My own kitchen – details and pictures

The wolf contemporary flush cooktop is so sleek and easy to clean! I love how it just disappears into the lovely marble. The knobs are set into the drawer front, how cool is that?

That cutting board was a place filler, and has been replaced with another in end grain walnut. At 2 x 3′, it can handle a lot of prep! 

The window over the sink was 18″ above the counter top in the old kitchen. I can’t get over how much better my view is now! The window to the right of the cook top is new, there was only a wall there. I opted for awning windows for maximum view. 

I brought the thassos marble herringbone tile to the ceiling, it is so pretty, but not in your face. I left the exhaust hood simple drywall, and love how clean it is.

This porcelain Shaw sink is awesome! It’s so big I can wash dishes and set them to dry on one side of it! I love the easy to clean chrome faucet. We went with the soap dispenser and the filtered water tap as well.

Andy immediately installed a mini cooler for it so we could have it ice cold. Oh, and no garbage disposal. 

Here’s your one shot of the appliance wall. I went back and forth on this wall A LOT, with every detail – the cabinet faces, color, pulls, and color of the appliances. Oh, and it was never going to be built in, I did that last minute. All of my changes were made before it was too late, and I could not be happier with the end result! The pantry is behind those two lower doors on the right. All of the food fits in pull out drawers that I rarely have to pull out because everything is so easy to see! Coffee cups and accouterments above, and above that – a microwave. We bought it to use during the remodel but never used it, since June I have only used it to heat oat milk for hot cocoa. 

The can lights were such an issue! I drew it out, we talked it over and over, and when they went in, we realized they were not quite right. In the end we moved only two. The ones over the appliance wall are in such weird places, we were worried it would look terrible, but in the end nobody notices any of them. The other issue was that I did not want that warm LED, the standard 2700. We ended up getting adjustable temperature fixtures. We tried the color of light out in a lamp, decided on 4000, and it’s perfect! I went with 4″ cans.

One of our favorite things about this kitchen are the push to open drawers. Handles and knobs get in my way, so I did not want any here. I love the clean look, and once we got used to opening and closing them, it’s a pleasure! It’s actually fun to estimate how hard you need to push on the draws to get them to close themselves perfectly. I guess you noticed we have no upper cabinets. Everything we need fits perfectly in these drawers. It’s such a long expanse (the longest single piece my cabinet maker has ever built), that I have two silverware drawers. Everything is exactly where it needs to be. Trash and recycling to right of sink, dishwasher is in the peninsula on the left, knifes, flatware and cooking utensils in top drawers, plates and glasses in the two middle drawers to right of cook top, serving and storing in bottom drawers. Pots and pans in both drawers under cook top.

Here’s the edge of the peninsula into the dining room. I had this wall built, and put in a “not a barn door” so Andy could be in the den watching what he wants, and I can listen to or watch what I want while cooking. Yes, we put another tv in the dining room. It’s been awesome. I chose a chrome track, it’s super sleek and not at all barn-y. This is the old table and chairs. New chrome and acrylic bar stools from CB2 (yep). A detail you can’t really see here – the tile ends itself on 2 walls. There’s no bullnose or Schulter strip. You can do this with natural stone and tile that has the same color all the way through.

More of the dining. I moved the door to the garage and laundry over, so we could make the den a nice size. Capiz shell chandelier from West Elm. The one I really wanted is $31,000, this one is 1.3% of that. It’s a pretty light and it also functions as a wind chime! Notice there is nothing on the table. There never is unless we are eating, I really am a minimalist!

Here is the side of the peninsula. You can see a peek of the bookshelves in the den. If you look at my Pinterest board, you can see details on the products we used, and where a lot of my inspiration came from. Wait, that’s not quite it. I had an idea in my mind, and I searched for hours into days into weeks until I found an image of what I was thinking, so I could show Andy, who cannot visualize. I am pretty amazed how close the details are to my pins. It’s not a bad thing to use ideas this way, as long as you make it your own and don’t just copy the whole darned room.

Something you may notice if you look at a lot of images of fancy homes and kitchens is that they are also photoshopped, just like women. I routinely place a vase of roses or a fruit bowl in front of outlets, but otherwise these pics are as is. Obviously – the lighting is terrible!

