@oldbat2be thank you for your kindness (and everyone else). :)

@becky2010, Oh, I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have procrastinated on my flooring choice!!!! Sometimes it pays to put things off, I (almost) always say! :-D

We used the glue-down tile and did it ourselves.

Since there are no photos, how does anyone know what the cabinets look like? Please post photos!

@MB Higgins, I posted photos in the comments, fairly close to the top. Here are a couple in varying states of yellow!

And the not so yellow pic. :)

It is GORGEOUS

Thank you, those did not appear originally in my feed. If they are stained can they not be restained if you decide you really don't like the shade of stain?

@MB Higgins just saw your comment above! I don't think I'm restaining at this point because...

Update: things are looking better every day (and yes, y'all can say you Told Me So!!!!) :)

Counters added today. We are getting there.... (back cabinets still under wraps, open walnut shelves to come, etc.)

And OH do I wish i could edit the headline of this thread!

Sooooo jealous! It's beautiful!

Gorgeous!!

I'm so glad you're getting happy with your kitchen!
People can say "oh first world problems!" But when you've saved ,,planned and dreamed for so long it IS a big deal.
It's' looking beautiful. Hope u have many happy years there.
Be sure to share your finished pics with us!

oh, Mittens, it's beautiful! love the grain in the wood. all the white showcases it beautifully.

Oh, it's looking spectacular! Can't wait to see it all finished!

stunning!!

Thanks all! It is starting to come together, thank goodness. But looking at the above photo now, it finally hit me: what AM I going to do with all that white space above the cabinets?? It's not noticeable when I'm in the kitchen area (I'm short) but from this perspective, wow, there's quite a bit of real estate up there. Topic for another thread, I guess! :->

BTW, sure glad it looks a LOT better in real life than it did on this diagram!

Mittens, it might not exactly what you were envisioning, but it is gorgeous!
We are at the tail end of our second major overhaul in 10 years(two different houses), and both times something came out a little different than I was expecting and it sent me fora loop. But, after a few weeks, that feeling mellows our and I am able to see all of the amazing things about my new kitchen and let those small disappointments go.
When you spend all of this time and money planning a dream kitchen, it’s hard not to get a little spun up sometimes.

@Momofthree Ma, ha ha, SpunUp should be my new Houzz moniker!! yes, I was a little freaked out but as I've written several times, I wish I could revise the headline of this thread because I got over the sadness shortly after and am happy with it now. :) thanks for the support!

I Love it. I think it looks so good! I Don't think You really need to do anything with the space above the cabinets. Embrace the open space. Anything purposeful up there will just look like clutter imo. It looks beautiful and the color of the walnut is spot on. I love it.

Just breathe, MC. You still will be adding stools and decor and lighting and furniture. Once it's all done then if you feel something is missing, start a new, carefully-titled thread! Keep posted the pics though, because I am drooling over them!

@ Mittens Cat -- re: the white space: based on the photo you posted, I'd leave it. don't even worry about it right now, esp since you haven't added the walnut shelves yet. like mnmamax3 said, all the other decor might be enough. once your kitchen is done and moved in, you might find that you prefer that space to be light and open. if it still seems too sparse, maybe add a plant or two above the fridge/oven area.

Love the cabinets! So glad not to see an all white kitchen. So warm and welcoming. Good luck with your project.

It looks so fantastic, especially now that the counters are in (I am jealous about you having counters, btw). I agree that you should leave the white space until you’re all moved in. Chances are that I wouldn’t do anything with it.

Tell me about your backsplash. Have you picked it?

Thanks all for your kind words! I'm very design-challenged, so I'm breathing a big sigh of relief on this one! @jemimabean, I'm scrambling on so many other fronts right now (vanity lights, faucets, etc.) that I have not committed myself to backsplash yet. Figure that'll go in after we move in (we're four months late and have at least 6 weeks to go). @BF, 1-2 plants for sure! @NYCish, I absolutely agree but thanks for the reminder: less is more! :)

I really love the color of your walnut cabinets (after so much worry- its beautiful). Can you share the stain that your cabinet maker used? I'd like to suggest it for mine. I LOVE the yellows and variety that comes with aged walnut (I know this is not a design idea standard). Thaks for sharing if you can.

@Beth Sobieszczyk I honestly don't think they had a name for the stain color. In fact, I wasn't even involved in the process! (I probably should have mentioned that 100 comments ago, lol!) I just showed the cabinet maker a sample of what I wanted (natural walnut with a simple clear coat) and figured it would be a slam dunk. Ha ha. He came back with one sample that was way too yellow; I rejected it. He came back with another that was a bit less yellow but still too yellow. When he came back with a third sample that looked pretty much the same, He insisted this was as good as it was going to get, and I said no. Repeat, repeat, repeat...until he wore me down and I caved. Not a memory I like to remember. :-/ I look at that yellow every day and think, Ugh. BUT I'm very happy others like it!! :-)

Anyway, they had one guy making the stain...I had a chance to speak with him a few weeks later but I didn't get the impression they saved any record of it. Sorry!

Also, weird that I can't find my photos of these cabinets on this thread now, but here's some that show the yellow best (worst?). p.s. funny thing: now I realize the stain looks exactly like an old Hi-Fi my beloved parents had when I was growing up. I will try to think of that when I look at them now! :)

Your cabinets look stunning! Any chance of getting a completed kitchen picture? Your kitchen looks very similar to what I am thinking of doing in my 1950's California ranch. Thank you.

