Thank you Sina, I didn't do a ton of cabinet research in advance-- and now I've put a kitchen designer through a lot of churn with my ideas and feel somewhat committed. Probably not my issue, but she works really well with my builder who has a great reputation, so I think at least I won't have an issue with measurements.

My quote came in today with the above plan (last picture, though-- no additional bar top because they can't apparently remove the entire wall on the right, so instead a full depth pantry cabinet without countertop)-- for plywood/dovetail cabinets with soft close & pullouts, all hardware, and granite or quartz countertops (minor difference between the two), at just over 16k. This also includes a 24" bath vanity & granite or quartz top.
Does this seem reasonable?

For this I'd be doing homecrest's stock cadet lowers on the peninsula, french vanilla uppers & base on the far wall, and on the pantry. I'm visiting the granite yard tomorrow to decide on counter tops.

I really liked the light brown fantasy granite, but apparently light slabs are hard to find. I might do brown fantasy on the white lowers (perimeter) and then something more like a quartz version of calcatta marble for the cadet. Think this will look OK?

I haven't seen too many quartz marbles that look great but a busy top on a darker base seems like it might be too much.

following

just wanted to add that they now have pre-fab quartz countertops in the marble look. this is only a few of the 20 different types they carry. cost is under 500 for one of these countertops. you hire a fabricator to cut and install them. since you have a small kitchen, you could have your quartz counters for well under 2K,,,maybe less.

they also have quartzite and granite in these sizes, ready to go.

Keep looking at more granite yards. There are less-busy granites out there. My friend has white granite with just minimal pale-and-medium-grey veining and it is gorgeous.

Hi, Congratulations on the Reno! I just want to tell you up front that I am not a designer by any means. I did recently renovate my home and so, I know the expense, excitement, stress and finality of everything. With that said, I just want to give you my two cents. Of course, do what's best for you and your family. Ok, looking at your new design, I feel your sink and stove are in too close a proximity. I can see cooking and dish pile ups being a problem in the future. I suggest moving the sink and dishwasher to the peninsula if possible, with the sink centered under the middle light and dishwasher to the right of sink (opposite end from stove). You would still have plenty of room to eat at peninsula. And it would open a lot of work space next to stove. That way your not doing circles in your kitchen all the time. Also, if your cabinets allow, I'd put the microwave in a hollow in the lower cabinets. Possibly to the left of the sink or under the window (in lower cabinets) next to stove. Again, I don't know your measurements, so this may not work. I know it's not the same exact layout but Here is my new kitchen:

thanks Beth and Mandy! after visiting the granite yard today I think I narrowed it down to a quartz marble aesthetic. the one I liked most was viatera minuet because it had a slight warm tone to out which I want to play up more than the cool grey in most marble.
if anyone has a suggestion for an even better looking warm but not too creamy marble like top let me know!

the suggestion about the crowded counter is valid and I have the same concern. unfortunately moving it to the peninsula creates some other outdoors and leaves a stranded window, so I think I'm going to stick with it. luckily sorme the galley isn't too big I can put things on the peninsula easily while cooking, etc.

for the microwave in the cutout.. is it irritating to bend down to use it? I don't have enough good counter space to move my microwave to, but microwave drawers are crazy expensive. mine is only a few years old so I hesitate to ditch it and spend more money on a new one, plus range hood, but I agree I prefer that idea

for anyone following, the renovation is almost done and my vision really came together! thanks for the help and suggestions!

Looks great!!

Lovely. Congrats.

Hi Erin,

Thanks for sharing- your project turned out beautiful!

We're considering Homecrest's Cadet color for our wall and base cabinets (entire kitchen).

The few photographs I can find of it online by real homeowners have significant variances in color (I assume from quality of cameras, lighting, surrounding colors of floors/walls that may play up or down certain tones, etc.). Our designer provided us with a small wooden sample but unfortunately there's no dealers near us that have a full size display of the color so we can see what it will look like on a large scale encompassing an entire kitchen.

My target color is a grey with blue undertones- which in some of the photos I've found would be pretty well captured with this color, but others show it being a much too vibrant blue or a very deep navy.

Do you have any other photos that show the color of the island? How would you describe the color?

Thanks in advance!

I don't have more photos handy right now but I can say it's definitely more of a saturated navy. it's lighter than a true navy but definitely not gray.

these pictures don't show the vibrancy because they were taken at night, but it's brighter looking firing the day. very blue

Hi Erin,

Thanks for the prompt response. Now that your cabinets have been up for a while are you happy you went with the HomeCrest brand?

HU-243287187, I had HomeCrest cabinets in my last home. They were 7 years old when I sold the house and still in quite good shape. Mine were stained maple versus being painted so they obviously changed color a bit but other than that, I was quite happy with them for being a mid priced range cabinet.

I like the cabinets a lot, it's only been a year but they have held up well in that time. I have soft close and lots of pull outs which are really convenient. only challenge is sometimes cleaning the Navy.. it definitely shows more dust, and some liquids are hard to clean off