It looks fabulous! I happen to love peninsulas.

Looking great!! We installed IKEA kitchen cabinets to make a bath vanity at our last house. Loved the storage!

Looking forward to your progress.

Golly, I haven't been around in a while and just scrolled through everybody else's fancy kitchens - glad I didn't do that beforehand our I might not have posted mine at all! I absolutely love it, but it is very simple by comparison!

EDIT: you all are spot on with regard to telling me to hush! I totally take it back and simply say that you all have some very lovely kitchens, but I'm glad mine is mine :)

None of that, Sarah.

There's appreciation for fancy here, but function--which you defintely have--has the largest fan base. Please don't hesitate to post a final reveal. I'll post mine someday (if it ever gets done) and it's a narrow galley, IKEA, scratch n dent appliances and butcher lock tops with probably no backslash :-)

True, true! And as they say "comparison is the thief of joy." I retract my previous comment wholeheartedly :)

And there's also the fact that at this point, if we're talking comparison, my kitchen seems palatial next to the bus kitchen I've been cooking in for two years now!

That is going to be a great kitchen to work and hang-out in. I love the way the window is at the end of the peninsula instead of just having a blank wall in that spot. I haven't seen that set up before and it'll bring in some great light. (don't have to have a "fancy" - your words - kitchen to have a great unique feature).

What are the floors? They are really warm looking and look great with your counters.

sweetsarah - In my mind "simple" is a compliment, it's not at all the same as simplistic. Paring down to get to the essential and making it look good, is no easy task. Personally I much prefer plain and simple to fussy and fancy.

I'm glad you posted your kitchen in progress, I love it too. Please be sure to post a reveal thread with lots of pics.

Thank you, I really am aiming for simple and classic both for affordability and my own style preference. The floors are laminate and I am really happy with them!

@pippabean & benjesbride just to confirm, our contractor is putting the legs on the base cabinets afterward and the toe kicks just snap on to them then.

AND I realized that the cabinet doors have soft close hinges too that I had forgotten about and was pleasantly surprised to rediscover! I am so stinking excited.

You are very right and I edited my post to reflect as much.

"...our contractor is putting the legs on the base cabinets afterward and the toe kicks just snap on to them then."

This is bass ackwards. The great thing about IKEA cabinets are the adjustable feet. Dial to level, gang 'em, and go. That is, when you put the feet on first. If the cabinets are hung so low that he can't dial the feet short enough to allow the males on the flanges to pass under, he's going to have to alter each foot or remove the cabinets from the rails long enough to sneak the feet underneath.

He needs an angled screw gun now too and gets to install screws he can't see but can only feel. Fun.

Feet will bear weight and are useful for attaching toekicks.

ikea cabinet legs uk

It's lovely, is going to be efficient and functional, and I LOVE the window lined up with the peninsula. It looks amazing. I, too, am a fan of simplicity and humble finishes. Sure, I ooh and aah over some of the amazing, higher-end kitchens shown here but my favorites are the ones done well on a budget. I can't wait to see photos of your progress and your final reveal.

@joseph cortlett not all the base cabinets were done this way, just the two on the end there. If it's going to be such a hassle as you describe I don't know why he would do it that way just for those two. Interesting.

Some more pictures from this morning with drawers on! We seem to be missing a few pieces and have some extras in the garage. Such a bummer that ikea is 45 minutes away!

Wonderful! Really amazing work. I hope you are thrilled with it all.

Question: I've been planning on all white appliances, but am thinking maybe a stainless range would't be bad and would match the hood we have planned. Any thoughts?

I think a SS range would be fine. Also SS is probably easier to find. I wanted a white slide in range and it was difficult to come by without special ordering. When I was stalking the Sears and local appliance store outlets for a good deal there were stainless steel a-plenty and white took some patience.

Look at all those windows! Fantastic.

What will your DW and fridge be - white or SS? Because of the floorplan you could do a SS range and all others could still be white.

Ideally the fridge and DW would be white, but our current fridge is black. I guess we could keep using that, get a white DW and a SS range and call it "eclectic"...

When we sold our house last year, the first thing the buyer did was get rid of the white appliances and replaced with stainless steel. I bought a white dishwasher on craiglist because a woman was advised by her realtor to pull the white appliances and replace with all stainless to sell it. It's a thing, I guess. If you really wanted a white fridge it would probably be pretty easy to find one used.

I agree, but my husband and MIL brought up the issue of warranties. I see the advantage there, but I would still prefer a great deal over a great warranty in most cases...

