If I wait for perfection, it'll never occur: 2 Toned Kitchen Reveal
I think I began planning this kitchen remodel before we moved to the house. In 2008. Life happened and the kitchen kept falling down the list. The original kitchen was falling apart, my appliances were finicky and the dishwasher was held together with zip ties. Over the years, my dh made a few, "can't wait" changes for me including swapping out a very shallow double sink for a large basin and new faucet and replacing the broken, unsanitary missing tile counters for formica. The best change was definitely when we knocked out a half wall and rebuilt it a bit more into the family room, gaining us both more space and a built-in banquette.
If you've been around Gardenweb for a few years, you might remember when I decided to build a cardboard island to experience a 2 tiered island before truly committing. Apparently I am secretly MacGyver, that cardboard island stayed up for nearly a year before we tore it down for the remodel. ;-) (I forgot... I also painted the cabinets to see if I liked 2 toned kitchens... I did!)
So... details:
Ultracraft upper cabinets (had the perfect color that I wanted) and Omega lower stained cabinets. Pecan wood (basically hickory). I LOVE them. The wood is so strong, and the variation in color, in my opinion is gorgeous.
"Wood" tile flooring - from Home Depot.
Subway tile - I think they were the allen & roth line at Lowes. It was pretty hectic at that point.
Appliances - Bosch Benchmark dbl ovens and induction cooktop, Bosch (800?) dw, Best hood. reused microwave and refrigerator.
Stages 45 sink and Karbon faucet
counters: leathered absolute black and white spring (island)
My brother and his crew did most of the work. I had dh make a few of the trim pieces that either weren't avail through the cabinetry or I wasn't interested in paying the unbelievable prices for them.
Structural changes made: widened entrance to dining room. It only ended up 5 inches wider -- there was an unexpected pipe on one side and we decided not to spend the extra money to move it. We also made the kitchen window much larger. I waffled back and forth so many times whether I wanted to make it a bay window or just regular. I finally did a last minute decision to splurge with the bay. My favorite splurge decision by a landslide.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's time for pretty pictures!
dh & I made a stained bead board backsplash for this side of the kitchen.
We also made the corbels and there is bead board between the corbels. (subway backsplash every where else)
I think I've run out of space for pics... to continue post...
Comments (24)
lawjedi
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoDh made me these floating shelves. (They were just completed 2-3 weeks ago... the rest of the kitchen has been done since early June.)
and a couple completely not staged pics from just now when I realized I don't have pics of the other side of the kitchen...
This was my microwave solution: we rarely use it, so it's being low is no big deal at all. This little area is kid central... lunches/snacks etc are all made here. 4 kids making their lunches daily makes a busy spot.
and I found a picture of a drawer I did finish. This drawer is directly under the cooktop.
Final thoughts. I love it. I cook daily for a family of 6 and entertain frequently. I hosted a pizza night a few months ago - feeding upwards of 30+ people and everything worked like a dream. Yesterday's thanksgiving was so fun. :-)
Stages sink. Absolutely love it. I knew I would. Having changed from a small dbl sink to a large silgranit sink and then to the stages sink... Change from shallow double sink to large single sink was "life changing". Change from large single basin to stages 45... I really liked it - I do use the sink as it was intended - major prep occurs here, that shallow shelf is a work horse. But if I was pinching pennies, the difference between having the stages sink compared to a large single isn't as great as it was going from double to single.
Karbon faucet. I really like it. I don't love it. I miss the ease of pull down the faucet head and turning the water whichever way I wanted to clean the sink. But I do love the flexibility of the faucet...and I love pulling the water close to me. shhh, don't tell my dh, but it probably wasn't worth the extra expense TO ME in hindsight. But I do like the way it looks against the window. A big faucet (which I would have picked in order to have a good reach) would take away from the window aesthetic. So maybe I like the faucet for reasons other than the faucet itself... I'm still considering getting a tapmaster type control. I don't like how the joystick handle ALWAYS looks nasty with water dripping down it. (coming from your hand when you turn it off or fuss with it) Plus my youngest has a hard time reaching it all the way across the sink.
3rd rack on the dw. I can please hunt down the engineer who first drew this up and kiss him/her? LOVE IT!
Induction cooktop... LOVE the timers on it. I can hear the electronic buzz and yes, sometimes it's annoying. But I think I'd rather hear an occasional buzz instead of all the time I spent cleaning my gas cooktop in a different house. I do love the responsiveness of it.
bosch benchmark ovens. Seems to heat well and evenly, I haven't played with all the settings yet. Pretty much cuz I haven't taken the time to read up on it... so far, just doing what I already know. I have had an issue with the control panel - it's been a bit glitchy, freezing up a few times. It just started a pretty dangerous glitch - I called service repair immediately and they were just out today. I think they are going to replace the circuit board? control panel? not sure, but the oven has been trying to turn itself on.!!! I'd be in another room and hear the oven beeps... no one was in the kitchen, and the screen was lit up, trying to go into bake mode. (it didn't actually turn on, there is a second screen I'd have to hit "enter" to ok)... but it keeps trying to do it. grrrr.
So that's all my thoughts at this point. Sorry for the poor quality phone pics... but they are better than no pics at all! Perhaps someday I'll do a magazine worthy reveal with prettiness everywhere... but that's not today.
Thank you so much for everyone's input over the years. I've really loved having the kitchen board to come to -- dh just doesn't understand my obsession. (but he is rather fond of the food I produce, so he just smiles, nods and continues on.)
Related Discussions
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 More2LittleFishies Yellow Kitchen Reveal- Part DEUX!!!
