Carrie,

I've been following your progress. Hurrah for the window. The cabinets look great!

Looking at it, I really wish I'd done the window the same height as the upper cabinets... but I'm not unhappy with it.

Is that going to bother you eternally? Now would be the time to change it if it's going to. It'd be a pain, but rehanging the uppers and patching some drywall after they put in the new header wouldn't be the end of the world.

Although maybe you will like it more when the shelf is above it?

Here is how the above kitchen would have looked before the shelf was in:

How your kitchen will look with a shelf (please excuse the jenky plates -- using Paint here):

The window looks great. Is it a casement? I love the mockup of the shelf. Great idea.

I love the window, is it going to be a pass through window?

Aaaaahhhhhh, the window looks so great!!!! Yes, it would have been nice if it had gone all the way up to the top of the cabinets but it's still so great like it is!! It's a perfect spot for some artwork or a shelf as others have suggested. As Jillius said if you really want to increase the size, now is the time. It will never be easier than now so if you're gonna regret this and wish every day that you had done, then do it....but it looks soooo good!!!!

Everything looks great. I think it would look fantastic with a shelf above the window. I don't know if a long skinny window would look good there.

I like the shorter window with a shelf. Or could you add a small cabinet above the sink, but taller than the cabs on either side and install your sink lighting under the cab?

Hmmm.. I was going to say to do window taller but I really like the way the shelf with plates that Jillius posted sort of... Balances?? Grounds? the tall uppers!

Carrie, I agree with Amber and with you in your earlier stages of planning that the shelf is needed to make the tall uppers make sense -- particularly to link the upper on the right to everything else.

I think this is just one of those middle stages in a remodel where things look kind of weird. Very common -- you have only some of the elements, and sometimes that creates an effect you didn't want and freaks you out. But once you finish the room, it all looks as you meant it to.

You now have this strong horizontal line across the tops of the uppers, and the window is currently the only thing out of line, so it looks wrong. But remember that that strong horizontal line won't even really be there anymore after you add the crown. It'll be much softer at the end. And the window won't look oddly low with something intentional like a display shelf added in the empty area above the window.

You know me. I vote more and biggers windows all the time always, and even I think the window you have now will look better in the end than lining the window up with the cabinet doors would.

Yay, shelf. Love it. I'm fine with the window, and think I'll love a shelf. I'm thinking 8" deep for the shelf. 12" (in line with cabinets) I think will be too deep, and will block light and feel heavy. What do you think of 8"?

Carrie, is the plan to take the crown straight across to connect the two uppers (like a valance), or is it to return the crown to the wall between the cabinets? And if you return it to the wall, will you continue it or not continue it along the wall between the cabinets? (I hope I'm asking that clearly!)

I spy hardware!!!

Atmoscat - the crown is going to return to the wall between cabinets. No crown molding over the window. 6" or 8" for shelf?

OK, GC said he'd ask the KD for an 8" shelf to match the cabinetry, and then we have the option of cutting it down as much as we want. I think that's perfect. How much more could the KD charge for an 8" vs a 6" shelf, and this way, we can make it whatever size we want.

Anitamo - yes, it is a casement window.

momof2 - Not sure what you mean by passthrough - I think of those as internal windows, from one room to another - mine looks out at my garden.

So, today was a big day. The window is in! The cabinets are all in! The hardware is (mostly) in and the appliances are (mostly) in place!

There were a few surprises. One is that the can light to the back left, rear was put in about 6" too close to the cabinetry - electrician sub didn't account adequately for crown molding, so the guys today had to make a bigger hole in the brand new ceiling to pull the light farther out.

