My Kitchen - Part 4 (Sink & Stove Wall)

A challenge with my kitchen was the fact that I designed the wall of cabinets, as seen in earlier posts about my kitchen. In doing so, it really made the kitchen lopsided, with the wall of cabinets having a lot of weight, design-wise. What was left to deal with was the wall with the sink and windows, stove and shelf. When I showed my plan to my friend, Dirk (of Dirk Elliot Tile), he pointed out the heavily-sided issue with the wall of cabinets. I knew I wasn't willing to change that wall, so the challenge was how to add weight to the other walls - all without adding upper cabinetry, which I didn't want.

Dirk offered many different design solutions for me to consider. My plan was always to use subway tile and after touring Dirk's tile factory, I was open to using different than normal sizes. One of Dirk's suggestions was to go with smaller subway tiles - two different sizes, and to take them all the way to the ceiling - both of which would give it the much needed weight. I loved that idea.

He also pointed out that I needed to make my shelf MUCH bigger than I had originally planned, which would also add weight to that side of the wall. (And this is how the Mega Shelf came to be).

And last of all, he recommended that I add legs of some sort to the cooktop cabinetry, which balanced everything out, gave some heft to the base, and made it feel a bit like a piece of furniture.

The Mega Shelf has lighting built-in underneath, which is really nice while cooking. The lighting is all accessible by a panel that was built-in for easy access.

I've had lots of questions about my cooktop and venting.

To keep the design clean, I opted for a built-in downdraft fan, behind the cooktop. When I need to use it, I simply push a button, and the fan system raises up.

When I'm done, I just press the button again, and the downdraft lowers back down. I had the same system in my last kitchen and I really love it. The cooktop and downdraft are both by Thermador and they are really wonderful, and really easy to clean which is great, because my boys cook quite often and can be really messy. I also love the burners. Stars!

I have open shelving beneath the cooktop, which houses my pots and pans. I had the cabinet maker wrap the shelves with stainless steel, to take a beating, and to avoid terrible looking scratched shelves.

I've talked before about the built-in cutting board located near the cooktop.

  

It is so handy for chopping and scraping the scraps straight into the compost bin below. The day I met with the cabinet maker to talk about this feature, I had asked Colin to join me, which turned out to be a great thing. When he saw what I was asking for with the drawer, he came up with the idea for it to be spring loaded. So, to open the drawer, all I have to do is give it a slight push and it pops out, which is so convenient when I have a handful of veggies and have forgotten to pull out the drawer first. The board is maple and studies have proven that maple is highly resistant to bacteria - much more so than plastic or other cutting board surfaces that are out there. (I only use the board for veggies, and wipe it down when I'm done). The chute is lined with a PVC sort of pipe.

I plan on growing herbs on the window sills throughout the winter.

An idea from my friend Christina was to use stone for the sills. I loved the thought of it, as I've ruined many sills in the past with water marks from planters. When I ordered the countertops, I ordered the sills as well, in the same material. Mike, our finish carpenter, asked me to provide him with a sample of the stone material so that he could build the windows to fit perfectly. Unfortunately, the countertop contractor gave me the salesman's sample, not the actual building material sample and the measurements were all off. After much ado, the countertop contractor adjusted the sills to fit what Mike had built, as it was their error.

I talk a lot about how much I love texture in design, and although my kitchen is very white, there is a lot of depth to it, thanks to the textures we incorporated. From the beadboard ceiling to the crown moulding to the tile.

When Dirk was sketching tile layout options, I fell in love with a design that sort of mimicked a basket weave, which was a perfect transition from the dining room grasscloth wallpaper to the kitchen.

It's important to acknowledge that my kitchen would not be half as wonderful if it wasn't for our friends, Dirk and Christina, who spent so much time and effort in helping me with a lot of the design. Their eye for detail is amazing, and I'm incredibly thankful for their help.

You can read more about my kitchen here:

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6.

You can read all the details about our farmhouse building process here.

Additional Information:

Our home was designed by Nancy McKennon.

Our builder was Craig Powell of Powell Custom Homes. (509) 994-2831 (He doesn't have a website).

My cabinets were custom made by a local cabinet maker.

The ceiling is made of beadboard planks, also known as wainscotting. I talked a lot about it here.

The lights over the island were made from salvaged old schoolhouse globes and new arms. I obtained all of the materials from Revival Lighting in Spokane and they built the lighting as well.

The lights over the sink are from Lowe's.

The flooring is tile that looks like wood. It is manufactured by Daltile. I talked about it here and here. I have received many inquiries regarding the exact wood pattern and the exact name of the Daltile line. Unfortunately, Daltile changes their offerings frequently and although I have contacted the company numerous times, trying to pin down exact information to offer to readers, they have never responded to my requests. My recommendation if you like the look: choose the wood tile that you like best, and find a grout that as closely matches your tile color choice as possible.

My countertops are quartz, manufactured by Zodiaq and the pattern is Bianco Carrara. I talked about it here and here.

The wall tile is all from Dirk Elliot Tile. The best in the world and made right here in Spokane, by our good friends, Dirk and Christina. I talk more about it here and here.

The windows are made by our friends, Burke and Muriel, at VPI windows. They are also manufactured here in Spokane and are the BEST! I talked all about the windows here and here.

The cabinet hardware is from Spokane Hardware, who also have an amazing website (The Hardware Hut) where you can order just about anything your heart desires.

The pantry door (and all the doors in our home) came from Harry at River City Glass in Spokane.

