[JK]

I've only posted one other time when we were in the planning stages and I wasn't able to upload the kitchen plan correctly. I hope the before and after photos work this time. We started our remodel on July 13, 2007, the new appliances were installed on September 29, 2007 and we got the island countertop on November 5, 2007. It's been a long but rewarding process. We did all of the work ourselves except for some drywall repair needed where the soffits once were. We have some finishing work left; backsplash around kitchen sink and toekick, etc. We are thrilled with the result but I'm not in a hurry to assemble another cabinet in the near future. Hope the picture show up.

Jinny

Adel Medium Brown
Stainless backsplash (IKEA)
River Green granite (island)
Pragel Black Stone effect laminate
Bagvik faucets
Varde handles and knobs
Grundtal series wall accessories
Merbau hardwood flooring
Kitchenaid Architect II series appliances
Lighting from Lowes
Valspar paint in "Meadow" (from Lowes)

[livinwell]

Your kitchen looks very nice. I love the Adel Med Brn and your color scheme. I know you must be very proud of what you've accomplished and the dread of seeing another Ikea flat pack. Kudos!

[Gloria]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

That is so gorgeous and inviting! I really like the layout too. It seems like there's room for several people to be doing different tasks all at the same time. You must be lovin' it.

Congratulations!
Gloria

[laurie]

Very nice layout! Congrats on a very beautiful kitchen!

[DeniseP]

Very nice! We have AMB too, and love it. Still haven't added a backsplash, but we're thinking about stainless steel. Do you like your Ikea SS backsplash...was it easy to install, easy to clean?

Thanks for your input.

[JK]

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. I'm still getting used to the fact that I have a real kitchen again.


DeniseP, Yes I really do like the stainless backsplash. I love the way the undercabinet lighting reflects off of it and really lights up the one dark corner of the kitchen. The stainless panels were easy to work with. We first tried to cut them with a circular saw (big mess) but once I read on here to use a jigsaw with a metal blade, we had no problems cutting the panels. We made sure to use blue tape on the surface of the panel so the jigsaw wouldn't leave scratches. Installation wasn't bad; we used the Asker rail system. We thought of just using regular mirror j-channel but we had a tough time finding the correct size and the Asker rail fit perfectly. I find the panels are easier to clean than the appliances. They clean up great! Hope this helps.

Jinny

[erikakn]

JK--Your kitchen is warm, sparkly, and beautifully executed. I'm also in the last stages of finishing an ADEL MB kitchen and I love how flexible this door style is--modern, arts & crafts, country--what a great door!

Originally Posted by DeniseP

Very nice! We have AMB too, and love it. Still haven't added a backsplash, but we're thinking about stainless steel. Do you like your Ikea SS backsplash...was it easy to install, easy to clean?

Denise--We installed a stainless steel backsplash and like it very much. It's not IKEA--it was made by a local metal fabricator who also made our s.s. countertop. We mounted it with screws nestled in collars. Check out my blog post from two weeks ago outlining some of my issues with the backsplash. While I love the backsplash I hadn't considered that the metal makes undercabinet lights less diffuse. The lights are now kind of striped. I hope to replace my KIchler lights' glass with an opaque white glass...

See the "stripes" of light here:



Erika

[JK]

Thanks again for all of your nice comments. I have really found this site to be of such value.

We are kind of at a stand still with our progress right now. Now that everything functions, we are having a motivation problem in finishing the little stuff. We are already thinking of tackling the master bathroom but I really want to finish the toekick and backsplash in the kitchen. We also still need to finish the plumbing for the island sink. But I'm sure it will get done in time....

Jinny

[DulcineaK]

i encourage you to finish the small stuff before moving on!
i LOVE doing the big stuff, but my last house found me with small stuff to do in every room and no time to do it (in the end)... this time i have to keep myself on point and finish everything before i move onto the next set of really fun tasks which i REALLY want to do!!!

like they say: 90% of the work takes 10% of the time and 10% of the work takes 90%

[kisaacs]

I agree with Dulci! We put in our kitchen almost 2 years ago and still have a cover panel and 2 thresholds to put in. Now we've got a list of little stuff all over the house to finish, and a strict deadline of mid-April. The little stuff can really pile up!

Kristen