Went to the contractor 's yesterday to review the plans. This is the north run with the refrigerator, microwave, and new pantry.

This is the south run with the sink and prep area. On the left end is a 36" corner base cabinet with pie cut lazy Susan.

Progress!

Do you have an electrical plan that shows (1) light switches and outlet positions (cabinet sides are close to the door/window openings so switches may need to be on backsplash), (2) under cabinet lighting/rails, (3) lighting over sink, (4) recessed ceiling lighting, etc.

Are you tiling or painting around the sink window? The wall area on either side of the sink window is uneven (7-1/2” on left and 8-1/2” on right). If you have a lot of contrast between the color of the window trim, cabinets and tile/paint, the 1” difference may be noticeable to you (if that matters to you).

Did you discuss cabinet interiors - for example, does the pantry have rollout shelves?

I don't have an electric plan yet. I am losing one good spot for light switches because we are removing the little partition wall on the north wall. I'll have to think about that. They want to install outlet strips under the wall cabinets in addition to lighting. I agree with you that we want to match the space between window and cabinets on both sides of the window. The entire south (sink) and east (range) walls will be tiled with the Irish Green large format porcelain tile (https://architessa.com/products/vert). The window trim will be SW Rock Bottom, which blends beautifully with the tile. The upper cabinets on the south and east runs also are SW Rock Bottom.There are some roll-outs in each pantry, yes.

Does anyone have feedback on this ventilation hood? https://bestrangehoods.com/product/built-in/hbn1246ss

So the new titanium travertine is considerably lighter than the titanium travertine I first saw a couple years ago. This picture includes the new titanium travertine, the Architessa porcelain tile in Irish Green, Santa Rita soapstone, and Holiday Kitchens cherry cabinets stained Granite. Thoughts? I like the hue of the cabinets but I am a little nervous about it. The contractor is supposed to provide a color rendering, and I hope that will help me feel more confident. The ceiling, crown molding, and any exposed walls will be painted SW Rock Bottom.

I think an eased edge is always best. Less likely to chip.
What color are the cabinets? The photo looks close to a walnut brown. Is that accurate? I love green soapstone…..:)

@RedRyder Does it look harmonious to you? The cabinet color is "granite" on cherry. I like a little red in my chocolate. And I did decide to get an eased edge for the kitchen cabinets. I wanted a monolith look.

My monitor doesn’t show the red. It looks like a regular brown ”walnut” finish.
It all looks very consistent with your taste. :)

What color are the appliances?

Appliances are stainless steel. I chose the colors to compliment the stainless steel grey. This scene inspired the color choices.

Inspiring scenery · More Info

These inspiration pictures also were influential.

kitchen · More Info

stone floor and counter, dark wood cabinets, look at the hardware though. I am r · More Info

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Have you researched appliances in the darker stainless? They would look great with this design plan.

@RedRyder, you are so right. The black stainless range we have looks great with the sample cabinet doors we got. But so does the regular stainless.

A couple of CAD renderings came in today's email. Right away my designer felt the wall cabinet right of the sink should be SW Rock Bottom like the ceiling and trim. A reference from upstairs is included because CAD is limited in color rendering ability

I bought the "invisible" range hood today and I hope Hubby LOVES it. Thoughts?

https://bestrangehoods.com/product/built-in/hbn1306ss

https://bestrangehoods.com/product/built-in/hbn1246ss · More Info

I could use some help shopping for options for cabinet pulls. For upper cabinets I selected nearly invisible black ledge pulls. For the lower cabinets I selected generic bar pulls in black but am feeling wistful for something in squares like in my inspiration photos.

stone floor and counter, dark wood cabinets, look at the hardware though. I am r · More Info

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For the wall cabinets to the right of the sink, I'm trying to figure out how to get the smoked glass inserts dark enough to hide the simple prep items inside them: flour, sugars, salts, brownie mix 😁...stuff like that.

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Knobs4less has recessed pulls like the ones on your black cabinet photo. I find that website to be the best for hardware.

Apparently, the smoked glass can be tinted darker. Samples coming.

What do you think of these flooring and cabinet colors folks?

Here's the flooring and cabinet and wall materials in north light that the kitchen has. I'm just worried about the cabinet stain. It's Holiday Kitchens cherry full-overlay slab stained Granite. So there's a little grey wash in the stain. I could say it helps it blend with the grey in the flooring or the stainless steel appliances. Or I could be convinced it makes the cabinets look dirty. I need to commit or start over.

