I was just looking for images for something similar last night. Here's a few I found

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Sochi- I like your countertop choices! What made you decide on wood, for the eating area?

Tami- Thanks for the pictures. Are you planning to use wood for your peninsula area, too? If so, what made you decide on wood?

What I'd really like is all endgrained butcherblock but DH really doesn't like the idea of BB and I do have my concerns about water around the sink. So I'm thinking a happy compromise would be some kind of stone for all the counters up to where the peninsula starts and have wood there. I wasn't sure how it would look but from the few pictures I've seen I think it will work. :)

oKAY... That is the second spam by chimaosu i have come across in the last 24 hours! so annoying.

LL, I have been thinking about a different peninsula material as well. I don't think I will do butcherblock as I am thinking of a prep sink - i know its done but i don't want to have to baby anything in this kitchen -- I am contemplating stainless steel as I like the pro kitchen look and while I think it lacks warmth, there will be a lot of warm elements in the kitchen to balance that. BUT, not sure it would be a comfortable surface to eat a meal on. So, that is probably not the way to go (but still thinking about it).

I was also thinking about quartz - something with a little bit of sparkle.

If a marble is honed and sealed would it hold up to daily use? Isn't it the shiny surface of marble that etches?

Mine is like sochi's. I have GO granite for the main section of the counter and then dark-stained maple for the 16" overhang section. I did it purely for aesthetics. I really like the look of kitchens that have islands that are in a different top (or cabinet stain) than the perimeter but I don't have room for an island so this is the way I paid homage to that idea. It's the hang-out area for people to talk to the cook (me). I really like it and get a lot of complements on it.

Tami and Mamapaige- I've been thinking about a butcher block or other wood, too. A prep sink shouldn't be a problem, with the right sealer. I've always liked this photo...
{{gwi:1517744}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

And Mydreamhome's River Valley granite is beautiful, too. {{gwi:1627855}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

Blfenton- That sounds nice...do you have any pictures?

In the U-shaped portion of the kithchen, the two long sides of the U are laminate but the end of the U is butcherblock either side of a range. This means that the peninsula laminate butts up against wood. Although this photo of the baking area doesn't show the peninsula because baking station is parallel to peninsula, it's essentially like the the peninsula. Our major goal in doing this was to break up the large am't of laminate with a second substance. Additionally, the wooden section of countertop gives us a working surface either side of the range, although we use pull-out boards for chopping.

Florantha- Thanks for the picuture. I'm still thinking about laminate in the main work area, with wood, marble or that River Valley granite on the peninsula. I like how low maintenance the laminate is and you've done a really nice job of combining the two materials :)

Mamapaige- This looks like stainless steel, on the island. I like it, mixed in with the other countertops. If it didn't work for the peninsula, maybe between the cooktop and oven?
{{gwi:1627861}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

I love the way that looks - jscout on GW told me about a resource near to me in Boston that works in stainless steel - actually did the stainless related parts of the recreation of julia child's kitchen for the movie, Julia and Julia... this has me thinking there is a reliable local resource if I decide to pursue this route. I plan to inquire further. BUT I also love the warmth of wood as in the picture you posted above. I have just been feeling there is too much wood in my house and I am planning on wood cabinets so trying to not go to far with that element.

Have you thought about a two level peninsula? Then, you could have stainless steel on the work area and wood for the seating area. I know one level countertops are popular on GW, but I'm still debating. One level is nice and open...but two levels give you an extra countertop choice! :)

Mamapaige- What are you planning to use for your other countertops and cabinets? All wood or is anything going to be painted? I'm glad you found such a great resource for your stainless steel countertop. I love Julie and Julia...what a wonderful movie!

Here's my kitchen plan, thanks to Summerfield, who made it much better...and it looks prettier, too :) {{gwi:1608108}}From Courtyard Garden album

As I've said before, I'd like the backsplash to be similar to these tiles. {{gwi:1517742}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

And I'd like to use something similar to this Arborite (it just got discontinued a few months ago) for the countertops, around the range and main sink. {{gwi:1517743}}From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

If I raise up the seating, in the peninsula area, I'd like to have marble or the River Valley granite for the work area/prep sink...and the little ledge, above the main sink. Then, a wood raised counter, for the seating area.

