KITCHEN REMODEL - it's finally happening!! (LOTS OF PICS!!) (color, sink, installing)

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by Albuquerque101

I'm glad you are getting a bunch of samples and will make a decision once you are able to see everything together in your space -- that will ensure that you will love the final result.

Your last choice is very pretty, but the uneven surface would be really hard to clean. I also worry that it would be too dark to use as a backsplash, at least in your lower kitchen.

The last I'll say about your niche is that my favorite behind the kitchen niches use the same tile as the rest of the backsplash. I have seen them successfully done in a coordinating tile. I have also seen pretty ones with the same tile as the rest of the backsplash but with little coordinating accents (like the one you posted above). I have not seen any with both a different field tile and different accents, which is what it sounds like you intend to do. I would worry that this would be too busy, especially when you consider that you will likely want to actually put items in your niche as well. Of course it is your kitchen so your opinion is what matters.

I think you are right about it being too busy -- so as much as I like the botanical tiles, if I buy a few I will use them elsewhere. I really WANT to use just 1 backsplash and I would love to use the honey subway tile (post #37). The ONLY reason I suggested using the smaller mostly-offwhite onyx tile (also post #37) is that I wasn't sure how the honey subway tile would look just above the granite -- so a layer or two of the onyx would be a neutral "transition" from the granite to the honey subway tile. Does that make more sense?

So it would look something like this (with the bottom just being a couple of "layers" high):



What I'm trying to AVOID is something like this:



I see a LOT of online photos like that, with busy granite (I actually LIKE the granite -- it's very similar to mine) AND a busy backsplash (which I might like with a mostly-one-tone brown or cream solid surface countertop). I assume the owner must love it, but I think the two together clash.

==========

THANKSGIVING DAY UPDATE ...

Yesterday, Wednesday 11/21/18, was crazy -- my regular contractors got to my house between 8:30 and 9 a.m. and started right in on the upper kitchen hardwood floor. The cabinets were due to be delivered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and I was HOPING it would be toward the end of that range -- but it ended up being 11:30 a.m., when the flooring was still being installed! So they had to leave a bunch of the cabinets in the garage, but those are mostly small cabinets that I can carry in myself.

Here are a couple of photos of the floor ... here it's almost done ...

And here's a view from the TV room next door (the kitchen annex is in the TV room, just to the left of the door trim in this photo) ...

My contractors did a great job -- the floor is gorgeous and very closely matches the existing lower kitchen floor (more photos after the transition piece is in!).

Here are a bunch of cabinets stacked in the lower kitchen ...

And here are two 30x30x24 cabinets that the delivery guys LEFT in my hall (no, they weren't supposed to -- but luckily these 2 went UPSTAIRS to the laundry room so my contractors were able to carry them up for me!) ...


This Thanksgiving break, I will be busy unpacking the boxes and placing the cabinets CLOSE to where they will be installed -- in between grading 20 10-to-15-page 2nd drafts from students in my writing class. I will be busy!!

[Albuquerque101]

I don't think you are in danger of the look you are trying to avoid -- none of your choices are close to that busy!

If the bigger tiles don't look good with your counter, I wouldn't use them -- trying to disguise the mismatch by adding a tile border won't really solve the problem, and would just add another element that could clash/make it look too busy.

[CatwomanofV]

I just noticed something and I don't know if it is too late to change (if you want), but I noticed your dishwasher is closer to the stove than the sink is. With a smaller kitchen it might not matter but I would think it may better in terms of cooking to switch the dishwasher & the sink.


Cat

[johngolf]

Should not flooring be the last thing done in a room?

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Originally Posted by Albuquerque101

I don't think you are in danger of the look you are trying to avoid -- none of your choices are close to that busy!

If the bigger tiles don't look good with your counter, I wouldn't use them -- trying to disguise the mismatch by adding a tile border won't really solve the problem, and would just add another element that could clash/make it look too busy.

I may just go with very simple beige (or similar) tile -- but, as discussed earlier, I simply won't be able to figure this out for sure until after the granite is in and I can try different things next to it.

Originally Posted by CatwomanofV

I just noticed something and I don't know if it is too late to change (if you want), but I noticed your dishwasher is closer to the stove than the sink is. With a smaller kitchen it might not matter but I would think it may better in terms of cooking to switch the dishwasher & the sink.

Cat

Cat, this has already been addressed several times. There is simply no other place for the dishwasher to go if (1) I want it next to the sink, which I do, and (2) if I want working space for loading/unloading dishes around it, which I also do. (I also like the extra counter space [above the dishwasher] near the cooktop/ovens, but that was just an added "bonus" of fixing the horrible position the dishwasher was in for the past 6-1/2 years -- which was to the right of the sink.)

