The under cabinet lighting might be age related too:(

It was just a couple of years ago I noticed that it was hard to see as well when it was dark and I was getting dinner ready. That is why I bought some DIY lighting and installed it. I don't think the lack of light bothered me in my younger days.

Warming drawer... four years, and used maybe a dozen times.
Should have known better, replaced a warming drawer we had for 27 years and only used it a few times year...

I love it, even if it is a bit small. It's overall measurements are 17.75" x 17.75", but the interior is only 15.75" square (not 18" - which I mis-remembered on another thread a while ago - CPArtist, so I think if your prep sink is 18" wide, you'll be fine!)

Thank you beuhl!

I just looked at the specs for the sink. Too small also. The exterior is 18" x 18" but the interior is only 15" x 15" like yours. Off to see if I can find something a bit larger. Ugh!

Javiwa...thanks. I tried all sizes and types of trash cans. My prep sink is in a corner sink base, so there isn't much room in front of the sink or in the door opening.

I wanted a trash can that I didn't have to open the top of, so we tried several options: just open (but I didn't like the smell or the possible contamination from the trash), one that hung on the door (but, they were all too wide for our door!), and one that opens when your hand (or anything) is within about 6" (the picture below).

While the last option seemed to work the best, the problem was that it b/c it opens when something is too close to it, it kept opening when we shut the door - and it stayed open.

I finally gave up.

.

Perfect timing for this thread since we are in the planning stages of gutting a kitchen.

DH and I both love our under cabinet lights. Ours are on 5 different light switches so there is a switch convenient to whichever prep area we are using. But we often turn them on as general mood lighting even when no one is using the kitchen. They use less electricity and are more subtle then the high hats - even when dimmed.

Buehl: how about this:

Lose the plastic trash can that comes with and fit a bin into the brackets, similar to what I did:

I still had to notch out the bin (yellow circle) to make way for the pipes, but this does the trick for us. It won't be a covered can, so you'd need to empty the bin more often, but it saves you a drippy travel across the kitchen, and you have a handy bin.

I still plan on inserting a shallow tray/tub at the bottom to maximize storage...it's on the To Do list.

Buehl there are plenty of foot activated smaller cans out now....

New build, not a reno. Warming drawer for sure. I never remember to heat it before I'd possibly have the right time to use it. Interesting about the UCL - we use ours daily but I don't think our LED's were $1,500 either.

We prep on our island also but still use the UCL on the perimeter. It's the other 'busy' spot in our kitchen by the MW and toaster, cereal drawer butting up to the fridge.

buehl-"one that hung on the door (but, they were all too wide for our door!),'

Here are two of the smallest -only 5 qt but at least will fit.

FWIW I try to get a trash at every prep sink (usually on the door)- amazing how many folks nix the idea.

A friend of mine fashioned a pulley on the cabinet door that would lift the plastic lid of the trash can when you opened the door. A pulley, some string and a eye screw. Nifty little set up.

I'm surprised, too, by the lack of UCL love. We didn't have them in our old house and had to have them in this reno. I have them on all day and well into the night! Now the pendants over the island? I never use those. My husband uses them when he's working on paperwork there, but I never use them. The LED cans and UCLs are all I need. I could have saved the money used on the pendants and Wolf single oven and used that for an UC beverage fridge in the Butler's Pantry and a different (and less expensive) wall oven.

I loved my UCL's. Even after prepping, I liked having the lights on on either side of the cooktop. But then my last kitchen was dark.

DH turned on the pendants all the time. Not sure what I'm going to do in the new build though. I'm stressing. Most people on this forum are ABB. I have that covered already. I'm ABL (All but lights)

I've had UCL's for years and love them - would never be without them.

I did my kitchen on a VERY tight budget so there were no splurges. Perhaps that's a "good thing" as it prevented me from going for something I could well do without. Also, I'm 73 and first got married 50 years ago, so I pretty much know what I will and will not use. When one is young, one often does things for ones "fantasy life", not ones real one; with age, comes reality.

