KathyNY76, I did not know that two-tone was a current trend. I wanted wood, my DH wanted all white, and that is how our scheme evolved. The kitchen is in a rather dark corner of an open floor plan house, so I agreed that we needed lots of light materials in the space, but I just had all white cabinets and I really craved a change, and a contemporary one at that. The idea behind the dark lowers was to treat them as furniture. Maybe this is hive mind, but so far I like what I see. ;)

Ack, kateskouros, don't leave me hanging! What are your reservations? My goal is a soft, light, airy, unique and modern space. Do you think I am off track?

Steph2000, here's a view of the peninsula.

My new sink, by Krause. Windowsill is countertop material.

i'm sorry, i should have elaborated. didn't mean to leave you hanging. i'd like to see another shot, with the tile shown leaning against the wall with the counters that have been installed. that would be helpful.

but i'm pretty sure my opinion wouldn't change. i'm seeing pattern on top of pattern (counters vs. backsplash) and then color on top of color (again, counters vs. backsplash). in addition the counters are rather gimmicky. don't be offended; i don't mean it in a bad way. i would always stop to admire them, while during the reno of our first home and then just recently for our new house. they remind me of beach glass, and what's not to love about that? but if i were to select such a counter i'd turn the microphone on the backsplash way down. just as bee has advised on so many occasions: you can't have too many stars on a single stage. someone has got to be the backup singer.

Looks great so far. I think individually that the tile and the counter you've picked are both gorgeous. But I agree with Kateskouros that the combination is not ideal because there is too much pattern and it feels a little too busy -- like there is nowhere for the eye to rest.

Since you've already picked the counter I would personally go with a simpler tile like a subway or 4" square tile in a single coordinating tone.

I'd have to take the other side on the counter/tile issue. When I saw the pic I thought how nice they looked together. But, in fairness, that is a close-up so maybe the big effect...? You nailed the colors between the counter/tile though. Beautiful!

I'd have to take the other side on the counter/tile issue. When I saw the pic I thought how nice they looked together. But, in fairness, that is a close-up so maybe the big effect...? You nailed the colors between the counter/tile though. Beautiful!

I hope I made a good decision on the wall tile, since I already own it! I was aiming for a bright but neutral, tone-on-tone, textured effect. Maybe this photo will give a bit more perspective on the relationship between the counter and the tile.

The rest of my open floor plan home is rather colorless as well. I built the interior design from pattern, texture, and shades of ivory, grey, mushroom, brown, black, taupe, white. The kitchen is very visible from these three other "rooms" (living/dining/family) so my choices were heavily influenced and guided by the aesthetic I already have going.

I am enjoying these different viewpoints despite the little stings to my ego. ;)

hmm... competing patterns.

I would pick one of the lighter blue-grays in the counter colors, and then base a backsplash off that color. That would look great with the rich tone of your cabinet wood.

I like the tile you have picked out. Ties in nicely with both tones in the upper and lower cabinets.

Whee, weekend surprise! I thought I'd have to wait until at least Monday for more eye candy! :)

I do think the tile plays very nicely with the colors of both your counters and your cabinets. I don't have a lot of up-close-and-personal experience with counters like these, but it seems that they often read pretty much like neutral speckled? To the degree that that's true, it seems to me there won't be competition between BS and counter.

The waterfall edge is sure looking sweet with your peninsula!

It also looks like you have great flow into the adjoining space. Is that your LR? I like your taste.

A few questions...

Your fridge built-in looks so sturdy! How thick are those panels?

It looks like your U is a lot deeper than ours. How wide is the aisle?

And...partner wants to know what you did for outlets on the peninsula.

I just really do like the 2-toned look. It makes the uppers so less heavy. Your kitchen is looking all but done and I think it is going to be GREAT. I totally see the modern, airy, soft and unique look you are going for - and I think you are achieving it beautifully.

We are considering the 2-toned look for the exact reasons you are. My partner loves stained wood - I love pained white. I also have (had, it is being dismantled as we speak) a white kitchen and most of the wear was on the lowers. I am kind of thinking a stain might wear better. I go back and forth between a mid-tone brown, a walnut and a black if we bite the bullet and go for it.

I've living vicariously through you. You've got to be feeling great about progress about now!

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This post was edited by Steph2000 on Sat, Jun 15, 13 at 12:08

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any ego sting! I only added my comment in case you hadn't finalized your decision on the tile. I agree that the colors of the tile harmonize beautifully with the counter.

I think that sensitivity to too much pattern is just more of an individual taste thing and my taste definitely runs more towards minimalism.

