Will they be made from matching materials or are you going for a more unfitted look with different finishes and/or details? Either way, I don't see it as odd at all - makes sense to me from a function standpoint, for sure and it could end up being a charming focal point in a kitchen.

Not odd at all! Here's a similar, elegant example, and if you scroll down in the link, there are others.

Several pics in this GW thread

bluekitobsessed's lowered baking center--scroll down

Found a pic on Houzz:

Additions and Renovation - Oley, PA · More Info

48x42 isn't large enough to seat two on one side. Do you want seating like Detached House Reigate? How much total clear floor space do you have?

DLM, I haven't decided on finishes. Still contemplating that.

Mama Goose, thank you.

Benjesbride, yes. I would like seating on that side, to watch the birds.

This is what I have. It is going to change. I now think that the post in the island can go. Someone is coming out to check that for us. So, I'd like to incorporate what I have in the OP.

kitchen: flowing as one space · More Info

I think it will work great if it's designed to look great, and if it serves a function (like rolling out dough). 48" is the minimum for two stools - more is more comfortable.

Thank you, SJhockeyfan. I was pretty sure I needed at least 48".

Mama Goose. that second pic is amazing.

Do any of you have any thoughts on design? I've been leaning towards keeping everything very monochromatic. Although, I did find a BM green paint color that goes pretty well with the magnolia cabinet and green tile I like. I am open to ideas.

Maybe something like.......the perimeter cabinets and larger island in the magnolia, the lowered bake area in a stained wood, and the refrigerator section to the right in the green? That might add enough eclecticness, while still keeping it calm and quiet?

I'm a bit confused. Which end will be lower than standard counter height?

Fabulous inspiration pic, mama goose!

Could you explain the reason for the U-shaped area where the fridge is? I understand why the top wall has to stay - basement stairs? - but not what's going on at the entry by the sink. Where does that lead? Where is your DR or EIK area?

You have a lot of counter but it seems to be rather chopped up. Are you open to suggestions to gain more continuous counter in your kitchen?

I'm not sure these pics will help but the apron feet mimic the sink base you posted.

Warmington & North · More Info

Warmington & North · More Info

Shades of Gray · More Info

Which end will be lower than standard counter height?

I would place the lower section across from the range.

Could you explain the reason for the U-shaped area where the fridge is? I understand why the top wall has to stay - basement stairs?

This is a quad-level home. The stairs go down to 2 bedrooms and a bath.

- but not what's going on at the entry by the sink. Where does that lead?

That is a small nook that leads to the deck. It will be used for dog supplies and all my garden/bird stuff that ends up randomly thrown there.

Where is your DR or EIK area?

My DR would be at the top of the page, on the other side of the wall. Under the fan in the second pic below.

All the walls you see in the second pic are gone, as of last weekend. I just haven't had the time or the inclination to take updated pics. I'm pretty set on the layout.

flowing as one space · More Info

Now (before) · More Info

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Romy, thank you. Love that first island. the whole kitchen, really.

Keep in mind that if the countertop of the island measures 48", you'll have closer to 40" width because if the support posts on each end. Unless the seating is for smaller adults or children, I wouldn't go less than 24" each and would aim for 30" for adult comfort.

Your home must feel so much larger with those walls gone.

I would place the lower section across from the range.

Thanks but I'm still a bit confused. Are you saying that you've found an 18" undercounter fridge that will accept a lower counter height than 36"? I've never seen one like that. Good to know. Mind sharing which one you're purchasing?

Thanks for the pics.

Is there a reason why you're aren't making the island wider and meeting up with the post? Here's an example of what I mean.

Howard county kitchen · More Info

If you did this, you'd have more room for your lowered baking counter across from the range. And if you angled the seating area, you could more easily fit 2 people there, maybe even 3 people. I'd draw up my suggestion for you but I can't seem to copy and save your image to amend in Paint.

What type of blind corner cabinet are you getting? If it's like this one, you may not be able to open it; the fridge door will be in the way. Anyhoo, check clearances to make sure the fridge door won't be a hindrance.

Traditional Kitchen · More Info

Has anyone suggested going a mock--up, using cardboard to see how your nook area feels with the short peninsula next to the table? I did that after GWers suggested it to me before I gave my plan the final ok. It was very useful. It didn't change anything but if I had needed to, I'd rather know while the plan is still on paper.

btw, I eliminated my corner sink in my remodel, too. Mine is at the corner but no longer a corner. Love my new set-up.

