Your kitchen looks great. I like how you mixed the granites. What is the backsplash made of?
Thanks for all of the info on the Tapmaster. It's my favorite part of my remodel!
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Tue, Feb 25, 03 at 22:40
Dedtired,
here is (in slightly edited form) the post I put up shortly after we
finished the kitchen, almost a year ago (including the first posting
about the Tapmaster!), before I could post pictures. You wanted
details, you got details! For those of you who were sick of this long
ago, my apologies. I got the switchplates and outlet covers (not in the pictures yet) at www.switchhits.com. We chose "Mission" in black and nickel (like in the picture on their site):
http://www.switchhits.com/mission_light_switch_plates.html. I felt like
such a chump paying that kind of money for switchplates, but boy, does
it ever make a difference not having those ugly plastic things on those
pretty glass tiles. I guess it's true about hardware being the
"jewelry" of the kitchen.
Thank you all yet again for your encouragement, enthusiasm, and kindness.
***
3/21/02
Dear friends on the Kitchens & Baths Forum,
Our kitchen renovation came out great, thanks in part to all of your
helpful advice, encouragement, and information, both in answers to my
questions and in the answers to others'. It made a big difference, and
I want you to know I appreciate it. You gave us information,
confidence, and perspective. Everyone here is so kind and helpful,
homeowners and professionals alike.
Some people have said they like to hear how others' projects came out, so here it is. For the rest of you, just skip it and accept my thanks for all your help.
**********
Here are three things we did that aren't so common, and we are really glad we did, so I'm passing them on to you all:
1)
We had a foot control installed for the sink. It's not a pedal
(although one like that is available, but I thought I'd stub my toes a
lot), it's a steel plate in the toekick; you just push forward with
your foot. You can disable it when you want to fill a big pot, etc., or
even leave it disabled. We adore it: it saves water, keeps the faucet
handle clean and germ free, and makes so many tasks so much simpler,
because both your hands are free (e.g., filling glasses). Not expensive
and doesn't take up room under the sink. Fun to tell kids it's magic:
"Just think about water, Ilana ..." Tapmaster by Integra.
http://www.integradynamics.com
2) The luxury of plenty of space allowed this one: Our kitchen is not near the back door, where the groceries come in, and it's even a pretty good hike from the dining
room table back to the sink with dirty dishes. The solution: a cart that slides right under the counter. The back of the cart is made from cabinet doors, so it "disappears" when you put it away; it looks just like another base cabinet (unless you notice that there are wheels instead of a toe kick). Our wonderful builder made it for us. He even stained and beveled the frame pieces to match our cabinets and used
leftover cork flooring tiles for the shelves, so it's quiet and protects the glasses a bit better. Sure makes clearing the table a lot easier!
3) We built out a wall a bit to put in a pantry -- not a walk-in, 7' long shelves (Melamine, not those wire grids; I find stuff falls on that), not too deep (so you can see everything) with bifold doors. I like this much better than cabinets for food storage, and it's cheaper, too. You see everything at once, and it's so easy to unload
groceries. I leave the doors open while I'm cooking -- you don't hurt yourself on them like cabinet doors -- and it's like having open shelves that don't get dusty and that I can quickly hide when the doorbell rings. We did this in our last kitchen when the cabinet budget ran out, and I liked it so much I did it again.
Those are the only things we did that we hadn't seen elsewhere (well, except the cork floor, but I know that's not so unusual). As some people seem to be
interested in descriptions of final decisions, here's the rest of what
we did:
- Holiday Kitchens frameless cabinets, medium dark cherry,
with a beveled-edge slab door. The molding is a sort of
"ribbon-and-flower" design. At the end of the island, on the side
facing the family room (it's open, so it had to look nice), there is a
glass-front base cabinet with lights. There's also an upper one with
glass on the sort of "buffet" area. We used pewter hardware that has a
little bevel on it. I chose cabinets with pull-out shelves instead of
pot drawers, but I think both are good.
- Black granite counters on the island, violetta granite everywhere else. The black needs a little extra attention to look its best, and the violetta almost
doesn't show dirt enough, but we are happy with both choices; they look
good with each other and with the cabinets.