Looks beautiful Sarah! I love the peninsula with the window down to the counter. I had planned something similar in my little cabin, but switched gears to fit in a small table. But I really do love that and if I let myself look at yours much longer, I could start second guessing my plan again. Better not go there! Haha!

Oh and for the record I will never do stainless fridge in my house ever again. If my fridge dies, I'm getting white. I hate the fingerprints and have tried every trick there is to clean it. Grrrr!

Sweetsarahbeth I love how your kitchen is turning out!!! So beautiful! I feel you on living so far from Ikea. We're four hours away so it's not even on my radar. :(

What a fun update! Thanks for sharing the pics of your kitchen progress!

It looks beautiful! So welcoming! In your OP, you mentioned a sink. What size is your cabinet base for your sink? That will make a big difference in what is available to you.

(I would like to suggest considering other sink materials than stainless steel (like Blanco Silgranit). I haven't had a stainless steel sink in years, and am glad not to deal with the scratches and water marks. Though they are a lot of bang for your buck, and I understand why people like them too. If you want stainless steel, look at the Kraus 16 gauge sinks sold on Overstock and expressdecor. Kraus includes the sink grid free with the sink, which other brands sell for an additional $80-100. There are lots of Kraus enthusiasts on this forum.)

Looks great! I've always wanted an island but after staying in a few vacation rentals with kitchen islands I've really come to appreciate my deep peninsula.

@sahmmy my sink base cabinet is 36" and I'm looking for a white sink. I'm not on love with the silgranite that I've seen, but my budget isn't quite on par with cast iron. Probably not going with SS... but we'll see how it goes!

Are you still wanting undermount or are you looking for drop in now?

Looks awesome! I also LOVE the window at the peninsula!

@benjesbride still looking for undermount... I hate cleaning sink rims!

sweetsarahbeth, someone on GW had recommended this cast iron sink. I don't own it but kept the link just in case. It's a Kohler Riverby.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_363667-20602-R5871-4-0_1z0u6h1Z1z0u6mbZ1z0vjjnZ1z0y8le__?langId=-1&storeNumber=1591&city=Pico+Rivera&zipCode=90660&state=CA&catalogId=10051&selectedLocalStoreBeanArray=%5Bcom.lowes.commerce.storelocator.beans.LocatorStoreBean%402b252b25%5D&storeId=10151&address1=8600+Washington+Boulevard&address2=

Thanks guco! That is right in my price range..... I just don't know about a single basin! This will be my first time having a dishwasher in almost 7 years, so I don't really know write what my routine or MO will be with one. The idea of not having a double basin at all is kind of scary for me. I've read the pros and cons of both sides, I just... don't know!!

I struggled between single and double basin, but decided single is best. You can always put a dishpan)s) in a single to divide it, but a divided sink isn't as flexible.

I only had double basins until this remodel, and I love the single basin. I'll never go back.

Oh, and I'm looking for undermount. I don't know that what I want is feasible in my price range. Sigh.

I have the Kohler Riverby sink. Love it! I initially planned to get a Silgranite sink but I decided that with a darkish counter, I didn't want a mid-gray sink (don't care for the white and the beige didn't go with my colors) so I shifted to the Riverby. So glad I did. We got a specialty color - Sea Salt - which is really yummy but I would have been just as happy with white.

Here are 2 pics that might help you.

Your kitchen is shaping up wonderfully!

PS I have eclectic appliances, too. White fridge, SS ovens, paneled DW and black cook top. Oh, and speckled pewter and SS hood.

The link says that the riverby is a drop-in, not undermount, but yours is undermount... what am I missing??

Try this link, Kohler Riverby, undermount.

I just found this thread. I am considering the Riverby in the smaller, 25 inch size. I wanted to get a cast iron sink that is a single basin that fits in a cabinet smaller than a 36. The Brookfield (or is it Bakersfield?) is an option, but it is only 8 inches deep. I don't understand why with that one sink, they go shallower. So, I am looking at the Riverby. In my current kitchen, I have a Kohler Deerfield double basin sink. I always liked a double basin b/c I keep dirty stuff on one side. In new kitchen, I want to try single basin. Lisa_a, is your Riverby the 25 inch size? I measured a lot of my stuff and I think it will all fit. The actual sink size inside is 22.5, I think. I am used to a much smaller bowl b/c it is half of a double. I love these pics. Can you show a few more?

Sweetsarahbeth, I just love your kitchen!

