VERY nice! --Although 5 months sounds short to me! ;-) It's gorgeous.

I think you have my favorite message center...So simple and so useful. I'm not a wine person, but I love your little area for wine and glasses...So handy and great use of that little bit of space.

I can tell you and your family are already enjoying it, as you should!

I love it! The soapstone is gorgeous. What a great little niche for your knives. The chalkboard is such a fun idea too! And the kids are oh-too-cute!!!!

Your kitchen looks beautiful!! I'm in the process of getting quotes for soapstone and subway tile backsplash. I'm a total newbie to the ktichen forums so is Expo Home Expo? I live in So. Ca. and there's a Home Expo about 5 miles from me and they carry soapstone. Did you have them install your soapstone? They quoted me $79.00 sq. foot not including demo of my tile. Is this the going price? Sorry for all the questions but I just love your kitchen and it's exactly what I want. Thanks.

Wow! That's a very nice transformation! Looks like your kids believed that they were being very helpful in measuring a base cabinet from the inside out!

Thanks for the nice comments. The look is what I wanted. and the truly custom pieces I do love - the message center, desk, wine rack and knife holder. The quality of the cabs is just so-so, but the price was similar to mid grade at Lowes so I can't complain too much!

Mldao: I got both the soapstone and the tile (Daltile) from Expo. The $79/sq foot is correct for the soapstone; however, wait for a sale and you can get 10% off. I got this by opening a Home Depot Credit Card during one of those sales. In St Louis, Home Depot and Expo both use the same soapstone fabricator. From what I understand, the price and fabricator for HD and Expo will be the same in your area. However, the fabricator differs depending on where you live. So since you are in CA you'd get a different fabricator. I also don't know if the stone originates in the same place in Brazil or whereever for all of Home Depot in the US. They only sell one type, so it's possible. I'll tell you, I was a bit concerned about getting the soap from Home Depot since the samples are raw stone or something and look terrible. But I was able to talk and go out to the fabricators shop and it put my mind at ease. But be careful: if you want no reveal over the sink, be sure to specify as their default is a reveal and then crumbs get caught and stuff. Good Luck!!

Very nice!!!

Looking good!! Great ending for only five months of work, especially the desk area and the knife storage. Both are pretty darn impressive. Happy cooking!!

gneegirl

It looks great. Is your soapstone oiled in these pictures? I am in KC, but originally from St. Louis. I will be there to visit my parents. I wonder if I can order soapstone from Expo or if I should just go to HD here. I didn't even know they offered soapstone. Anyway, great kitchen. Lovely.

Beautiful, just beautiful. I love your judicious use of glass in the top windows; a very confident, very perfect touch :)

(yes, I know "very perfect" is an inappropriate usage but it sounded so good next to very confident I couldn't resist it :))

Kelleg: I've oiled the soapstone once, with mineral oil. Took about 5 days for it to totally 'dry'. My husband didn't want to touch it because the oil grossed him out (even though I told him this oil is safe for consumption as it comes from the pharmacy).

So, I'm going to let it darken naturally.

I would probably get the soapstone in KC, because they'll have a local installer. The installer in STL is in Illinois so unless you want to install it yourself, you should probably buy in KC. Your local HD should have it. It was mixed in with the granites at the Sunset Hills HD. It was a tiny sample and looked horrible. The salespeople knew nothing about it, so I educated them a bit. I suggested they get a finished piece... seriously, I took their sample to the installer in Illinois and they couldn't believe it - looks nothing like what they install. I found that most kitchen places, designers, etc in STL (and probably the midwest) were either uneducated about soapstone or tried to talk me out of it saying it was too soft (somewhat true compared to granite, but it's still pretty hard - much harder than laminate) or too porous (not even true, esp compared to granite). So my suggestion is to stand your ground, and use this forum. I was close to switching to a honed granite, but this kitchen forum saved me. :)

Amazing transformation! I love all the special details. Your knife storage is so innovative. I followed the knife storage thread and noone has the magnetic strip in a pullout. Great idea! Your soapstone is just beautiful. Open up a bottle and enjoy your new space.

The beauty of your kitchen is surpassed only by your kiddoes. How adorable are they?!?!? Excellent job on both counts!!!
Lynn

What a difference! Your kitchen not only looks wonderful, but also very functional and efficient, which with three little ones, must be a blessing! Congratulations!

Wow! That's some really old wallpaper you found on those walls!

Great job! Your kitchen looks beautiful (and the kids are really cute too!).

Patti

WOW, what a great transformation! You have done a wonderful job and were very creative with all your special details. You also did great making it a kid friendly place along with adult needs (wine!). Congratulations!

Dmank, you've made such a lovely happy place for your adorable family. If that were my soapstone I'd be going from stroking the tops of little heads to fondling it, and back again. :) Those are also terrific ideas for knife storage and for that stretch of "unusable" wall. Happy cooking.

I also love your knife storage idea. I've been trying to figure out what to do with knives that will make them easily accessible, yet out of the kids' reach. I may have to copy you!

Your kids are adorable!

You've done a beautiful job. And what a beautiful family!

Beautiful job! The knife storage is great and I love all the details. Wonderful, warm, inviting kitchen!