Congratulations! I love the floors and the marble countertops. The countertops do look beautiful in the photos! I am also impressed because this is one of the few kitchens that actually has the window treatment hanging on the window and the brown against the white looks lovely. The bricks, I have to be honest I would never have selected. I think bricks are a regional thing there's very little brick work near where I live and if there is any in the house it is limited to the fireplace. The brickwork looks very well done you are not your average DIYer!
I did wonder about that dining room light, it seemed out of character with everything else...
I have been thinking of a barn door style to cover my pantry, but I'm not sure I like using sliding doors. How are you finding it to use? Do you use it a lot? Are they really easy to move around?
While you did an excellent job bringing your vision to fruition, I am also very impressed with what is not on display in the kitchen which is that you did it with a budget in mind and paid cash as you went along! That is just so unusual these days (it is hard to stand up to those kitchen salesman-boy do they want to sell you some expensive appliances-and all of those credit card companies that want you to "treat" yourself to an indulgence you cannot afford) and it is such a great idea to not mistreat yourself into debt! Congratulations!!

It has some of the features in my fav Ikea kitchen using the new Metod cabs.

I love it! Tell me more about your brick veneer.. That would most definitely round out my look.
(I have brick on the front of my house, a huge brick fire place chimney on the outside and more brick on the fireplace surround.)

I love the brick veneer. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea and that is great! Differences are what makes looking at these kitchen reveals so awesome. We make the majority of our meals from scratch so there is a lot of cooking that goes on. So far there are no issues with having this as a backsplash and I do not foresee any either.

It is from General Shale and the type is ironworks. I actually had a difficult time finding any veneer in my area. I went to several brick places and they didn't carry it. Thought I would have to purchase online and have it shipped as I was determined to have that as the backsplash. Luckily though, one of the local places did end up having a few to choose from. This one has a lighter colour in it that is similar to the brick on the outside of our home so it ties in nice.

It was relatively easy to install. I waited until the granite was in place and I covered it with cardboard and got to work. The company I purchased it from also sold me the mortar/grout needed and they put whatever they thought I would need based on the dimensions I gave them. I placed two level lines across the wall and used that as a guide in addition to the spacers. The biggest part was hopping off the ladder and running outside to make cuts. Luckily a friend of my husbands has a wet saw and I was able to borrow it. After the brick was all in place I used a piping bag to pipe it into the joints. Much like frosting a cake. Let it dry a bit and then just used my fingers to push it around in the joint as I wanted a rustic (but not to rustic) finish. I didn't want to be wiping it off with a sponge and creating a big indent between the bricks. It worked out well and was very therapeutic and if someone took their time I think anyone could do it.

The sliding barn doors are spectacular. One of my favourite purchases. I got them from rusticahardware.com and though they took a while to get here it was well worth the wait. They glide nicely and aren't a pain to use at all. They were really the only option for that area unless I used regular sliding doors which I did not want. Space constraints left it pretty limited to what we could use and I wanted it to stand out.

I love enthusiastic DIY stories, and I'm impressed that you were able to re-use the countertop for your open shelves.

BTW, I really like the arched doorway as it is--especially the way it repeats the curve of the coved ceiling. But I just like arched doorways. :)

"Differences are what makes looking at these kitchen reveals so awesome." This is so true!

I like the look of the brick a lot (nice of you to give all of us such great detailed installation details.) It's nice it ties in with the brick used on your house exterior too.

Great idea to reuse your old butcherblock to make shelves!

I have always loved sliding barn doors. Someday I'll have a house where they make sense, I hope, as I think they are beautiful.

Very bright and attractive kitchen!

One thing I have wondered about the barn doors that seem to be everywhere these days based on watching HGTV. Do you worry about little fingers and the momentum of the sliding door? I know that regular swinging doors can also be a problem, but the barn doors seem to be so heavy and "fun" to play with for kids of a certain age. Nothing negative here, just wondering.

This post was edited by Dovetonsils on Mon, Dec 22, 14 at 0:27

Looking at your last photo again, I think one reason I like the brick wall is it's an interesting texture contrast with the beautiful granite. To me, it's kind of a nice change to have glossy rich granite paired with a rough-textured, matte surface.

Brick usually makes me think urban-loft, so I really like the clean, simple lines of the cabinets and appliances you've chosen, and also the light fixtures that appear to have a bit of an industrial vibe. Very pretty kitchen.

You did a great job, I love it!

Love the brick veneer. Great job for a small kitchen and on a budget!

Thank you for the detalls on the veneer!

The pic below is one of my favorite pins I have. Ikea Faktum.
Some very similar elements and color scheme to yours.

This post was edited by terri_pacnw on Mon, Dec 22, 14 at 13:45

Congrats! You must be so pleased with your new kitchen! I really love the brick with the wood shelves, it brings in lots of great texture and it's so interesting to look at. The pendants go so well with your look too. And I like the style of the vent hood you selected. It really all came together so well!
Thanks for sharing!

dovetonsils - We've never had an issue. the doors actually come out about an inch (maybe more) so it really is a nonissue. If it were flush then it would certainly be a problem as those doors are very heavy, but the way they are it is perfect. :)

terri_pacnw - Love that kitchen!

Congrats on a job well done!!

Love the brick and floors!!! the brick really warms up the space, great choice!!!

close-ups would be great, when u have time

I would keep the arched doorway, it adds SO much character, love it.

Nice job - the brick in the background adds a lot IMO. This is definitely one of the best upper-free kitchens I've seen done because of that.

Gorgeous kitchen! I love all the selections. Not run of the mill. I was in love with your sliding door hardware from rusticia for the longest, as I had a similar dilemma. (Alas, it didn't work for me). Great job!

Very elegant and stylish. Your cabinetry is great and I love the open shelves.

I love how the brick inside plays off the brick visible out the window. And your island stools look really comfortable - are they? And would you mind saying where you found them?

~emmers

They are very comfortable. We had trouble finding something that both hubby and I liked. He wanted comfort above everything. We ordered them from Costco.ca

http://www.costco.ca/Amisco---Tower-Silver-Bar-and-Counter-Stool.product.100109287.html

I was going to comment as emmers did about the brick backsplash complementing the brick of the house next door. I love it when the surrounding outside area is somehow brought indoors.

That brick plays so well with your barn doors and the floor. Great looking kitchen. And always - kudos to those DIY'ers who tackle all these jobs. Now, what does a hammer look like anyway.

Beautiful kitchen! Well done! Everything goes together so well - without being too same same. Lots of texture and depth. And those overhead lights are a great touch.