@patio, here ya go: pics from move-in day; these were early evening, so the lighting isn't great (cabinets look less yellow at night). We still haven't done the backsplash or the pendants over the island, but oh well! We went into financial and motivational pause mode after moving in (8 months ago!) and have yet to recover! LOL. See below for the reality shot! :-o

The island is 9.5' x 4.5' Counters are Pentel SuperWhite quartz. Floors (love them!!) are PanTim in Pilsner. Appliances are Bosch except for induction cooktop (Wolf). The microwave is still missing its trim kit. Shrug! :) The upper white cabinets are faced in a white acrylic. Despite my disappointment over the walnut color, I really love the cab's natural maple interiors with dovetail joints!

One thing my (amateur) chef husband said he would do differently is give himself more prep room on the refrigerator side of the island. Not sure if it's because he's left handed or what, but he doesn't seem to do prep work on the more spacious side of the island (toward the big window).

Oh, and @patio, I just looked at your Ideabooks on your profile. We are practically twins! :)

In real life (on a good day, ha):

Thank you! Real life photos are so helpful. I love this look but so many of the photos are professionallly taken, and super high end kitchens. Enjoy you kitchen :)

Yeah, these are definitely NOT professional photographs! If I had to do it over again, I would definitely schedule a pro to come in and get seriously good shots of the whole place before we moved back in and ruined everything with our messes, lol!

Looks beautiful! I love the open kitchen and the shelves between the uppers too.

It looks good. We have similar color kitchen with white uppers and cherry (vs walnut) lowers. We’ve had it for several years and I still love it.

ohh....droooool. so lovely!

by the way, the first photo you took is so perfect, I thought it was the architect's rendering!

Love everything! Cute little pots and pitchers and the sexy walnut and white combo!!

Mittens cat - thanks for sharing the info and photos -- absolutely beautiful and clean lines. Great work!

And hold tight to the HiFi memory....

@Mittens Cat The kitchen is looking very nice, cabinets and floor are beautiful, and now with your things in, its looking wonderful... I would find a nice backsplash for the white wall.. You can find anything from a soft, subtle pattern to whatever your personality is. Most of all, enjoy this!

Thanks all! I wish I could say it looked like that every day, but ohhh nooo, I have not been able to contain the clutter chaos. That was my fear with a large island, that it would end up being yet another dumping ground. Ah well. First world problems...!

@shellsingh, the "perfect" backsplash was my Quixote quest for many, many months (in other threads) and I finally burned out on my seesawing and decided to give myself a few months off before making the choice (plus DH was furloughed, so all unnecessary spending stopped). Of course, a few months has stretched to 7 months and we are leaning sample tiles behind the faucet to keep the wall from getting wet. :-D

Mittens Cat - one more question.

Our kitchen layout is virtually the same except for us: stove against wall, sink on island and pantry instead of wall oven.

Are you pleased with the walnut:white ratio? I'm trying to decide if I should make the pantry/fridge cabinet walnut or white (we have the exact fridge! - so pretty)?

I'm worried that if I go white, it will be way too white... but i also have concerns about the quality if our cabinet company's walnut veneer....

Thanks for sharing your thoughts - your kitchen is a beaut....

@Beth Sobieszczyk

Yes, I'm good with the ratio, though once I saw the white acrylic doors come out of the box, I questioned my sanity (as the cost was the same for the walnut veneer!).

And you have the PERFECT color walnut there. (Sorry, I must go cry a river now! :-D )

I considered doing a walnut panel to cover the fridge, but DH is a restaurant guy and is more of the "it is what it is" philosophy. So that, plus budget spiraling out of control, nixed that idea. Plus, there are so many other brushed steel things in the kitchen, so the color becomes a part of the mix.

Thanks for the insight Mittens Cat... We should swap veneers! Haha. Had same contemplation around fridge but really like the clean lines of the Bosch fridge. Good decision.

@Beth Sobieszczyk i would TOTALLY swap veneers if there was a way! Looking forward to your finished (or almost finished) product!

@beth_sobieszczyk9 what color stains are used on those samples in the picture you posted??

We are thinking of doing walnut cabinets inour kitchen remodel and from what I have read they lighten over time. Have you noticed if this has happened?

Walnut definitely lightens over time. It is also prone to insect infestation. It will look the best it is ever going to look at installation.

@Silverlined I have been looking to see if the walnut’s color has changed over 2+ years and I don’t believe it has. Surprising since it gets hit with a lot of sunlight. I suppose it is because of the (evil) stain?

They did a great job. It's just beautiful.

Since y'all are talking cabinets, a current houzzer needs help: yeh?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6239075/natural-maple-or-white-very-small-kitchen

Stain wouldn't block UV rays and oxidation that cause walnut/pecan to lighten (the woods are similar, so beware you aren't really getting pecan when you ordered walnut instead), but a robust clear coat and low natural lighting with an indoor location protected by walls and window glass would. Anyone choosing to pay extra for walnut should always beware of the risk of lightening over time, however, as it is a photosensitive wood. Walnut lightens over time in an opposite way as cherry darkens over time--different reactions to sunlight.

May i ask who is the cabinet manufacturer? I love them!

@Leigh Reid, it was a local guy in Orange County, Calif. If you're in that area, send me a private message.