That was a great decision.

Please let me know what microwave you end up with, and maybe post a picture when it's in? Are you going to hide it behind doors when it's not in use? I have that same open cubby that I intended to put a regular countertop microwave in, but I'm still using my old, white microwave (years later) which looks terrible but refuses to break so buying a new one hasn't been a top priorty. I use my microwave frequently, and I actually really like it in that lower cabinet location. I do have doors that I can add in case I change my mind.

It's interesting that you covered over the wall to your family room. That's a very nice improvement; it looks great! Our kitchen was open to our office and we covered over the opening, too, and it is so much better. Open concepts can be taken too far, lol.

Absolutely gorgeous!! What a transformation! Can you post the link to your 3 flush mount light fixtures over your counter run?

Rebecca, here is the link for the lights. They are really pretty and the height is adjustable. When lightbulbs are in the lights, the shade glows. The picture on the website doesn’t do it justice. Pottery Barn Pendant Light - Bridget

JellyToast, we ended up with a GE. Spacesaver Microwave. It fits nicely in the space and if we ever decide to get a different mw, there is ample room. We haven’t put a door on, yet. I have little kids who like to heat up their own food and so I want to keep that space open and accessible to them. But I think a door or some type of casing would look really nice. You can get a trim kit online, that might be an option.

Walling over that open space to the family room was a leap of faith! I got so much heat (no pun intended) for putting up walls in the kitchen—even here on Houzz! People just love their open floor plans! I, on the other hand, love that I can play my music and not have to watch or hear the TV from downstairs while I cook dinner! AND, I can leave dishes in the sink when we have company! Let me know if you have more querstions I have tons of info!

Wow! Nice job!

My brother used to live in a house with the same layout as your Before.

I love your kitchen. It's really lovely with those windows and long expanse of counter. The floors are beautiful. Would you be willing to share what the per-sq.-ft.-installed rate is? I really need to replace some nasty carpet in my bedrooms and would prefer not to go the site-finished route.

Hi Linelle, We got really lucky with our Mirage floors. They were offering a substantial rebate when we ordered, so it ended up being $9/sf for the product. Install costs would vary, depending on where you live and the type of install you go with (glue down or snap-lock). So, keep a look out for rebates and also, check out the Lauzon line of engineered hardwood. They are also a French-Canadian company, on par with Mirage and offers rebates similar to Mirage. Good luck with your flooring for your bedroom. You won't regret doing the work.

Wow, I love it!! So much better flow! The floor, counters, backsplash, lovely! The dining area, re-born! Perfect and it looks comfortable.

Linelle, I had looked at Lauzon, too, and liked it. But their board lengths were quite short compared to Mirage, with lengths ranging from 12 to only 48 inches, at least in the styles I was considering. That may be different for other styles, I'm not sure. The Mirage boards range from 20 to 82 inches and there were a lot of mid-range and longer boards in my boxes. With a light colored floor with variation, I was afraid the short boards would look too choppy.

Beautiful! Love the counters! They look completely different from the Monte Cristo ones I saw yesterday. I’m getting white, white shaker cabinets like yours, handles are very similar too, and I thought it would be too cream for my cabinets but yours don’t seem to have any cream. Love the leathered finish too. The ones I saw were polished. Yours are nicer.

Mommyniki, thank you for the nice compliments. My monte cristo has a leathered finish and had a color enhancer added to it after fabrication. (This is standard in most fabrication shops, it blends some of the whites and grays so that the colors really pop.) If you're concerned about too much white in the countertops clashing with a cream cabinet, I wouldn't worry about Monte Cristo. It has so much drama and depth that the whites don't really clash with anything. I also used bright white grout for the back splash and white trim for the windows and they look fine with my bisque cabs. I think if you want a creamy color cab, go for it! What brand cabinets are you thinking of getting? Do you have a sample to take with you to the stone yard?

I agree, JellyToast, good points about Lauzon!

I missed this... what a wonderful, and huge change - you must be loving it! Oooh, I do love your leathered granite! How are you liking the finish? We would like to go 'leathered' as well.