I really like an unfitted/cottage type of look in the kitchen, so I want to mix up the countetops and the cabinets. Maybe something like this for the cabinets, themselves. {{gwi:1540177}}From Pink kitchen

Lavender, WOW... your plan looks amazing!

I am still deciding on what to put into the kitchen. I have always been drawn to clean lines but with warmth - I want the space to have some rusticity to it as well. I am hoping when we gut it that we will find the brick in good enough condition to keep it exposed.

Another GW posted this picture and I just LOVE these floors. I had not considered porcelein/ceramic/stone floors because I really like the idea of something bullet proof (such as vinyl), but I dragged home a lot of samples for DH to look at and he is not thrilled about the idea of putting so much into the kitchen and then using vinyl on the floors. He loves this inspiration pic of the floors too so this is our new direction:

This is what I am considering for the main kitchen for cabinetry - It would be a cove inset where the frame is 5/4 and the doors are 4/4 so the doors/drawers are recessed in - I will have the cabinets combined wherever possible so that there won't be any seams. I will also eliminate the rails between doors and drawers so that I can have extra space inside the cabinets - in other words, there will be a frame on the outside of the doors and drawers but no frame between them. The wood is called cerused oak, also known as limed oak... I saw a sample of it and fell for it (DH did too). It has sort of a worn old french look to it but also what I would consider an understated elegance.

For the butler's pantry, I am thinking of something painted that will pick up on what happens in the kitchen. If I have any glass door cabinets in the kitchen, I will have the interiors of the cabinets painted with the same color as the butler's pantry cabinets. Ignore, the doorstyle, but I like this color that the cabinet company offers - it is called farm fresh:

I want the butler's pantry to be a transition from the kitchen to the rest of the house. So the butler's pantry will be just a little bit more dressy than the kitchen. The kitchen will have what I would consider a "pro style" look to it but warm, homey, clean lines. I think what will tie the two spaces together will be doorstyle, flooring, and countertops. The floors in the rest of the house are a honey oak (which is not my favorite so I don't want to bring that in at all -- this is why I think painted cabinets in the butler's pantry will ease the transition of the honey oak floors in the rest of the house and the cerused oak cabinets in the kitchen).

For the peninsula I am considering frameless cabinetry in a different doorstyle and having panels on the side and back of the cabinet that match this doorstyle but in the same cerused oak finish as on the other cabinet. Here is the doorstyle:

I LOVE the arctic pear light fixture by Ochre but I highly doubt I can afford it, but I would like something decorative along these lines somewhere in either the kitchen, over the peninsula, over the sink in the butler's pantry or over the dining room table. It comes in several different sizes - obviously i wouldn't need anything as big as this but either way not sure it will make a difference as it is likely out of the budget

My dining room looks like this... it is just on the other side of the butler's pantry and I am working toward having a cohesion between all the rooms - I like a lot of color - just love my orange chairs (they are from the 1940's and I recently had them reupholstered). I will paint the upper part of the dining room walls but will wait until after the kitchen is done so that I can tie in colors, etc.

I am sure I have totally bored you by now, but thanks for looking!!

PS: Lavender, I love your bunny tiles... I look forward to seeing your unfitted cottage kitchen come to life

Mamapaige- I like your orange chairs, too! They look great with your rug...and that picture is beautiful.

You have some wonderful ideas for your kitchen and I think painting the butler's pantry is a great way to transition, between the spaces. The limed oak cabinets are going to look amazing with those floors. It will be very stylish, but comfortable, too. That's such a lovely combination, but not always easy to achieve. I can see why you like the light fixture, because it works in the same way. Even if that one is out of your budget, I'm sure you can find something similar that will really work, in your kitchen.

