Two thumbs up! Five stars! Ace in the hole! Cat in the bag! Brava! Bingo! And all kind of similar expressions that say you have a winner on your hands! Congratulations on your beautiful new kitchen.

Wow, Lily, what an amazing transformation! The space has been totally changed! Truly beautiful.

Looks gorgeous! Doesn't even look like the same place! Are you sure you are not pulling our leg and moved to another house?!

Enjoy!

Mistakes??!!?? I sure don't see anything that I would call a mistake. Gorgeous kitchen and ditto on wanting details, especially the backsplash.

Could you please give the dimensions of the fridge/stove area, the sink area and the wall with the door? Do the countertops stick out in front of the door?

You did a beautiful job! My kitchen is small with 3 doors and I would love to know your exact dimensions.

The range looks like Jenn-Air's pro style slide-in gas range--the same one I've picked out so let me know how you like it!

What a wonderful change! It's truly amazing. I love the cabinet with the lined baskets. You did a fantastic job. Even the old floor has a whole new personality with the new surroundings.

Really *fabulous* work! Very impressive set of miter cuts on that banquette...I know "pros" who couldn't do that. So many wonderful details wherever the eye rests.

Please don't kick yourself over choosing that line of cabinets--they're really unique, to my experience, and completely charming in the space. It's almost like the top drawer with its little curve sings to me, no kidding (I'm prone to bouts of synesthesia). Money well spent, IMO. And I'm a *very frugal* DIY or die myself :)

Beautiful kitchen. I have a similar color palate in mine. You did a great job.

Bright and cheerful! I love your banquette! Did you have the diamond paned window before your re-model or was that something you added? I love your light colors!

A lovely transformation. It looks like such an inviting space in which to be. That you did it yourself is quite something. The next one will be a breeze!

Thank you so much for the comments. You all are so generous and encouraging! Now, for the details (so glad you asked!):

Cabinets: Thomasville, Raleigh door style in Amaretto Creme
Granite: Santa Cecelia Gold
Travertine Tile: Marazzi, Durango split-face 1x2, (but it's really more like 1 1/4" x 2 1/2")
Marme Ivory chair rail
Dorset Classic Liner
Sink, faucet, soap dispenser: Kohler (got 40% off on sink
and faucet cuz brother has 2nd job at a plumbing supply
store and I got to use his empl. disc, yeah!)
Refrigerator: JennAire JBL2088HES
Range: JennAire JGS8860BDP
DW: LG LDF8812ST
MW: Bosch
Cabinet hardware: Knob Hill and Belwith from HD & Lowe's
B'nook Chandelier: Lowe's
Light fixtures, sink and ceiling: Rejuvenation
Paint: SW Snowbound on trim; SW Lemon Chiffon on walls

cpang, you're right, the rug is from Ballard's!

Now really, igloo, somebody back in 1980 may have put a lot of thought into selection of that light fixture and may have anguished over it every bit as much as we do here over our stuff... hmmm, I don't sound very convincing.

adunate, is that your own blog??? It's fabulous! I could spend all day reading it.

raehelen, gotta hand it to you, doing a complete gut, the whole works. The c-top is only 11" more added on to the sink/DW wall but still it made a huge difference in how it feels when you're working there - seems like I've got so much more room now. Plus, I got enough room for trash, which is way better than the old wastebasket blocking the back door! And the banquette IS cozy - I've actually taken a nap there and mmmm it's comfy; being 6'9" along the back, you can really stretch out. Yes, that is chair rail tile at the bottom; it's 12" long. Here's a closer pic of it (sorry about the quality, I have a cheap camera):

It is all travertine, except the liners on the ends and bordering the range bs are some kind of precast stuff, but it looks real.

slc2053, here's the floorplan:
{{gwi:1788492}}
I know what you mean about having to continue living with a small kitchen - 2 of our walls are load-bearing exterior walls of solid stone. Wasn't about to try to change that!
{{gwi:1788494}}

eastgate, standing in front of the range wall, from left-to-right is: 36" fridge space, 24" dwawer base, 30" range space, and then 12" half of corner lazy susan, or 36" more to end of wall. On the sink/DW wall, the countertop does stick out some in front of the back door but it's not as awkward as the photo makes it look. Between the end of the cabinet run and the door, there's 14" of wall space. I'm putting a couple of shelves in that little corner. The shelf needs to be trimmed to fit (can I never get a cut right the first time - noooo!) and painted:

In a small kitchen, gotta use every nook and cranny. At last I'll have someplace handy but outta-the-way to put my watering can and I'll hang my swiffer dusters on hooks under top shelf. (Pic just shows one shelf - I cut 2, and need to trim both of course). Also, I painted this baseboard before I decided to change all the baseboard to match what's in the rest of the house - so I still need to change it out in this little corner.

johnnieb, yes, the range is JennAire pro style. I love it! Love the convection oven, warming drawer, the higher Btu burner and the low simmer burner with melt setting.

rhome, thank you so much. I looked high and low for baskets that would fit those shelves and finally found these at Wal-Mart. They have a wire frame covered in canvas material with khaki burlap trim, $5 each.

flyleft, about those miter cuts - you wouldn't believe how many wrong cuts I made!! Thank God for caulk.

fran1523, I love this color pallette too. My kitchen is on the north side of the house and doesn't get good light and it always seemed so dark and cold and depressing. Not anymore!

cotehele, I've got more than a few pics of the house here:

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of house: the good, the bad and the ugly

beautiful! and kudos on the DIY aspects. The difference is stunning. glad that the wallpaper and the figured oak is gone :)

neesie, the leaded glass window is original to the house. The reason you can't see anything out the window is because it started letting rainwater in for the first time the other day, so we covered it with plastic temporarily. I can't even think about replacing this window, tho it's in pretty bad shape. I'm thinking about putting a storm window on it to protect it and keep out the elements.

BTW, the back door leads to an enclosed, dilapidated back porch that is my next (or maybe my next-after-my-next) project. I want to have it rebuilt with a powder room and extra pantry storage.

Oh, rhome, forgot I was going to say about the baskets, I finally have somewhere to put a bag of potatoes. A 10 lb. bag fits perfectly in one. Amazing, how much that thrills me, LOL!

Beautiful!! Sometimes I think you can see all the love and care that went into a DIY project. :-) Wishing you many happy meals with friends and family in your beautiful new space!!

That is really lovely - you did a great job!

I too have Santa Cecilia Gold-I thought it was the same. I love your place so much I keep looking. I knew the rug was Ballard b/c I am considering getting the same exact one under my table-haha-

Oh I love before and after pics!!! And I love your kitchen! Here is my top five faves: The backsplash, the kitchen window over the sink (taking that upper cabinet and leaving that space open made a huge difference), the eating area, the leaded glass window and the paint color.

Your whole house is lovely. The exterior pics are dreamy.

Congrats!!

Ah, one more question about that banquette: please tell me you didn't make the cushions, too. WAY too professional looking :) (I'm being ironic, just in case you don't know) Did you job those out? And if so, if it wasn't local, could you share the name of who did them?

Breathtakingly beautiful house and views from it, too. I felt myself sighing.

Wowsa!! Great job! Your colors are lovely - warm and clean. MMMMmmmm. I love the Raleigh cabinets - I was going to get those - the drawer is so0000 nice. 2 questions: Can you tell me about the silver canister to the right of your sink? It's lovely! What's it for - where'd you get it. You mentioned there were things you'd do differetnly - can you share specifics?

Oh - and I can't forget the great detailing you did to create the hutch with the plate rail - LOVE-LOVELY!!!

I am so impressed! It's just beautiful, and that backsplash is stunning--simple yet cool!

It's really lovely. What a wonderful space. The banquette is so inviting. That's my favorite!! Hope you create many happy memories there.

Your kitchen is wonderful! Excellent choices. I don't agree that you could have settled for less expensive fabric for those eye-catching banquette cushions. That fabric looks fantastic--as does the banquette. I love everything. I especially love the hutch! BTW, what did you do with the little puke cup that must have been used to catch leaks from the old DW? HA! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

You all are so kind, thank you so much!

cpang, those rugs really are easy care. I got a stain on mine a few months back, took it outside, scrubbed with soap and a toothbrush, then hosed it off. Laid it to dry in the sun and it looked like new.

kitkelly, I couldn't get rid of the soffit, but at least I didn't have to have a bridge. At first I even considered just having open shelving on that wall, for the openness, but couldn't quite give up the more practical storage of wall cabs.