I guess I did do one splurge. I paid $179 for a stainless liner with sliding lid for a drawer. It is made to be a bread box, but I use it for the dog kibble. I LOVE IT! What a difference it makes to just open the drawer, slide back the lid and fill the bowls. No odor, no dog getting into the food, no tin cans to hold it on the floor. I just dump in the bag (it holds about 30lbs of small kibble) and Bob's Your Uncle! Great splurge!

When one does any sort of decorating/remodeling on a tight budget, one must think and think about what is really needed, how to get the most bang for ones buck, and what will truly be used. Add to that a small kitchen that was choppy, and "extras" not only don't fit the budget, they don't fit the room!

I can see how someone could get carried away if one had a humongous kitchen. My DS's former house (before divorce) was enormous. The previous owners did lots of large scale entertaining, involving caterers, so there was a 2nd DW, small 2nd cooktop, warming drawers - all sorts of things that would be of use to a caterer. They rarely entertained and none of these things were even used. But non-cooking, non-entertaining DIL wanted them "just because" a house of this size/status would be expected to have them.

Of course, I quickly learned, that in their area, the larger and more expensive the kitchen was, the less chance anything other than frozen stuff for children was ever prepared in it.

I've had UCL's for years and love them - would never be without them.

I did my kitchen on a VERY tight budget so there were no splurges. Perhaps that's a "good thing" as it prevented me from going for something I could well do without. Also, I'm 73 and first got married 50 years ago, so I pretty much know what I will and will not use. When one is young, one often does things for ones "fantasy life", not ones real one; with age, comes reality.

I guess I did do one splurge. I paid $179 for a stainless liner with sliding lid for a drawer. It is made to be a bread box, but I use it for the dog kibble. I LOVE IT! What a difference it makes to just open the drawer, slide back the lid and fill the bowls. No odor, no dog getting into the food, no tin cans to hold it on the floor. I just dump in the bag (it holds about 30lbs of small kibble) and Bob's Your Uncle! Great splurge!

When one does any sort of decorating/remodeling on a tight budget, one must think and think about what is really needed, how to get the most bang for ones buck, and what will truly be used. Add to that a small kitchen that was choppy, and "extras" not only don't fit the budget, they don't fit the room!

I can see how someone could get carried away if one had a humongous kitchen. My DS's former house (before divorce) was enormous. The previous owners did lots of large scale entertaining, involving caterers, so there was a 2nd DW, small 2nd cooktop, warming drawers - all sorts of things that would be of use to a caterer. They rarely entertained and none of these things were even used. But non-cooking, non-entertaining DIL wanted them "just because" a house of this size/status would be expected to have them.

Of course, I quickly learned, that in their area, the larger and more expensive the kitchen was, the less chance anything other than frozen stuff for children was ever prepared in it.

I've had UCL's for years and love them - would never be without them.

I did my kitchen on a VERY tight budget so there were no splurges. Perhaps that's a "good thing" as it prevented me from going for something I could well do without. Also, I'm 73 and first got married 50 years ago, so I pretty much know what I will and will not use. When one is young, one often does things for ones "fantasy life", not ones real one; with age, comes reality.

I guess I did do one splurge. I paid $179 for a stainless liner with sliding lid for a drawer. It is made to be a bread box, but I use it for the dog kibble. I LOVE IT! What a difference it makes to just open the drawer, slide back the lid and fill the bowls. No odor, no dog getting into the food, no tin cans to hold it on the floor. I just dump in the bag (it holds about 30lbs of small kibble) and Bob's Your Uncle! Great splurge!

When one does any sort of decorating/remodeling on a tight budget, one must think and think about what is really needed, how to get the most bang for ones buck, and what will truly be used. Add to that a small kitchen that was choppy, and "extras" not only don't fit the budget, they don't fit the room!

I can see how someone could get carried away if one had a humongous kitchen. My DS's former house (before divorce) was enormous. The previous owners did lots of large scale entertaining, involving caterers, so there was a 2nd DW, small 2nd cooktop, warming drawers - all sorts of things that would be of use to a caterer. They rarely entertained and none of these things were even used. But non-cooking, non-entertaining DIL wanted them "just because" a house of this size/status would be expected to have them.

