we are going to need some pictures of the space, a floor plan, and the designer plan of the proposed layout

have you thought about hiring an actual kitchen designer, and not the person who works at a cabinet company?

you have a lot of verbiage in this post, some of it not germane to the discussion! It's a little difficult to pick through everything to get to the meat portion of what you're asking.

Following.

Dish drawers do not require those expensive dowel inserts. DD has dish drawer and just uses a non-slip drawer liner so nothing slides around. With two teenagers in the house, she has no problem with the dishes moving. Use heavy duty, full extension, soft close drawer slides-worth the extra cost. I made sure the interior depth of the drawers would hold the things I wanted, Cuisineart, blender, etc. in the location where they would be most used. I worked closely with my custom cabinet maker on this. “Drawer size” refers to the drawer face dimension not the usable interior space. The dishwasher concern about the third shelf is a non issue. My dw came with a basket also, but After using it a few times, I found I preferred the drawer to the basket. I stash the basket for the times my sweet son in law visits as he prefers it-he loves to help clean up after a meal! Your pantry can be done later. When I to-the-bare-walls remodeled our kitchen, I inventoried and measured everything. I assigned everything to specific drawers, shelves, etc. so I knew I could reach the daily things, but could store the seldom used items. It made it a snap to put things into my new kitchen. Instead of the expensive step stools, couldn’t you just keep a step stool in your pantry? If you plan your kitchen right, everything you need will be accessible for you. Truth in advertising-we are tall and I took that into account when I planned storage! Also, there are still things I cannot reach without a step stool! As far as custom cabinets, I was surprised they were as affordable as semi custom but I could make exactly what we needed.

If you share pics of your current kitchen, people can chime in on your backsplash dilemma. I'm seeing a lot of kitchens with backsplash matching countertop so if you love the current granite, this is often a cohesive choice.

For the dust, if you're not removing tile and building cabinets on site, the dust should be manageable with the Hepa filter vacuum during demo. Won't hurt to add plastic. Your cats though...will they be distressed by the noise? Our cat couldn't handle renos. Now's the time to consider an alternate homing solution for them.

For the lighting, are you pleased with the current amount? Now's the time to add if needed. I didn't plan that part of our kitchen properly and regret it. (Tip: don't decide on lighting on a sunny day.:P)

Inventory all your stuff to make sure gadgets and the daily essentials have a home. I don't see any great wisdom in dowels for drawers but well-priced drawer organizing solutions exist for anyone who forgoes a cabinet maker's custom solutions. (Ikea has a bunch.)

Symmetry is lovely but it really depends if the particular "wall of cabinets" will be some type of focal point. A lot more important to organize your cabinetry for function than looks. You mention a lazy Susan for a blind corner and I saw thumbs us to that. I got a metal blind corner unit that looked a lot more practical than it is. (A thousand bucks I could have spent on lighting.)

My advice? Function first. Things need to be stored where it makes sense to YOU. Don't overthink accessibility gizmos and gadgets when a solid footstool or stepladder with an accessible home can do the trick in the whole kitchen. Don't lose sight of your priorities, be they ease of cleaning, maintenance, budget , look, etc. It's very easy to get lost in design details. (I overspent on my cabinet hardware and chose pendant lighting with difficult to change bulbs.)

The countertop toaster oven? We have one and love it but dang, I wish it didn't take up space on my countertop. (It was bought years after the kitchen was done. That's another thing: allow some flexibility to your plan. Who knows what kitchen gadget will be popular or essential in 10 years. Having custom nooks and crannies for every appliance only makes sense when these appliances remain the same size. :P)

There is a lot of kitchen info in this forum and yes, it can be easy to overthink things. Someone posted a summary of helpful kitchen threads yesterday. I'll see if I can find it for you.

Good luck with your reno! Hope it exceeds your wishes and expectations.

ETA: Here's yesterday's post with the great summary of super helpful kitchen posts from Buehl. (I've now saved that thread so that I can link to it in the future. There are some real kitchen wizzes on this site. Worth the time to read their advice.)

I'm back to answer your post's title question. :) I wish I had researched the cabinet guy better and had gone with a company that offered an actual warranty on their cabinets. (Went with a friend's referral.) I wish I had stood my ground on reconfiguring the space and taking the opportunity to optimize the floor layout (which would have entailed a much bigger reno but would have increased our enjoyment of the house all these years. To do that, I would have needed to consult better designers and reconcile myself to a bigger budget up front.) I wish I had gotten a softer flooring than tile (never again in a kitchen!) I already mentioned my lighting and hardware regrets.

