Wow, that's an incredible change. Great job, it must feel so nice to have it all done (or nearly). I'm a million miles away from that feeling, but success stories like yours keep me moving.

wow, those are real tiles? I thought they were vinyl, because they were so prefect! whoever did the tiles, did a GREAT job.

I like the bookshelf area over your sink. Your new kitchen looks lovely. Was it hard for you to decide to rip out the old inset-door cabinets? I think it would have ripped my heart out, but I can understand if functionally they weren't right. Hopefully, they went to a good home, lol.

How are you liking the wall oven under the cooktop? We're doing the same thing, and I'm a little worried the oven will look too low. Yours doesn't and it makes me feel better.

Thanks for sharing!

lightlystarched: The old cabinets are steel, and are actually mostly in wonderful shape. The are going to be repainted and installed in my garage, sometime this sping/summer when it is warm enough for me to do it. To be honest, we have only used the oven below the cooktop once (its convection, so we baked several pans of cookies to test it :-D)...that one time was fine, though. The control lock is key with kiddos running around.

richardyc: my contractor was phenomenal at tile work. he and his crew did this floor and a bathroom upstairs, and the work is impeccable. My wife had the same reaction that it was so perfect that it looked fake!

Thanks to everyone for the comments.
- Jon

very nice! What a great transformation.

Well, now that's what all the hard work is about. Your kitchen is just wonderful! What a transformation. I ADORE your tile...love it! I notice you used a light grout. Is it holding up well? I hope to do a similar pattern using 12x12, 6x12, and 6x6 tiles. I'd even picked out a Daltile as well, but when I went to order it, it had just been discontinued. Drat. Now I've settled on an Interceramic but can't choose the grout color. I wanted a darker grout, but yours is so nice that I'm tempted to go lighter. You wouldn't happen to remember the name of the grout color? Your kitchen is so nice.....and I love the granite, too. Congratulations!

What a wonderful transformation...congratulations!

Very handsome and well done! Somehow I suspect your grown-up sophisticated kitchen must reflect your tastes so much more than the old one.

pupwhipped: The grout color is "champagne", and so far it is holding up very well...we have only had it about 3 weeks, so hard to say how it will go in the long run. The dogs muddy feet have not stained noticeably yet. Contractor recommended a sealer after 6 months for the grout. We honestly thought from the sample that it would be a hair darker, but love it nonetheless.

Boyurboy: If you plan to seal the grout lines, it makes no sense to wait 6 months. You can seal after 48 hours of completing grouting.

Congratulations! It looks so completely different!

teedup1: my contractor mentioned it was self-sealing grout...whether that is what he meant or just what I understood him to say, I cannot say, but we asked about sealing and he said to wait. I will have to check with him as to why...

I'm also thinking of doing a tin-celing backsplash behind my range. Can you tell me what you used and where you got it? Thanks!

What a huge diffference! Your kitchen went from Cutsey & Country (& tired) to Classy & Contemporary. I love that the working area seems to be so much bigger now. It must be a real pleasure to cook in such a beautiful place. Congrats!!

Looks terrific!! I especially love the way you are leaving the vent for the hood out there in the open. Congratulations!!

bmarshall: the backsplash behind the cooktop is actually a plastic one from Home Depot. They have a large variety of styles and finished to choose from, and we like the finished look. It is not as nice as the real thing, probably, but it is cheaper and was easy to DIY. It hangs with construction adhesive, and is easy to trim and fit together. I can't find the name of the stuff on the HD web site...I'll see if I can find the receipt.

Thanks. That's all my HD and Lowes carry, the faux stuff. I was worried about using plastic. But is that realy any more dangerous than drywall, which is what's there now? I don't have a professional range and don't do a lot of high-heat cooking. Someone else just started another thread about tin backsplashes. I'll see how that turns out.

Love your kitchen!

Very nice!
May I archive your kitchen in the Finished Kitchens Blog?
If so please submit the FKB Category Checklist Form so I can easily categorize your kitchen.
Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: FKB Category Checklist

Wow, what a transformation. Looks fabulous!!