Of course, I quickly learned, that in their area, the larger and more expensive the kitchen was, the less chance anything other than frozen stuff for children was ever prepared in it.

Like some other posters, I am surprised at people not needing their UCLs. I use mine constantly. I agree the switch placement may have a lot to do with it. My UCL light switch is on the backsplash not far from the sink. It is the spot where I am most frequently standing, so it's convenient to turn it on. Across the kitchen I have another set of cabinets with UCLs. They are on a separate switch so I can turn on the lights that I am working under there.

Two more key points about my UCLs: they're on dimmer switches. I often use the UCLs for mood lighting in the evening, or on early mornings when I can't bear the glare of bright overhead lights. Also the UCLs are placed toward the front of the upper cabinets, not toward the rear. Placed toward the front, they light the centers of the counters, rather than the backsplash, and are thereby more useful.

One thing I would not do again is the Haefele Toe Kick step stool. It's a step stool that folds up and stores in the toe kick space. What a waste of money. It was a pain for the GC to install it, needing its own drawer front. But worse, it is so hard to fold and unfold it's totally a pain. And worst of all, it is so short it barely provides additional height. I never use it. I bought instead a super-slim step stool that works well and I store in the pantry.

I was really disappointed when my cabinet maker told me that the step stool that I wanted to put in the kick would not work. Now, not so much.... thanks Friedajune.

My lack of love for my UCL's is not about switch placement. It is about where the prep space is. We opened up our kitchen to the dining room/living room, taking down 2 walls. We have very few uppers. Prep is done on the L shaped section of counter that is open to the living area...no where near the UCL's. The sections of counter that are under the UCL's hold the toaster oven, my Kitchenaid and the coffee pot. It probably helps that our counters are very light, huge window over the sink and about a gazillion recessed lights, lol.

I cannot imagine having ALL the UCL's on a single switch! That's what I love about mine - I can put light where I want it and need it, without having the kitchen lit up overhead like Target. Yes, if multiple people are in and out of the kitchen serving/removing etc, the ceiling lights are on. But just me fixing a simple meal? Light just where I need it. Each fixture has a switch and a high/low setting. It's perfect!

I use my under counter lights daily in my last two kitchens but never use the dimmer function. I have them on high all the time.

Another one who in 6 years has never used the UCL. Switch is right in front of me, lights are on dimmers, but I never had them before and so am just not in the habit of using them

"coastal_modern_love" here with a new name. My biggest regret of my 08' modern kitchen remodel is going too modern. I chose wengé dark stain on my full overlay, flat panel, rift-cut oak cab fronts. Over the years I've softened up my home's overall feel with whites, more whites, and pale sandy tones, for a beachy natural sea washed feel. I can easily have the door fronts painted white/light gray/mix of wood and paint or stain now as a refresh, but the style can not be altered-locking me into a very modern kitchen. If I had chosen a little more classic style door front, a color could easily give it an update through the years without screaming "modern". Had I known then, to keep the bones of the kitchen "classic" and use pops of modern in easy to change areas like backsplash, accessories and counter tops for example, I would not be wishing for what I now know is my true style, but would easily be making some updates 9 years later!

I'm amazed that so many people don't use their UCL.

I strongly suspect this has to do with layout. I know I prefer to do my prep with "nothing over my head". I have a large kitchen, yet I do 90% of my prep on the 3' peninsula. My new kitchen will have a slightly larger peninsula, and I know that's going to be the prep space again.

In our new house, I'm planning UCL in two spots ... just spots, not cabinet runs ... not on the other two walls. Why? One wall will be all windows, and the other will have the range in the center /along with the range comes a hood with lighting.

A friend of mine fashioned a pulley on the cabinet door that would lift
the plastic lid of the trash can when you opened the door. A pulley,
some string and a eye screw. Nifty little set up.

Why would anyone have a lid on a trash can INSIDE a cabinet?

I guess I did do one splurge. I paid $179 for a stainless liner with
sliding lid for a drawer. It is made to be a bread box, but I use it
for the dog kibble. I LOVE IT! What a difference it makes to just open
the drawer, slide back the lid and fill the bowls. No odor, no dog
getting into the food, no tin cans to hold it on the floor. I just dump
in the bag (it holds about 30lbs of small kibble) and Bob's Your Uncle!
Great splurge!