Thank you, 2ManyDiversions! I have to say, I love all of your posts and a lot of your comments on this board were very helpful!

I am so happy with how everything turned out. Lots of decisions and time, but so worth it! Leathered (also called honed) granite was a really good choice for us. It's rustic looking and to me, authentic. It's not for everyone, though. For example, I tried to write my shopping list and I needed to place a notebook under the paper because the countertop wasn't too bumpy. Also, if you use fine china or crystal glassware, you may find the countertop can scratch the finish of your dishes. If you like an earthy, and organic look, leathered is lovely!

Ann Danen, wow, that's quite a compliment! I think of myself as very amateur, but GW's have certainly taught me a lot!

I'm grateful to you for going into so much detail on your honed/leathered granite. Yes, we love also the natural, organic look (and feel) and I like the slight juxtaposition of rustic with updated...though I have a hard time calling any granite 'rustic'! I'd never read anything about the china and crystal glassware, and will remember your comments and be careful when I use mine. Not sure where I'll write my grocery list, but keeping a full pad of paper in the 'junk' drawer might be the answer for me too, good idea! Thank you for your comments.

I forgot to mention my favorite thing... your shorter pendents/semi schoolhouse lighting (Pottery Barn Pendants (Brigette)) over the counter at your sink and windows. I love them!

Ann, I love it! What an improvement! Closing off that wall to the living room was a great idea. I really like all the light you brought into the new kitchen; windows, new doors, those pendants. :) That bump-out window is really fabulous. You really brought all of your colors together nicely.

My stone yard called leathered granite, suede. Crazy the names they assign things. I really love the leathered finish on our perimeter granite. I love the feel of it and that it's easy to clean up and not see smudges.

I'm curious about what is behind the mw cubby. It looks like there is a pullout from the other side of the cabinet.

2ManyDiversions (love your "handle" by the way!) I knew I wanted the honed granite from the beginning. It's the ambient warmth of a natural finish that drew me to it.

We struggled with the pendants! We knew we needed them, but we are amazons, all of us are over 6 ft. So, having yet, one more thing to bang my head on, was not appealing. The PB pendants are soooo adjustable, we could bring them all the way up to the ceiling. Nice too, since we don't want to block the view through the windows.

Thank you, Cheryl! The countertop has gotten a lot of comments from people who have come into the kitchen. Most people refer to my counters as honed. I've never heard of suede, but if they look good, that's all that matters.

You are very observant! There is a tiny pull out behind the MW cubby. It's similar to a pull out spice rack. I had extra space back there, so the cabinet designer ordered Crystal Cabinets spice rack pull out. Since Crystal can customize up to 1/8 of an inch, I got a "custom" cabinet for that tiny space. I'm using it to keep table cloth, cloth napkins, candle sticks and some of my painting pigments. Very handy!

I forgot to mention, the size of the kitchen is 120 SF or 12 ft (refrigerator wall) by 10 ft (new wall length). The dining room is 2/3 the size of the kitchen. Prior to the remodel, the kitchen and dining space were equal.

This is so pretty! I might just have to PM you someday when I do my kitchen—I’m in the Bay Area, too. I showed your pics to my sisters, as your house looks like the exact same floor plan as my mom’s house.

Hi Molly, feel free to PM me! I love meeting "neighbors" on Houzz! I am in the East Bay.