PS isn’t this light so cool! LED, super sleek!

This was always going to happen. You might know of my aversion to looking at toe kicks (hey, everyone has quirks!). These cabinets – 12′, 21′, and 6′ long, are three pieces total! Those are real legs holding these puppies up! It was definitely not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. I know my cabinet maker is super proud of this job. That dead space in the corner where one might put a lazy susan or something? It’s an actual dead space. Everything had to be symmetrical, and we just don’t need it. The doors on this wall hide pull outs – baking and small appliances on the left, outdoor serving on the right, and the center – just wait!

I am finally getting the hang of the steam oven. It’s incredible! The plumbed coffeemaker is too! And OMG the fridge! I have always dreamed of a built in fridge, and it’s counter depth so everything is right up front where you need it, super efficient! I added this pull out shelf to load and unload the fridge, since it’s more than a few steps to the counter tops. It’s a pretty large work triangle, but great for dance parties! We’ve had house guests do their yoga session here with plenty of room. Baking sheets and casserole dishes in drawers underneath. The pulls are solid and heavy and feel great in your hands.

I did not want a thick counter top, just the 3/4″ marble as it came. I wanted floating shelves, but to my eye they also needed to be 3/4″ thick. This was not an easy feat, to make them float without brackets. My contractors father worked with him, and his mother would come by sometimes, they are also building a kitchen, and every time she came she wanted to steal (admittedly) another one of my ideas! She really wanted the thin shelf too, so our kitchen was the guinea pig. They are perfect!

The wine fridge is also push to open. I opted for a very small overhang on the cabinets, so if you are leaning against the counter, pretty much everything you lean against will open. I don’t care, I would not trade it for anything. 

Most people use an appliance lift for the mixer, but we have a toaster and bread slicer. This is definitely a German household. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and bread is king, so center stage (kitchen) is fitting. The movement is so smooth and easy! On lazy breakfasts outside, we pull the toaster to the window so we can toast as we eat. 

This is Calacatta Manhattan marble. It was love at first sight for both Andy and me. Yes, it’s high maintenance. So are the matte blue black cabinets. Because it has such pronounced veining, it was prime for bookmatching, which I always pictured in the center of the 12′ wall. The other bookmatch is at the cooktop, and the pattern from the stone continues into the peninsula. After that, there were not many options, so we used the best bits where it was most important. I did not want an off match butting up to this piece, and I already wanted the butcher block, so that dictated where it went. Everything always works out!

A view of the new dining room! It’s not spectacular, but it’s clean and simple and functional, and a nice clean white (Benjamin Moore Super White) space. In front is the knock to open dishwasher. I find myself knocking on the trash door sometimes. It keeps me alert 🙂 I do love these floors! The bar on the left saves the marble. That is a cat shelf on the window, Zuzu sits up there, and Butters sits on the chair beneath, watching us eat…

This is Andy’s FAVORITE thing we did in the whole remodel. Cat holes! This pic is before the baseboard went in but you get it. The cats can still go into the den when the “not a barn door” is shut. There is another one from the den into the laundry room, and one more into the half bath where the self cleaning catbox lives, so they can have access even if all of the doors are shut. Nobody notices them, it’s so cool!

I never wanted to see this again, but ya, this is the before. Before we moved in actually. The wall on the left into the old dining room is now gone. The peninsula is now a right angle, and it’s NOT BROWN ANYMORE! 

Here’s another view of where the den is now, before we moved in.

Bonus pic! I guess I never got around to showing the back of the house (before kitchen remodel). I had the front and sides painted white, with charcoal accents. In the back I wanted more contrast, and also a darker color to go under the decks (except where the shake is). We freaking love it! When I look at this image I know I still need to whitewash the rock wall a bit, but it doesn’t bother me too much. When I get a minute I will tackle that task.

I hope you enjoyed the little tour, and maybe you got a little inspiration and helpful insight. It is such a light and airy and happy space for both of us. I do not mind one bit cleaning this kitchen, it’s a pleasure!

I would love to help you on your own remodel journey. Whether you are pretty much set, or you have a lot of ideas, or if you don’t know where to start, call me.

Peace and love to you, 

Scarlett