Those euro kitchens are beautiful,

But if you toss one in a ranch-style home in Witchita KS it might not look right.

True, and I'm a big fan of stained hardwood vs painted. I really enjoy the look of quality wood. To each his own.

Strange how the anonymity of the internet enables people to feel like they get a pass on tact and grace. :rolleyes:
Loosen up your black turtleneck and give the guy a break. While the style might not be your cup of tea, it’s totally appropriate for the region he lives in.
And by the way, I work extensively in Europe (from Milan to Oslo) and know firsthand it’s not all shiny white lacquer but rather quite..."American" as you put it.

Nice work OWP.

Thanks! Based on what I've seen of houses in Europe, I'm pretty ok with what the states have to offer. And personally I'm not a fan of the stark, minimalistic, clinical feel of many European style kitchens. I greatly prefer the warmth and character of a quality stained hardwood.

Matt,
Your kitchen looks great.http://"C:\Users\NetworkAdmin\Pictures\modern kit-ICT.JPG"
I just finished this kitchen in Wichita, modern is finally arriving! although in a new modern home as well

http://i63.tinypic.com/2mfx5p2.jpg
try this

My name is Thorstein Klingenberg, so there's the anonymity gone. And I'm still amazed at how different nice is in the US and Europe. I'm also not a big fan of Apple so that turtleneck won't be seen on me

Nice job, Matt. Very impressive you did all the labor yourself. It's not just the time, sweat, and expertise, but the time it takes from your day job and family. I don't know how you managed.

We're about to remodel our kitchen, too, so maybe in a couple months I'll have some before and after pics to post.

I'm not sure how a kitchen remodel became a contentious subject but they all look good. the ikea look is appealing but for me I'd go dark tile and stained wood. just a great warm look.

Looks great! It's definitely a matter of different strokes for different folks, everybody likes different stuff. I'm a sucker for the wood look, partially because I spent a few years doing cabinets and trim carpentry.

Those European kitchens look great. You can find a million examples of those as well, in newer construction homes (or at least those with a modern aesthetic). But you can't drop an ultra modern, minimalist kitchen design into a 20yr old traditional home in middle America, or even in a city for that matter. It just won't kit in with the rest the house.

Well you can, it's just going to look ridiculous. Especially considering I have installed stained wood hardwood floors, wider stained oak trim, raised panel oak doors, and earth tone tile throughout the rest of the house.

I think you may be conflating "nice" with "different". Also, you seem to be forgetting that taste and/or style is personal and subjective, at least here in the US. Remember this country is huge, and design/architecture runs the gamut from traditional/colonial, cape cod, Tuscan, ranch, territorial, Spanish, adobe, minimalist, hard contemporary, you name it. Trust me, we have plenty of "nice" homes here with very contemporary/modern design and architecture (to include kitchens).
We just have a fairly wide range of other styles as well, as opposed to only one "accepted" style. It would be pretty boring/stale if there were only one version of "nice" IMO. YMMV I guess...

SmileWavy

Sure, the same way someone can install oak or birch kitchens over here. Most don't, but some old folks still do. That style, wooden fronts with profiled fronts, black, copper or weathered handles and generally a dark look was popular here about 20 years ago, so it's not like we're unfamiliar with it.
Not sure who is ahead, maybe the "American style" will be back in Europe in a few years, and today's clean look will be out of style. ;)

Those modern euro zero-profile kitchens are actually 1960's American kitchens! . Cheers!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1500507009.JPG
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1500507009.JPG

Our atomic future!!!

I love mid-century modern stuff, as do a couple other Pelicans on this thread. But that clean, minimalist look doesn't always work unless you've got no possessions or people living in a place.

And those 60's trends may have been inspired to a great degree by Bauhaus design theory.

Perhaps some of our architecturally-minded Pelicans can weigh in on this.

One thing I can say with certainty - whatever is popular today will be considered dated in 20 years. Pick what you like, not what will impress the crew from HGTV.