Ann, thank you so much for posting these before and after photos, and for all the info regarding the Mirage and Lauzon floors. Your Mirage floors look gorgeous, and your kitchen is such a wonderful transformation! I had to laugh reading about how you closed off the wall between your kitchen and family room, and your comment about how some people thought you were nuts! We had originally thought about opening up the kitchen even more to the rest of the house, but in the end I realized I like having a little division between things. Like you, I don't want people to walk in my front door and be greeted by dirty dishes. I know myself well enough that I know my kitchen won't always be spotlessly clean (I do cook in it, after all!) We're doing stained maple cabinets (in a praline finish) and think the white oak floors will contrast nicely. We're planning to put the hardwood in the kitchen, dining room and living room (which are all on the main level.) Thanks for the info about rebates on flooring - I will definitely check that out to see if anything is available. They are expensive floors, but they sure are pretty! Regarding the granite, we had looked at a Vermont Black honed (not leathered) that was very smooth, just not shiny. Because it wasn't polished to a gloss, the color was more of a dark grey than black. It was beautiful, but the fabricator said that it shows a lot more dirt and is "a nightmare" to keep clean. It totally scared us off, and now I think we're going to wind up going with quartz. We have chosen a somewhat busy, but earthy looking backsplash of mosaic slate tiles, so we're thinking a less busy quartz countertop in a dark grey might work better since it's hard to find a granite in grey that doesn't have a lot going on in it. So many decisions, and I second guess all of them! Thanks again for your advice, and for posting the pictures of your beautiful Mirage floor. I hope you absolutely love your new kitchen! - Alison

Hi Alison, so lovely to chat with you and hear about all of your choices, it’s so hard to chose, isn’t it? Once everything is decided, however, you will be so happy! I considered the very same countertop-vermont black (mist)! We have the same taste! Like you, I decided that too much upkeep just isn’t in the cards for me. I LOVE to cook and I love having people over. I didn’t want to worry about every finger print, glass of wine or milk spill...

Do you have pictures of samples of your Quartz? I love the look of quartz and a dramatic backsplash would be a great focal point to your kitchen. I really can’t say enough about how happy I am with my floors, if you are still on the fence, mirage has.a rebate going on. That may help with the choice!

Keep us posted on your progress, I hope to see some photos of your house!

Ann

Thanks for the info on the rebate, Ann! I looked on the website the other day, and didn't see anything. I'll check into it again, as that might be a big deciding factor. They're pretty expensive floors, and with all the other expenses, a rebate would be a lovely thing (and very possibly a deciding factor.) I've never posted any pictures on Houzz before (I'm pretty new to all this), but I'll try to figure out how to do it and post some pics so you can see where we're starting from.

How lovely and fresh!
You've done a beautiful job.
I, too, think open concept can go to far. Everyone kept telling me to take down remaining walls after a fire, but I know my own habits. Walls are a good thing when they provide storage and direct flow. :)

Enjoy it!

Thank you CEFreeman! Listening to your own intuition pays off in a remodel. People who said I'd regret adding walls are so surprised when they visit me and see how our home looks AND functions!

One of those reno shows (Renovate?) just did a Victorian where he put back in walls and doorways, creating great flow both physically and visually from room to room. The homeowners were iffy, but they simpered, "We trust you." Well, that's why they hired him, right!?

Anyway, it changed the whole feel of the house and it made sense when he was done.

This will be a beautiful home without being greeted with dirty dishes and household crap one initially walking in the door. (Ok, maybe I'm projecting, but I'm just sayin')

Beautiful! I also think that closing the wall gave you better functionality. It looks great and I can see that everything flows so much better. Great job!

Hi again Ann and Jellytoast - I think I may have figured out how to post pics (fingers crossed!) These are the "before" pictures of my living room (in which we'll be replacing the carpet with the hardwood), my dining room (we'll also be replacing the existing hardwood with the new hardwood and we're swapping out the dining room furniture you see for a lovely mid-century danish table and chairs), a peek into my kitchen from the dining room (we'll be widening that opening into the kitchen so it is pretty much flush with the lower cabinets, and we'll get rid of that ugly white trim around the opening), and finally a picture of the cabinet sample with samples of the slate backsplash and possible quartz choices. As you can see, we're going against the current trend of white cabinets, as we really prefer the warmth of stained wood and, more importantly, feel like it suits the style of our house better. We'll get stainless appliances, a light grey Blanco silgranit sink, and brushed nickel bar pulls on the cabinets, so it will be a nice mix of earthy and contemporary (at least we hope so!) These pics are pretty dark, as I took them all at night. If I find some better ones, I'll post them later.