I just happened to be looking in my old inspiration ideabook on Houzz and the very first pic is very similar to what mamagoose posted:

Bohns Point Residence (2) · More Info

Where is your primary prep going to be? To the right of the main sink?

Another question. Can the mixer sit on the lift backwards? That would be best for me.

Lisa,

Your home must feel so much larger with those walls gone.

Yes. Bigger and lighter.

Thanks but I'm still a bit confused. Are you saying that you've found an 18" undercounter fridge that will accept a lower counter height than 36"?

No, It would be replaced that with the bake area. I initially thought that the island would need to butt up against or wrap into a post on the right.So, that would have left a less 36 inch area on upper counter if I went with a bake center. So, it was a no-go. Now, that I'm pretty sure the post can go and I'll have 48 in, I can do it.

Is there a reason why you're aren't making the island wider and meeting up with the post? Here's an example of what I mean.

The DR is very small and cramped. It won't actually add to the space in the DR, but will give the illusion of more space. I have and am considering 48 deep. This is where I will need a mock up to decide. And, agree that it needs to be as deep as possible.

What type of blind corner cabinet are you getting?

One to shove stuff in that I probably never want to see again. No special pull-outs.

Has anyone suggested going a mock--up, using cardboard to see how your nook area feels with the short peninsula next to the table?

No eat-in kitchen. That was one of the many things I never understood about this house , since the DR was basically right next to the kitchen table.

Gooster,

Where is your primary prep going to be? To the right of the main sink?

Yes. To the right, between the sink and range.

Here is a another drawing. I couldn't locate it earlier. But, it is still wrong, because the post is not going to be in the island. I also believe that the right side area is 6 in deeper. I've started retaking all the measurements since we removed the walls and think I shorted that side 6 inches. So, #11 and #16 will probably be 6 inches wider.

The left side, where the range and mixer would be located, is the area that would be out all traffic lanes. I'd basically be creating a small L work area.

kitchen: flowing as one space · More Info

1. 3 drawers, pots/pans/lids/ cooking utensils
2. 3-sided glass cabinet w/ cookbook shelf under
3. range
4. 5 drawers, 2 on top spice/knives/baggies/wraps/ cookie sheets
5. blank w/ inset compost bin
6. cutting board over trash bins
7. sink
8. dishwasher
9. 3 drawers, dishtowels, glasses, Rubbermaid glass storage
10. microwave drawer over drawer for glass cookware
11. dog bins facing into nook
12. open cabinet shelving (open pantry)
13. drawers, wraps/baggies/lunch stuff
14. refrigerator
15. blind corner, small appliance
16. 4 drawer, coffee supplies/utensils
17. sink
18. eliminated due to no post
19. 3 drawers, silverware/plates/bowls
20. baking supplies
21. mixer lift
22. seating

In regards to the island design......does anyone have any suggestions? Can I get away with doing it all in one color? Would posting before and afters of the LR be helpful?

Thanks for the help, everyone.

I know you said you're pretty set on the layout, but I took a moment to give you another suggestion. The gist of this is a double L layout with a prep/cooking L and a clean up/ baking/ counter seating L. I don't know anything about baking centers, but I thought this would be nice to have one next to a water source.

If you provide the dimensions of the angled bay nook area, we can come up with a way to integrate it into the design moreso than just ignoring it. I imagine there's opportunity for a nice bird watching view through those windows.

I realized you could also just extend the lower baking counter height to the seating counter too...

Benjesbride. I appreciate the time you took wit that layout. But, the nook isn't being ignored. I need that area open and tiled (rather than wood) for a few reasons.

We have very old dogs that need to be confined for health reasons, now and again. They also all don't get along and need to be separated sometimes. We will always have pets. It's part of who we are. We also have a pool. When it is chilly out, we don't dry off out in the cold. We run up the stairs, into the house dripping wet and dry off in the kitchen. I need a tiled area for that, as well. Not to mention grandkids and wet towels being strewn about. As I mentioned earlier, my garden and bird stuff gets dumped there. That is not going to change with the remodel. I know me. And, the last consideration was that the counter near the nook can be used for grilling out. No carrying hot foods across the room, just drop it right inside the door.