How perfect for a home with four children! Besides being able to eat at the peninsula, your kids can do artwork or homework there too, making the kitchen a true hub of the house. It's so great that you have the window too! I wasn't here yet when the gang was advising you, but I'm so glad they talked you out of the island, because your peninsula is just perfect and looks like it belongs rather than was just kinda plopped in there, which is what I think an island would look like. Islands are all the rage right now and I think some people just want one because they're popular, even when it's all wrong for their kitchen.

I'm getting the IKEA 25" apron front sink. I like that they make a cabinet specifically for it and I like the price. I'm getting the cabinet like lisa_a's that pulls out so I can have my trash can and cleaning supplies in there. However, I would really prefer an undermount because of the cleaning between sink and counter thing. So I'm making a trade-off. I'll ask the plumber to caulk the heck out of it, lol.

Congratulations on your new kitchen! You've made great design decisions every step of the way! I can't imagine anything more perfect for your family. Well done. Keep posting pictures!!

Oh, and I wanted to tell you that I think Sears has a pretty decent selection of white appliances. When you're looking at their website, say at refrigerators, you can filter it so you only see white ones. I just looked and they have 215 white refrigerators. Then you can filter by style (French door, side by side, etc.), by size, by price range, etc. I just went through this because I was looking for black.

My kitchen will be simple, no extra fancy stuff, too, but I know it will be beautiful to me and will last for many, many years to come. I'll be very proud of my IKEA/Sears kitchen!! :-) I'll be very proud to pull it off on a small budget, but honestly, even if I had three times the budget, I don't know that I'd really change anything! I'm not a gourmet chef, and I live alone, so why would I buy an oven for $$$ that I don't need? People are putting IKEA cabinets in multimillion dollar homes because they're attractive, have superior hardware, and are super durable. I'm doing laminate wood-look floors too. My kitchen will be perfect for the size it is and for my personality and lifestyle, not to mention my budget.

And yours is too!! :-) I LOVE IT!

Thanks so much debbie! I'm getting very excited! :D I was actually able to snag a nice, white French door fridge from a local used appliance store for only $600 and a $1200 30" barclay fireclay farmhouse sink for 75% off online. These two items alone have saved me a ton out of my budget, so I don't have to worry so much about skimping on the other appliances and finishes.

My main beef with the ikea sinks was the attached drainboards - I could just see having to scrub grime out of all those little fennels (isn't that what they're called?)...!

Sweetsarahbeth, I just came across this post and it has tipped me toward ukea cabinets-outer layout is similar to yours and we have a 4 kid family too. Which cabinets are these? We are going to ikea tonight to check them out in person. I was there earlier this week and liked but didn't love them-but seeing them in your kitchen, I'm ready to go for it!

Owlface, I went with the bodbyn off white. I'm super happy with them so far! I'd love to see your layout of you'd care to post it.

ha ha! it is still a work in progress. If you search under owl face you'll see the whole sordid story. We are getting closer and I will definitely be back to post an update to the saga, but in the meantime, I just found a babysitter and we're going to ikea! Bringing 4 kids to ikea on a saturday: 7th circle of hell. no way jose. Then we are coming home to play with the ikea design software: SEXY SATURDAY NIGHT!! oh I do have one more question for you SSB: there were a few mentions of your blog--do you mind sharing it with me? I'm assuming you have kitchen info on there. If not, sorry to be nosy! Thanks.

Sure! The blog is www.littlebusontheprairie.com

I haven't updated in a few weeks because my computer's mother board went out and fixing it hasn't been a top priority, unfortunately :/

Also, I hear you on going childless to ikea - it's the only way!

Your kitchen looks fab! I hope you don't mind another question. It looks like your peninsula butcher block is two pieces stuck together. Did you have someone join them? The reason I ask is because we are thinking of using the ikea butcher block for our island and my wife is concerned about seeing the seem. We were thinking of taking them to someone to slice off a thin portion and then gluing them up.

Thank you! And yes, it urs two pieces glued together by our GC. I will try to take a picture if the seam tomorrow so you can see, but I don't find it to be noticeable at all, especially with the variation in the wood. But I'm also not very observant and detail stuff like that rarely bothers me. My husband doesn't have a problem with it either though and he is super picky.

Sorry to take so long getting back, but here are the seam pics. We haven't sealed the counters yet, so I imagine that it will be even better after sanding and sealing:

From a normal distance I can't even tell it's there unless I'm specifically looking for it.

The one issue though, was that the two boards are slightly different thicknesses, so on the side it looks like this:

But our contractor says he can sand it down a bit so it's not even noticeable and we're satisfied with that.

I know this is 2 years old but I love your kitchen and I'm going to use it as a reference for mine, if you don't mind!