Love the stools.

the stools are beautiful.

i'm glad they passed on the bland lowe's computer generated furniture.

inspiring DIY. Your after kitchen is fantastic.

Yes, the stools ad a really casual, well lived patina. I think I would have painted the brick wall white as well though... otherwise, beautiful!

i love it! Great job ... looks very welcoming :-)

Beautiful...only I don't like the dark hardwood floor... I would have chosen a lighter, blonde bleached wood.

I don't get the fake brick, but love the rest, especially the improved lay out and dark floors.

Love the granite counters!

I NEED to know what the wooden pallet-type thing is (with wheels, I think – can't see properly from the pic). I likey!

Love the stools.

http://once-upon-a-time-sacha.blogspot.com/

I actually really like the brick, since I believe it's not actually "fake" brick, but thin pieces of real brick. The only thing I do not like is the floor color in conjunction with the brick wall, I feel like one would have to go, the brick, or the floor - The brick is a wonderful companion to the industrial inspired furniture and the floor goes great with the cabinets and appliances, but when you mash the two together it feels slightly unbalanced. Though, overall, great renovation.

The 'wooden pallet-type' thing is an old dolly from a furniture warehouse/ plant. We have one and it was a disaster waiting to happen with our 2 year old, but am looking forward to bringing it back out 20 years from now. Restoration Hardware is re-habbing and selling them.

Don't quite get the fake brick wall either. Exposed brick walls are great if they're 100+ years old. Perhaps if they were going for a textural accent wall, a wall of vintage barn boards would have accomplished the same thing while adding a little history? Regardless, the vintage pieces really warm up the space and the dark floors look fantastic! Nice work.

Nice job! That must have been really gratifying to see through.

wow, this looks really cool! I don't get ppl saying they'd paint the brick... why install it in the first place if you don't like it? Why would you install brick only to paint it over? Very unique and innovative reno, good job!

Fantastic! LOVE the brick. And EthylAlcohol is right, it IS real brick, just not brick blocks. If I were to do something like this, I'd go for brick veneer as well.

this is exactly what we plan to do in our kitchen. with the cooktop on the island and the bar coming off of it. could you tell me the dimensions of your island?

I really think this is a beautiful makeover, in fact I like the brick wall and dark floors even. But I have the same issue with it that I had when it was on D*S not two weeks ago. And that is that now the kitchen is essentially in two rooms. Does no one else find this odd?

Ooooo. Love the sink.

I agree with direce79 regarding the issue of the layout and splitting the kitchen between 2 rooms - with the oven, microwave and what appear to be pantry cabinets in a separate room. I am wondering what the inside of the kitchen looked like before and what the other room (also the laundry room?) looks like now.

Well done! It looks beautiful :-)

@dirce79 and @tandreams - one of my friends has a similar layout, though it wasn't intentional. Her kitchen is pretty much one long hall of counters and the ovens are on one end of the counters while the fridge is on the other end.

I actually wouldn't mind it because then I don't have to worry about having to clear off counter space to cool a baking pan. There's a "dedicated" space for anything in the oven.

@crayfish - kind of a doorway, kind of not. There weren't actually any doors there.

Love the brick, the stools, the layout, everything. Nice work!!!

Gorgeous. I follow their blog and that kitchen with that gorgeous brick wall, chandi and those stools...divine!

well done! timeline and product. True DIY-ers. Congrats on a great B&A.

Thank you all for the feedback! The stools and miners cart (the low coffee table) are from a local store called Modern Manor, here in Phoenix. And thank you about the brick! It is real brick, just thin pieces, and we love it! It adds a lot of warmth and texture to the space. As for the spacing issues, there wasn't much we could do about it. The brick wall is the old 'outside' wall to our home, the pantry room is an old addition, so we weren't able to take down that archway of a wall. I knew I really wanted to have two ovens, so we have one in the island, and then the micro/oven unit in the pantry. It isn't absolutely ideal from a design standpoint, but it actually is amazing. Now when I need to use the oven in the summer (which in Phx is MISERABLE) I use that one instead of the island one. It doesn't make my kitchen a furnace! If you go here http://www.dreambookdesign.com/2011/03/some-updated-photos.html it shows you an old inside photo of the kitchen. The laundry room isn't finished yet, but once it is I will have photos up of it! The dimensions of the island are 4ft x 5ft. Hope that helps!
<3,
Adri
www.dreambookdesign.com

I love it! The brick looks warm and rustic, and the contrast with the cool modern units and appliances and the dark treacley floor is stunning. However I do agree with one comment that the kitchen is in two rooms which seems odd. was this deliberate, or is the brick wall load-bearing, and therefore more trouble than it's worth to remove?

PacoPuddy- the brick wall is load-bearing, so we couldn't do much about it unless we wanted to spend WAY over our budget, which just wasn't an option. We actually kind of like it though, because that oven doesnt heat up the whole kitchen when in use. Very nice for Phx summers:)

<3,
Adri
www.dreambookdesign.com

I would think it might be nice to have the oven in a different area than the rest of the kitchen. Would be extra nice if there was a pocket door you could close when you don't want the rest of the kitchen to get hot when the oven's on.

I think you have done an AMAZING AWESOME job, and this is from someone who just did a small bathroom reno and I understand the aggravation this process brings during.
With that said, I love the feel of the room, and the floor, but I am with the minority that says the brick wall needs to tone down. Maybe painted similar color to the countertops, or a light grey (very pale) and then I think your style of rough furniture and old schoolhouse charm would stand even more out. I know that you live in it, but this is how it is reading on the picture.
I would have wished the you had gone all the way to the ceiling with the top cabines (with that soffit over there)... but not sure if there are pipes down there.