I gotta say I'm seeing more grain in the southern light. I made a bad typo. The kitchen gets southern light. The most recent picture is in southern light not northern.

I like the combination. But color is so hard to judge when not on site in person. What does your designer think?

Thank you so much for the near instant feedback. My designer and the contractor's kitchen designer both agreed it looked best in the contractor 's showroom. So did I. It's just such a huge expense that I'm nervous. The grain is so subtle that it's barely noticable with the grey wash. But I am averse to heavy grain contrast like in walnut or oak. I love cherry. And the greyed brown is what I want...like pine trees from a distance on an overcast day. I take it you feel like I should go ahead, right? My daughter likes it too... for a deep woods feel. Her kitchen is light and bright in gentle creams and blues.

And here is the sample door on the Santa Rita soapstone for the kitchen. I used Santa Rita soapstone upstairs too.

So here's the proposed cabinet, countertop and backsplash materials.

Hubby likes the cabinet sample too, so I should just get a grip I guess.

Here is the titanium travertine floor tile with the wall color intended for the living room and dining room, SW Charcoal Blue. They compliment each other well. The plan is to have the travertine all over the lower level.

Struggling all weekend with the graywash on Holiday Kitchens cherry cabinets stained Granite. The hue was right but I just can't do graywash. Went back to the contractor's show room this morning intent on looking at every single option and decided that Truffle was best. I realized the door sample I received was much darker than the square sample I first saw and learned the square sample was a year old. So Truffle it is, whether it's dark or lighter. Truffle on left in a large door sample and the smaller piece far left. See how different it is? Granite on right, large and small sample. Caraway also to the left in a small sample.

I wish we could see it in person. I know how much photos on my iPad and phone alter colors. If people who are seeing it with you say it’s good, you should go with it. (Then again, sometimes a spouse says “I like it” to get you to stop asking….).

The stone colors all look gorgeous.

@RedRyder the contractor's kitchen designer said she was glad I chose the darker Truffle stain. She said it was more in line with the total feel of the house that was developing and said she thought it brought out the beauty of the stone flooring, countertop, and backsplash while also being a good boundary between them. She reminded me of one of my inspiration pictures. Except for my floor being a cocoa-powder and titanium grey blend, this really might be similar to my kitchen with Truffle-stained cabinets. I always thought it looked like a giant Hershey bar.

Country contemporary Kitchen · More Info

I'm not ordering any more wired light fixtures from Amazon after getting stuck with one that wasn't wired for the U.S. so the light fixture I chose for the dining room is OUT. I've been looking for one to replace it and found this one that comes in three colors:
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https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/everly-quinn-paree-luxury-real-crystal-chandeliers-dimmable-kitchen-island-square-rectangle-chandelier-w111483457.html?piid=1358489145,1355057046
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I'm leaning towards the gold vs the silver. The walls will be SW Charcoal Blue, and the ceiling SW Dusty Heather. I thought my light fixtures should all be the silver tones, but the dandelion fixtures upstairs have a gold center and look perfect to me.

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/everly-quinn-paree-luxury-real-crystal-chan · More Info

https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/everly-quinn-paree-luxury-real-crystal-chan · More Info

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for the walls and ceiling of the hallway to the garage and bathroom. Leave doors · More Info

Upstairs renovation - hallway and shallow storage · More Info

Upstairs renovation - hallway and shallow storage · More Info

I think I've decided against refacing the brick fireplace with Santa Rita soapstone. It could have been stunning, but I'm not sure the two stones would look right with nothing between them. In the kitchen the floor will be the cocoa and titanium grey travertine, and the counter will be Santa Rita soapstone, but the Truffle-stained cherry cabinets will be between them. In the family room, the two stones would meet. I just am not sure these two stones wouldn't detract from each other that close.

Instead of the soapstone, I will simply paint the existing painted brick fireplace to match the walls in SW Rock Bottom. Here is an inspiration picture of a living room or family room with dark green walls and a dark green fireplace.

