@dmac1108 I bought the island cabinets from Ikea and then Scherr's made the panels, baseboards, doors. I specified rift sawn white oak to get more of the grain and asked them to cut it so it ran horizontally and then he sketched out how the panels on the back and side without drawers would look.

Yes, your calcs for the countertop are right on. I knew that under the microwave btwn the range and fridge we'd have our countertop oven which we use everyday. Having the extra 3" + 2" in addition to the standard 26" depth has been huge b.c. we can actually put things there when we're pulling stuff out of the fridge, microwave, or cooking on the range. It also makes the regular size fridge almost look counter-depth which is what I was going for with the deeper side panel and above fridge cabinets. I wanted the look of counter-depth but absolutely wouldn't sacrifice the space that comes w a smaller fridge w 3 kids.

Honestly for me, symmetry wasn't on my list of priorities beyond having the window kind of centered on the wall, which it really isn't. Since it was Ikea, it had the constraints of Ikea's cabinets so I just worked within that. The ceiling height is abt 10' (apparently the ceiling slopes so it isn't consistent), molding is 5-6", upper cabinet is 20", second upper cabinet is 40". The microwave cabinet is 23"+17". I designed everything on my own w many many hours in the Ikea planner and in the store, plus lots of back and forth with Tanner at Scherr's :-)

Beautiful upgrades. I'm curious about your fireplace insert. Do you have details on that?

Thanks for sharing details - very useful for everyone.

Gorgeous!! Don't know how I missed your post the first time around but happy to discover it now. Your choices are beautiful and cohesive. So much (mouse) work into sourcing all the elements. I admire your persistence and eye for detail!! Beautiful inspiration. Hope you don't mind my saving to my ideabooks.

Did I miss the timeline?

Wish you many years of happiness in your new spaces. All the best with the new family addition as well. :)

What an amazing eye for design! Well done! Can I ask you about the toe kick drawers? Are these low ikea drawers installed in between the legs of the base cabinets? How did you go about that? I also noticed that you have your cabinets right up against your walls without a filler piece between the wall and the cab. Ikea recommends filler. Are you finding your set up to be fine? Thanks!

@T. Monkey Thanks! The fireplace is a gas fireplace that the house was built with (not an insert) and we added tile. I'd painted the red brick inside with a black fire-resistant paint previously and used glass crystals inside fr Amazon.

Fireplace tile: Floor & Décor/ Viviano MarmoPalissandro Medium Picket Marble Mosaic; https://www.flooranddecor.com/stone-decoratives/palissandro-medium-picket-marble-mosaic-100467067.html

@tartanmeup Thank you! The leak happened in Jan and the timeline was a little slow due to needing HOA approval for the window, insurance process, and COVID and the delays it caused in waiting for permitting. But we started the actual construction in Oct and were done by Dec.

@Rachel Gill Thank you! Oscar from the installation company did the toe kick drawers. He measured the space between the legs and I bought a cabinet frame that would fit inside that and the low drawer that fit inside the cabinet frame. He was able to cut several toe kick drawers out of a single cabinet frame of the same size. Ikea also had the soft push hinges.

Having no fillers has been fine, although we don’t use those doors super frequently. Here are more pictures showing how they open.

@Csmith: thanks for letting me know the details about your renovation. I really appreciate it. I am in the middle of renovating my master bedroom, along with another bathroom - simultaneously! Next up - my kitchen!

I can only imagine how difficult it was to deal with the leak - however - it looks like it was definitely worth it! Your kitchen truly is BEAUTIFUL! You should be very proud about what you’ve accomplished!

@dmac1108 Such a huge amount of time and energy goes into remodeling and I always spin in indecision which is why I spent SOOO much time on Houzz and appreciated all of the user content! But now that it's done, I really do appreciate it everyday. Yours will be beautiful, too, can't wait to see what you share once it's complete!

@csmith Beautiful kitchen!! We are going with Scherrs too. Your photos are an inspiration. May I ask what type/name of countertop you went with?

Thank you! That’s awesome you’re working with Scherr’s, thery’re fantastic. The countertop is quartz, we bought it from a store nearby called Granite Expo the color/ pattern is Calcutta. I debated getting one of the name brand materials but decided against it since it seems like functionally, quartz is quartz, and just went with the non-branded version instead. So far so good, we did get some staining from some Indian sauces but baking soda was able to get it out, thank goodness.

Looks fabulous!

Bravo! I’m applauding as loud as I can from Tennessee. You made so many wonderful decisions and have generously shared every detail for others to learn from. And I just LOVE the bathroom cabinet. Your kitchen choices are classic and very modern as the same time. Enjoy every minute in that glorious room.

very cool

Fantastic!

Thank you so much. Your post might be the most helpful post EVER! I need a whopping eight cabinet doors in my small kitchen and have IKEA boxes. This is perfect! Thanks so much!

Question - on your island you did the 700 series door. How is that different than the 400 series door shaker door? ? It looks like you did the 440 step shaker for your uppers?

Fabulous and stunning! You must be thrilled with this lovely kitchen!!!!

Did you have any issues mounting your doors with the Kraus workstation sink on your ikea cabinets? I purchased the same one and have read in different reviews you couldn't use doors with the sink because the hinges wouldn't fit.

@HU-558061979 Thanks for the note, I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for the question on door styles, I mixed up the door numbers and updated it to the below:

· Kitchen cabinet doors: Extra white, maple, 440 door (step shaker)

· Island doors: Rift sawn white oak stained with graywash, 400 door

· Built-in doors: Maple, primed, 700 door painted in white duck, flat, to match living room walls

This is beautiful!
Did Sherr do all the door front painting and staining for the island? I am seriously considering the white oak for our kitchen!

