Hi jenanla,

Not ponydoc here, but we are also building a "New/Old" Home and I went through the same dilemma, so I thought I'd chime in. I looked at appliances which accepted custom panels, but in the end, went with SS. I figured the range would be SS anyway, so... Hopefully, this, combined with the remaining "older" components will blend well and still accomplish a "vintage" feel. We will have QS oak inset cabinets and (crossing fingers) soapstone counters. I've read that SS disappears in a kitchen, and I'm hoping this is true. My DH and I love to cook though, so if our kitchen ends up looking semi commercial, we will still be happy. Best of luck with your decision. I can't wait to see pictures. How far along are you? It looks like you started framing mid-Nov. I'd love to see some of the selections you are making and progress pictures. "New/Old" homes fascinate me (DH would probably use the word obsess).

Jaymie

Thanks Jaymie for the input. It is becoming such a dilema for me. I don't know if I could get DH to go for stainless although it is what the KD suggested if I choose not to do the integrated look.

I feel like I'm back at square one. I thought I had all of these decisions made. Original plan was to be Soapstone counters, painted/distressed cabinets with integrated appliances and an Elmira stoveworks 44" range as a focal point. We decided not to do gas so out went the Elmira.

Now I'm leaning towards 2 options for the range:

Option 1- slide in range in bisque or black with cabinets painted in same color as appliance to coordinate.

Option 2- electric cooktop in Soapstone counter with painted cabinets and wall oven in black set in black island.

For both of these options the cooking area will resemble a freestanding hutch.

On the wall that has the sink, fridge, and DW I was thinking that I could also do something similar with blending the cabinets and appliances by having them be a similar color (Bisque or Black).

My MIL has bisque appliances with bisque cabinets all on one wall and it looks great. You barely notice the appliances, but her cabinets are laminate. I don't know if I'd get the same feel with distressd cabinets.

Any thoughts on which color option might work better. I'm not opposed to black cabinets as the walls will probably be light in color. Of course going this route I'd have to give up on Soapstone.

I could also do the the cabinets in a "Color" and not care about trying to blend the appliances.

Kitchens that I love are from David T. Smith, I really like the one with 2 shades of green cabinets and black island. How would this combo look with black appliances?

Sorry to ramble but this is making me crazy.

As for progress, we are framed, roofed, power to house and fireplaces are done. Met with KD on Friday, next steps are rough electrical, rough plumbing, and siding. For siding we went with cedar stained with Cabot's Barn Red. The garage will be vertical barn board in a natural finish. We are planning on wide pine floors throughout the house including the bathrooms.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchens I love

Hi Ponydoc,

Kitchens are SO hard. The link you included is really interesting. You would NEVER know there was a dw and fridge in those distressed cabinets.

I agree it is very hard to figure out a nice mix of old with new in the kitchen and it is the place where you really want "new" appliances and all the modern conveniences.

I like the idea of black or bisque appliances, but I also agree that they would look best if they matched the cabinet color so they disappeared. I think green distressed cabinets would look fabulous also though. Maybe you could combine some sort of green cabinets (maybe on the island) and then bisque surrounding cabinets where the appliances are (depending on your layout).

If you give up soapstone, what would you do for counters? I looked at granite and it all seems too glossy for the vintage feel. Maybe butcher block with the distressed cabinets?

But, back to your original question. In your case with the unique look of the distressed cabinet, if you can afford it, appliance which accept custom panels might be the best option.

Did I just totally confuse you? Sorry. I don't think I'm being very helpful

You didn't totally confuse me, you just reaffirmed what I already know. The paneled appliances are what would really work best.

As of right now we can afford to do it, my concern is what about the next time when another unexpected cost comes that I didn't plan for. All of the little things keep messing with my budget. I fully expect to be over budget, but I don't want to go broke in the process.

I guess my bigger concern is the fact that I still have to put my current house on the market and if it doesn't sell I'll be carrying 2 mortgages for a while. In that situation I have a hard time shelling out over $10,000.00 for appliances. My current appliances cost me less than $2000.00 and to be perfectly honest I've never had a problem with them, my dishes always come out clean, my food is always kept cold, and dinners are cooked with ease.

I would purely be making this purchase based on appearance.

As far as counters I think I'd go with wood. I'm not a huge fan of Granite, but if I could get a matte finish I'd consider it.