Comments (163)I love this kitchen!! I love the character and the timelessness with so many of today's great features that we all want. I have been planning a kitchen remodel for what feels like 2 years now and my layout is very similar with the exception to the amount of space you have to the left of your double wall ovens. Thank you for all the detailed pictures as this validates a lot of my current layout choices, especially the corner of your sink wall / cooking wall where I've been back and forth 100 times and where your double ovens are located!!...See More2-Toned Kitchens - Trendy? Too much for small spaces?
Comments (25)How fun to see all the comments and eye candy. Thanks for the conversation on this, it really is something I go back and forth about. @FoozerX - I appreciate hearing from someone who really doesn't like the split. Thanks for your honesty - and for chiming in. @pawa - I'm worried about the gray-dark brown-white thing for more reasons than you know. I've NEVER liked gray and have always leaned to the warmer tones but I find I am really being influenced by the current gray trend. I can't decide if that is because the current grays are more earthy/muddy/warm/zen or if I am just that suggestible afterall... That being said, the dark lowers/light uppers really does seem practical - and easier to keep looking clean. I'm all about that! LOL @palimpsest and jterrilynn - How interesting to learn that this isn't a new phenomonenon, but rather one that is just rarely done. It really does seem to work to ground the kitchen and lighten up the upper half... @MichelleDT - What a great island that is in your inspiration pic. Your kitchen sounds great. I am totally a fan of chunky floating shelves, too. I can't wait to see your kitchen come to life, hope you share lots of pics. @sas95 - There is sooo much to like about your kitchen, including the uppers and lowers working so well together but being different colors. I have always loved that backplash - and those windows are great. @deedles - Those brown doors on white boxes in that picture is not something I would think of, either. While I'm iffy about it, what surprised me is that I didn't despise it. There are other pics that show better how they relate to the island color, but again, not really seeing it for me. If you think of that GW kitchen, please do chime in with it. @rosie - It's a good point about the need to harmonize counter/tile to make something like this work. I just don't see color really working well with it, necessarily. I think the counter would contrast with the lowers and flow more with the uppers, but the backsplash would then need to work with that whole thing to keep it working. I have that backsplash window to work with on the long wall, and remain stumped about how to work with tile PERIOD on the other wall... @chiefy76 - Thanks for the pics. Neat to see all the different ways this can work. My partner isn't sold on this idea, either. Which I find interesting, given I first came up with it as a compromise point between us. @marcolo - Are you saying you think it works as long as there isn't a lot of contrast or that brown/white doesn't work? I often hear the case made to go black/white or brown/cream, so I'm not sure if that's what you are talking about. A lot of the pics posted here by myself and others do show high contrast. Are you saying none of those work or seem intentional? @nap101 - It's interesting to hear you talk about darker lowers to ground the soapstone, and going light above. I don't think I've seen that application and I keep being drawn to light counters on dark lowers/white uppers. If you find pics, please post them. You do make a good point about how dark counters work on white cabinets and soapstone/black granites tend to be the strongest example of that. While I like the look, I've had chocolate brown counters on white cabinets for the past 13 years and am ready for something different. @loves2cook4six - You definitely have the 2-tone thing going and I've been lurking on your BS thread to see what you come up with there. How is that going? You and others show an interesting reverse of what I was thinking with the lighter lowers and darker tones in the uppers. I wouldn't have thought that could work but it seems to! @francoise47 - Egads, that picture really shows how the uppers can fade away into the walls, doesn't it? I love that... but you make such a good point about whether it is too much for the house. If it is too much for your house, it is definitely too much for this little 50's ranch stretching towards 1,000 SF. Hm...but then I look at bossanova's carriage house kitchen and it seems like it really works there without being too much? Same with the little IKEA kitchen with the beam... It's confusing to me, I admit. Thanks so much for sharing your own reasoning process and feedback from a honest friend! (Those are worth gold) @secondhalf - So glad this thread is helping you find clarity! I'm not clear what my house is really suited for, except for simple. lol @sis2two - See, you are making jterrilynn's point! How fun is that? Mixing it up a decade later. Please do share plenty of pics. @jterrilynn - What a neat kitchen. I love that it is shaped so uniquely - and those tall ceilings are great. Love that light fixture! And, the portrait of your FIL is wonderful. You clearly have talent! I like how the lighting fixture plays off the color of the lowers and brings a bit of it upwards. Hm...I was thinking silvery fixtures but this gives pause if I decide to go this direction. I'm going to keep this in the "maybe" pile and when it comes time to put some ideaboards together, I'll likely do at least one with 2 tones. In the meantime, we'll see if this thread has continued eye candy to provide! Thanks again, everyone....See MoreKitchen/House Reveal - DIY with Scherr's RTA. Better late then never
Comments (62)I've been waiting for a quiet morning with a cup of coffee to soak in your reveal. WOW!!! I keep getting up to show my husband another set of before & after pictures. There are so many things to comment on. The new exterior is beautiful. The entry area & staircase redesign sets the stage for the rest of this truly lovely transformation. I love, love, love the kitchen table area with the windows, french doors & window seat. When I saw the 3-D pics with the peninsula, I had to go back & locate the peninsula. It blends in perfectly with the eating area. Absolutely love the Costa Esmeralda. I can just imagine you posting your marble tiles with the countertop & asking for advice with many of us saying "too busy & don't do the framed insert above the stove." It's perfect & it's stunning. I love the colors of the glass tiles with the Costa Esmeralda. Big Congratulations! I'm looking forward to the outside pictures & pics of the fireplace built-ins. Step stool storage - genius!...See Morelawjedi
8 years agolawjedi
8 years agoas much as I love my new kitchen -- and I do -- my friends and I do miss the cardboard island. We even had a farewell toast. ;-) I think my mockup was a pretty good model...
lisa_a