the house.

From one cobalt blue lover to another, would you share the info on your wall color?

I have UCL now in my old kitchen and am including them in the new kitchen. I use them a lot, maybe because I have "old" eyes! I suspect UCL has a greater lighting impact if you countertops and backsplash are very light. Mine are both white and the reflected light is great.

Rebecca - beautiful kitchen, really sweet little boy chef and snoozy pup!
Sorry for the drift but what is your silverware pattern? I love it!
Great thread just wish my kitchen was finished for two years...

What a beautiful kitchen! Would you mind telling me what sink you got? I'm looking for a large single stainless sink just like that one! Thanks.

I never used our florescent UCL in our last home. I was not fond of the lights.
In our new to us home, we installed taped LED UCL as a wash against the very dark back splash and the room came to life. I actually have a timer switch that turns the light on every day in the morning and off at night when we go to bed. The LED's really brighten up the kitchen, the back splash and the counters.

I also use my UCL, but not for prepping. Just for general light! :)
I have cans, 2 pendants, an over the sink light for which I also splurged! :) and UCL. When I can afford it, I'll add UCL to 2 more cabinets.

I like it because I can walk into the kitchen, flip the switch as I walk by, get my wine drink, walk back into wherever, and flip it off.

I'm sure I could use the light-switched lights for that, but for some reason, I don't.

I haven't finished my kitchen to tell you what I love or not, but I love my UCL and my base cabinet drawers. All of them. Ever single one of the 23, individual drawers, in their wonderful base cabinets.

Hi all! Thanks for the great compliments on my kitchen! A kitchen remodel is like a wedding; once it's over you kind of miss the planning and prepping and anticipation; so this is a nice refresh for me!

To hopefully answer all your quesitons above:

Cori: My granite is WHite Ice. I Love it. It reminds me of cookies and cream ice cream. A creamy white with flecks of charcoal and micah.

Ranton: The paintcolor is BM Serenety. It's a very calming (like its namesake) grey/blue.

Missy Moo: The flatware is Crate & Barrel Tuscany. I LOVE it. Nice substantial weight and looks shiny and new out of the dishwasher every time! And my little kitchen helpers are Matthew, my 5-year old (one of my 3 kiddos) and Bruin, our rescue pup.

Hazel: My sink is Franke stainless, extra wide. (don't recall the exact measurements). Very durable. Wonderful customer service with Franke.

Love all the questions. Best form of flattery!

Rebeccamom, the wedding analogy is spot on! After being TKO (totally kitchen obsessed) for many months, I missed it - though I sure had a lot more free time!

I have a U-shaped kitchen, no island. We also live far enough north that we have no daylight in the evenings for many months out of the year. We love our UCL!

Beautiful, beautiful. Never would have thought of a double utensils drawer, brilliant. Any pinched fingers or easy to use? Can I ask how you like your oven? I'm considering a double, one like your configuration or with the smaller one on the side. I just loved my wall oven in my previous home with separate cooktop, so am leaning toward wall oven, microwave/convection. Just starting to look into it, any thoughts?

Brightshinynew, thank you for your kind words. No pinched fingers ever. The double drawer is awesome. Seriously, I would tell everyone to get it.

LOVE my oven. It's gas and convection. Inside is enamel cobalt blue. My lower oven stays spotless because I almost never use it since I do all my daily cooking and baking in the upper oven. I can roastva whole chicken in just the upper. Plus it heats up super fast and uses less energy. My mother has a high end slide-in Electrolux gas range and even she likes mine better. I've never had a wall oven so I don't know how it compares.

Happy to hear you love your window seat! I opted to eliminate our breakfast area for a window seat. We will have seating at the island and a separate formal dining room. Sooooo happy to hear you love yours!!!

Akpick, yes you will NOT regret doing a window seat. Classic and practical. Plus, if I want to update the look of my kitchen in a few years, I can simply udpate the fabrics. I also have tons of fun swapping out throw pillows here too. They can really make a statement since the window seat almost becomes the focal point of the kitchen. And, it's a special touch. Not many people have them. (although i'm seeing it trend more lately).

Advice: Use sunbrella fabric for your seat cushion. It takes a beating.

Brightshinynew, thank you for your kind words. No pinched fingers ever. The double drawer is awesome. Seriously, I would tell everyone to get it.

LOVE my oven. It's gas and convection. Inside is enamel cobalt blue. My lower oven stays spotless because I almost never use it since I do all my daily cooking and baking in the upper oven. I can roastva whole chicken in just the upper. Plus it heats up super fast and uses less energy. My mother has a high end slide-in Electrolux gas range and even she likes mine better. I've never had a wall oven so I don't know how it compares.

RebeccaMom, I absolutely ADORE your kitchen, and that window seat is something else! I'm thinking of doing something similar in my remodel, but it will involve taking down the wall between the tiny kitchen and the tiny dining room, putting a peninsula in its place, adding a window seat & storage below the dining room window, and then figuring our a different place for more formal dining.

Can I ask, how much space do you have between the edge of your peninsula and the wall of windows where your window seat is? Is there enough room to walk through if someone is seated at the peninsula and the window seat?

Thank you SOOOO much for the inspiration! I've pinned your post for future reference =D

Your kitchen is lovely and charming. But even more importantly, it functions well. Congratulations on a job well done.

I completed mine about 4 months ago. I find that I use the under cabinet lights quite a bit. I installed them myself, so they weren't nearly as expensive, but they're worth every penny to me. The difference might be that I have soapstone counters (which I absolutely love!), so they're a lot darker and not as reflective. Mostly, I use the UCL in the evening. They can stay on all evening for just a few watts of electricity, so the other lights are not being turned on when someone just stops in for a snack, a glass of water, or to let the cat in or out. Mine are on dimmers, which is nice.

I love the window seat! Wish I had room for one. I also like the curtains and the fact that you can change the look so easily.