Thanks Again,
Jenn

jenanla. btw, sorry for the "mis-address". when i was typing i must have looked at the subject instead of the poster. duh.

money is always a concern. we are "lucky" to have sold our house last summer so that is one variable out of our equation. now it is just a matter of how far in debt we want to go. we are shelling out way too much for appliances also, mostly due to the range and hood we are putting in, but it is important to us to have a restaurant like range.

hey, if we go broke, i'll just cut back on doorknobs, right? :) we'll just have holes in the door...

j.

We too are builing a new old house. While I like the look for the hidden appliances the cost was prohibitive for us. I considered bisque and rejected it mostly b/c I like the black cook top better. In the end we chose black appliances and we're hoping they disappear into the black counter. Our island will be red with soapstone or concrete contertop and the only appliance there will be the cook top.

LOL Jaymie

I wish I sold my house last year. I can't really stress about it because I'm sure it will sell eventually. It's only 5 yrs. old. We built this house too as a starter home.

We decided to remain in our house as long as possible then put it on the market, because there are not a lot of rentals in my area, and we don't live near family.

I do tend to be more conservative when spending compared to my DH. He keeps telling me not to worry about it. I guess I'd be less concerned with the cost of appliances if I actually enjoyed cooking. It is certainly not my favorite thing to do.

Thanks for all of the input. I hope your build goes smoothly. How far along are you?

Jenn

ajpl- I agree with you that I like the black cooktop better. What color are you perimeter cabinets? I bet the red island is beautiful.
Jenn

Jenn,
FWIW, I have two Asko fully integrated dishwashers paneled like my cabs, and I love them. I also have a stainless refrigerator, because for one thing I didn't want to pay so much for the cabinet depth ones, and also, I need more room in there than the cab depth ones provide. I didn't build a new old home like you guys, but thought I'd throw that out there.

Amy

I love to hear what all the new/old home people are doing... There are so many good ideas out there.

Jenn, I'm sure your home will sell. You are right you can't stress. It's 6 one way, 1/2 dozen the other. I'm a stresser and was absolutely freaked out about getting stuck with two mortgages. I hardly sleep as it is, so if I was worrying about another house, my DH would have to commit me. Anyway, we listed last summer and it sold right away so then we had the pain of finding a rental and moving twice, but oh well. It's been fine. We were lucky to find a 4-square close to our old neighborhood that was similar in size, so it hasn't been too painful. During the move, DH was one of my least favorite people, but I'm sure when I move into the new house, we will start talking again. :) Just kidding, by the way. (Sorta)

We are almost done framing (but don't have windows or exterior doors in yet). When I was at the lot on Sat, they were about 1/2 way done with the roof. The framers have been there for about 2 weeks, so I'm thinking just a few more days and we might be lucky enough to see a window. Once it is weathered in, they can heat it and pour the basement floor.

Keep my posted on your progress! It's so fun to have someone who is actually building to share with.

We were going down this road too before our circumstances changed. One thing I thought of was what happens when these appliances break and the panel I have won't fit the models that are made when I'd need to replace. I decided I wanted a house that looked like it was old, but had been updated and thus appliances showing wasn't a big deal to me. However, we ended up not building that house yet. Who knows it may still happen, but not anytime soon.

Our perimeter cabinets will be black. It took me a while to decide this but with some help at the kitchen forum I decided that I couldn't ignore the look I loved and to go with it. They are't built yet but will be in the next few months.

Hi Jenn and all.

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond... I was out of town until this evening.

Thank you for the nice compliment Jenn... I adore your house- I think you are building something close to one of those "other" plans rattling around in my head.

I live in Ohio and I am really familiar with David Smith's work- I would love just about any of his kitchens. I would say anything like his would be gorgeous in your home.

For some reason although I wanted the new/old look the kitchen in my head didn't "go there". Maybe because I have had an old/old kitchen for 14 years- and I am "wooed" by the modern looking shiny stainless steel. LOL As our house has "morphed" it is emerging more of the Walton's type rather than the Mt Vernon type if you know what I mean. More comfortable old farmhouse. My kitchen appliances are stainless. We are all electric - black cooktop in the built in cook top- which is in the peninsula. It does have stainless trim. The cook top will be in a peninsula that is oak stained very dark - almost black with a lighter counter- we are using Zodiaq- I looked at soapstone but I wanted literally zero maintenance. The other part of our kitchen will be distressed looking- I think it's a frost glazed birch- with black counter tops. Farm house apron sink. My cabinets are fairly plain with a full overlay I think ( they come this week). We actually went with Kraftmaid- they are local. I actually tried to go very conservatively with my kitchen - as my clutter room has a whole second set of cabinets- as many as are in the kitchen. We literally budgeted two kitchens - although we stepped it down a bit for the clutter room - laminate cabinets and Chem top counters ( like high school chemistry lab.) So I guess our "period" is more depression era farm house 20s to 30s rather than true colonial.