Even with the competing patterns, because the colors are so soft and muted, I still think overall it will look pretty .

Steph 2000, yes the counter looks neutral speckled, it's just that the speckles are larger than what you see in quartz products. We thought we were going to get quartz, but the samples all looked like they would read too blank across my long peninsula. I don't care for granite and didn't want the worries associated with marble, and we loved the glass sample with our cabinetry choices.

Yes that is my LR, which is not looking itself right now (artwork is tucked away for reno). I will try to take a pic of how the kitchen fits with the rest of the decor when the kitchen is complete. When you see the layout you will understand why the kitchen needs to play off these other spaces in the house.

The fridge panels are standard thickness; they just have a 3" filler panel on either side of the fridge's front, beefing up the appearance.

My aisle is 70" wide between the counter edges. While the kitchen layout breaks some Cardinal Rules (I.e. no work triangle), I am quite adept at working it the way it is, and I love having the added counter space that comes with a peninsula (vs island). We had to make the decision about leaving or changing the layout a year ago when we added hardwood throughout the rooms. The kitchen is not large or grand like so many here on GW, but I love my house!

For outlets on the peninsula, we mounted power strips just underneath the countertop, tucked up in the corner of the seating overhang. They are not visible unless you are looking to plug something in. We tend to sit at the counter and use electronic devices, so there are places to charge up. There is a wall outlet right where the wall begins, which I will use for kitchen equipment.

I hope I answered all of your questions. Let me know if I missed anything! Today should be action-packed, and I will hopefully have an operational kitchen by the end of the day!

Kitbun, no worries! I am going for soft and muted, so I'm hoping right along with you that the kitchen doesn't have too much bling. To me the counters do not look particularly patterned, just flecked. They almost look like travertine in person.

I'm not yet operational after all. Today seemed like a day of mishaps; supposedly tomorrow will be The Day. It's really just the range that needs gas and electric hook ups, and to be slid into place. It's scheduled for the morning.

Unexpectedly, my counter-depth fridge did not slide into the cabinet properly due to not being leveled. So another trip out here from the appliance installer is in my future. Meanwhile the fridge is sticking out like a regular depth model, so I have not yet seen it in its full glory.

Not unexpectedly, the guy who installed my doors and was contracted to lay the wall tile quit the job this morning. My project manager challenged him on the quality of his installation job for the doors, and apparently the conversation got heated. After that he went AWOL for three days. He was grumpy anyway, so I am glad to see him go. However, I paid him half and I don't think he did half of the work! Ugh! BBB here I come!

Luckily we were able to quickly move on to another contractor. He came this evening to work up a quote, and says he will have it for me tomorrow morning, and if I agree to the charges, he can fit me in later this week. So a little bit more delay to the finish line, but I swear I'll be a much happier camper after my appliances are fully installed tomorrow!

Woah, I'm surprised by the comments of "too busy" and "competing patterns", considering that many granites here on GW are really quite busy. Seems to me that the counters will read quite non-busy, i.e. more solid with a few speckles, from a distance. Could you post a view from further away with the backsplash upright against the counters?

Nosoccermom, I can't find a board to mount the tile upon, but it will be installed at the end of the week and I will post photos then. Meanwhile, things are humming along today and I will be cooking in my new kitchen tonight! Huzzah!

Appliances by Bosch, dinner by me. :-) 36 days from demo to operational.

Nice! I think the backsplash will look great with the counters (which I love, too). Looking forward to your pictures.

Here's a view without the controversial backsplash. ;) I love love love my peninsula. As you can see,our home is not large and the rooms are all open to one another. If I panned to the right, you'd be at the dining area.

Our dining "room" is just steps away. This is the view from the kitchen sink. The enclosed room is an office.

I love your kitchen! I can't wait to see the backsplash. I think it will be fabulous!!

I think the BS will look good. The tones are right on. And the counter - while maybe busy up close - looks very quiet from the wide shots.

I ordered my two tone cabs on Monday. I hope we can go from demo to complete as quickly!!

Everything looks amazing! Cant wait to see the completed look and I love the backsplash also! :)

Thanks everyone. This morning my fridge was leveled and slid back into the cabinet. I'm so glad that we bought the counter-depth model. That 4" makes a big difference in a small kitchen!

I also enjoyed making my coffee this morning without getting bitten by mosquitos. Our temporary kitchen is outside, a summer kitchen of sorts. (Grill w side burner, small fridge, wok burner, old microwave). Nice to have at times like this, but I was giddy to stay indoors today! Simple pleasures.