flyleft, no way can I sew, much less upholster anything. An upholsterer in the city 90 miles away made them. I guess you could say I did have a hand in making them tho - since they couldn't come out to measure, I made a template out of posterboard and took it to them along with some pics of the banquette. They did do a nice job.

bethv, the canister is from a Camelia & Main catalogue. I put fruit and veggie peelings in it for the compost pile. Some of the things I'd do differently: 1. I think the brackets on the "hutch" are a little too meager-looking. I wish I would have cut them chunkier, maybe started the curve a little sooner so there'd be more to them on the upper portion; 2. I wouldn't have gotten the bun feet. Several kitchens I've seen posted here have feet that I like better; 3. I wish I would have thought to have the plumber move the gas valve to the basement below so that I wouldn't have 1" of black sides showing on the slide-in range; 4. I probably could've replaced just the backsplash portion of drywall - I think my drywall guy charged me way too much and did a terrible job. OTOH, it did make the electrician's job a lot easier; 5. I wish I would've gotten a single-bowl sink instead of the Smart Divide but I went with the low divider because I don't have a prep sink. But that low divider, low as it is, still gets in my way when hand washing large items. Those are a few of my druthers.

amcofar, the puke cup got tossed. Yep, it was used to catch leaks. When I left the hospital I knew it would come in handy someday (they probly charged me 50 bucks for it), it served a purpose for a long time, it's gone now, I don't miss it. The cushion fabric is a woven linen in a tiny checkerboard pattern of taupe and cream that you can't see from a distance. Not very practical but they do have zippered backs so I guess could be dry cleaned if needed.

Wow, oh wow, oh wow! What a beautiful kitchen. What a great job you did. Congrats are in order. Just stunning. What a transformation. When are the magazine folks coming to take pictures?

lily: I was in a hurry and flipped through the photos quickly, loving all your nice details...then I went back later and read your OP and saw that you are DIY!!! I couldn't believe it.. GREAT JOB from one DIY'er to another. Thumbs up!! Very lovely, ENJOY

absolutely beautiful, great job.

love the kitchen, love your house! great DIY job from a fellow DIYer. The basket cab is so unique, maybe I will copy it!
Your color palette is similar to mine and I can see you are a fellow fan of creamware! I have the JennAir range too for about a year plus now and also love it. Hey maybe we are long lost sisters!? LOL
Well done!

Wow! You have a great eye for detail. It looks totally put together and finished, like it should have been that way all along. Excellent!!!

mustbnuts, thank you but, LOL, not expecting any magazine folks... but my favorite fantasy goes like this: Film crew arrives in town for location shooting, passes by my house and realizes it's THE one for their movie. But uh-oh, the inside needs an extensive makeover, especially for the scene that takes place in the fabulous master ensuite. They beg me, could we remodel your house in exchange for permission to film our movie here???? LOL.

flowerchild, your kitchen is going to be FABULOUS! Simply looooove the cabinets and timber frame. Looking forward to seeing it done (but not as much as you, I'm sure :))

cooperbailey, how far along is your kitchen? Nothing turned up, photo-wise, in a search... I wanna see it!!!! Hurry up, willya? - this, from someone who took 11 months...

Thank you all, everyone, for the kind remarks. I wondered at first if anyone would ask about my worst mistake, which I didn't mention in the list above in answer to bethv, but no one did. No surprise really, cause you're a very polite bunch here. But there is one really hideous mistake that I can only deal with by ignoring it and not thinking about it; and if I'm not thinking about it, I certainly won't be talking about it.

But on second thought, it might be of help to some other unwary DIYer who's just starting. So, here it is (which I'm sure you noticed but now we CAN mention it): Yes, I do have really really really thin countertops!!!! How did that happen? Well, I did order the 2cm granite. But I assumed there'd be plywood and laminating. It never occurred to me to think otherwise. When the installers came and I saw they were just putting them directly on the cabinets, I said "Whoa!!!!!" They said that's how they always do the 2cm granite installs. I couldn't believe it. I stood there wondering why the thin c-top would be something they would consider normal. I mean, if you're designing an ultra-modern kitchen or something, then maybe you would want a real thin c-top but, in that case, it looks like it would have to be something you'd have to specially request. Otherwise, why wouldn't you expect a NORMAL thickness? This thin c-top thing, seems to me, is out of the ordinary. Anyway, finally the granite guys said, "Well, do you want us to take it back?" I said, "Let me think a minute." I thought about how long I'd gone without a functioning kitchen, could I endure another 2-3 week delay. We have no bathroom on the main floor, so for 3 months I had to go upstairs every time I needed water and it was driving me CRAZY. So I rationalized. I said to myself, well, since I don't have any real long c-top runs, it probably won't stand out so much, my goodness, it's less than an inch difference. So I gave the green light to go ahead, and that was the irretrievable moment I can never get back and just have to live with. After it was installed, I knew right away it was wrong, but too late.