I totally understand that our design may not be the most efficient use of space and might not work for most people. But, we've lived here for 7/8 years and we've thought about what we would do to this kitchen since before we even moved in. This layout is designed with our needs and wants in mind, how we live our lives on a daily basis. That's the best I can explain it.

No, It would be replaced that with the bake area. I initially thought
that the island would need to butt up against or wrap into a post on the
right.So, that would have left a less 36 inch area on upper counter if I
went with a bake center. So, it was a no-go. Now, that I'm pretty sure
the post can go and I'll have 48 in, I can do it.

That makes a whole lot more sense now, thanks for explaining.

So the post to the right is gone but the post to the top has to stay and that is the one that is between kitchen and DR and the one you may be incorporating into the island to get a wider baking counter.

If I understand what you wrote above, because the post to the right will go, you're increasing the aisle between island and refrigerator L from 36" to 48" so the island dimension length (side to side on your drawing) will go from 72" to 60". Is that correct?

If so, then what you're proposing with a lowered baking area is a 1/3-2/3 split of your island. You'd have a 48" wide, 24" deep (top to bottom on your drawing) lowered section at the far left end and a 48" x 48" square section to its right.

Now that I understand what you're trying to do better, I feel I can answer your question about keeping your island all one color, although now that I re-read it, I'm not sure if you mean cabs or counter. Anyhoo, given what you've posted as your inspiration pics and the size of your island, I'd keep cab and counter all the same. The counter height change will add enough interest, IMO.

Where will all your pantry goods go now that you're removing your pantry? I'm curious about the fridge U design area. It looks like you're placing the fridge - a tall item - between 2 sections of counter. That's unusual. Oh, I just noticed you're adding a prep sink at the end. How will that area be used? There doesn't seem to be much counter to make this a secondary prep zone.

In response to my question about the blind corner cabinet, you answered: One to shove stuff in that I probably never want to see again. No special pull-outs.

In that case, why bother with one? Why not close it off as you did with the corner between sink and range and put drawers on each side instead? Or make it more usable as deedles did? Very. Late. Reveal. Small, rustic, white oak kitchen. Pic Heavy (scroll down to see her incredibly creative storage solution for the corner).

Good news that you can lose that one post at least. Sorry if I missed it, but are you planning a marble top for the lowered baking area? I think it would look nice either all marble or maybe a wood top with just marble on the lower section like that second photo MG posted. Or if you flipped the wood and marble in her first photo.

Here's another that shows all marble. And then wood with the marble lower.

Lisa,

I'd keep cab and counter all the same. The counter height change will add enough interest, IMO.

Thank you. That's what I was wondering.

Where will all your pantry goods go now that you're removing your pantry? I'm curious about the fridge U design area. It looks like you're placing the fridge - a tall item - between 2 sections of counter. That's unusual.

The fridge will be surrounded by open cabinetry, that sits on the lowers. That will be my new pantry area.

Oh, I just noticed you're adding a prep sink at the end. How will that area be used? There doesn't seem to be much counter to make this a secondary prep zone.

It's not really a prep sink. With the new windows being added, I couldn't figure out where to place my coffee maker. I considered putting a sink near the fridge, but dismissed it as an extravagant waste. But, when I asked the hubby about the idea, he liked it. It keeps dog feeding, getting a glass of water, making a snack, etc out of the main cooking area. Right now, we are always running into each other. That second sink is intended to eliminate that.

In that case, why bother with one? Why not close it off as you did with the corner between sink and range and put drawers on each side instead?

Thank you, I will take a look.

Thanks again for your help.

Rebunky,

Sorry if I missed it, but are you planning a marble top for the lowered baking area? I think it would look nice either all marble or maybe a wood top with just marble on the lower section like that second photo MG posted. Or if you flipped the wood and marble in her first photo.

I am hoping to have marble on the sink/range counters and the bake area. Wood would be on the island and fridge/pantry counters. But, the marble is all budget based. Hopefully, we can swing it.

Well, it looks like the post has to stay, according our guy. The size of the posts came from us beefing up and beadboarding the first one. If we carry that over to the kitchen post, I can't have the island style I want. After the hubby and I discussed this, we are going to ask the KD about having the island designed so that it can surround the post....and also keep that post smaller with no beadboard. So, that means.....not as wide drawers and a shallow door and drawer on post side . Ironically, that also means it will look just like the inspiration pic, but flipped.

