kraftdinner
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posted on July 20, 2002 04:40:50 PM new
I finally found a picture of what I had in mind for your kitchen....I didn't forget about you. 
Your picture was of the corner with the stove, so I thought what would look good is a metal exhaust fan over it, lighter cupboards (some with glass panels), darker counters and the quarry tile floor (or whatever you decide).
Here's the link to the picture. Hope that helps!
http://www.thomasvillecabinetry.com/Products/product.asp?DSFID=238
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snowyegret
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:24:18 PM new
I don't know about the dark counters. They show every crumb and scratch, plus make it look smaller. How about butcher block?
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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saabsister
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:28:45 PM new
Sounds good, kraftdinner. I'll skip the quarry tile in the kitchen though. We're too clumsy.
I saw a great floor in some book - a patchwork of lino. I guess I'd have to find someone who could design it and then get the contractor to install it. I don't think it's something that an ordinary tile setter would come up with.
I probably made a big mistake today. I bought an art deco bedroom set. I can imagine how the room might look except for the floor. It was a room I planned to tile. I think I'll have to call my friend the decorator for help on this one. He's in Italy for the rest of the summer, the lucky guy.
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snowyegret
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:32:35 PM new
That's no mistake!
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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saabsister
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:32:54 PM new
Hi, snowyegret. I'm stumped on kitchen counters - perhaps a bit of variety for different uses.
Kitchens are difficult for me to plan because I don't cook often. And my present kitchen with its three feet of counter space hasn't done anything to make me want to acquire any culinary skills.
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kraftdinner
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:44:17 PM new
I should have explained snowy...I meant darker than the one in the picture. I think your countertop should be in the same color range as the floor, but that's just me.
If you're rich saabsister, I'd go with a corian counter.
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Linda_K
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:45:17 PM new
One suggestion I would offer, if you'll have the room, would be to consider including a 'floating' island in your kitchen plans. I never had one, but do now and absolutely love it. When we have a large crowd over, we can move it anywhere we want it. When it's just a small group, having it as an extra work/serving place is super.
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Linda_K
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:47:49 PM new
I'd go with a corian counter.
I'd most definately agree. Our next door neighbor had it and I loved working in her kitchen. Easy to clean...and comes in tons of different color choices.
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snowyegret
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posted on July 20, 2002 06:52:44 PM new
I have about as much as you, saabsister. My favorite kitchen had butcher block. I do like the idea of the island, but I've never had a kitchen big enough. Sigh.
Linda, you do have to show us some pics of your house sometime.
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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Linda_K
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:01:00 PM new
snowyegret - I'd love to share pictures of it. For our ebay auctions, we use ebay pixs and have no website set up. But the biggest reason is I've chosen to stay anonymous on chat boards. I lose out on being able to share a lot of things because of that decision. Sorry.
But saabsister said she was going to enlarge her kitchen and an island not only provides the extra work space, but can be built [or bought] with the ability to hold a huge amount of pots and pans [or whatever]. I've seen them for years, just never had the room either. But I had never knew they made portable ones, until we bought here.
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saabsister
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:01:00 PM new
Linda_K, my walking partner recommended Corian for the same reason. Her counter tops are tile and she hates cleaning and regrouting them.
I'll have to see what the corian costs. I have a teeny mortgage and will refinance to pay for this project. I'd like to be able to have it paid for in about seven years in case we move.
A floating island sounds good. The architect had designed an island, but the ability to move it is appealing. More options.
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Linda_K
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:11:39 PM new
Also...consider an island that has an addional sink in it. Of course, it would have to be stationary.  But when entertaining...that extra sink is also wonderful. Friends have had them, and when we're all in the kitchen together preparing a meal...it's wonderful.
Our kitchen here has formica counter tops.  And the island counter top is also formica. A pretty light beige with minute flecks of darker beige in them. I don't care for them at all. To look at the kitchen as a whole, the formica looks great, but I always have to be so careful about spills causing discolorations, and putting hot pans on it. I've always had tile in our other homes, but as you mentioned keeping the grout clean was a major job.
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snowyegret
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:11:57 PM new
Got it. And nothing wrong with that.
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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saabsister
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:12:25 PM new
Linda_K, I've used AW for my pics. If they've charged me for anything that stayed on their site, it hasn't shown up on a bill. That's why I didn't leave the picture up for too long - I thought if it happened to be free, I shouldn't take advantage.
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kraftdinner
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:14:04 PM new
Another thing you could consider is stainless steel countertops. They look great but I have no idea how well they hold up.
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saabsister
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:18:42 PM new
kraftdinner, I've been wondering about stainless steel. My husband seems to like stainless steel appliances, but I remember how scratched the original sink in this kitchen was and I shy away from that. Maybe it was just a poor grade of steel. I don't know. Counters are as bad as floors. There are disadvantages to all these materials.I wish that I could buy them and that they would just hold up forever.
[ edited by saabsister on Jul 20, 2002 07:21 PM ]
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Linda_K
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posted on July 20, 2002 07:48:22 PM new
Just a couple other things I'd recommend you think about too since you said you haven't 'lived' in your kitchen.
Kitchen lighting. In this house they put two bars of track lighting on our kitchen ceilings. [In the kitchen part of the room. The dining part has a different light above our table.] It has four 'lamps' in each track. Can be directed where ever you want them. They shine on the cabinets and shows them off really well. But when I first starting using the kitchen, I found I couldn't see what I was doing very well. [Our kitchen ceilings are either 10 or 12 feet high. Not sure...anyway taller than the normal 8' ones.] So we hired an electrician to come out and install under cabinet lighting too. Boy...what a difference.
Then really think about your sink. In our other house we had a double sink. I believe it was cast iron but was coated with thick white porcelain. Scratches from pans scoured off easily. Each side was the same size. One side had the garbage disposal in it. THEN... we moved here. Stainless steel sink that has to be dried each time it's used so you don't see the water spots....and it has one side of the sink that's smaller than the other.
I can't begin to tell you how often both my husband and I are rinsing dishes and have water all over the counter, the floor and the cabinets. It's just too small to rinse anything in...and since it's got the disposal on that side...guess what??
Sorry...I appear to have gone a little overboard. But I love talking about remodeling jobs. And there's so many things to consider when redoing a kitchen.
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DeSquirrel
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posted on July 20, 2002 10:48:57 PM new
Saabsister
I think that floor you saw was from an English company marketing in the US. It is really "lineoleum" which is a natural type of product. The company does all kinds of designs and borders and custom work. The people who sell it do the installation. Lineoleum has become passe in the US but is still a major product in England and it holds up very well. They did a floor in a house featured on "This Old House", so I'm sure you could find it on the TOH website. I'll tell you what NOT to use. I spent a fortune on a high end peel and stick vinyl tile. Looked fab for 6 months, then the material started to shrink.
AND I just read a short comparo on counter materials. Maybe it was the new issue of Consumer Reports. They all have pluses and minuses (heat resistance, scratching, staining, etc), but I believe they liked ceramic tile and good old laminate. The major drawback to laminate was that the cut edge has a different color. I'll try and find the actual article.
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