I so want a bread drawer. Right now we keep the microwave about a foot from the end wall, and we keep the bread kind of "wedged" between the microwave and the wall. Hate that arrangement.

I need to figure a place for dog food and dog care items -- we are unlikely ever to be without at least one dog. I hadn't considered a bread drawer as dog food storage. Right now I have a large glass jar for dog food, but it doesn't hold a whole 11-lb bag, so often -- like right now -- when I open a new bag, I have about 10% of the bag left over, and it sits on the freezer out in the pantry.

One thing I would not do again is the Haefele Toe Kick step stool. It's a
step stool that folds up and stores in the toe kick space. What a waste
of money. It was a pain for the GC to install it, needing its own
drawer front. But worse, it is so hard to fold and unfold it's totally a
pain. And worst of all, it is so short it barely provides additional
height. I never use it. I bought instead a super-slim step stool that
works well and I store in the pantry.

I've got the stool thing down (being 4'11" tall, it was necessary). I have this stool in my kitchen:

I have a horrible desk SMACK DAB in the middle of my kitchen, and the only positive about that is that I keep this stool tucked underneath the desk area. It's on wheels, so I just pull it out with one foot, yet when I step on it, it "sinks down" so I can step on it safely. I think of it as a "library stool" since I see these frequently among the book stacks.

In my new house, I'm going to keep this stool in the walk-in pantry. I'm going to arrange the shelves so that the stool will be positioned right by the door and will literally be the most convenient item in the pantry. It'll take a few kicks ( but no hands) to bring it to any cabinet in the kitchen.

I also have this stool stored in the pantry, wedged between my dryer and the wall:

Well, okay, after 26 years of marriage and home projects, mine is covered with paint drips, etc., but it looked much like this when it was new. It is taller than the kick-stool. I don't reach for it as frequently as the other stool, but I also like it and wouldn't want it to be too far away. I'm thinking it'll either hang on the wall behind the pantry door OR will have a spot in the hallway cleaning closet. Either way, it'll have a dedicated space, hopefully hanging on wall hooks.

If you're looking to buy a stool, buy either one of these with confidence!

We have done two mid-level renos - using Ikea cabinets but with other higher end upgrades. I don't regret any of my "splurges", but honestly i don't derive much pleasure from gadgets and the like so i didn't really do the kinds of splurges that people on here are talking about. Our splurges were the high end countertops, the hardware pulls i wanted (instead of cheaper ones at ikea) etc. But nothing indulgent. Also, Ikea cabinets basically let you do a million "indulgent" type things for little or no extra cost. Like all drawers, soft close, pantries with a zillion pullouts, hidden computer center (including a printer on a base cabinet drawer that pulls out as we need it), a charging drawer, lots of wooden drawer organizers...

PS put me in the camp of "hates UCL". I hate the gadgetness of it. I want to come into the kitchen and flick on one or two light switches and have the whole room be bright enough to work in. I also do almost all my work on the island. My husband uses the light on the hood when he's at the stove top. But i can't even be bothered to do that. He usually neglects to turn it off after dinner, and every time i have to go in later and turn it off I curse it as indulgent :)

mrspete-will your pantry be able to store your dog food? We have a large covered bin that we pour the food into that we scoop from. Works great and it was at one point on casters but for some reason (can't remember why) we took them off. My dog eats too much kibble for a kitchen drawer to be efficient. I'd be filling that thing constantly.

We use our island pendants and UCL 95% of the time. The cans are the last to go on and very seldom needed or used. The light over the range I use pretty much every time I use the stove. Right now the only light on is the one over the stove while I am cooking soup. Did all the prep on the island and it's light enough I didn't need the pendants on but normally I do. We had sun today - first time in about 9 days? Ack. Why do I live here again? Oh yes, the summers are wonderful.

We use our UCL all the time, and the peninsula pendants too. If I were doing it again, I would make a couple of our deep drawers into shallow drawers. I would not spend the $$$$ on the fancy Capital range with the rotisserie in the oven.

We have a "Pet Center"!