Later, still bewildered by this practice, I did a search on the stone advice forum and found a thread where this topic was discussed. At least a couple of fabricators did say they install 2 cm granite directly on top of cabinets without plywood underlayment, and they've done this for a long time and never had any complaints or problems with it. Apparently, in some parts of the country, this is routine - at least it was last summer when all this was going on. I've also since seen this thin granite in another person's house here in town and also on a few real estate website pics of homes for sale. Well, at least I'm not alone. But I imagine anyone seeing my kitchen would think, "Looks like she tried to economize on the countertops." I can't blame anyone for thinking that, because I agree that it tends to cheapen the look of the stone, at least in this context, but I was NOT trying to economize on the c-tops. The price difference between the 2cm and 3cm was negligible. So, if anyone out there is reading this and about to embark on a remodel, just make certain that you are in an area where they don't routinely do oddly thin countertops with 2cm granite. There are so many pitfalls for the inexperienced DIYer, things you would never think of... And remember, delays are awful, but still way better than ending up with something you don't like!

I still love my new kitchen. But it could definitely be better...

Lily,

thank you for clarifying that! Amy linked to this posting to show off your beautiful kitchen, and first thing I noticed when I looked at it this morning was the 2cm top. Truly have to say I didn't notice the first time, but we DO have to go through having our countertops replaced (looong story), and I need to decide today whether to go with 2cm again; we have a full 3/4"plywood backing AND a laminated edge; which makes it 4cm thick, or to go with 3cm. As you mentioned, there is no price difference (well, in my case NC is still NC :>), in fact I think my KG would prefer to do the 3cm, less work for him. But, he is willing to do whatever we want.

Santa cecilia was one of my three choices after looking at everything they carried, and my granite of choice, a year ago when we started this...but we went with a medium-coloured granite. The laminated edge can really show on the lighter colours, so who knows, maybe you're happier this way...:>) I still have to decide...

Anyhow, still love your kitchen, and looking forward to seeing mine done (in about 3 months or so when new granite arrives! :>(

Here is a link that might be useful: Two granites post

What a fabulous transformation, one of the best I've seen on GW. Its just simply beautiful.
Love the window over the banquette.

I have just been staring at your pictures for the past half hour. Truly amazing -- what an amazing job you did!

As for the granite -- I noticed it and have to say that I like it. For your kitchen, it seems right. The warm, bright beauty of your kitchen comes from your great choices, all of the thoughtful detail, and the way everything works together. This kitchen is confident enough in its charms that it doesn't have to have a big, thick wad of granite to look good. (Not that there's anything wrong w/ a big thick wad of granite - I just think the thin works well here).

Congratulations! Enjoy !!

And oh my gosh, I just looked at the rest of your house -- somebody should seriously call a magazine, or This Old House. Beautiful!

Just my two cents: I didn't notice the "thin" granite, and then had to go back and look when I got to the later posts that mentioned it. I think it looks perfectly RIGHT in your kitchen. As a matter of fact, I thought "Wow, she doesn't have a laminating seam to look at--lucky her!"

I am so in love with your kitchen from the creamy light happy color, to the beautiful new stainless steel clean cut appliances, to the comfortable, room and beautiful seating, etc. Thanks for sharing. Since my kitchen is not large either (but smaller than yours), your kitchen will be an inspiration to me when am read to renovate. I already bought the stainless steel refrigerator but I really need to get a new dishwasher that is not working well and a new floor and counters. I also want to redo my cabinets or refinish them with different handles in a light creamy color.

Wow, your comments sure make me feel better! Still think I'd rather have the big thick wad of granite tho.

WOW that is just beautiful - as is the rest of your home. Everything in that kitchen is just perfect - even the granite you say is a mistake is fantastic! Great job.
Your fridge is the same one that is on my very short list but I cannot find one locally to look at. Are you happy with it so far? Any 'lack of space' issues yet?
Kudos again on a wonderful transformation.

