Enjoy! :)

Not to mention...you have an awesome kitchen!

Donna - I'm really loving the 2 DWs also - much more than I thought. I did it half for resale, half for large family gatherings, but I'm finding it's wonderful to have for draining my hand-washed dishes. The island is actually a barn red with a slight dark glaze, but my flash washes out the color.

Socal_Ann & Neverdone "warm and inviting - elegant and cozy" That was just what I was hoping and aiming for! You couldn't have said anything nicer ;-)

Rosie - You caught my "cockpit" tag -- Truly, that's how I view it! Anyone who invades 'my cockpit' when I'm in the last stages of meal prep gets a quick kiss, then a gentle push out of the way.

Seeking & Allison - I like that you both said 'different' -- I was also hoping for some of that. But it's always so risky to do something you haven't quite seen before. I'm doing a lot of trial and error with this house...

Vjrnts - The soapstone is Santa Rita bought from a local company here in Houston who imports from Brazil. DH is a GC, so we fabricated and installed our own.

Pamela - I was worried about combining the two different countertops, but just couldn't pass up all of the beautiful granites I saw. Thanks to the Forum's input, I decided to go for it.

Joy - Yes, it IS a big kitchen, which is nice. Before we started, it was half the size (pantry to 1st column) and the family-room side was a peninsula. The only way to get to the hallway & pantry from the family room was through the kitchen - yuck! Fixing the traffic pattern was my #1 priority.

Mary - Glad you like the backsplash. It really pulled the 'cozy' element in, and added warmth. I also just couldn't resist that little touch of red ;-)

IWannaSell - The test tube idea I found here and had to steal. I use a LOT of different spices when I cook, so it was a Gotta Have for me. I bought the test tubes and cork stoppers on-line, and found a CD holder that was just the right size at Target. I just cut some balsa wood slats to make a little grid, printed lables on my PC -- and voila! No way I could have fit 40 spices into a 5"x10" area otherwise...

Certainly not the worst kitchen, but I like the new one better ;-)

Susan

P.S. What's with the hot pink island??? ;)

You and your DH have really done a wonderful job.

Susan - "Elegant, but somewhat rustic. Classy, but down to earth. How'd you manage that??? " -- Awwww -- I was hoping for that. A tough balance to try to achieve though. Try explaining that to a retail salesperson and see what she shows you. ;-)

Orchidluvr - Thanks! Your kitchen is so beautiful, elegant and soothing -- I especially appreciate your comments.

Miss Marble - You know, the before picture looks pretty sterile, but there was really a lot to like about the old kitchen. Even though it was pretty small (1/2 size of new), it was very well thought-out (except for the traffic pattern). Almost all drawers, Plugmold, UC lights, cup hooks, adjustable shelves spaced closely, lazy Susan, undermount sink with integral-sprayer faucet. I lived with it for almost 5 years, then took copious notes before dismantling it. One detail you can't really 'appreciate' in that picture -- the rough exterior cedar siding on the soffits ;-).

TLsullivanct - Yes, those are double ovens, but not the same ones. The old ones were 24", and a constant frustration because they were so small. I went a bit overboard on the new ones at 30", which take a while to heat up...

Julie - Yes, there is a story behind that hood. A few years before 'shabby chic' caught on, DH and I were prowling in an architectural antiques store (aka junk yard) looking for a great old door to put in our garden. We found the antique copper range hood in a corner for $300 and fell in love. We both felt it belonged in our ultimate kitchen -- even though we knew we wouldn't be re-doing the kitchen for 3-4 more years, but at that price, we just had to buy it anyway. It took some work to find and fit in the hood liner, but it really captures the feeling I was looking for and works very well. That hood, and my ideas for a red island and black hutch were my starting points for the whole design.

The way you've combined your cabinetry, soapstone, tile work, granite, copper ... it just sings. Great job, and enjoy!

I can appreciate now why you didn't give us any previews of your kitchen... you wanted to WOW us all at once!

Even though you are not 100% finished, may I please post a link to your photos in the Finished Kitchens blog? I'll update it once you have posted details in the gallery.

hee hee hee DH originally installed white outlets in the cook's island soapstone backsplash. Just after he installed the first one, I suggested that darker outlets would look better, but he got very annoyed. (Bad timing, I know...) Well, I knew him well enough to know it would bug him a lot more than it would bug me. So, I didn't say another word... He changed them all out this morning ;-)

Your backsplash is just perfect! I'm having a hard time picking my favorite part...I love the soapstone, the granite--the combination of the two. I love the fact that you've got 3 different cabinet finishes and it all looks so...meant to be. What a great space! The glass doors on the hutch are beeeyoootiful!!!

How'd your corian in the pantry work out? Did you end up leaving it?

Susan

Funny you should ask... DH is working on that as we speak. We've got it planned so that the old Corian countertops can be cut down into pantry shelves and a small desktop (for 'dump zone' closet) while keeping all of the finished edges intact. The pantry shelving will be a 3-section 'wall-unit' type cabinet with the center section being both deeper and wider than the other two. Sides, crown and base molding will be stained to match the kitchen cabinets; back wall will be beadboard painted cream with a dark glaze in the beads. The Corian shelves are cream speckled with a cinnamon color. If it ends up looking 'wrong', we'll just replace the Corian with stained wood shelves.

Buzz