@Amber Bargstadt We have’t had any issues with the sinks and hinges. I wasn’t sure which one you were referring to so here are pictures of both.

Your kitchen turned out beautifully! And you are lucky to have gotten experienced contractors to work with.

@Linda Bui Thank you! Yes, Scherr's did all of the staining for the island so there was nothing to do on-site other than installation. Tanner at Scherr's sent a few samples of different stains and we chose this one so I'm sure they can send a few to you. Good luck with your remodel!

I love your new kitchen! I can't believe they never had a window in the kitchen before, it looks so much nicer with one! I've been planning a kitchen remodel and have been looking into Scherr's, as well. I've been really digging the white uppers and walnut lowers theme, but am afraid it might make my galley kitchen look small. I've recently seen the white oak here on houzz and your post and also really love it.

Does the white oak have the yellow undertones that that other oaks have, or is it more neutral/cool undertones?

Great choice of cabinet and quartz.

@User Thanks, Ann! I just used the Ikea planner to l ay everything out. We aren’t far from Ikea so after I was done, I went in a few times to get different Ikea kitchen associates’ opinions and see if I was missing anything. I also went in during the planning process to get tips on how to use the planner since it isn’t super user friendly. I spent lots of hours planning out the layout and trying differrent options 😅

@A Thank you! The rift sawn white oak can have whatever stain you want to make it warmer or cooler, Tanner can send a few for you to look at. I also considered using Rubio Monocoat stains and having it applied on-site but Tanner’s samples looked good so we went with that. We chose the white oak for the wood grain look and specified that we wanted it to run horizontally on all the pieces.

You must be very pleased. Your house looks brilliant!!

Thanks for the feedback. I never really thought about staining, and primarily focused on how the wood looked with just a clear finish. I wish think I completely missed their brief sentence in their website about offering some staining services. I'll definitely be reaching out to them about that. I also love the horizontal grain. It really stands out among cabinets with the grain running vertical.

Your kitchen cabinets are really one of the perfect inspirational photos that I have been looking for in cabinets!

Big transformation great job!

How are you liking your scherrs cabinets fronts now that you’ve lived with them for a while? Really considering going with them for the white and white oak like you, and not semi handmade. I really like the idea of wood! Thank you!

Hi Megan,
I absolutely love my Scherrs cabinet doors. The quality is outstanding. Scherrs was wonderful to work with. The Sheers doors and doors replaced old Ikea Acrum doors that were brown. I would have Scherrs drill for the hardware so you don’t have to mess with it. Let me know if you have other questions. I went with SW extra white.

@Megan Marelich It’s been about a year and a half and the doors are holding up pretty well. They get A LOT of use with 3 middle schoolers banging around, a baby who is crawling and pulling on drawers, and a dog. There’s some wear with the white doors under the sink where the trash and recyling are since those are used the most. The island doors that are stained don’t show anythtkng and look brand new. This picture is the worst of it which isn’t too bad. We’ve had multiple spills and dirty handprints with tomato and chocolate sauces that I was sure would stain but didn’t so I’ve been really happy.

OMG. What have I been doing wrong! This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You did a great job.

Wow can you please share which ikea system you got for the small drawers and the bottom? Would be great for dog bowl !!

Wow! This is such a beautiful kitchen and exactly what I’d like to do. I truly appreciate you taking the time to link all the details!

@Csmith your kitchen is gorgeous. I am so happy you shared it here. Do you mind sharing which Ikea cabinets you used to create the island and also what the size of your island it. Thank you!

Honestly, best kitchen I’ve seen on here in a while. Love the look, but I’m more obsessed with the function. Great job!!!

Wow. Not only did you create stunning rooms with great function, you took the time to carefully photograph details and shared what you used!

Love the kitchen, how the family room got upgraded and absolutely adore the creative bathroom vanity-from-an-antique idea!

If Houzz Dilemmas gave out Oscars, you would win!

@Csmith I'm so happy I found pics of your gorgeous kitchen!! This is exactly the look we're going for in our kitchen remodel and thank you sooo much for sharing every little detail! Question-can you tell us why you switched from wall ovens to a range when remodeling? My husband and I are frozen on this decision right now and can't move on with kitchen design until we give our final answer to the KD. I see pros and cons of each so just curious what your thought process was on this. Thank you!!

Are the white oak cabinets also sherr? I love them

Also, was this white oak veneer or solid?

Gorgeous before/after!

I like your kitchen. Do you also have a pantry? I’m short and those tall cabinets wouldn’t work for me.

I can't believe I missed this first time round! I've been scrolling back and forth between the before and after shots -- it looks like you raised the ceiling 4 feet. The miracle of white paint, an extra window, and cabinets all the way to the top!

@ bethbickel Thanks for your comments! I switched from wall ovens to range b.c. I used the ovens only once a year. The tradeoff with the new window was losing wall space so the wall ovens were easy to give up.

@ Megan Marelich Yes, the white oak cabinets are from Scherr's and I believe they're solid. I don't think they do veneer but I know Tanner would be happy to talk to you about them. He's so great to work with and very patient with lots and lots of questions.

@ nycjerseygirlThe island is a 36"x24" three-drawer cabinet next to a 24"x24" sink cabinet. On the end is a 30"x14" two-drawer cabinet. This worked well to leave room for the plumbing behind the sink cabinet. I'd have to measure the island countertop to give those dimensions, I can try to remember to do that tomorrow.