Wendy, I've been thinking a lot about your kitchen, especially the fridge area. What can I say? I'm TKO (totally kitchen obsessed). =)

I know you said that your plan was quite set and perhaps you've already considered and dismissed the concerns I see but in case
you haven't, I hope my following comments are useful to you. Either they will confirm your plan as is or they'll help you make tweaks to make it perform even better.

Please take my comments in the light they are offered. I want to see you get the best kitchen you can. Remodeling is expensive and very disruptive; no need to add any "if only I had known" experiences to the process.
Given what you've written and the uses you've allocated to the fridge area, I'm assuming that you intend this area to accommodate more than one person at a time. It will as long as no one wants to access the fridge. Whether you have a side by side or a French door fridge, an open fridge door will pretty much use up the room on each side of the fridge.

Wait, a picture tells the story better. I took a photo of your plan and made notes on it in Paint.

NKBA recommends allowing 24" of room (in both directions) for someone to work at a counter. The circles I drew to represent people aren't that large but even so, you can see that if someone is working at the counter on each side of the fridge, they will have to move when the fridge door is open.

I also see a potential door conflict between open fridge door and open MW drawer. You mentioned grandkids. If they aren't careful, you could end up with a dinged fridge door or a damaged MW drawer door. Or both.

Your drawing has only marked off 36" of width for the fridge. If your fridge is 36" wide and you intend to put it inside a fridge cab, you need to allocate about 39" (give or take an inch or less, depending on cab construction) for fridge and cab box.

More space for the fridge means smaller cabs on each side of the fridge. Each cab on paper looks like you'd have 18" but once you take out the 1 1/2" that you need for the fridge cab and the 3" spacer that is required so that cab doors and drawers can open without conflict, you end up with smaller cabs and available storage space for each of them. Both cabs will be 13 1/2" wide max.

The BCC cab door opening will be 12 3/4" max but it could be less, depending on cab construction. The interior drawer width of the cab to the right of the fridge will be a 10 1/2" max. Again, could be less, depending on cab construction.

The cab between prep sink and corner will be no more than 9" with a 6" max interior drawer width. There are a lot of narrow cabs in this area, which isn't the most useful type of storage.

You drew the approximate outline of a cutting board on your plan but I don't think it's quite accurate. You've shown it as being pulled out no more than 12", which means you'll only have 10 1/2" of depth to use (counter overhang is generally 1 1/2"). That's really not deep enough to be all that useful, IMO. I have a cutting board, too. In use, it's out about 18" from the counter edge, which means when yours is in use, the adjacent counter is no longer accessible. Perhaps that's okay with you and you don't intend to use both surfaces at the same time.

Are you still with me?

Here's a slight tweak to your plan that eliminates the conflicts I see. (I goofed and marked some as drawer bases and others as cabs but I am spec'ing all as drawer bases except for the tall pantry cab to the right of the fridge.)

I shifted a cab from the fridge U area to the sink side and turned the dog storage base into a tall pantry for dog supplies and small appliances as well as overflow storage for other items. You can have it open towards the nook or towards the range wall. That said, if you plan to corral dogs in the nook area using a gate, you'll want the pantry cab to open towards the nook so you can use cab sides for the gate.

I shifted the fridge down towards the nook area to create a larger area to the left of the fridge. This set-up does not have the symmetry split of your plan but check out the cool prep sink set-up I'm suggesting. Oh, dang, can't seem to post the image so I'll have to give you the link. Very cool, sorta apron front corner sink The sink was posted by GWer Viva99 in this thread, Please show me your (corner) prep sink (scroll down to nearly the end of the thread). Check out the round cutting board that fits over the sink, creating more counter area when the sink is not in use.This looks like a great fit for the style you're going for in your kitchen, IMO.

I'm suggesting adding trash below the sink since you plan to have your coffee maker in this area and it's a long walk to your other trash pull-out.

The cabs on either side of the sink are wider than your plan offers so you'll be able to store more in these cabs.

I increased your aisle between fridge wall and sink run from 42" to 45" so that you still have good clearances when the fridge door is open.

I moved the MW drawer base to the sink side. It's still handy to the fridge but you no longer will have door conflicts between MW drawer door and fridge door.

