What's cooking in the kitchen?
{29 july 2007}
It seems whenever I see an older kitchen that looks a little more timeless (as much as can be expected in an ever changing room like the kitchen), it seems to have white cabinets. And since we don't plan on remodeling this kitchen ever again, Im trying to go with something as timeless as possible. Ive been collecting photos of kitchens Ive admired for a while. You'll probably notice all of these kitchens are at least twice the size, 5x the budget and inhabited by much more fabulous people than we'll ever hope to be. So Im just taking the bits and pieces I can incorporate where possible.
Our kitchen will be at the rear of the parlor floor. Right now, this area is broken into two rooms that I suppose were bedrooms. Right now, the room at the back right looks like this:
The left wall will be mostly knocked out and the two rooms will the dining room/kitchen.Its a little hard to imagine using my awful photographs but the plans make it a little more clear:
And here is my sketch up of what the view would be over the island:
We already have decided on the cabinets (off-white inset), sink (fireclay), & backsplash (some kind of subway tile), floor (wood to match the hall) finishes.
Still to be decided are countertops (soapstone or marble?), appliances, lighting fixtures & faucet. Any suggestions on those are appreciated.
love those kitchen pictures. my fave kitchen look is white cabinets w/white marble but i hear marble isn't that ideal as a countertop material b/c of scratching & chipping. is there some kind of sealer or protection they can put on it?
ReplyDeleteYay a new post!
ReplyDeleteI used a bunch of those pics as inspiration too.
I personally love marble, but heard so many negative things about staining, etching etc. But then in the gardenweb kitchen forum tons of people have it and are perfectly pleased, so I'd consider it, but maybe a darker one? I really love the dark Imperador marble that is kind of a dark brown.
If I could have marble, carrera would definitely be my choice (it plays a lead role in all my kitchen porn, er, inspiration photos). But I think its just too sensitive for Mr. Limestone to deal with. I might appreciate the patina that comes with the wear and staining...he wouldn't. Someone recently suggested another form of marble, pietro. It beautiful and looks a lot like soapstone. But considering it stains, I think its out.
ReplyDeleteIve been told by Soapstone owners that it doesnt stain. Thats backed up by what I read on the web about it not being porous. Further confirmed by my own tests on a chunck of soapstone I have. Despite this, Mr. Limestone doesn't believe me. Ugh.
You mean the pietra cardoza stuff?
ReplyDeleteThere are also some types of granite and quartz that look like white marble..
I read about them on garden web, check out this thread:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg041957359349.html
Oops, link got cut off
ReplyDeletetry this www.tinyurl.com/2cnbmw
I'm back! I haven't abandoned, just been really busy. Have to catch up now ;-) Hope you're well
ReplyDeleteDefinitely itch-nay the marble...that is if you like spaghetti. It is gorgeous but not so much once you get some good stains on it. If you really love it, though, what about using it on a baking station: lower than the rest of the countertops? What a luxury that would be...
ReplyDeleteLinda
The kitchen just blows me away, especially b/c that is the last part of the interior renovation we have planned. I have to build up some nerve (& savings) before I even start sketching plans. On another note, building the 1740 thing was fairly simple. Some old salvaged nails were hot glued to a piece of pine from a case of wine. The pine was then hot glued to the back of a shadow box. The only hard part was bending the nails without breaking them (I broke about ten of them in the process). Good Luck
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian - how did you bend the nails? Did you heat them first or just bent them cold?
ReplyDeleteLinda - The plans might look more spacious than they really are. Definitely no room for a baking station. Im hearing all sorts of mixed reviews on marble...some say its a nightmare and some say its fine provided you seal it. Im wondering if marble is like wood floors in kitchens were a few years ago. Everyone said dont do it b/c of the moisture and now that I have them myself, I know its totally fine.
Becoming Home - I dont know..the white granite just doesnt have the same vintage look that marble has. Im starting to really dislike granite lately.
How about caesar stone? A girlfriend of mine got it recently in a light color. Doris
ReplyDeleteI am currently planning a kitchen reno and was looking through your archives. Your kitchen is just gorgeous! You did such a fabulous job documenting the whole process and the end result is truly breathtaking. I noticed in the sketch you did that you originally planned to use a fireclay farmhouse sink and a faucet that looks like the Kohler Essex two handle faucet. These are two elements that I was considering using and I was just curious about why you chose to go with the under mount sink and bridge faucet instead? It seems like you thoroughly researched every single element of your kitchen and maybe I am missing something? Also, have you been happy with your GE Cafe appliances? Thanks so much for any feedback you are able to provide!
ReplyDeletehi ameleah - im not sure if you are going to check back in this thread but if you can email me, I can answer your questions in more detail but the short answer is:
ReplyDeleteI do have a fireclay sink, I just set it up to be undermount (I find the other way to be kind of gross in terms of cleaning) and the faucet you see here was put in as a placeholder. I wanted a bridge faucet all along.