Another unexpected thing is that the DW is shorter than standard. At first, I was a little worried about it, and GC'd never seen that before - but he read in the manual that the legs are adjustable. It appears that it's an ADA compliant DW & can be adjusted to different heights (funny that someone was just talking about ADA DW's on here recently:

Yet another unexpected thing - contractor was installing the window when I stopped him & said "you & I talked about it opening the other way." When we talked about it, he vaguely remembered that, too. He left a message for Home Depot (the vendor) and told me that he wasn't sure if it was his own error, or Home Depot's, or the window company. I looked at the window from outside & inside & made the decision that it really doesn't matter. I like it better in some ways the way it is, and in some ways, better the other way. I decided we'd leave it as is.

I knew that the white appliances would be a whiter shade than the cabinetry, and was fine with that. I was hoping, though, that at least the MW and the range would be a similar hue, and I'm pleased to say that they're pretty close. Every one of my appliances is a different brand.

Love!

:-)

And you did slab top drawers - very cool! Kitty has found his place and your kitchen is gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing the counter. When does it go in?

What a difference. I really like the white of the cabinets. It's crisp yet welcoming.

Blfenton - yeah, the slab top drawers were the KD's idea, and I like them. Sometimes when top drawers are small, I like the simplicity of leaving them plain. Maddie checked out the window right away! My boy kitty was curious, but Maddie kind of pushes him around & she chased him off the window.

Templating for countertop is scheduled for Tuesday, and they tell me it's ten days from there until fabrication. So, hopefully in a couple of weeks.

I finally feel like there's an end in sight!

Must be nice to have all of that out of your living room!

What kind of sink are you getting? Also, what was the cost, measurements and the model number of that cat? Couldn't help myself.. such a cute kitty.

Another Gardener - I'm getting the Elkay
ELUH2317L
Stainless Steel Left Drain, 8". Pretty basic sink.

That cat was $75 adoption fee from City Kitties Rescue. Adoption fee included spaying, all vaccinations, and a lifetime of biting and purring, sometimes concurrently.

It's really starting to come together now that the cabinets, hardware, and appliances are going in. It looks great!! I think the window will look fantastic with a shelf over it, and it'll give you a place to display things which will be nice.

When I said a pass through window I was referring to a window like this one:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/st-helena-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~16617759

Where it is on the countertop and the counter goes outside too for outside entertaining. I can see now that the window is in that it's not, but I was curious since I think I want to get one like that when we redo our kitchen because we do a lot of outside entertaining and it would save me a lot of running back and forth carrying hot dishes while squeezing through people and dogs. :-)

Before they put the countertop on...how high will the DW be raised? Will the bottom of the panel be higher than the bottom of the sink cabinet? If so, will that bother you?

All in all...hokey smokes! What a difference a day makes! You have a KITCHEN! Well, almost. Are you just aching to put your dishes away?

Looking good! So cute how Maddie has staked out her territory already.

I'm very curious about how the countertop will be supported at the DW end? Is that enough end support?

Looking great Carrie!

Wow just wow!

Fabulous!! It looks soooo good. The shelf will be the perfect touch.

Instead of raising the dishwasher, maybe you could have a small filler panel made for the top that would fill that gap and attach flush with the cabinets on the sides. This would avoid the problem bpathome mentioned of the bottom of the dishwasher being higher at the bottom than the adjacent cabinets.

Bpathome - I'm not sure if it will bug me. I'm trying to figure out what the deal is... I bought this unit because, of the 18" not-that-expensive units, this one had very good reviews. I never noticed anything about it not being standard height. Now that I know, and have been searching for information, I see that some reviews mention the height - and criticize it for that, but many, many good reviews don't mention the height at all, so I find that confusing.

Anitamo - if the legs lift the DW to standard height, supporting the countertop should not be an issue, I think.

Atmoscat - that's a good suggestion. I'm still just confused about why it's not mentioned in reviews... except for once in a while. I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

I don't think the DW provides any support for the countertop. That end piece does. I would put a "box" under the DW to raise it to standard height and give the added benefit of not having to bend down as far to load/unload.

Thanks, 12crumbles. I just find it very, very odd that the description doesn't say anything about it not being standard height, and neither do the vast majority of the reviews. Something is odd about that.