Dog food in the big snowflake canister (6 gallons) - holds 15.5 pounds (we have two standard poodles)

Doggy treats in the smaller Easter egg canister (3 gallons, I think)

Both canisters are from "The Popcorn Factory".

Hmmmm... I LOVE my UCL.

I have white cabinets and never thought to tell the cabinet maker that I wanted the interiors unpainted (except for the glass door cabinets). What I wanted and never thought to mention was plain varnished wood for the interiors. Pulling out baking pans, sliding heavy bowls is hell on the paint job (conversion varnish finished, but not indestructible). The exteriors are great.

Since my reno was for a small and simple kitchen I don't have many regrets off the top of my head -- except for things that I did not do.

One "did do" regret is going with a local store's off the shelf hood. I didn't know better, but now I do know that CFMs and ease of cleaning could be much better than what I have. Spend a little more and get a hood that will actually move odors out!

I do like my UCLs but have to confess that I don't use them all that much -- but I do occasionally, and I think that as my eyes age I will be using them more.

I regret that I didn't put a shallow drawer-within-drawer in the top 6" deep drawer of my 3 drawer stack -- it is the drawer that has all my utensils and silverware and I could have easily done so, leading to better organization, less crowding. I wish that I had made new window a little bigger. I wish that I had at least one toe kick drawer. I wish that I had put pull outs in the over-the-frig cabinet and the top 2 shelves of the pantry cupboard (although I added Ikea drawers later which are working fine). I wish that I had designed a little alcove in the one base cabinet for the animal's dishes with protection from water for the floor -- although, I would have had to give up part of the dog food storage to do that, so maybe not.

Buehl, I have a similar set up, a pull-out made to fit two plastic cat litter containers perfectly to hold the dog's food.

"Why would anyone have a lid on a trash can INSIDE a cabinet?"

Oh mrs. pete, you must not live in the South! ;) If you did, you would know that a cockroach can find any crumb in any space....plus they can flatten and squeeze into a paper thin gap in cabinets. In fact, an open bag of dog food would be a buffet! TMI? LOL.

I'm in SoCal and it's like that here with ants. Everything must be in air tight containers or else. This really matters because I have 4 cats and buy over a month of cat food at a time (both wet and dry food).

I splurged on my kitchen farm sink. I wanted all the edges the same size to have a reveal and then was advised to have granite cover the edges - flush. I also wanted a deep sink. So I still get backaches and I drove myself nuts looking for the perfect sink. I also hate the grid that came with the sink and I have to chase the food down. I'm sorry that I didn't go with a less expensive sink. I do like the look of it though.

mrspete-will
your pantry be able to store your dog food? We have a large covered
bin that we pour the food into that we scoop from. Works great and it
was at one point on casters but for some reason (can't remember why) we
took them off. My dog eats too much kibble for a kitchen drawer to be
efficient. I'd be filling that thing constantly.

We'll certainly have space in the pantry, but I don't want to feed pets IN the pantry. I don't have the answer right now.

Our new pup -- well, he's been with us two years, so maybe he's not new -- has made us small dog people. We had big dogs for years and loved them, but I really love our 25-pounder, and I suspect we'll continue to have dogs this size for the rest of our lives. The point: We don't need oversized containers.

We have a "Pet Center"!

Dog food in the big snowflake canister (6 gallons) - holds 15.5 pounds (we have two standard poodles)

I do love those popcorn containers and have numerous examples around the house!

Oh mrs. pete, you must not live in the South! ;) If you did, you would
know that a cockroach can find any crumb in any space....plus they can
flatten and squeeze into a paper thin gap in cabinets. In fact, an open
bag of dog food would be a buffet! TMI? LOL.

Yeah, I'm a lifelong Carolinian:

Here's to the land of the longleaf pine,

the summer land where the sun doth shine.

Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,

here's to down home, the Old North State.

But I've never had a problem with cockroaches. Twice my pantry has been decimated by Millers, which are also called Bolwevels, and occasionally tiny sweet-eating ants come around (but they're easy to kill with Tero) ... but cockroaches, nope.