Hopefully will have cabinet pictures by the end of the week....

If you can do a David Smith type kitchen I would go for it!

PD

Jaymie, here are some ideas that I'm thinking of for my house.

Idea for cooktop backsplash or I may do beadbord

Master Bath Lighting idea

Kids bath lighting possibility

Half bath Scones (already purchased)

Half bath faucet except I'd do ORB (Plumber doesn't like this brand)

For the 1/2 bath I am having a local woman make a reproduction dry-sink in barn red and my DH's uncle is a potter so he's making a vessel bowl in sort of a "dirty, creamy color" possibly with a speckled finish.

amyks- great idea to panel the DW. It would keep things from appearing broken up.

lyfia- Thanks for reminding me of possbly having to replace an appliance. I am considering the Sub-zero 700 27" model. That would be tough to find a replacement for.

ajpl- you'll live the black. I currently have a black island that I love. We fell in love with an all black kitchen at an appliance store.

ponydoc- Thanks for getting back to me. I love David T. Smith kitchens and have looked to him for inspiration. I will not be getting cabinets nearly as authentic as his. I'll be getting Crystal cabinets, most likely Knotty Alder in a painted distressed finish. I'm planning on a farmhouse sink also. Which sink did you go with?

Jenn

jenanla, Great ideas. I wish I was there to see you home come together, but alas, I'm not, so I'll have to live vicariously through pictures. Still a ton of fun! Best of luck and keep me posted on your progress! j.

Jenn

You are doing a really nice job - you are going to have gorgeous home and so appropriate for your area. Very nice indeed.

Our sink is the Franke apron sink- I think it's fireclay. It's double bowl. I guess most people like the single bowl farm sinks. I have a double bowl now and have never had an issue- and it's much smaller than the Franke. If I have something too big it can go in the laundry sink of the dog bath tub! LOL

Keep the pics coming!

PD

Thanks for the post about the Franke. I have seen it in person and I really like it. I have a double bowl sink now which I also like so that I can keep a smaller dish strainer in for the things that don't go in the DW.

When you say smaller do you mean bowl size? or just the appearance? If I remember correctly it seemed thinner than pictures I've seem of the Shaw's.

I've also seen a Kohler but I need to find out if the pesky little Kohler Logo sticker on the front apron comes off.
Jenn

Hi Jenn

I saw the Franke in person too....although a long time ago now. I really liked it. I think it is "thinner" perhaps than a Shaw, I haven't seen a Shaw in person though. I remember thinking the Franke was fine though... in fact I don't like when they protrude past the counter as it appears some installions do.

I have also seen the Kohler- but only in black and you are right, you need to make sure their logo comes off. It appears to be something like a medallion on the front.

Did you get a lot of snow?

PD

Hi PD
Just checked out your house blog. Looks great. You must be so anxious to get into your home. I know, I can't wait to get into ours and we aren't nearly as far along as you are.
Not too much happening at ou house these days (our fault). Plumber is ready to work , but I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to do for the shower fixtures (still haven't). I need to decide so that he can get the rough in valves. I think I'm going to go with Delta Venetian Bronze, fixed shower head and a hand held. What did you end up using?
We got about 8" of snow. Kids had a snow day, so we got to get outside and go sledding.

Jenn

Well I cannot believe I spelled "installations" as installions. Holy moly- horses run all over my life and brain! LOL

We did the "carwash" shower. The big rain water shower head with 4 side sprayers. We also did the the hand held for cleaning and in case the little people would like to shower in the big shower. It goes up and down on a track as I recall. We picked it in brushed nickel. The shower is a slate like tile with river rock floor and river rock trim. It's ridiculously over the top really. It does fulfill my major requests- a walk in- no door to keep clean and I really wanted that river rock floor. On the flip side our soaking tub is not jetted. Just a nice rectangular soaking tub- with a good view. I think the tile comes this week too.... I am having a hard time picturing the shower- a designer did the design. Looking forward to see it take shape. I originally wanted just white tile. The bathroom tile chick about had a spaz. She said "well then you might as well just get an insert". LOL. They really pushed me to make it "special". And we had budgeted for it so it shall be.

Snowing here again today..... if it's going to be cold it might as well snow.... 35 degrees and raining is just awful.

PD