We did our kitchen 15 years ago and while it's not optimal, it functions better than the original and wasn't exorbitant to do at the time so now, if I do want to reconsider the layout and redo the whole shebang, I feel as though we got our money's worth out of this kitchen.

A kitchen is a major room to reno and it can certainly be daunting. You have think long term when it comes to the space and not be distracted by all the pretty pictures. A kitchen has to function in your house for your lifestyle. That said, no one has a crystal ball and we make these reno decisions to the best of our ability. It's a really good idea to seek advice from trusted local pros who can tailor their advice to your needs, house, real estate market (depending on how long you'll be living there) and budget. Hope this helps a bit.

In addition to posting your proposed layout, make bullet points of your primary questions. That way people can sort out what your most burning issues are.

This is the current stove wall. I am trying to figure out how to upload the plans the designer sent.

I took screenshots of the most relevant pages. I hope they upload correctly...

Jan Moyer, I'm 5'2". I can't reach the back of the second shelf up in any of my upper cabinets. I can barely touch the third shelf; the photo with my hand is me stretching as far as I can. To utilize those shelves best, I would be hauling out a stepladder multiple times a day, which is why I really love the idea of ladders incorporated into the design.

tartanmeup, here are photos of the current backsplash.

I would want a higher backsplash where possible so I'd get a tile to coordinate rather than keep that short backsplash. Don't think your backsplash info in your OP registered with me initially - I missed the height and colour, sorry about that.

What colour will be your cabinets? The second wall of cabinets in your drawing is a butler's pantry?

Following

I love the the third shelf in my dishwasher, great place for large knives and plastic lids. I've been through a couple of renovations and did the same thing your planning on doing. Also, I changed my A/C filter every single night. Good luck!

Might have missed it in all the discussion, but I don't see a microwave in the plans. BTW, I too love my top utensil rack. Didn't think I'd use it but it's great, really frees up space in the rest of the dishwasher. I also didn't think I'd love my one bowl sink but it's wonderful. No going back to two every again. I know you said you want to keep the current one sink, but if it's not a single, you may want to explore that before you finalize plans.

tozmo1, I like a double sink so I can use one side to drain, and keep it separate.

My microwave will be on the counter. I didn't like the two places the designer recommended and so opted to keep it where I like it -- on the counter! :)

What do I wish I had done during my kitchen reno?

Better ventilation.

Don't skimp.

tartanmeup (I love your username, btw! Are you Scottish?) I am keeping the same colors (or as close as I can) so the cabinets will still be a creamy white. However the pulls will likely be different. I'm looking at black. If I am understanding your query about 'second wall' correctly, the tall cabinets are where cleaning things will be stored - vacuums, mops, brooms, and the like - and next to that a wine cooler and spaces where I will keep alcohol and mixers, and above will be glassware in a glass-front cabinet. (Very tip-top will be storage for seasonal items.) I do have a full walk-in pantry, which isn't shown in the plans I uploaded.

The micro can be counter height without being exxp0sed and dumped ON the counter.

Build it in if possible : )

I've got a "built-in" nook for my microwave. The drawback to it is my next microwave needs to be of similar size as my current one.

Emily, glad you like my name. I'm not Scottish; the name is simply a wink to my wish to visit Scotland. :) Creamy white cabinets will be lovely! Thanks for the explaining about the second row of cabinets. I don't always interpret plans correctly and couldn't understand the door between the cabinets in the last screenshot. Great that you've thought of a place for mops and the like. So, you'll have two doors into your kitchen?

tartanmeup, the two doors shown in the plans are to my garage and to my dining room. Not shown are the doors to the pantry, and into the den. LOL there are FOUR doors in my kitchen!

These are nice cabinet layout plans but how big is the kitchen ?...is it a separate room?...or open to adjoining rooms?....any reason none offer an island.?...for short people under island drawers offer more handy access storage..from your picture ...uppers look useless for you ...so more windows less uppers is a dream set up ....less uppers also make a small kitchen feel much bigger

So. I absolutely LOVE the star tile, but alas it is huge: 12 x 12. I found it smaller, but not in the right color. :(
I like the much smaller tile and it might work...

If your pantry is handy..and big enough....small appliances...like microwaves... can live there

(Also, Scotland is AWESOME! I have visited several times and look forward to someday going back!)

Hi Emily,

You mentioned that some of your base cabinets will have pullouts. I strongly encourage you to put in drawers instead. Many of us here can go on at length about the advantages of drawers, and we will if you ask, or you can just trust us!