Ah yes - mrs.pete we don't feed her IN the pantry either. But we did - okay so not dh as he didn't care but I did think ahead as to where I'd want the food and water to go. Last house it was always under foot or the muzzle was always dripping water everywhere. This house, I put it near the pantry in the back hall where she can see the goings on in the kitchen, dining room but still has her own space. Our newest member is just 5 months and she is smaller than our last but still will be 45-50 pounds. :) 25# would still seem so small after having a 75# girl. When we got this puppy she was 4 lbs 8 oz and I about panicked she was so small. I am not used to that and was ready for her to grow-grow-grow! That's half the size of my babies when they were born!

"put me in the camp of "hates UCL". I hate the gadgetness of it."

I love my UCLs. I don't want the glare of the overhead lights a lot of the time. But I have to comment to H202--and I don't mean to be rude--but "gadgetness" of UCLs? Really? We had them in my mom's kitchen growing up in the '70's! Sure, they were fluourescents, but we used them like I use mine now, for added task lighting on the counter. I.e., the UCLs provide utility to my cooking tasks every single day, and would never equate them with "gadgetness".

My kitchen is pretty plain, so I don't really have any splurges. Perhaps my granite counters, because they were by far the most expensive thing in the kitchen other than the cabinets. But I love my granite counters, adore them, and they are both beautiful and easy to work with, so not truly a splurge, as I consider them worth every cent I paid.

I don't use my UCL much. But, DH uses them almost exclusively.

but I really love our 25-pounder,

Heck that's still a large dog. Our hairless wonder is 10 1/2 pounds although she acts like she's triple the size. She's our terror, I mean terrier.

One thing that I did that I thought was really important was I made the decision that I would not install anything that might require special maintenance and I stuck to that decision. Had I decided on something that required special maintenance I am sure it would have been pretty to look at but after about six months I would have been kicking myself.

This is a fascinating thread; thank you all for your contributions. I'll be getting a kitchen expansion/reno in the next 6 months, so I'm reading avidly. I had been thinking I'll need under cabinet lighting, but now I realize that with the island I'm adding, I probably won't need it. I never would have thought of that.

Ah yes - mrs.pete we don't feed her IN the pantry either. But we did - okay so not dh as he didn't care but I
did think ahead as to where I'd want the food and water to go.

Our newest member is just 5 months and she is smaller than
our last but still will be 45-50 pounds. :) 25# would still seem so
small after having a 75# girl.

Something I like: I store my little fellow's food in a big glass canister on the counter top (I have way too much counter space), and I feed him at the back of the kitchen. Works great because food -water -eating spot is all within arm's reach. Wherever we end up feeding our dog in the new house, I want the same convenience.

Our last girl was a Border Collie /Black Lab mix, and she was in the 75-80 lb range when she was young and healthy ... she lost a lot of weight at the end and was only a shadow of her former self. Yes, at first our new fellow seemed so small ... but he is allowed to sleep on the bed and cuddle on the sofa. He has a "secret bed" behind the recliner in the corner of the family room. Our big girl couldn't do any of those things. And he's not so small that he's tiny or fragile. He can go out into the backyard without supervision, and he can't escape (of course, he's also blind from birth, so he doesn't really try to run away). He thinks he's a tough guy; he likes to fight, and he does not suffer the UPS man to come on our porch without being "thoroughly barked" -- he's so proud when the UPS man runs back to his truck -- he's quite sure HE is the reason the man leaves.

Heck that's still a large dog. Our hairless wonder is 10 1/2 pounds
although she acts like she's triple the size. She's our terror, I mean
terrier.

I love terriers, though I know what you mean: With all that energy, they can be terrors. My favorite dog from childhood was a Carin Terrier, and when we adopted our current dog we were actually looking for a terrier (and were kicking around the idea of a Daughsund as well). We started with the idea of either a Carin or a Westie ... but fate brought us the Beagle instead, and he's perfect.

One
thing that I did that I thought was really important was I made the
decision that I would not install anything that might require special
maintenance and I stuck to that decision.

Yes, that's something that I've decided as well. I want a house that's easy to maintain. Would you share some specific things you've considered /rejected as "high maintenance"?