There's nothing wrong with the fireplace except the mantle. The mantle is tilting forward a little and I don't trust it. The concept of replacing the mantle is new to me, and I don't know what style to use for an organic glam look. A simple shelf? A simple horizontal block? A live-edge shelf? Here is a vendor my designer directed me to: https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&hs=BPt&sca_esv=1fae055577f6ba0b&hl=en-US&cs=0&sxsrf=APpeQntsiHU1RVJ9ynJF3HzyDx_nGG9VNg:1783594085796&kgmid=/g/11bc713kkk&q=Fallen+Lumber+Co&shem=epsd1,ltae,rimspwouoe&shndl=30&source=sh/x/loc/act/m1/4&kgs=5ce8a5082d6225ef&utm_source=epsd1,ltae,rimspwouoe,sh/x/loc/act/m1/4#ebo=0

I would appreciate photos of mantles you think are "organic glam" for a brick fireplace floor to ceiling with a threshold. It's well proportioned at 60" wide.

look what they did to the ceiling in this 1980s builder home · More Info

I saw this photo in Houzz and wondered if I could pull off putting a loveseat in front of a trio of 36" wide floor to ceiling oak bookshelves like this.

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Yes, you can do that.

@RedRyder thanks for the persistent encouragement. 😊 In my living room I want more than a place to sit and talk. I want the living room and dining room together to be a place for activities like puzzling. I have a beautiful 40" square coffee table to serve that function. My two local granddaughters and I could enjoy that together like we do at their house.

I love my two leather loveseats. They are 60" x 40" and comfortable to live with and they fit the 40" square puzzling table perfectly. The best arrangement for the three of them is an L only because of the size of the living room and the passage openings. But the living room has these two windows that one loveseat fits in perfectly. But I've been doing some measuring and am thinking that I should consider NOT entering the loveseat in the room. I like the feel of stepping down from the foyer into the living room unimpeded. We've tried having a loveseat back to the foyer and it isn't welcoming. Having a loveseat on the east wall has felt inviting. I'd like to try that as well as having book cases on the east wall. CoPilot tells me I should have 18" to 24" in front of the bookcases. I prefer 24" to allow me to get between the bookcases and loveseat to access books and raise/lower blinds. It's hard to measure now, because of the upstairs renovation, but I think that places the loveseat sort of in line with and slightly to the west of the east window. I have a square antique table that would fit between the window and the loveseat.
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The other loveseat lines up in an "L" on the north wall facing the dining room. Instead of being between the two windows, it would be partly in front of the west window. There's room for another table or floor lamp at the end, and I'm wondering if a table would call too much attention to the dissymmetry. If a floor lamp, perhaps a downlight that could be pulled over at times for puzzling. I like this one: https://vakkerlight.com/products/helmet-floor-lamp?currency=USD&country=US&variant=43877040324849&stkn=eeec5618bad1&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17266395537&gbraid=0AAAAACcQR_erSDnQQQKGtvEPFWFDxMeyQ&gclid=CjwKCAjw08fSBhA7EiwAfbQTsLt20NlIMa-cXewsHQjb2BAlyYm5LAHLrCAIUV7Nd1pcGBJBCYpUwhoC5IQQAvD_BwE
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The puzzling/coffee table would fit into the harbor created by the L-shaped seating. It leaves a very broad path from the foyer to the living room and into the dining room. Chairs from the dining room could easily be moved to the other two sides of the puzzling/coffee table for serious puzzling. From the foyer, I think it would look welcoming and not congested. But how would that look from the dining room? Would the end of a loveseat there be jarring? Would the other loveseat straddling the window and wall be jarring? I was going to pull it off the wall about 6" and wondered if that would help.
And I wondered if creating more symmetry on the east wall with bookshelves also would assist with a sense of order. If I center the 9' of matching bookcases on the 12' wall, there's 18" on each end that could house matching floor lamps, perhaps torchiers to light up the ceiling.

What do you think?

https://vakkerlight.com/products/helmet-floor-lamp?currency=USD&country=US&varia · More Info

You have to place the furniture (on athletic socks) IN THE ROOM to assess the plus and minuses of an “L” shape. Seeing the back of a sofa is inevitable from somewhere, but it’s not awful. We have a Great Room and the back of the sofa faces the kitchen. It’s the only way the room can work with one.

Symmetry under windows falls into the same boat. If something has to be under a window, as long as you can get to it to open and close, it’s fine. The width of walkways is important, as is the overall feel of the seating arrangement. Have you done graph paper layouts? I usually do that before I move into a new space so I know where the furniture goes before the movers arrive. I’m not great with guessing the size of a space, so a fully measured picture on graph paper - with cutouts for my furniture - has been my lifesaver for every move. I imagine it would be helpful for a space that isn’t even there.

Thank you. That's a great idea. I use PowerPoint but the scale can suddenly change. Your idea is better.