BTW that's a very nice looking microwave. My neighbor has similar cabinets with a SS OTR microwave and your white one is way classier. (And I'm normally a SS fan ;) )

I love the deep window sill. And everything else. Truly a wonderful transformation, and many thanks for taking us all along on the journey.

Yippee!!!! The window is in. Nice! I think it's going to look great with a shelf above. And Maddie likes it so no exchanges! It is coming together so nicely. I like that your white is enough different than your appliances that it is obvious you weren't trying to match (and then failed). This is so fun and exciting.

"I would put a "box" under the DW to raise it to standard height and give the added benefit of not having to bend down as far to load/unload."

I agree - I'd want it up as high as possible. Saves on the bending.

maybe you can get a 'fill in' bottom strip.

Maybe make it into a drawer?

Thanks, everyone! I am just thrilled with my kitchen!

The DW has adjustable legs, so no need to put a box or anything else on the bottom to raise it up. I'm assuming that the bottom of the DW won't line up with the bottom of my cabinets, but my range doesn't line up (it goes all the way to the floor, no toekick on the range) either, so I don't think that will bother me.

Love love love...I'm a fan of white and cream together so I like the white appliances with the creamier cabs

I responded yesterday and as I clicked submit, your latest update posted and mine did not. Weird. Anyway, I think your kitchen looks amazing so far and I can't wait to see the finished product!

So exciting to see your beautiful kitchen coming along so nicely! : )

I can't tell you all how grateful I am to you all. Grateful now that you're following me on this journey, and oh so very grateful for these last couple of years of planning. You all saved me from implementing what would have been a terrible design. You all made - and are making - this kitchen what it is. It really is feeling like my dream kitchen. It's modest, and small, and it's pretty much everything I want.

Thank YOU for taking us along on this adventure :) Really, the Week in Philadelphia is my must-check thread now!

For the window shelf, where are you thinking of putting it? I'm thinking not right at the top of the window. Mounting it a bit above would give a greater sense of window height.

I was also wondering about placement of the window shelf and whether you have planned out the window trim. It is really exciting watching your kitchen take shape!!

SPECTACULAR!!!! I love this thread. Your kitchen is looking amazing! I cant believe the difference!

Thank you!

The window trim will be 4" around, except for where it abuts the cabinets. Shelf will be above the trim. I'm not entirely sure whether it will be immediately above the trim, but I'm leaning that way. Do any of you have thoughts on the best depth for the shelf? I'm thinking 6-8".

Oh Carrie, that is looking fantastic!!! Love that Maddie has claimed that new window ledge.

As I read through the posts, I wondered what your plan was for window trim. I noticed the cabinets did not leave any space. I assumed you were going to say that you were bringing the backsplash tile around the corner into the bumped out area. Did you consider that idea? I am sure whatever you have planned will look great.

Love the shelf idea and 6" or 8" sounds good to me. You must be grinning ear to ear seeing your vision come together.

Is there a pendant over the sink, and if so how far out will it be? What about mocking it up by taping up a piece of cardboard to see what looks right.

I'd go 8". I did some googling, and this https://www.etsy.com/listing/123792519/floating-box-ledge-shelf-6-inches-deep shelving is six inches deep. It seems a little too shallow to me -- you're a little limited in what objects will fit on them.

Whereas here, based on proportions of the shelf to the upper cabinet depth, I think these shelves are around 9" deep. And they seem to be able to hold whatever could want.

Rebunky - Yeah, I wanted the window to be as big as possible. In retrospect, maybe I should have left some room, but... I'm not bringing the BS around the corner - that's not a look that appeals to me, it will fade into the wall, there.

Fishcow - no pendant over the sink. Cardboard's not a bad idea. Thanks.

Jillius - Thank you. I just want to make sure the shelf doesn't feel, oh, heavy and dark over my head at the sink. The one in your image is lovely, but I would not want a shelf that wide, that low to the sink. Since mine will be higher, 8" might be fine.