My large glass pantry jars with the glass lids can be found at Target and Wal-Mart in many different sizes.

My small glass pantry jars with the white lids can be found at Wal-Mart. (Better Homes and Gardens canning jars). The plastic lids were purchased separately and are widely available at most grocery stores in the canning section.

My appliances are all Thermador, with the exception of the freezer column which is Bosch, and the microwave which is G.E.

The antique FOODS sign was purchased from Marketplace Antiques in Sandpoint, Idaho and was spotted for me by the amazing and wonderful MaryAnn Duarte, who has a space there and is also a vendor at The Farm Chicks Show.

The clock was a gift. (Source unknown).

The stools are from Pottery Barn.

The dining room table was built by Antico.

The dining room chairs are from Cost Plus World Market.

The dining room grasscloth bamboo wallpaper came from Wallflowers in Spokane. Unfortunately, I can't remember the brand.

A note about my sources: I try and identify my sources as often as possible and love promoting other businesses. My policy is that if I love something or have had a good experience with a product or service, I try to promote it, when possible. Sometimes, I'm disappointed with a product or service and won't provide that source. I understand that thousands of readers visit my blog every day and I realize that if I were to say something negative about a product or source, my opinion could have a negative impact on a business, and that's not what I want. If I don't list a source, it's not because I'm stingy, I just choose to keep it positive here. Thank you for understanding.

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Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

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Comments

[Deb]

I understand if you don't want to share this information, but I'm really curious as to how much your kitchen cost.

[Melissa Taylor Myers]

Perfect design, as always! I love all of the little details that make so much sense.

[Machelle]

snazzy!

[Kathy]

Your kitchen is a beautiful room. I bet it is even more lovely with sunshine streaming thru those windows!

[Nicole Reid]

We're getting ready to do a remodel and I'd love to know the name of your cabinetmaker if you're comfortable sharing their name. If not, I'll understand.

[dawn]

I have a farm style kitchen very similar to yours and have been researching grasscloth. Can you tell me your source/color? Thanks for sharing!!!

[Elizabeth]

I'd love to know the source for the grasscloth wallpaper as well!

[Julianne]

I'm pretty much in love with these posts. Thank you thank you so much for sharing the pictures but most definitely your thoughts and reasonings behind things. So very functional and intelligent.

I bet that the herbs you grow on the sill will just make that room so totally alive and "breathing".

[Cindi]

I know that Thermador makes quality appliances, but I would buy that gas stovetop for the star burners alone! Love them!

Thanks for the tours of your kitchen. I have loved reading about them. A lot of your kitchen design is like the kitchen in the house we recently sold. I hope to have one like it again!

[Wendy in Kennewick]

Everything old is new again. 12 yrs ago when we moved into our 1980 built home, the first thing I tore off was the grasscloth wallpaper in the dining room and entry and put up a small red gingham check. Now I'm looking for grasscloth to use in a guest bath.

[Yvonne]

Your new kitchen is breathtaking but I do wonder where all your beautiful colourful stuff has gone to?

[Lori]

The Mega Shelf and the fact that you can decorate seasonally is one of my favorite things. And recessed lighting underneath? Brilliant.
And I empathize the stress you must have experienced when you were going through the salesman sample/window fitting fiasco. Ah, the grey hair inducing project of building a house... :)

[Sanna]

Hi Serena,

I just love love LOVE your kitchen! So many details and well thought-out. I wish I had thought about using a sturdy plastic cover in my lower cabinets. It´s scratcy and ugly just as you´re describing. Money worth spent! And the venting, I wondered about that. That is so clever! I also love the cutting board, another smart idea I definitely would use if I ever were to remodel my kitchen again.

Nice to have friends and professionals knowing what they´re talking about and that are serious, giving good advice and perspective on things.

Happy Saturday!
Sanna

[Jil]

Selena, Thank you so much for sharing all the details of your kitchen. It's so beautiful and I think would be a dream to cook in. I absolutely love your island, I miss mine from my last home. I have plans for a shelf with corbels in my living room. I rent currently and the weight of your shelf would look great and give me a staging area for holidays. Love the subway tile and the grass cloth basketweave pattern is ingenious.

[teresa]

I've been away taking care of grand-babies- just getting caught up on things around here.
I love "mega shelf"
Thanks for sharing- so love your kitchen.
Happy Day

[Serena]

Hi Yvonne, Most of my colorful goods are in my new World Headquarters. (The fancy name for my office). :) I wish you could come and visit!
:) Serena

[Helen]

When we remodeled our kitchen, we waited a year for our cabinet maker. This gave us a lot of time to get ideas from friends and books which have added to the beauty and function of our kitchen.

Your posts give just the sorts of details and ideas that will help others who have the great privilege of remodeling a kitchen. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

(And like Wendy, we ripped out our grasscloth and gave away about a dozen rolls, and now I'm kinda sorry about that!)

[Sarah Beth]

I am curious about the lighting fixture on the grass wallpaperin the above pic? Where did you find it?

[DBC]

Your kitchen is gorgeous! You made such great choices!

[Roofers oklahoma city]

I just required some information and was searching on Google for it. I visited each page that came on first page and didn’t got any relevant result then I thought to check out the second one and got your blog. This is what I wanted!

[Randy Stove]

This is a stunning kitchen! It's so clean and white and open. I absolutely love it. I made a stove out of breckwell pellet stove parts and I must say, it would look amazing in this kitchen. I need to have a kitchen like this!