Some changes to the kitchen cabinet plan include a narrower sink cabinet and wider prep base cabinets plus a towel pullout next to the sink on the south window wall run. The north run is still in 36" thirds but moved 6" east towards the range run to make just a little more room for the breakfast table. Thoughts? For handles, I'm find of the one below where I want handles to show. I like the square base for show with the "U" handle. Wall cabinets will have a inconspicuous tab pull in matte black. For the 3" towel rack should I use a tab pull?

https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/atlas-homewares-wide-square-bar-pull-w001415387.html?piid=707406170,786679979

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The pantry on the left on the north (refrigerator) wall... Where should the divide be? Counter height? Even with the bottom of the wall cabinet to its right? Even with the top of the refrigerator?

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I don’t think the pantry needs to have the doors be the same as the cabinet on the right. It needs to be practical for your use. A taller main section gives you a better storage unit - i.e. more pull out shelves of varying heights for your stuff. Will you put food in there? Serving dishes? Baking dishes? Everyday dishes? Think about its usage, first. I don’t think anyone will notice if the doors don’t match the unit on the right.

Thanks @RedRyder

In the bottom of the pantry I want a roll out cart counter height. Above it I want heavy appliances like a stand mixer and food processor on a pull-out shelf. I want to pull them to the cart, wheel the cart to my prep center on the window wall, and wheel them back again when finished. I also want to use the cart to haul delivered groceries from the front door to the refrigerator and pantry by the stove. So you are right that the pantry doors could be higher.

Now that sounds like a good plan! Those heavy appliances being stored away, but easier to handle is a great idea. I think a lot of us never use our heavy mixers for this reason - moving them around makes us decide to just not do it.

The pantry configuration/usage sounds good.

I can’t tell from the rendering. Is the pantry being built as a cabinet that attaches to the wall or as a pantry closet with stud and wall construction?

You are going to need heavy duty pull out shelves to hold the weight of those appliances and maybe some anchoring to the wall studs and blocking. The pantry floor will need to be flush with the kitchen flooring for easy roll-out.

Agreed @Design Fan (NE z7a) that's what there been talking about, a heavy duty roll-out shelf. I wanted a stable shelf at first. The pantry is built as a cabinet, not a stud and wall. Thoughts?

My stand mixer with bowl and food processor are heavy without taking into account the accessories’ weight. I would give the combined weight to the cabinetmaker and kitchen contractor to be sure that the cabinet rollout shelf and hardware will easily support the weight.

I've been visualizing the living room focal point to be a square coffee table we will use for puzzling with the grandkids. In preparation for my son's visit, I bought jigsaw puzzles for his two kids. On the first day I learned they had never put together puzzles before and was told they probably wouldn't be interested. Well, turns out they are puzzle fiends! I had all four of my grandkids putting together multiple puzzles and racing to the finish together. My grandson was putting pieces in place based on shape while the rest of us were going by color. Eventually he will find that skill very useful. I was so happy for the look of joy on his face when he fit a piece and looked at me as we shared the accomplishment.
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Then I had to laugh as my husband marveled at how innovative it was to entertain the grandkids by having puzzles on the cork floors upstairs being renovated... no furniture. He previously was concerned, thinking the floor would be too hard. But my 7-year-old grandson first sat down on it and spread his hands on it and said, "Oooooo" at how comfortable it was. After a couple days, my 10-year-old local granddaughter declared that bedroom should always be for puzzling on the floor.

So I am pleased to continue to envision the living room and dining room together as a puzzles/games/reading room/library.

I don't know if it's all the stress right now or coming to my senses and doing what @Jan Moyer often said, "Edit". But I decided to switch from the glass inserts to slab doors on my wall cabinets on the south sink wall in the kitchen. I just imagined them between the window and sliding glass doors and thought, "That's too much glass." Also, those are prep area cupboards, not contents I want seen. The glass was going to have to be so dark, it wouldn't have had the light effect I was after. And they will be wood, the cherry with "truffle" stain. I went back and forth between stained and painted for those cabinets.

I also decided that immediately after the renovation, I'll use one of my leather loveseats in the living room and one in the family room. My chair and ottoman go in the family room too. That will give me the chance to carefully add in the non-seating pieces, the bookshelves and tables. Then I can add in new lights, consoles, and make sure of the living room arrangement before adding in a daybed in the family room and sleeper sofa upstairs in our workout room. I don't want things to get too crowded.