This would be easier if we had an idea on what type of surfaces you are drawn to because material cost for the little bit of counter space can run from $100ish for ikea butcher block to $$$$$ for a rare onyx. With your budget in mind you should pull together an inspiration file and go from there.

If you love granite, but need to spend less you could look for prefab granite, or there are many HD laminates that have a great stone look.

Ikea seems like a great option for you particularly if you already like the look of their cabinets. Ikea gets rave reviews from many because of the hardware upgrades that are standard i.e. full extension Blum glides. To the best of my knowledge you need to hire someone to put an Ikea kitchen in if you don't feel up to the task. They don't have installers.

I don't like the idea of messing with a load bearing wall on a limited budget. There's just too much room for error, when not hiring true pros to assess the situation and handle it accordingly.

To maximize space you might want to try shallow floor to ceiling pantry type cabinetry where your beverage center(very impressive BTW) Is there plumbing or duct work in your soffits? You might want to poke a hole in them and shine a flashlight to take a look. Eliminating the soffits and getting taller cabs might be an option. Definitely put a full depth cab over your frig. Ideal place for oversized trays, cookie sheets, etc. You might want to get one of those sinks with a cutting board that fits over it. That would increase your work space without any actual additional counterspace.

So I don't think I can answer all of your questions, but I think I can say that the $6,000 you have after the cost of appliances isn't going to buy you much in the way of cabinets, countertops, and design work. I think you should seriously consider IKEA since you are already open to DIY some stuff. The quality of IKEA is actually very good. Consumer Reports rated them highly in their testing results. My own contractor, who gave me no end of grief about using IKEA (he called it "junk") was impressed with them when they were installed. The IKEA kitchen cabinets are much sturdier and well designed than their furniture, so it holds up well. I found that my IKEA installer was also really helpful in terms of design, but having them installed eats into your budget as well.

You'll find lots of help here, so spend some time doing research and looking at how different designs are critiqued. You'll be amazed how much you can learn here.

Speaking of IKEA, you might consider downloading their Kitchen Planner software. Even if you choose not to go with IKEA, it will help you plan what you are going to do.

I've been trying to draw my kitchen with Google SketchUp! Can't say as I recommend it.

Have you looked through the Finished Kitchens Blog? Lots of kitchen pictures. You can search by various categories, including Kitchen Style.

Good luck to you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchens Blog

Well, It's nice to hear to that people like Ikea. My biggest reservation with Ikea was that it's the same quality as their furniture. I'm happy to hear people here tell me otherwise. There's one not far from me, and I always do drool over their kitchen designs.

LaxSupermon..
That's a great idea about the soffits. I don't think there's anything behind there, only because all the other units in the building have them as well, and many of those units have different structural layouts.

I've been looking at the galleries as well, and I've found quite a few that I like. I'm really concerned with making my kitchen look as open as spacious as possible, but I also want to use neutral colors so I'm flexible if I I ever repaint. Because of that, I'll most likely go with white cabinets, or a light shade of maple. The rest of my condo has Armstrong Tiger Maple laminate floors so if I go with a wood grain, I'd like the finish to be similar to that. I'm fine with MDF and a finished surface. I don't need it to be solid wood. Again I'm more concerned with durability/longevity After seeing how well my floors hold up to abuse in comparison to my neighbors real hardwoods, I'm all for engineered/synthetic products. I entertain a lot and I tend to be hard on things, so durability is paramount.

Here's a pic of the floors
{{gwi:1926950}}

For countertops, I want something that's low maintenance, can be used as a cutting surface, is seamless(no grout or valleys for dirt to collect), is impervious to hot pans, and allows me to use an undermount sink.

I'll add another caveat.. My water heater for the entire unit is located underneath my cabinets in the corner behind the dishwasher. I will have to have an access panel on the counter to get to the shutoff valve. In the pictures, you see the outline of the current panel. Whatever countertop I choose will have to address that issue.

I actually find granite too heavy looking. I love the look of butcher block, but not the maintenance so that's out. Colorwise, it would again be a light neutral color that contrasts well with white cabinets and appliances. I'll most likely go with glossier cabinets, so I'll want a flat finish on the countertops. I think I'd like to put down grey slate for the floor, so perhaps something in a lighter shade of grey. I've looked at many of the countertop options, and honestly, they all had finishes I'd be very happy with. Considering how small the countertop space is, I didn't really think price would be an issue there.

BBSTX...

I've also been playing with Google Sketchup, and I think it's quite powerful, (The ability to import detailed appliances was nice) I'm just wrestling with figuring out how to use it. At the moment, I can make a box (my kitchen) but I can't make a box with 5" thick walls. Every time I try to extrude the inner dimensions, it subtracts the space from the outer box. I'll figure it out eventually. :)

I briefly played with the Ikea software but quit when it seemed kind of limiting. If I do go Ikea, I'm sure I'll spend some more time in it.

Some examples from the gallery I like

Thanks for everybody's input!

Chris

For counters, you might want to check out zinc. It's pretty inexpensive and can take the heat of a hot pan and is a fantastic grey color that will not need to be babied, because the patina of hard use is what makes it so beautiful. It also could be a DIY job. They would look great with a grey slate floor and white cabs.

Love your inspiration photo, BTW.

I'd definitely take out the soffits -- we did that and it gave us a lot more storage space. Just be sure to plan space to store a stepladder.

I'm not sure that any of the engineered surfaces work as cutting boards -- they'll all hard, which means that they'll dull your knives, and they're dangerous, because the knives will slip.

I think that you should go to Home Depot or Lowes and get an estimate on cabinets and countertops. I respect your not wanting to take someone's time if you don't intend on using them, but I look at it this way. The employees of HD or Lowes are paid hourly whether you're using them or not. I'm sure they'd rather spend time with you trying to help you figure things out - even if you don't end up using them to buy cabinets or countertops.

Chances are, if you're happy with your experience, you'll be back to purchase various material for your new kitchen, thereby giving them SOME business which is better than no business at all. If you do use them to buy your cabinets and counterops, then GREAT for them! They know that they're not going to get everyone's business who they do designs for and give prices to. It's a gamble on their part that they're fully aware of.

Just my 2 cents.

Boxie