Reveal : two-toned kitchen
abbabug
8 years ago
I read in another thread about not seeing reveal posts anymore. That guilt tripped me to post mine. I was going to post but was procrastinating. We did a somewhat complete renovation of the entire house. 98% complete. Just some minor things here and there. Please disregard the green tape. Those are the things that need to be fixed/addressed.
Please bear with me as I do not know how to post several photos in one post.....here goes
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My reveal - Two-tone, modest budget
Comments (39)parts-I did not use a light rail. With the tape they go up pretty flush so you don't need to. Plus, my KD had contractor mount them on the front rail so that they are even less likely to be noticed and they tend to light the mid-back of the counter better - which seems to work nicely bc overhead lights get the front part of the counter. I've attached a picture so I think you can see what I mean. However, I will say this...when I'm in the DR, I can see the undersides of the cabs a little. It drives me a little batty. So I'm thinking about getting the paint matched and slapping a couple coats on the underside so the cream view doesn't get broken up. (I don't know if that will help and I plan to ask KD before I do it, maybe it's a terrible idea?!) So I don't know if a light rail would have helped to cover that issue? Yes, they are full overlay. However, this is probably one of the places where a cab line a step or two up would have been better. There is def a small gap between cabs. Completely within reason for the specs given, but bigger than I have seen in other more expensive lines. Doesn't bother me enough to have spent more for less gap, though! :)...See Morerobo's u-shaped 2tone kitchen reveal
Comments (57)tbb123! Thanks so much for all your help with getting the layout of this kitchen right. The kitchen is great to live and work in and my husband, the cook, really appreciates the workspace. My only regret is not going with IKEA cabinetry as the semi-custom maker we used ended up being a little...not so high quality. We ended up having a roomate who is quite the chef for the past year so the kitchen got quite a workout. rmtdoug - don't know if you're still around - it was a simplehuman holder from BB&B -something like this: http://www.simplehuman.com/sink-caddy-brushed-stainless-steel Thanks Russ! Emily - I used inspiredLED ultra bright warm flexible strip. It was a bit of a hassle as my electrician didn't know to run low voltage wiring and instead ran big old regular wire...so my advice is to have all the lighting details worked out WELL in advance. The folks at inspiredLED cut the strips to size based on your cabinet plan and supply all the parts you need. I hardwired my system so I could have a wall dimmer. Lighting is still holding up well although we don't use the dimmers really on the undercab, maybe once a year I'll dim them for ambiance during a party. You will need an outlet somewhere the transformer can plug into (they recommend under the sink). Outlets in cabinetry in my province are I guess not allowed by code unless there's an appliance involved so, anyway, I remember there were some objections to my initial desire to have an outlet above the stove. Some of my counters are shiny and I ended up installing the strips to point back at the backsplash to avoid the points of light on the counter effect. inspiredLED explain how to do that....See MoreFinal Reveal - Majra's Two-Toned Kitchen
Comments (101)I can't believe I never commented on this. I've had your kitchen bookmarked since June and I've kept coming back to look at it. I've never seen a two-toned kitchen come together this nicely! All the materials harmonize perfectly. I've showed this to my DH and he said, "That's it!". That sealed the deal. We're using your kitchen as our inspiration. :) I noticed on another thread you mentioned you are in Florida and your home is on a slab. We are also in Florida (Miami) and on a slab. We love the look of hardwood flooring, but everything we've read seems to discourage using them in this climate while on a slab. Can you tell me about your floors? How were they laid? Glued down? What species are they? Have you had any problems?...See MoreTrying to narrow materials and tones for possible 2 toned kitchen