I love the 2 cm granite/no plywood in your kitchen. It looked to me like a deliberate design choice, consistent with all of the other thoughtful choices you made there: warm and cozy, with traditional design elements (decorative legs, bun feet) predominating, but with a light touch here and there ( the granite thickness, the open shelves, the clean lines of the lighting) to ensure that the small space isnt weighed down. I really, genuinely love it, and I hope you grow to love it too (and stop calling it a mistake!). That space just *works* and I am in awe of your talent.

Wow! Really lovely: I can't get enough of looking at it and your home. I'm going to be late to work if I don't leave sooon.....

Wow, great job. Wow.!

Really beautiful! Amazing how great it looks and all the major items stayed in the same location: frig, range, sink & dw! I'm sure it works very well too! You said you'd made mistakes, but no one would ever know it! GREAT WORK!

An amazing transformation!!!

I don't know how I missed your wonderful home and kitchen remodel. What a fantastic job you have done. I have never cut the first piece of wood and I stand in awe of you.

Your gardens are just lovely and the landscape has so much potential. I love the views. I don't know where you are but I can imagine cycling along the roads and it seems idyllic. Beautiful, just beautiful. Caroline

kathy_ny, I ordered my fridge without seeing it in the store and I'm not sorry. I really like it. Don't have any space issues cause it's just DH and me here. I like not having stuff disappear into the deep recesses but with a family of 4 or 5, I can see where space might be a little tight cause, naturally, there is less room than a full-depth.

aunttomichael, now I know what to say in case anyone ever walks into my kitchen and points out the thin countertop. I'll just say, "Well, it doesn't weigh down the small space." I like that!!! It sounds real good, kinda makes sense too.

claybabe, mindimoo (mindi, I just saw your marble and cabinets - they are to die for!!!!), olchik and Caroline - I so appreciate your comments. Caroline, one of the things I loved about this house when I first saw it was that every window has a nice view. Unfortunately, all last summer during work on the kitchen, landscaping was shamefully neglected - I am in a small town in Oklahoma where the clay soil is THE WORST.

I'm a little late on adding my congratulations - it's lovely. And I LIKE the thinner countertop. It seems, well, gracious. Not overstated, or dramatic, just very lovely and tasteful. And it fits the scale of your kitchen perfectly.

Just one thing. For me, someone you don't know out in internet land, would you consider painting the back wall of your glass cabinet? Some really lovely color that would set off your dishes and harmonize with your kitchen. My knee jerk reaction was a deep grey blue, but I went back and looked at your countertops, and now I'm thinking a dirty, mushroomy taupe.

Bear with me - it's late here, the architect just left and we probably won't get though plan check until September. Very sad.

Mary

Thank you so much, Mary. Interesting idea - I have seen the backs of glass cabinets painted and I always liked that look. Hmmm, something to think about. Good luck with your project. Even though it's a ways down the road, I envy you being able to bring in an architect!

From an outsider looking in...it's perfection, pure perfection. I also love the fact that you stuck to your budget. Honestly, you should have no regrets and give yourselves a huge round of applause. Your transformation is truly awesome and you will inspire future GW'rs :)

Lily, what a beautiful kitchen, and what a fantastic job you and your hubby did! Love the color scheme too, it's a really cheerful space now. What a difference the cream colored cabinets make from the old, dark ones. Love your backsplash, too.

I'm about 75% done with my own remodel, and my NYC apartment kitchen is smaller than yours, but I've managed to redesign things so I now have more cabinet and counter space. My old cabs were dark brown (a mistake in a small space) and I chose light maple shaker style cabs, a light bamboo wood floor (old floor was a dark mustard vinyl tile) SS appliances from the old brown/mustard ones and a light green subway tile backsplash from the old brown/gold one. For the most part, as you can tell by the color scheme, my kitchen was last done in the 70's. My kitchen is looking a lot bigger and brighter, am awaiting installation of my countertop (a light cream by Silestone called Blanco Maple). Will post photos soon!

Hi Lily!

I'd LOVE to feature your kitchen on my blog:

www.theletteredcottage.blogspot.com

Would that be okay?

Look forward to hearing from you!
Layla

LaylaPalmer@aol.com

Here is a link that might be useful: The Lettered Cottage