Do you have any ideas for your backsplash? Do you want to do something simlar with the brick, or maybe something with more sparkle, like glass tile? Are you planning to have quartz and stainless steel for your countertops...and maybe some butcher block...or are you still considering some other choices? I know most people pick their countertops first, but I wanted a backsplash I would really enjoy seeing, every morning. Once I found the bunnies, I knew something similar would be fun, kind of fairy tale and totally me! LOL I'm glad you like them :)

Mamapaige- I know this isn't the limed oak, but if the lower cabinets were limed oak...what do you think about limed, on the bottom and a creamy white, on top? It would be less contast, with all your windows and reflect the light. You 'pro kitchen' stainless steel appliances, would look good with this combination, too. The black countertop would look great with your floor and it has the wood countertop, where you would have your peninsula.
{{gwi:1627874}}From Kitchen plans

I just really liked this picture, but some open storage might be nice...and pick up the traditional details in your home. Would beadboard behind the shelves, work with your other finishes? Or maybe painted to match, in the butler's pantry? I love blue and white china :) {{gwi:1627876}}From Kitchen plans

Lavender, I love that idea. It reminds me of my inspiration kitchen from the last house which I wasn't able to achieve given how fast we had to move and didn't want to pay upcharges for custom colors.

That open shelving with bead board is beautiful. I am hoping I will have somewhere in the kitchen for special display. It might end up being in the little alcove area.... I think the butler's pantry will have to have everything behind closed doors as I really need to space for what we currently use it for - keeping track of the kids papers coming and going to school. Library books. Desk-y type things.

Here is my inspiration pic from years ago. I still love it! Would definitely be going with this sort of color if it weren't for falling head of heels for the cerused oak. BUT I will be pulling the streamlined feel of this kitchen.

Have you posted your plans on GW (closer up, just the kitchen?).

Oh, I like that kitchen! It would still work, with the limed oak...in fact, I think it would be even prettier :)

I like marble countertops, but I worry about the care and maintenance, so using marble or the white granite in just a few places, would probably work better for me. Would marble on the perimeter and wood on the island, work in your kitchen? Or, if not marble, maybe a white granite or a quartz (which I saw you mentioned, earlier).

It's funny you say that you were thinking about vinyl floors, because I'm planning to use vinyl 'wood' floors, although those limestone looking floors (like in the picture above, with the blue island) are really pretty, too. I like vinyl, since we live on a farm...and have horses, gardens, and nieces/nephews...so lots of 'stuff' getting tracked into the house, all the time! LOL

Your floors will look beautiful and should also be easy to keep clean. They'd look great with this kitchen, too. Why not do gray and creamy white...it seems to be very popular, in some of the new magazines. And, it looks so good with the stainless steel! :)

Sorry, I forgot to answer you, about the kitchen plan. I thought this was my close up (LOL) but it's open to so many spaces, I thought it would be good to see what the other rooms looked like.

I volunteered my kitchen plan, for the Design Around This thread, in the next few weeks. That should be fun! I told them they could do anything they wanted to with the space...as long as they did a few 'fairy tale' style designs. Not Disney pink and purple, but more like the bunny tiles and cabinets, I posted earlier. Kind of woodland cottage, but with more creamy whites, greens, blues and some flowers. I love gardening...kind of a cottage garden with a few formal elements.

Here's a couple of pictures, of the fairy garden. It's mostly roses and perennials, with a few herbs...but my nieces love it :) {{gwi:1627881}}From Lavender's Garden
{{gwi:59145}}From Lavender's Garden

your gardens are beautiful...

have been roaming around on houzz instead of folding laundry... came across this pic - I have never seen blue countertops before. i wonder if it is the material you mentioned above?? I think this kitchen is gorgeous but would look even better with bunny tiles!! - can't you see them working so well in a space like this?

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[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/colorful-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-santa-barbara-phvw-vp~52098)

[traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by philadelphia architect Felhandler/ Steeneken Architects

Oh, those are pretty and would look wonderful, with the bunny tiles!

I love the brass, too, because I want to use antique brass for the hardware. It even has the soft yellow/gold, I was thinking about using on the walls. The copper is nice too...I wouldn't mind having a few copper pans, maybe hanging from a smaller wrought iron pot rack, over the peninsula :)