Overall, I am in awe and inspired. I'm may be in the minority, but I especially LOVE the brick wall.

Thanks for the additional info, adriannelent. Now that I understand that this is the original exterior wall, I understand why you added the brick veneer on this side of it, and why they kitchen is divided like that. Personally, given the size of the archway, I don't really see a problem with having the wall oven located where it is, except possibly the distance to the nearest counter.

Overall, it's quite a nice improvement. However, the brick wall is way too expansive in this space and dominates the room in a way that doesn't add as much design value if it was instead a nice color painted wall with a very impressive piece of art work to draw your eye to the wall.

would i be shot if i said i liked the green walls from the before, and the white panels too... =p=p

@Ulrika - because people aren't all made of money? I want to live in a Manhattan high rise with a private rooftop terrace overlooking the river, but since I have nowhere the amount of money it takes to accomplish such a thing, I'll keep living in my 3rd floor apartment and hang out in the community garden instead.

You really need to go to the blog to see the true before photos to get a real feel for the amazing transformation.

I've been wondering about brick veneer...

those stools are the exact ones that the science building at my old university had. they were a pain to raise and lower and so uncomfortable, but they look so nice there...

Really like the little detail at the crown - the relatively simple crown molding enhanced by corner details - very nice.

I'd be interested in seeing the butler's pantry (?) and to know if that brick wall is existing or a veneer.

Ah, just read my answer on the brick. Thanks, dreambookdesign!

I think the homeowners did a good job getting what they wanted. But from a design stand point, the dark floor and brick wall are two very strong statements that are competing with each other. And the island is too small for the space.

And from the link dreambookdesign provided, I see that trim was original to the house. Nice!

Me again, really digging this house.

The blend of modern and country is very invigorating, and I think that when you see the flow of the house, the floor and the brick integrates much better than it appears to in the solitary kitchen shots:

http://www.dreambookdesign.com/2011/03/some-updated-photos.html

i love the after, such an improvement! i am curious about the cooktop in the island--i am thinking about doing the same thing in an upcoming reno, and am worried about the splatter/mess potential, especially with the possibility of innocent bystanders sitting so near. (would that make them bysitters?) also, i see there is no hood fan here, is there an in-counter fan?
again, beautiful work!

Beautifully done, thank you for explaining the ovens in the pantry, at first I thought that was a little odd.

I love all of the elements individually, I just don't like them together. I think it's the brick that's throwing me off. And I don't think the divided kitchen would look nearly as out of place of the dividing wall were the same as the rest.

That being said, the floors are incredible, and I love the kitchen itself, not to mention all the cool furniture!

Glad you guys have created a space you love.

I like that this kitchen has some unexpected elements. It's not every day that you see a brick wall in a kitchen, and I like the warmth and texture it brings to the room. Plus, the brick echoes the subway tile backsplash.

The only thing I might change is the stools. I see a simple backless stool--one that tucks inconspicuously under the island overhang--as working well. Beautiful renovation. You should be proud.

Adri, thank you so much for taking the time to explain your design decisions and challenges. I think everyone benefits from it!

Great job! Putting the oven in another area reminds me of the "old days" when the kitchen wasn't even attached to the house. :) Congrats!

I love this, except the separation with the microwave and stove in the "other room" due to that brick partition. I assume this was a load-bearing wall that couldn't be moved, otherwise I would think you want the two spaces to be more cohesive.

I love this! Absolutely love the floors; they're so dramatic and make the entire space!

Simply lovely, you've got great taste!

Gorgeous! I love the overall feel of the room and I really like the brick wall, too!

The creativity and attention to detail is really something. Love Love Love the floor and brick wall. The combo along with the great granite tops make for a great looking kitchen. They found fantastic furniture pieces to go with the decor and created a beautiful environment. Nice work!

Thanks everyone!!!
@Nickety- So far we havent experienced any issues with having the cook top so close to the seats. I might become a little more paranoid once we have kids, but for now especially- I don't think ive even come close to splashing something on someone!

And yes, we have to keep that wall that the brick is on, because it is load-bearing. Hope that helps explain the reasoning on why there is that separation. We got a lot of the furniture in the room from Modern Manor here in Phoenix!

<3,
Adri

I soo want that bench seating, wish I could see more! Where did you find that?

I also initially found it odd that the kitchen was two rooms, but it makes a lot of sense. If you entertain a lot, the area that is open would be for entertaining or everyday use, and the other area would be for baking/roasting, and storage. I love to cook, and there are parts of the cooking process that I'd like to be kept private during parties etc., but I also like to interact with guests, and this kitchen is perfect for that! I think I like the brick, but I feel as though I'm programmed to dislike it unpainted in an interior setting, unless it's on a fireplace.

I love the island and the way you opened up the space! That is a fast reno, Our kitchen took us about 3 months... Its been a year and a half since we finished and I finally got around to posting our Before and Afters! Great JOB!

Very nice job. I'm not really a fan of the brick (and I like exposed brick) and I think someone made the good point that the floor and brick are both really strong statements. (Plus, that's a big expanse of brick.) I think painted brick would look amazing, though, but it's not my kitchen!

Amazing foresight...I love it.

Wow. My comment was deleted because I don't like the stools? Ridiculous.

I think the brick -- faux, face, whatever it is -- is really unfortunate.

I adore brick wall, and rest too... but i would apply not that Granite countertops but a for example a Vermont White Danby marble... giving more light to the kitchen... what do you think?