I didn't make any other changes to the sink and range area, other than to mark cab sizes.

I tweaked the island based on what you wrote above and added cab sizes. All aisle measurements are counter to counter. Your plan showed them as cab face to cab face, which isn't what it would be IRL.

I'd really like to see you gain more prep area between sink and range, especially since your plan leads me to believe that you plan to do most of your cooking prep in this area. You have a generous area of counter for your baking center but you're fairly limited for cooking prep. Maybe you're okay with that. It would drive me crazy but I'm coming from working in a kitchen that, pre-remodel, had lots of counter but not where I needed it. I ended up prepping all over the place. It was great for getting in my steps each day but not very efficient. I'm so happy that we corrected that when we remodeled.

Oops, I was busy in Paint and then typing my post so I missed your latest post, Wendy. I like how you're looking on the bright side. The post has to stay but now it will look most similar to your inspiration pic.

Oh, it's really too bad about the post. I totally understand about working around obstacles.

I would consider carefully how much space you currently have allocated for prep in that corner. With a pullout cutting board, the pullout garbage, no uppers, stuff waiting to be cleaned, stuff waiting to be cooked, you may find it to get very cramped and stuff you need (utensils, spices, measuring cups, knives, gadgets) requiring a shuffle and a dance to access. It'll be less of a continuous counter run than you have now. A simple remediation would be to slide the sink further down the wall. In an opened up kitchen, you'll have a lot of stuff packed into one corner.

Thank you, both. I could consider getting rid of the cutting board. But, as far as a total over-haul of the plan? We are pretty committed to it.

Got it, Wendy. Feel free to come back to ask for additional feedback once you get plans back from the cab maker/GC. IME, that is when you will need to reassess and adjust as needed, based on cab requirement specs and space constraints.

Will do. She comes to take measurements on the 21st.

And, thanks again. Your efforts are appreciated, sincerely.

You're welcome! Good luck! Remodeling is quite a wild ride but as long as you prepare as well as you possibly can (stuff happens =) you'll make it through relatively sane and you'll have few (hopefully no) regrets when all's said and done.

DH and I finally remodeled our kitchen this summer. I've been planning it for 7 1/2 yrs. We built our home more than 21 yrs ago and I had to fix the mistakes I made because I didn't know better and GW didn't exist then. =)

PS If you want to read about my journey and my reveal, go to Buh bye old kitchen! Hello, new kitchen! and 50 Shades of Gray, TKO version. There are other remodel journey threads worth reading, too. It helps you prepare for remodeling and hopefully avoid mishaps that others have experienced. There are also threads on setting up a temporary kitchen that I found very useful.

Off topic: LISA: If you're on a PC, have you used the "snipping tool?" It's super handy and makes it easy to copy embedded pictures to paste into paint. Like so.

I am on a PC, BB. But I've no idea what a "snipping tool" is. I'll ask my in-house geek squad (that's DH). Thanks!

Lisa, thank you for sharing your journey with me. I love the links and all the info. I really appreciate that.

Funkycamper, my peacock kitchen, the bird form not designer, makes me laugh.

OT..... my Blanco compost bin arrived today. Who knew a SS pail could make a person so happy!

You're welcome, Wendy!

You may also enjoy reading Carrie's remodel journey. She broke it up into weekly segments:
CarrieB - Philadelphia Demo - day one
CarrieB - Framing Out
CarrieB - Philadelphia Kitchen in Progress - Week

Philadelphia Kitchen - Week 3

Interlude: The Fun Stuff (wall paint color)
Week Four in Philadelphia

Presence During Remodel (a fallow week question)
Window Design - Weekend Interlude
Philadelphia Pre-Pope Week (#6)

Week Seven (post Pope)
Week Eleven - Dragging On
Reveal: "The Door" South Philly Row

Hmm, can't seem to find them all. Pity, because it was fun to watch the progress and see how she dealt with uh-ohs that cropped up. There are a few threads that may not be in order but otherwise, most are.

Wendy, I understand you are pretty firm on your design as is, but here is just a slight tweak you might consider.

This would get you a little more prep room. I couldn't tell the direction your micro drawer cabinet pulled out, but I think you would still have enough room for that opening between that micro drawer side and sink run. I think it says 45".

