Very nice! So happy you have a real hood. :)

Very nice! The kitchen feels bigger! Great job!

There are so many things to like about your changes: all counter-level seating, brighter look, pendants, too-the-ceiling look to cabinets, and backsplash. Please post a close-up of your intriguing backsplash!

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

Such a beautiful update to your space. I really admire how you kept the scope from creeping. Your space is fabulous!

You did a great job! It looks terrific and kudos to you for keeping the scope well in hand.

Your Virginia Mist counters are to die for.

I bet you enjoy preparing dinner much more now. I think you succeeded in what you wanted to accomplish. I like how the cabinet maker finished off the wall cabinets to the ceiling. The bar area is inviting. Love the honed Virginia Mist and the pendants are gorgeous. When you get a chance please post a close up photo of your backsplash.

So much lighter and fresher looking.

gorgeous!

Wow!!!

What a great job!

Love the tiled range wall!!!

This turned out so well!

Congrats! Turned out beautiful. I love those Virgina Mist countertops!!!

Thank you everyone for your nice comments.

Here are some additional photos:

View from the rear of the house looking in:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Close up of cooktop wall/hood

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Another view of bar area:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Island closer up:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Pantry door view:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Really nice!

Are you happy you painted your cabinets white? Any regrets? It certainly looks brighter and fresher! And are you liking your bar being one level vs. 2-tiered? These are both changes we are considering for our own kitchen remodel.

Wysel - I could go on and on about how we hemmed and hawed about trying to decide what to do.

When I posted the initial photos of my kitchen here (this was in September of 2015) so many people weighed in and said I was crazy to paint them. That if I wanted to brighten up the space, then I should just change out the granite.

But at the end of the day, I really wanted white. (yes - I am so happy we went white!)

So our first thought was to paint the cabs and keep the perimeter granite, only changing the island top.

Then we thought about lowering the bar height counter - which would require all new counters.

I must say - this was the best thing we did in the space!

It's a cleaner look, better for serving. The completely flat space is more user friendly. I thought we would have a hard time getting used to it, but it was love at first sight. :)

We had a really, really good painter. It didn't come cheap - but they knew what they were doing, as this is something they specialize in. You can't tell that the cabinets are painted. They did a remarkable job.

Another challenge is choosing the right white. I painted three whites on large poster board and propped them in different areas of the kitchen and moved them around so I could look at them at different times of day. That decision took about two weeks. I highly recommend doing this.

Photos of backsplash:

This is mother of pearl shell — groutless, installed vertically rather than horizontally.

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

It turned out so nice. Great work! Enjoy!

Does your husband like your white cabinets as much as you do? I'm having trouble selling my husband on white. I also worry I'll miss the warmth of my wood cabinets, but I think they make sense for our small kitchen that does not get a lot of light. I'm sold on doing a one-level bar like you have done!

He does like them. It is just such a night and day change. Our kitchen is located in the northwest corner of the house, so only really gets late afternoon sun. I come down each morning to a light and bright kitchen, where before the dark cabinets and all black counters just sucked the life out of the space.

I also loathe my floors. The stain is very late 90's (even though the house is a 2006 build). I would have never chosen them. They are everywhere - upstairs, downstairs. Every room. The white actually "improves" the look of the floors - and I had to carefully choose paint colors that didn't make them look more orange.

Can you post some photos of your space in a new thread? What are you looking to do? Everything new except for cabinets?

WOW! So much better!!

A few more:

Would love to have all drawers, but since we were dealing with existing cabinets, but we installed pull-outs in all of the cabinets:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Close up of perimeter counter:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Island:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Hardware:

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Kitchen before and after · More Info

Pendant (need to straighten out the bulb - just noticed that!)

Kitchen before and after · More Info

I am in love with your backsplash! Who makes it?

Love! I especially like how you worked with things that you couldn't or wouldn't change and made it work. Helpful to others that might want to gut, but can't swing it financially or for some other reason.

Please share details on those wonderful pendants.

Aw, May - what a nice compliment. I was so afraid of making the wrong decisions - of regretting my choices. I don't pull the trigger easily, which is why this took me so long to do.

The company I used to paint the cabinets was a huge help in the design. They made some great suggestions and gave me the confidence I needed to trust myself.

I spent a lot of time here on the forum and got some great advice - and you were there along the way, pointing out things I hadn't thought of and offering your expertise on the countertops as well as assisting me with my struggle to fill the space above the cabinets.

I thought it would be hard to get used to the microwave over by the bar, but it turned out great - and now when I'm over by the cooktop, someone else can use the microwave without getting in my way. ;)

I also wasn't sure about the range wall - and whether or not I should keep a cabinet to the right, do open shelving etc. But again, I'm glad I did because I store a lot of my everyday cooking items there (oils, salts, cooking spray etc) and it's easy access. Plus, I think it balances out the window nicely.

The pendants were a leap of faith - and I just love them.

Thank you for your encouragement and your kind words.

Pendants are from Rejuvenation. The Yeon

https://www.rejuvenation.com/catalog/products/yeon-pendant

My backsplash was custom. I went through this company (who is local to me). I'm sure you could contact her for info.

http://www.houzz.com/pro/lorenstone/lorenstone-inc

I love those pendants!!! How is the lighting from them?

smm - I need to get new bulbs. The ones I ordered from Rejuvenation are a joke. Just haven't gotten around to it.