Comments (36)I was just googling around for rooms with little natural light, and I ended up looking at a lot of finished basement or basement apartment interiors and also high-end hotel rooms. The ones that were the most pleasant and inviting (where the lack of natural light was not a noticeable deficit) had kind of a lot going on. Not in an overwhelming way, but those rooms had curtains and wall treatments and knickknacks and area rugs and artwork -- millions of little decor pieces and several layers of decor interest in most areas of the room. In particular, there were a lot of different textures in most of the rooms. It makes sense now that I think about it -- basements and hotel rooms are very bland rooms -- usually no architectural interest of any kind, including lots of big windows and natural light and moldings and all that. Which means the room isn't really pretty on its own. To make it pleasant and charming anyway, you need to bring in a lot of things that are pretty by themselves. And you need enough of them that you don't really notice anymore that the room's bones are bad. So your home, being a house, is likely a lot better than the average basement, but it still suffers from the same lack of natural light. This leads me to the conclusion that, while I also generally prefer a clean, modern type of design in kitchens, I don't think it will suit your house. It will just be so quiet and minimal that your eye will have plenty of opportunity to notice how dark the room is. Like a plain person forgoing makeup and accessories and wearing a simple beige shift. That kind of simplicity works well for the great beauties of this world, but the rest of us look better wearing cute earrings and mascara. However, on the upside, with all the professionally-designed basement spaces I just looked at, it didn't seem to matter at all if the actual elements in the the design were dark. Usually, there was a mix of dark and light. The bigger thing seemed to be that ALL of those rooms had a lot of lighting EVERYWHERE. Pin lights all over the ceiling, lighting on top of cabinets/soffits that diffused on the ceiling, pendant lights, etc. So: 1) I'd mentally set aside a big part of your budget to add lots of lighting. Have under cabinet lights, above cabinet lights, cans, pendants, a chandelier, in-cabinet lights -- whatever. Go nuts. 2) I think you are on the right track with a walnut floor. Walnut has a really interesting grain. It is thoroughly beautiful in its own right and will layer beautifully with anything else you add. Natural materials in particular are great for adding interest without seeming overwhelming or busy. 3) I would not repeat the walnut on the cabinets because, again, I think the super-layered design approach works better in low-light rooms. Cabinets just another opportunity to add interest, and you should take it. Make them a different color or painted or whatever. Also, think about something other than slab. Your floor will be flat walnut. If the cabinets are also flat walnut, then then that is EXACTLY the same thing. Here is an example of a kitchen with a lot of interest (cool tile floor, two cabinet colors -- one that is interesting and bold, glass cabinets with unusual glass, open shelves, unusual cabinet pulls, feet) that still has clean lines and isn't crazy fussy/busy: That is the kind of thing that will hold its own and still look pretty and charming even in the dark months. Also, it would look great with walnut. :D...See Moreabbabug
8 years agobrdrl
8 years agonancyjwb
8 years agoabbabug
8 years agoabbabug
8 years ago
houserookie
8 years agoTexas_Gem
8 years agoalexamorrie
8 years ago
lenzai
8 years ago
bpath
8 years agokimberlysd
8 years agoabbabug
8 years agoThank you everyone! This reno was long overdue as the kitchen was yucky....from afar it looked fine. Don't look too closely. Hubby found a before pic....
abbabug
8 years agoBpathome, sharp eyes. Yes indeed that is a spice pullout. I use it for my oils and sauces. I removed two shelves as I found it narrow and difficult to get into.
funkycamper
8 years agowags4fun
8 years ago
cjaxx
8 years ago
a2gemini
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Lynne-in-PA
8 years ago
omelet
8 years agobpath
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoLovely kitchen. Going two-tone really worked out in your case, as the white/creamy island brightens up the room so much and makes the space seem so much larger. Nice!
We've got our toaster permanently plugged in a drawer as well. It just happens to be in the dining room sideboard drawer as we eat all our meals (including breakfast) in the dining room. We don't ever see a need to lug out the toaster onto the counter though, we just leave the drawer open during toasting - very practical. Btw. we do the same thing in the bathroom with our hair dryer and electric toothbrush holders - eliminates all those dangling electric wires and no more plugging in/out.
Enjoy your beautiful kitchen!
Our house · More Infoabbabug
8 years agoamg765
8 years agomo142
8 years ago
Terri_PacNW
8 years ago
rebunky
8 years agodmeah
8 years agomgmum
8 years agoabbabug
8 years agoabbabug
8 years agoAnd here is my sink.....my very expensive sink ....sigh. Everyone says I overspent on this. The previous sink was a double integrated sink. They were 17" wide each. I found that I use the right bowl more often. I have used a large single bowl before and did not like it.
So this time around, I knew that I wanted stainless steel double sink, a minimum 18" wide bowl on the right side. All the ones I could find had the large bowl on the left. It was so frustrating searching for the right sink. I am happy with what we have but the price tag still hurts.
Orit L
8 years agozorroslw1
8 years ago
williamsem
8 years agoginny20
8 years ago
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