I've identified a couple:

- I want all the light bulbs in the house to be standards ... right now I have about 5 types of bulbs in my house, and I have an upper cabinet dedicated to keeping them on hand. Okay, we'll need a few appliance bulbs here and there, but I've already bought a chandelier that takes standard bulbs, and I'm rejecting anything that would require specialty bulbs like Edisons, etc.

- I am very attracted to the Big Chill appliances, but they're quite pricey, and I don't know that it'd be easy to have them serviced ... and if one needed replacing, I don't know that a same-color, similar item would be available in years to come ... at any price. So I'm going with standard appliances instead.

I love UCL but I don't like the specific fixtures that I picked. I have tape lighting that runs in an L shape under my cabinets and shelves, they are all on one switch which is fine because I do not have a huge kitchen and usually want to light the whole area when I am cooking. I went all LED for the new lighting (both UCL and overhead) as that is required in my area. I picked the 3000 Kelvin LED for the UCL and it is too cold. I should have picked a lower kelvin temperature. I still use them daily but I don't like the color of the light they throw. They were expensive. I think I spent like $900 just for the hardware and the install. That does not include the cost of having my custom shelves channeled out to recess the tape lights.

Prior to my remodel, I had bi-zenon UCL and they cast the most amazing golden light. We would regularly use it as accent lighting at night because of how pleasant it was. Now we only use the UCL for actual work lighting, which is fine, but I miss my old lights.

Mrspete: if you switch to LED bulbs, you will really never need to keep extras on hand (unless one breaks) - they will last well over 15 years in average household use (50,000 hours). I love LEDs - changed everything in my apartment over to them. I also agree with the "no special maintenance" mantra.

By the way, I had the simplehuman pet food container (stainless steel) and it was terrific - easy, air tight, good looking. I actually still have it, but I no longer have the dog, so I'm not sure what I will do with it. I probably could use it to store onions or potatoes, but mine is awfully big (my dog was 60 lb).

I did a boatload of research (mostly on this website!) before and during my house renovation and so have next to no regrets (well ... maybe the cost). The only design help I had (beyond my architect) was a close friend who is an experienced lighting (and kitchen renovation) designer. She of course insisted on under cabinet lighting and I use it all the time - but then I can switch it on from two locations and it also illuminates the two glass-front upper cabinets I have that house my colorful kitchen pottery. We thought I was going to be able to use two pendants over the peninsula and only discovered that I only had the proper space for one too late to adjust the order (pendants by Hubbardton Forge and made to order so cancellation not possible). So one of these is now hanging over the small storage table in the center of my wine cellar, where it looks gorgeous and gets along swell with the four other ceiling lights I bought elsewhere for the cellar that collectively cost under $100!

Oh, I wish my range hood weren't so noisy but am not sure any other sufficiently powerful for the range would be any quieter.

One thing I'm glad I did (again, after learning about it thru this website) is install a relatively shallow primary sink (32 x 16 x 8 undermount) with an off-center drain. No backaches and the dishes don't obstruct the garbage disposer.

TorontoVet - that simplehuman can is very nice but pricey. 40# of onions would be a lot!

not a high end remodel, and relatively small kitchen-i can only regret I couldn't/didn't add things, for practical reasons. For example i really miss the warming drawer which i've decided to not install, for the reasons that we had it for 6 years in our previous kitchen, and didn't use once. but i miss the option i guess, lol

i also went with only one glass front cabinet since we have so few uppers and lacking storage, and lets say it's mostly me and DS in the family who have the ability to put the item back as they found it:) so that was a wise thing to do, but i still miss the (gone) possibility

interestingly, i LOVE our under cabinet lighting. We had it before and I never really used it even though the kitchen was in the middle of the house which made it darker

this kitchen is much lighter overall-yet i enjoy them so much, especially in the evenings..it gives enough light, yet is ambient and calming.

maybe it's the quality of bulbs?I have no idea. but i use them everyday now. it's 180 degrees turn for me

I think I've used my warming drawer once or twice -- when it was new.

Maybe the cost of our pendant lights. I still love the style, but I've seen some more reasonably priced ones that would've also looked nice. That's not much to regret!