- The backsplash is 1" x 1" glass tiles from Oceanside Glasstile ("tessera" style in "Morrocan Desert" color); sort of variegated from bronze to black and even some
very dark blue (if you look very closely). Way cool. The flash distorts
how it looks in the picture. The photos with the cart in them are the
closes. www.glasstile.com
- Jelinek "Melody" cork floor -- love it. We chose it to pull in the look of the cork wall covering in the hall outside the kitchen, and we're so glad. Very easy on my legs,
totally easy to care for, and seemingly indestructible. I have previously written the story of when the builder dropped the 22-oz. hammer, and it BOUNCED 3 feet -- leaving not a trace of a dent. Usually about the same price as wood, but we got a great price from Jelinek on a "close out." www.corkstore.com
- Lots of recessed can lights in the ceiling, and xenon under-cabinet lights.
- Thermador dual-fuel downdraft range. I find the oven a bit too small,
and the downdraft barely works (but it's fun), but the burners are
terrific (I love the simmer burners) and the convection oven does seem
to bake things very evenly. I may live to regret not having a second
oven (other than the toaster oven), but so far it's okay, especially
because we put the old oven in the basement, so it's there for
holidays, etc. I had space for either a 2d oven, a 2d sink, or knee
space at the island to put a stool (we don't have an eating bar; we
prefer a table), and we chose the last.
- 2 Asko dishwashers, one on either side of the sink, with panels to match the cabinets. A splurge. I thought they looked small, but they seem to hold more than
my old KitchenAid. Extremely quiet and the dishes come out great.
Blanco ss undermount sink, with 2 large bowls, one extra deep. No instant-hot
water; ours have always broken quickly, and anyway we don't make
instant coffee or much tea. But we did put in a soap dispenser.
- We kept the previous owner's SubZero refrigerator, although I don't see
what the big deal is. I'd prefer a bottom freezer unit of a "lesser"
brand -- this is side-by-side, which I don't like. We had panels put on
to match the cabinets. We got a cheapo fridge (I prefer it to the
Sub-Zero, actually!) to put in the back hall, so it's not as big a
problem that nothing large fits in the side by side.
- We had 2 windows and changed one to a door (with a glass panel), because there
is a porch there, and I thought it would be nice to have access from
the kitchen.
This is truly a dream kitchen, and we are very happy with it. Thank you all for helping it come true with your advice and encouragement. Good luck to you all with your projects, and enjoyyour beautiful new kitchens.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: Joiful (My Page) on Wed, Feb 26, 03 at 9:24
Gellchom....beautiful! I love the look of your kitchen, the cork floors and especially the beautiful molding!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: civilmind (My Page) on Wed, Feb 26, 03 at 10:08
I knew I had seen this one before! I think it was in the long gone "Post
Your Kitchen Pictures Here" thread. Your kitchen is beautiful. I love
the cabinets. The finish, door style, and construction is exactly what
I want! And I couldn't help but notice the mod table. Thanks for sharing your pictures again.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Thu, Feb 27, 03 at 12:27
Thank you all for your nice comments. Civilmind, I wish I could give you that
table! We have a beautiful new one there. It was looking pretty beat up
-- I'd had it for probably 10 years, and my parents had it for probably
20 before that. Also, as the adjacent family room is sunken, we needed
a table without an ugly underside. The top is in the basement now, and
the base is out on the porch with the black granite cutout for the
range on top as a tabletop. The molding was from another company our
designer knew about, whose name I forget. He sent the molding to
Holiday to stain to match the cabinets.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: Hadley (My Page) on Sun, Mar 2, 03 at 6:56
Gellchom--so beautiful, so rich looking. The molding is just the right thing, I
would be looking at it every day. You really went for it and got a
phenomenal result.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: toes_first (My Page) on Mon, Mar 3, 03 at 18:03
Beautiful kitchen. What kind of door pulls are those, and where did you get them? They look great against the wood.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
Toes first: the pulls are from a company called Metakor. I don't think they
have them on Myknobs.com, but I'm not sure. I must have picked up a
brochure at a showroom. kitchencabinethardware.com has them, as does
cabinetknob.net. I think I ordered them straight from Metakor, but I
really don't remember. I chose them because they have that little
bevel, which I thought would go nicely with the beveled cabinet doors.
Talk about obsessed! I also love the way they feel in my hand. I have a few extras if you want them! We changed our minds about putting
them on the "hidden" cabinets in the island. We're still looking for a
really good touch latch that can handle the weight for those.
Here is a link that might be useful: picture of Metakor
http://www.kitchencabinethardware.com/Metakor/elegance-sm.jpg
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
I would like to know if the glass tile was difficult to instal? My
supplier says you need an expert and I wonder if any good installer
could do it or does it have to be some expensive specialist?
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
Some interesting lighting can be found at the link below. I've never purchased from them, but the range of styles seems pretty wide.
