1903 house
Northern New Jersey
kitchen was remodeled in 1966 with small addition and the ceiling was dropped to 8 ft. I want the kitchen to work for me and to improve resale value.
The kitchen is roughly 15 x 10 ft.

I can't find any before pictures.I wanted a craftsman look. I was trying to have it look classic, so that it wouldn't look dated 5 -10 years from now.

I bought some of the cabinets at Green Demolitions as part of a kitchen display sale. I bought additional Schuler cabinets at Lowe's. The display came with a chrome faucet and chrome Top Knobs pulls. I would have picked a different finish.

Medallion / Schuler QS Oak Shaker cabinets
GE Cafe Range
Samsung CD FD refrigerator
Bosch DW (existing)
Sharp 24" OTC MW (not installed yet)
red oak flooring
Anderson 400 replacement window (to replace rotted windows)
Top Knobs hardware
Hans Grohe Faucet (came with the display)
M. Teixeira Soapstone counters and sink, Barroca Maluca (this stone came with a free sink)
Insinkerator GD (Home Depot)
Ancona vent and backsplash (Costco)
Hudson Valley Petersburg Schoolhouse lighting
Tile Shop Travertine Machu Pichu

I can also give rough costs.
appliances : $6,500 (AJ Madison)
cabinets: $12,000 (includes additional cabinets that will be used elsewhere)
backsplash $350
countertop and sink $3,600

My total expenses, excluding GC were about $24,000.

GC costs included demolition, electrical, plumbing flooring, backsplash installation, windows, trim. etc.
GC costs are in line with NY metro costs

I live in a neighborhood where the local kitchen tour includes mostly inset, white shaker custom cabinets with carerra marble. I hope my stained cabinets will still appeal to the local home buyers.

The process has been very long, with the family eating microwave food in the den, and me washing dishes in a tiny bathroom vanity.

I am pleased with the quality of the Medallion / Schuler cabinets, M. Teixeira soapstone installation, AJ Madison pricing, etc.

I'm really excited to have a kitchen again and have been enjoying using the GE cafe range, especially the griddle.

I spent a lot of time making some decisions, but after making the decision, I didn't look back. It's really hard when there are so many excellent choices.

I considered Verona and Bertazzoni ranges, but chose the GE Cafe for the extra room and the service that should be available.
I picked the Samsung refrigerator based on Consumer Reports reviews.
I initially wanted to get tiffany style lighting, but decided that school house lighting might appeal to more potential buyers. I bought three identical semi-flush lights, becuse I was concerned about having pendant lighting with 8 ft ceilings.

I stained the trim work. We paid a little extra to get the trim to match the trim in the rest of the house. I think it provides a more continuous look.

I picked a very light paint color, since the cabinets, countertop and flooring are dark.

I prefer warm colors to cold colors.

I just oiled the counters before taking the photos.
The backsplash just went up today.