I stole a few inches of that opening, shifted sink down and offset the faucet to be centered to the window. I moved the 3 drawer cab to the corner and so DW is on the end.

I am pretty sure you need 3" spacers in that dead corner for the drawer handles to clear each other. So you will minimally need to adjust for that. That was probably already mentioned. :-)

You may even have a little room for a skinny tray storage cabinet? I didn't run the numbers, so maybe not.

Anyways, just a quick thought for you to think about.

@rebunky -- Rebunky thankfully drew out what I was trying to say by sliding the sink down. You'll need a 3" column at the end, however, for counter support (plus what was mentioned regarding corner clearances --- very line/cabinet type dependent). You'll see all this when you meet with the KD. Moving the drawers form the corner means someone will be able to open the trash without disturbing the prep space.

I understand your concerns. What if I get rid of the cutting board, but have one made that sits in/on the sink? That would enlarge the work space and fix the drawer access.

The sink being off center would drive me crazy. Especially since the entire design is based on the windows and sink.

Note: inset cabinets

Like this, but with a positive reveal so it sits flush with the counters.

Photo from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akJgbGx0FBw/T1_9fj5r60I/AAAAAAAAAuk/oCe_JHG · More Info

Thanks, Lisa. Working my way through them.

Wendy, am I understanding correctly that you're planning on inset cabinets? If so, you really need to go for wider drawer bases, IMO. You lose width to inset construction, it can be a significant amount, too. A GWer who has inset cabs posted that she only had 31" interior width in a 36" cab. You also lose about an inch of depth per drawer. Be sure to ask your KD what the usable interior width you'll have per drawer and adjust your storage and plan accordingly.

I had 3 sets of narrow cabs in my pre-remodel kitchen. Such an inefficient use of space, very limiting in what they could store. I eliminated uppers in my kitchen but because I planned my storage so well, I still have room to spare in my drawers.

And you're welcome! Carrie's thread was a lot of fun to read. Not too many of us post the journey, the good and the bad, before we get to the fun reveal.

Thanks, Lisa. I do plan on going over all the sizes with her. Mostly to make sure my pot and pans will fit. The rest is all gravy, really.

Here is my old layout

flowing as one space · More Info

Starting at the fridge.

2 20 in uppers. I only used the bottom shelves for baking supplies, flour sugar, baking soda, etc. I'm not tall.

2 lowers with 8 inch pullouts and drawers. One drawer was for junk, the other had my measuring cups and spoons. The pullouts were useless. I ended up removing one and putting my Panini press in there sideways, because it wouldn't fit in the pantry nicely. The other I kept the hand mixer, bread pans, flour sifter, etc. This was my baking area, where it says "hole in wall".

Next was 2 30 in pullouts. That held all my plastic storage, mixing bowls, glass cookware. I've gotten rid of most of the plastic and traded it for glass. I don't have close to the amount of storage containers that I had when this started.

Next is the corner cabinet and lazy susan. Used neither. The corner upper cabinet was too deep, stuff would get shoved back and I couldn't reach it. I hate lazy susans. It held 2 jars of peanut butter, seriously.

30 inch upper that held all our dishes and glasses on the 2 lower shelves. The lower is a drawer base. It holds towels, foil, ziplocks, etc.

Dishwasher and 20 inch upper. The upper was protein mixes on lower shelf.

5.5 inch open lower cabinet for cookie sheets.

sink

A divided 30 inch lower with 2 12 in drawers and 2 12 inch pullouts. Pans on the bottom shelf and one pullout. Lids on the other pullout. Utensils and knives in one drawer. Spices in the other

range

2 oddly shaped cabinets, upper and lower. Upper was too small to put anything in. Lower was used for grill stuff.

Pantry was also problematic. Small appliances top shelf. Pastas, pasta sauces, a few canned goods, popcorn, oatmeal, steel oats, etc.

In conclusion (lol), I don't have a lot of fancy kitchen stuff to store. And, much of my old kitchen was a waste of space. I'm pretty sure that I've accounted for everything in the new kitchen, plus some.

But, again, I'll go over everything with her. And, I'm sure she will tell me if something is screwed up. When I first went in there with my rough draft, she thought I wanted floating shelving surrounding the refrigerator. She came right out and said it was a stupid idea and it wouldn't work as a pantry. Then, we both realized we were misunderstanding each other and got on the same page. She won't pull any punches.