Samsung counter-depth French door refrigerator, and obligatory pup shot.

aww cute pup!

Now, I see why you went with a two-toned kitchen :)

Lol--I never noticed before that my dog matches my house!

The long-awaited photo of backsplash perpendicular to counter! Not grouted yet (that's tomorrow). Have at it judge and jury! ;-)

We wrapped the window in tile. The light was all wrong to show the color of the lower cabinets, but everything is harmonizing.

I love it and think it looks great!

I love it and think it looks great!

Thank you, jennifer11203. I'm loving it too. We are lurching toward the finish line--grout and a final visit from the electrician are all that's left before we can put this baby to bed!

Im so happy for your I wish i was at the finish line im just at the starting point i should be ordering my cabinets tomorrow - hopefully!!! your window makes me think i should go without a valance.. can you post a full picture of your kitchen to get the full effect? thanks :)

Yes jennifer11203, I'm just waiting for the grout to be finished before the fun photos. It will be very soon! I'm giddy!

Done!!! Well, save switch plates (tomorrow) but I couldn't wait another 24 hours to post! I'll try to get some good detail shots once the sun moves.

The kitchen looks fabulous! I already knew I liked your tastes--and you confirmed it with the picture of your sweet cavalier. I have two--a Blenheim like yours and a tri-color! Enjoy your gorgeous new space!

It looks beautiful! I love how everything looks together! and I especially love the backsplash! :) Enjoy!

Majra, your kitchen looks amazing! Great job!! You should do a separate full reveal thread with all the details too.

And your pooch is just the perfect match to your kitchen. You should definitely revive the old thread "Does your kitchen match your dog?" and post your pup shot there too. :)

Congrats on your beautiful new kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Does your kitchen match your dog?

It's looking great! I can't wait to see the final unveiling pics, but it really just came together beautifully. Still loving your 2-toned look, and your material choices. And, the flow with the rest of the house.

YEA for giddy! I can't wait to get some of that!

Thank you all for the kind words. I am so happy to have a group of TKO folks to share this experience with me. Here are a few more shots. Sorry for not using my Flickr account to post photos. I'm lazy, what can I say.

Amazing craftsmanship from the tile layer.

Backsplash view

Egads, those final shots are beautiful.

Thanks Steph2000. I am suffering from major renovation fatigue now that the project is over. Taggie, that's why haven't done a reveal thread yet--I'm too tired! Furthermore, I'm a little down because we discovered a that one of our lower cabinets has a cracked frame and must be replaced. That will be tricky work since they will have to do it in place. So what I thought was over isn't really over after all. I'm actually glad that it will take a few weeks for the frame to be manufactured. I need a break!

Congratulations! I love the cohesive yet unique look and how it fits in your home, and the waterfall peninsula. And while I know it seemed long to you, and is going past expected time with the cracked frame, this seems like one of the fastest kitchen on GW. How did you keep things moving along so well, did you have a contractor with employees? My demo starts in 2 weeks, I'm trying to prepare myself and my family for pictures like the one from May 22nd, and feelings like "seeing it ripped up has been like open-heart surgery." I hope you have a speedy recuperation, being in such a beautiful home will surely help!

Thank you kksmama. I think there were a number of factors in the relative speed of our renovation. For starters, we were not changing the layout or footprint of the kitchen, just putting in all new stuff. Also our floors were already done.

I didn't have a GC per se, but a project manager (and personal friend) who has a good network of contractors. He sourced all of the tradespeople for me, and we had them out to the house to give estimates and timeframes well before demo day. Once we had a cabinet installation date, we were able to loosely pre-schedule the contractors, as in "we will need you for 2 days during the week of xxx". The goal was to be 3 weeks without a kitchen. In the end it was 36 days from demo to operational, and 40 days to completion.

I also made sure that every single solitary item--from appliances to cabinet pulls--were chosen and ordered at the same time as ordering cabinetry. There were months of planning and meetings before anyone touched my old kitchen, and all of the new materials were here in the garage before demo.

We went with Lowe's for the cabinetry and countertops. They sent a team of 3 to install the cabinetry, and got most of it done in one day. It's not a big kitchen. Both the sales and installation people we worked with were very professional and reliable. And, since they were also doing the counters, they were able to coordinate the templating to happen soonafter the lower cabinets were placed. The appliances and sink and faucet were waiting in the garage, so there was no delay in taking the measurements.

There were days when contractors were tripping over each other, but everyone got their jobs done despite having to share the space with one another.