lovely space. one question - what is that fridge? it looks small, sexy and efficient, and is exactly what i'm looking for.

So bright and clean! Excellent color choices.

I really like this kitchen, it seem so light bright and effective. Not over the top, just simple and well laid out. I especially love the tools at a 'grab reach' above the stove...and the open shelving, ah the open shelving just sings to my heart!

saer
http://cravenmaven.wordpress.com

The open shelving is fantastic (though I would be inclined to turn the wine glasses upside down to avoid getting dust in them)! Love the countertops and the color palette too. It would have been great to see a before shot, considering how horrible the old kitchen sounds.

Polish Chick - it is a Blomberg. http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/BRFB1450.html?brand_store=1 We love this fridge - it is the most energy efficient on the market and is very quiet. It is a copy of the Liebherr, but for half the price. The cubic storage looks low, but it is surprisingly roomy on the inside due to the low profile shelving and sensible organization.

And Annegret - good idea to turn the glasses upside down. I will admit that we drink a lot of wine(!) so most of the glasses don't get dusty, but it is a good plan for the champagne glasses we don't use very often.

Lucy--I would only slightly disagree with Annegret. Resting them upside down will damage the lip (especially if you have nice, thin-lipped glasses), so if you do turn them over, maybe have them resting in one of those suspended glass racks.

Also, Lucy, I have a question about your range--it looks to be gas, is that right? How do you like it? I'm especially interested in how well it vents (it seems to have a built-in vent). Can you share the maker? Thanks!

Chic, gorgeous. I, too, love the look of your fridge.

http://thesweetest3.com/

Thanks for all the feedback!

Jenny B - the range is an Electrolux Icon. Ours is full gas. We planned to get the dual fuel, but it was considerably more. We are very happy with it - it has extremely high and low BTUs, so you can boil quickly but simmer very low. No vent - I gather that the only pro range on the market is the Jenn-Air, and we didn't like that model. Plus, I haven't found a downdraft vent I like anyway. Since we couldn't fit a hood due to the large window (which we weren't willing to obscure), we are replacing the window so it opens and can act as a vent. In the meantime, we just don't burn stuff ;-)

Hi Lucy (I'm a Lucy too!)

Gorgeous kitchen! How did you get the magnetic knife strip to stick to the tiles? I've only ever seen ones that screw into the wall.

Delightful kitchen - congratulations!
Do you have any kitchen planners, designers or contractors you recommend? I am interesting in creating a similar transformation for my DC kitchen (hunter green and formica are the dominant themes currently!) in the Valley Vista building.

This looks great. May I ask where you got the rods for the suspended shelves?

lucica - it is a knife strip from Ikea and is drilled, but drilled into the grout, not the tile itself.

baurameen - we used Holdfast LLC (http://www.holdfastdc.com/) and highly recommend them. And two of the guys that worked on our kitchen just started their own company called Ancora Contracting (no website yet, but can be reached at ancoracontracting@gmail.com) - they were terrific as well. Both companies do great work and are budget friendly ;-)

yardie - the suspension rods are actually stainless steel fence posts (home depot) and the horizonal bars are long cabinet pulls from ikea. We didn't want to spend a fortune on this shelving unit, so those items and some planks of wood and paint did the trick within our budget.

Lucy- were you nervous about the marble countertops? I love the look but keep getting discouraged by the 'high maintenance' comments.

ParkRoadFolks - Marble tops are not for everyone. While we have sealed them and therefore have no trouble with staining, they are easily etched (even if you take care not to put any acidic products directly on them). The etching is not as noticeable if you hone the marble and you can always hone it every few years to return it to its original state. We like the look so much and the little imperfections don't bother us, so I was very confident in our choice, but I can see how they would not be durable enough for most people.

Really stunning kitchen. I love the creative storage solutions (corner shelving, hanging racks), clean lines, muted colors. It looks very inviting!

OK I just love the knife magnet and pot rack area? where can I get that rack?

I looked at the Blomberg and the Liebherr fridges side by side in the store, and the quality difference is visible. The Blomberg is priced cheaper because it's....well, built cheaper. If you're looking for a small fridge based on price, there are some cute ones even cheaper than the Blomberg that seem to be of comparable quality. (search for "apartment fridge") The Liebherr has two compressors, is quieter, and more efficient, thus the higher pricetag. You get whatcha pay for!

Really, really cute kitchen you've got here Lucy! Wish I wasn't too late to vote you a thumbs up.

Besides being great, your kitchen actually looks like you enjoy cooking! Nice job. Congratulations.

91styale - The racks were in our kitchen when we moved in and I don't know where they are from, but they look a lot like this: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=pot racks&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&oe=utf8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7420629740243972947&ei=DEUFTJbwMYKClAfAxYHXBg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=image&resnum=6&ved=0CFQQ8gIwBQ#.

funkisockmunki - Re: the Blomberg fridge, we actually love this fride and think the quality is great. It is absolutely silent and the energy efficiency seems to be as good if not better than the Liebherr. Although the Liebherr may be the Porsche of fridges, I think Blomberg is a great alternative.

Thanks for all the comments and votes, everyone! We cook a lot in our house and are glad to see that shows through!

Lucy - Great kitchen! Where did you get the marble from? Did you look other places? Did Holdfast install the countertops? Finally, what thickness is that? (any particular reason for that thickness).

africarising - the tops are 3cm, which is standard. I used Marble Systems in Fairfax, VA, which I think has the best marble selection in the DC area. And I should know - I visited about 5 different places... The marble, for me, was the focal point of the kitchen and I was very particular about the slab. I would suggest looking at a number of different places before picking the slab you want becasue there is a lot of poor quality (veiny) carrara out there right now. Holdfast has a guy that just installs countertops (and he honed it for us). He got us a discount on the retail price and did a very nice job - that it one of my favorite things about our kitchen.

my favorite this year, one problem that is bugging me though, and it is small. Why are the knives next to the oven? It seems any time you want to cut something you have to go to the oven to fetch a knife then travel to cut something. Why not next to the fridge over the counter, next to the cutting board? Otherwise it is a beautiful kitchen and you have the triangle working well for you.

Hi Lucy - super cute kitchen! Where did you find the light fixture above the table? So simple. Love it!

I'd also love the source for the light fixture.

lindseylew28 and RedShoes - here is the source for the chandelier (our is in satin nickel): http://www.allmodern.com/Sonneman-602-XX-Puri-Pendant-SEN1583.html