I'm 5'4", so I can relate to the reaching thing. I did 2 things in my kitchen to make things easier: 1. the things I use the most are in drawers, easily accessible. 2. My uppers go to the ceiling (8'), and I ordered extra shelves for every upper. That way I can group things of like height on the same shelf, and not have a lot of space between things and the shelf above them. Then I put short items (like coffee mugs) on the bottom shelf, so the next shelf up is easier to reach. By doing this throughout the kitchen, the majority of things I use even on a weekly basis are within reach. My hubby is 6'4; the upper shelves are for things he uses more often. I have a folding stepstool that fints under the sink; I might use it once a month, to get to things in the upper shelves.

Most folks find angled upper cabinets to be black holes (I had 2 in my old kitchen, and despised them). Especially if you're short, most of the space is difficult to use. Easy-reach corner cabinets are much, much better.

home depot Merola has this at 9x9. you can find these star tiles all over

this cement tile is also 9x9

10x10

8x8

Overstock has SomerTile in that same design

and Tilebar has some great designs in the 9x9 and 8x8 size

https://tilebar.com/collection/tile-mosaic-collections/bella.html

I've used these in a shower

Hi AnnKH! Most of the base cabinets are drawers! The pullouts are 1. blind corner will have a half moon susan. Next to it, due to not having space for drawers: 2. Slender pullout for baking sheets and foil/wrap. On another wall, 3 and 4. pull outs for liquor bottles and mixers behind a cabinet door, so in essence they're kinda drawers. I will have way more drawers in my new design and I'm ecstatic about that!
So far, one corner cabinet will have a lazy susan (accessible from two sides!). The other will have regular shelves. I am curious about the black hole?? Please tell me more.

I am SO looking forward to adjustable shelving. I think it will make a big difference.

No regrets on my kitchen renovation. I planned it out for a long time before even finding the contractor. I used a great design/build firm that has a certified kitchen designer on staff. They were referred to me by several friends, and did a fantastic job. Everything was spelled out and priced out before we signed the contract, and no demolition was started until all items were selected, ordered and received. The job took 8 weeks start to finish, even allowing for the unexpected. The only item not selected beforehand was the backsplash, which I took almost a year to decide on :(

Can't stress enough the importance of planning and hiring the right contractor.

AnnKH, what is an easy-reach corner cabinet?

Is an easy reach corner cabinet more economical (price wise) than an angled corner cabinet?

AnnKH chimed in with the same 2 recommendations that I was going to suggest. Those easy-reach upper corners are much more efficient... as are lower cabinet drawers wherever possible.

You really don't need to spend on built in organizers (like pegs). I wouldn't want any drawer to be locked into one function by their presence. Only exceptions, I think, are the access devices for lower corner cabinets (although I don't have one and don't really miss it - yet) and filler space pullouts.

Symmetry is over-rated. Make the cabinets the most functional for your needs. Remember, almost never will anyone be looking at a cabinet run straight on, so symmetry or lack of it isn't noticed, except on the drawings.

I would strongly encourage you to re-think the lighting. I absolutely love my new disk LED lights in the ceiling, such an improvement over the 2 smallish flush mounts that I had. It really makes the whole space more inviting and easier to work in.

If your cabinet maker is making Euro-style (ie, frameless) cabinets for you, then adjustable shelves should be a given. I wouldn't want face framing and non adjustable shelves again, especially in a pantry. NO I wouldn't spend money to have a pantry "designed".

Lastly, removing the short granite backsplash might be a problem, because there might be a large gap that tile can't cover, or noticeable damage to the granite from the adhesive (I'm not sure about that though). Be sure to talk to your granite fabricator about that, before you make your decision. I kind of like the short rim look myself, although the ones I've seen tend to be shorter and thinner as well.

"I took screenshots of the most relevant pages. I hope they upload correctly..."

Unfortunately, the pictures you posted don't really help us that much. What we need is a 2D/flat//bird's eye view/overhead view of the space. One that has the widths of each wall, window, and door/doorway labeled as well as the distances between each wall, window, and door/doorway. See below (and the notes on the picture) below.

Hi Buehl and btydrvn! I hope this one helps. My current space doesn't allow for an island and my kitchen table. The kitchen is its own enclosed room. Door at the 'north' leads into garage. Door at 'east' opens into dining room. (Actually, the designer has the swing wrong; the door actually opens into the kitchen.) Door at 'south' opens into den. Other 'south' door opens into walk-in pantry.