Here is a link that might be useful: Lighting
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: terry4331 (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 03 at 20:34
This kitchen is the bomb! I like everything.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: Eileen3G (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 03 at 21:09
Gellchom
-- A treat to check out your kitchen again -- one of the first I'd seen
when I'd found this forum. The glass tile backsplash -- so cool! The
hidden rolling cart -- so clever! I love it!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Mon, May 19, 03 at 22:36
Beamish,
sorry to take so long to answer. Yes, unfortunately, they are hard to
install -- you do need someone who knows what s/he is doing. But it was
worth it.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: cgpaytas (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 03 at 13:50
gellchom,
can you post the link again? I keep getting an error message. TIA!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
here you go, cgpaytas. If the link doesn't work, copy and paste this:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/gellchom/lst?.dir=/kitchen&.src=ph&.view= We finally got a new camera, so I will try to remember to post some new
pictures soon with the current wall color, table and chairs, etc.
Here is a link that might be useful: gellchom's kitchen
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: cgpaytas (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 03 at 13:54
gellchom,
Thanks for reposting. I love the kitchen it's beautiful! The hidden cart is a
fantastic idea. YOur cork floor, is it tile or floating? It looks like
tile in one of the pictures. Great job!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Sun, Jun 8, 03 at 17:40
thanks, cgpaytas.
The floor is floating. It came in 3'x 1' floating tiles, and the builder
said it was VERY easy to install (it was the first time he'd done cork).
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: RuddMD (My Page) on Mon, Jun 23, 03 at 17:52
gellchom - beautiful! I checked this out again to look at your glass tile backspash. Did you
install this yourself or have it done professionally? What color is the
grout? Did you see that tile at a local tile store or order it on-line?
Is this glass tempered?
Sorry for all the questions!
Thanks!
Doris
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Tue, Jun 24, 03 at 13:01
Doris - don't apologize for asking questions. That's what this board is all about!
- I don't know if the tiles are tempered -- I doubt it.
-
We had it installed professionally, and I think that's a must.
Evidently there is something tricky about installing these tiles -- our
builder, who did almost everything else himself, brought in an expert
for this.
- Our grout is gray (I had to go look).
- I found this at a local tile store, kind of a fancy one. But they have a great
web site, www.glasstile.com, which I wish I had seen first, as I might
have chosen one of their mosaics (I think they call them "quilts").
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
A bump up for someone looking for cork in the kitchen.... Gellchom,
can you please add a link that goes directly to your pics to the newish
Gallery thread called "Finished Kitchens, Pic Links Only?"
This thread was ready to scroll off, and we don't want to lose your lovely
kitchen (or any of the others)! Thus, the new thread--link is below.
Here is a link that might be useful: Gallery thread--Finished Kitchens, Pic Links Only
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: Rice_Rocket (My Page) on Sun, Aug 24, 03 at 15:43
Kudos! I especially like the floor and the backsplash. Nice fruit bowl also.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Tue, Sep 30, 03 at 21:13
lol!
Thanks, Rice Rocket. The bowl was a gift from some friends in Israel,
so I can't tell you where to find it. I like it, too.
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: voxfire (My Page) on Thu, Oct 30, 03 at 1:41
Susan,
Thanks for the email telling me your photos were here. Your kitchen looks
great- very sophisticated- love the rich dark cabinets and the
backsplash especially. I checked out the glasstile website. I'm going
to have glass tiles also, and I've always loved mosaics, but I think we
have to have large tiles instead of mosaic, as our zephyr torino island
vent hood is going to be enough of a focalpoint and I want everything
else to be fairly simple. It seems this unusual vent hood is dictating
a lot of what our kitchen will look like!
I see what you mean about your wanting perhaps a metal sculpture or something above the sink (if you didn't have a recessed light there, I would say hang some
interesting metal pendant light above the sink, or perhaps something
mirrored). But really, it doesn't seem to me that something is
"missing". I think everything looks fabulous!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: gellchom (My Page) on Thu, Oct 30, 03 at 14:17
I thought I COULD put a pendant light in where the recessed light is now. Is that a problem?
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
- Posted by: voxfire (My Page) on Thu, Oct 30, 03 at 23:57
I think you CAN put a pendant light there- it would be the perfect
finishing touch! Were you thinking of taking the recessed light out- or
leaving it in and adding the pendant light? I'm sure it would work
either way. It's great to see such a fabulous kitchen finished. It
gives me hope for our poor kitchen......Can't wait to start ripping it
all out!
RE: Gellchom's kitchen
Gellchom,
you are dangerously close to the slippery cliff at the bottom of page 2
of the gallery. We can't have your kitchen falling off the edge.
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