Oh wow! Your home is going to be gorgeous!! I think you will be very happy when you've widened the doorway between dining and kitchen. The flow will be so nice. I love the samples of your cabinet and countertop, I think you are going with the classics and working with the style of your home--that's a winning combination. And, can i just say how jealous I am of that baby grand! How wonderful--do you play? I play a little, it's nice to have music in the house.

It sounds like you have a solid foundation and have made great choices. I think you are off to a great start! Keep us posted!

Thank you Ann! I play just a little, but my husband is actually a professional musician (sax and flute, though.) I appreciate your comments, and will definitely keep you posted as we progress. It's terrifying and fun all at the same time! :-)

Your kitchen looks great. We just reserved this granite. How do you like the leather finish Monte Cristo almost a year later? Also, do you remember what backsplash you used?

Hi Ann. Beautiful kitchen! Would love to know your backsplash tile too.

HI there - how are everyone's lock and engineered hardwood floors holding up in their kitchens?

Hi Jessica! I LOVE my mirage floors! They are holding up very well, considering two kids and all of their friends. I do a lot of cooking and gardening so the traffic through kitchen/living space is high. We have had only 1 nick in the floor, when I dropped a cast iron skillet. Luckily it hit the floor and not my foot! So, I still am very happy with my floor choice and plan to redo the family room flooring in the near future. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I am thinking about installing MiRAGE WHITE OAK R&Q EXCLUSIVE SMOOTH. Question: Is this the same floor you are referencing in your post and in the gorgeous pictures of the kitchen floor you have posted? The link to the product I am alluding to is below

https://www.miragefloors.com/en-us/hardwood-flooring-white-oak-r-q-exclusive-smooth/

Thank you for any feedback you can provide

Hi Jack, yes those are our floors! We are now 3 years post-remodel and are still thrilled with how they appear. The color hasn't changed and there is not any noticeable wear to the finish. We have a small divot where I dropped a steel pan, but if I wanted to, I could see how easy it would be to rub the area and have it appear smooth again. These are really beautiful floors and I don't regret spending the $$$ on them. I hope that helps. If you have any specific question, I'd be glad to answer them. It's big decision!

Ann: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, your comments/guidance are MOST appreciated. We like this floor very much but are wrestling with which finish to choose, cashmere vs semi-gloss. I understand that you have the cashmere finish. On a small sample of the floor, I seemed to detect some yellowish tones, I do not know if these emerge/show up when a whole floor is installed or remain very subdued.

Jack Hohn, I can't comment on the Mirage floor finish, because we wound up getting another brand. However, we were looking at semi-gloss vs. matte (similar to cashmere) in a natural rift and quartersawn white oak floor, and we absolutely love the matte finish. It looks so soft and beautiful, and shows dirt and dust much less than our old floor which had a glossier finish. In the end, it's a personal preference, but I just wanted to put in my 2 cents in praise of a more matte finish. Good luck with your decision!

Hi there, Jack! I don't see yellow undertones on the floor and we have it throughout the main floor. It is in the warm category with caramel and deeper shades of brown. Hope that helps!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to both of you for these valuable insightful comments and the information has been extremely helpful. The professional installer also favors Cashmere finish and upon further inspection the yellow undertones are not prevalent and agree that the warm tones are more prevalent which is what we were looking for.

@Ann Danen would you mind share where you got the floors from in Bay Area? Looking for floors too and love your kitchen... thank you!

@Ann Danen how have the crystal cabinets held up?

@J w

I got the floors at Nara Tile in Dublin and I worked with the owner, Ceren. She helped me pick out my back splash and fireplace surround. She was excellent to work with and even showed me her pricing, and allowed me to compare other shops with hers. She had a fair price and lots of expertise. We will continue to use their services when we redo the next part of our house. Good luck with your remodel.

Thank you, @anndanen86. Did you do the premium custom or the affordable custom? Thanks!

I didn’t see what backsplash you used?

Lovely kitchen! How has the Crystal cabinets and paint finish held up? I’m considering Crystal for my kitchen. Thanks!

@ann how are the floora holding up now? Its been a few years isn't it