Great update! I remember a lot of your threads and decision making :) The white cabs are beautiful- you definitely made the right choice painting them. And I love the Virginia mist. Weren't you originally thinking about soapstone? These turned out so much better!! Congrats on the new kitchen.

Johnsoro - Yes! Great memory! I was considering soapstone. I loved the idea of being able to put a hot pot on it - and also the ability to sand out any scratches.

But once I started looking, I didn't see any slabs that blew me away.

When I saw the VA mist, I knew I found "the one".

I wish I knew about Virginia Mist honed. I was considering soapstone then decided to stick with my original plan of Quartz for easier maintenance. But the VM is amazing!

Love the vertical tile and I think those pendants are da bomb! Super job, jpmom!!

Wow, that's a great transformation! I too remember the threads about the window wall and how to fill the gap above the cabinets, and you've really hit it out of the ballpark with a bright, clean, and fresh look that's also different enough from the standard "white-with-shaker" trend to be unique. I really like that the hardware, in particular the knobs, works so well with the panels on cabinets. This is one of the kitchens that makes me want a big GW field trip so we can see them all in person.

With respect to painting the cabinets, would you be comfortable sharing an approximate cost (and location)? I know some people who are considering painting their cabinets, and I'm curious what a really good painting contractor would cost them in order to have it done right (in contrast to a nephew with some gummy brushes . . . ).

Congratulations!

jpmom,

Your kitchen is beautiful. What a great transformation!

Do you mind telling the material and brand of your island counter top?

I am also getting my kitchen renovated and it will be white hi gloss cabinets with a black island.

Thank you,

Mindy

Gorgeous, and thanks for all the pictures! I especially like the backsplash on the entire range wall, and the one-level peninsula. Incredibly light and airy looking now. Your painter did an amazing job.

Your back splash is gorgeous. Great job! Enjoy your lovely new space.

Fantastic! It looks like a whole new kitchen! You must be so pleased. It really looks great, and more functional with the level counter and roll out drawers.

Thank you everyone! It really is better than we could have imagined. We had a lot of challenges, but with some great advice from my KA and the things I learned here, it all came together.

Shahai:

The island is Vicostone Quartz in Carrara.

Avatar:

It was roughly $7,000. Here is the website of the company. As you will see, they are not your "run of the mill" painting contractor (check out their kitchen section):

http://ragsdaleinc.com

Here is the painting portion of the estimate they gave me:

Painting

Prepare, prime and paint side walls at bar area to match existing.

Prepare, prime and paint all perimeter cabinetry and interior of glass door

upper cabinet at bar two (2) finish coats with premium water-based polyurethane in BM color

Simply White, 30 sheen.

Island cabinets to be finished in Walzcraft color Slate, 30 sheen.

Total Amount for this Work $6,825.00

jpmom - What a transformation! Your backsplash is gorgeous, loved the close-ups. I also really like how you extended the single cabinet to the right of your hood. Congratulations!! P.S. I have to admit, I rather like your old kitchen, too :)

oldbat: I know what you mean. There was nothing "wrong" with the old kitchen. Many people here thought I was crazy to paint the cabs. However, it was a dark space (and being located in the northwest corner of the house doesn't help); and while I may have been able to get away with keeping the cabs "as is" and just change out the granite and backsplash to lighten it up, we just felt that the cabinets sucked the light out of the space. Also, I wasn't crazy about how the old cabinets looked with the floor. I really dislike our floor, but just couldn't wrap my head around refinishing them (3000sf worth). They are quite dated; even though the house is only 11 years old. Every time I thought about other options, I kept going back to painting the cabs. I have a track record of making poor design choices and regretting my decisions, but this was one time I am really happy with the outcome.

This really rang a bell with me :) Track record of making poor design choices and living to regret them. I know what you mean about the floors, too - I think I have the same ones and so many choices have been made around them, over the years.... Anyway, your paint job is just fabulous - love the colors you pick and how the cabinets turned out.

really lovely change!

I have to say, those pendants are SHOW STOPPERS! I love how simple and elegant everything is, with those beauties as a punch of style! Did you decide on new stools yet?

Thanks, Rebecca. I just need to get new bulbs. The ones I have barely shed any light. Purely aesthetic.

Stools, not yet. but I'm looking now as we speak. I am afraid to order something online only to find out they don't work - whether it be for color or comfort.

I'm always concerned about the return process - and cost associated with it, especially for a large piece.

I totally understand, I ordered something from an online retailer, it was $130. To return it, I leaned of a hidden 30% restocking fee, a ' no buyers remorse' return policy and I was responsible for return shipping. By the time you deducted these costs I would have barely broken even for what I paid for it. Luckily I was able to sell it on an online yard sale. Maybe you can see if the manufacturer of the stool you like is sold at any retailers near you so you can see the product in real life?

So beautiful! Amazing paint job!

What brand is your microwave? It looks built in on that shelf. I'm moving mine from over the range to a shelf and hoping I don't find it inconvenient.

Congratulations jpmom. Really impressive! All your hard work & attention to detail resulted in a truly lovely kitchen. I love the crown & trim detail you used to bring the cabinets to the ceiling. The Virginia Mist is stunning and accentuates the color you chose for the island (love it). The stainless hood, the cabinet hardware, the globe pendants, the bar area (have you renamed that area - too pretty to be the bar), it's all perfect. My absolute favorite is the MOP backsplash. It makes me want to redo a kitchen. I've bookmarked this thread & your sources, in case I ever get that chance.