Originally Posted by johngolf

Should not flooring be the last thing done in a room?

Quite simply, no -- especially not if you are completely replacing the current/old flooring (as I did). I want the flooring UNDER the cabinets, appliances, etc., not just butting up against them (which could cause major problems in the future if any changes were made) -- so the flooring had to be done before the other things.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

More unpacking yesterday (and still more today) ...


Chloe investigates (no , I didn't close the doors on her -- this cabinet is prepped for glass so the doors are "open"!) ...


Jack is wondering what the heck is going on ...


Exhausted kitties after their exploration ...


Exhausted Mom too! No selfies though.

Today I MUST finish grading as if I leave it until tomorrow I will be miserable. In between papers I will do more unpacking/placing cabinets/trying to figure out where to store what. That last thing is kind of fun although a bit overwhelming as well.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, all!

[WildCard~]

How exciting!

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012

ETA: here's the granite I will likely get (giallo vicenza):



^^^ This picture has a backsplash similar to the honey tile one I discuss below ...

=============

OK, now it's time to figure out what my backsplash will be. I have bought these to "test" against my cabinets (and granite, once it's in) ...

Here's one possibility: https://www.homedepot.com/p/MSI-Chia...1X2T/100664286 . Here's a photo from HD's site with it used with white/slightly off-white cabinets (my upper kitchen cabinets are a creamy white color):

And here's a photo from HD's site with it used with medium brown cabinets (my lower kitchen and kitchen annex will have peppercorn cabinets, which is a very dark brown with hints of black, but you get the idea):

What I'm thinking is to use the above tiles for MOST of the area between the cabinets and the counter, BUT I might add these somewhere (perhaps in the recessed area behind the cooktop that will be created after the medicine cabinet from the bathroom on the other side of the wall comes out) -- OR I might use these instead as the main backsplash between the cabinets and counters (it's this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/MSI-Hone...O8MM/202523629 ):

Here's a customer photo using that honey subway tile:

That customer's cabinet color is VERY similar to mine in the upper kitchen. I like this tile a lot as a backsplash all the way around -- would prefer to use THAT as the "main" backsplash with the smaller tile (first 2 photos) as accents. My granite will be pretty neutral (I've narrowed it down to several different ones and they're ALL neutral) so I think this could work. If I think it looks odd JUST above the granite, I could do a couple of "layers" of the smaller, offwhite tiles (first 2 photos), then use these.

I could buy the smaller tile at my HD and I KNOW that would work great, no matter what I choose. I had to order the honey tile -- it will be in next week. Granite will be installed on 12/11 so I may have to wait until then to order more of the honey tile if I decide to go with it -- I need to see what it looks like against the granite first (although if I plan for the first couple of layers to be the smaller tile, I should be fine).

ETA: oh, I might add 2-3 of these (or very similar ones) in the recessed area behind the cooktop (intermixed with the smaller offwhite tiles) -- the bottom photo shows an installation:




Any thoughts? Pretty please?

I’d choose a different granite.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by karen_in_nh_2012

Thanks for your kind and helpful post. I looked at the Alaska white granite -- it's beautiful but I can't see it working well with cream cabinets. It's also maybe a bit too contemporary for me -- contemporary is not my style (probably one of the reasons I hate stainless appliances and am going with black).



Honestly, I don't see the pink at all. I suspect you have a much more discerning eye for color than I do!



What I am going to do is order/buy several different backsplash possibilities, then wait until after my granite is installed before having the backsplash installed. That way, I can put them near the granite to check out in different light conditions. (I get a TON of sun from that upper kitchen 5'-wide window so I hope we have some sunny days for me to check out the colors together!) I will also lay out different patterns on my table and see how they look together before having anything done on the wall itself.



That's OK. I love it myself (I love just about anything botanical). I would use 3-4 at the most (they're 6"x6") and ONLY in the recessed area in back of the cooktop. And of course I would lay them out first to check everything! It's going to be fun, I hope!

Oh, I also bought a totally different kind of backsplash that I thought MIGHT work, but then I second-guessed myself ...



These are stone veneer but VERY easy to install; they have great reviews. Unfortunately, though, I don't have a clue how it would look with the granite. I will keep the ones I have until after the granite is installed, but I thought they would be too busy together. (Oh, and of course MY areas to cover are nowhere near as large as the picture just above shows! That's a bit overwhelming!)

Oh dear do NOT choose those veneer tiles - that is such a dark heavy look and VERY hard to clean. And your granite choice is already dark and heavy. You need a LIGHT SOLID COLOR backsplash.

[boxus]

How many cats you have? lol