Oh no no NO to that faucet -- I'd rip it out without a second thought if there was a way I could plug the holes in the counter that were left (? soap dispenser, ? any counter-material trivets or something you can cut to plug). It is a dumb*ss design, no one in their right mind wants to fiddle with maneuvering hot and cold taps in the kitchen, absolutely a case of looks over function.

No worries, Porkchop……it will be going SOON!

I love my countertop microwave. So easy to move things in and out, and if the plate or whatever gets hot, I can set it down immediately. (and it’s right next to the coffeemaker, so when I pour a cup and the warming plate has timed out, it is a smooth move onto th microwave.)

And who would put that faucet in a work space? I can’t wait to replace my laundry room faucet, which is probably original to the 1960 house, with a single handle, pull-out faucet.

Give me a simple high arc pull down faucet and I’m happy. Re the microwave- did they cheap out and install a regular microwave under the counter or did they do a drawer?

I think we need at least some pctures . That faucet is a traditional style and honestly went the way of the dodo for a reason like many things that seem to now be reappearing . I need to advise that you wait a bit to figure out all the the things in a new to you place before doing anything. Start here with pictures and an explantion of your style and some info as to the plan . Do all of that here in comments from now on all things related to this post are dealt with here . Post the pics in jpeg format so we can enlarge them and DO NOT start another post on this subject.

A single handle, pull down faucet/sprayer is the way to go. My favorite is Moen Arbor - I've replaced every kitchen faucet in every house I've had with one at the main sink and the prep/bar sink version at the smaller sink. And Yeah, I dislike most of the stuff you mention other than a real exhaust fan/range hood rather than an OTR microwave. While I've never minded the location of the microwave over the range/cooktop the lack of a decent fan is a problem. I don't do a lot of frying but even just boiling water for pasta wreaks havoc on the cabinets above the range when you don't have a good exhaust fan. We moved into a home with an OTR micro and the cabinets above were sticky and gummy and practically impossible to get the stuff off. I'd deal with the island micro location in order to have a decent range hood.

My faucets have separate H and C valves with “wrist handles”. The spout has a valve, also with wrist handle. The sprayer is a pre-rinse type, with separate hose and handle at the spray head. It is all wall-mounted.

Advantages

- Can precisely adjust temp and flow, or simply slap flow on/off, without touching the handles with hands or fingers. This is helpful when your hands are greasy, dirty, or full.

- Pre-rinse sprayer has high pressure and concentrated pattern for effective pre-rinsing. Typical kitchen faucets, even the “pre-rinse style” ones, cannot effectively pre-rinse because the pull-down sprayers only have standard faucet pressure/pattern.

- Valves are simple and durable. I will never need to replace the faucet, and it will probably go decades between any servicing.

- No sink deck to clean. This is rather nice.

Disadvantages

- Rather bulky, but that is because I have them mounted on the sink rather than actually in the wall. My fault.

- The sprayer isn’t good at flushing debris from the corners of the sink to the drain. I use a small squeegee.

- On the pricier side - but far from the most costly option.

- No finish choices. Chrome only.

- I wish I’d not gotten the “eco” water-saving sprayer, as the standard one has slightly higher pressure.

"We recently sold our second home and purchased a larger one. The new place has been remodeled, especially the kitchen. Unfortunately it is basically nothing that I would have chosen".............

So. It is a second home in another climate? Will you spend half the year there? Will you own it for length of time that makes it worthwhile to address a kitchen where you would have selected nothing currently there?

Only you can answer. But you could also consider that there might be a line around the block for the problem?: )

Re the stove - our last stove had this feature (which we never used). In ours, if you pull out the drawer, there is a slot to store the metal divider - you would only put it in if you were using the two parts at different temps.

Get a single hole faucet with one termperature control lever and get "stoppers" in the same finish to plug up the other holes in the countertop. Caution: you may have to drill another hole in the counter at the center to accommodate the new faucet; make sure the sink you have will also work with that idea. Assuming the rest of your fixtures have a similar look to the bridge faucet, you could take a look at the Kohler Artifacts pull-down faucet, or possibly the Brizo Artesso.

Ours are separate but wall-mounted with levers like John's—but that's because we prefer them that way, so if you don't, it's straightforward to change the faucet out and get caps for the holes. (We rarely if ever use both cold and warm at the same time so mixing isn't a challenge; I do find cross handles irritating, so we chose levers for ease of use.)

I personally hate over-the-range microwaves and much prefer our more powerful hood, so again, that will come down to personal preference, and you can change it. (I've never had an under-the-counter microwave but suspect I wouldn't like that much either—the counter seems ideal for those kinds of appliances.)

I'm another who much prefers a single lever faucet. I'm glad you plan swap that out - I think you'll be happier.

Regarding the microwave that you have to stoop to view: would a drawer MW work in the same spot? I had a Sharp MW drawer in my last house that I really liked - I'm tall and I like seeing, stirring, and retrieving things from above / looking down. The control panel comes out and angles up for easy viewing (first picture below) or can be shut for a sleeker look when not in use (second picture.) You'll find a split decision here on MW drawers - some love them, others not so much. But it might be something that could work for you in your existing space. (At least you wouldn't have to stoop.)

Many years ago, we put a base microwave cabinet in a display - just a countertop model with a trim kit. At first we had some difficulty using it - having to bend down to read the numbers. But after using it for a while, it really became very easy and wasn't a problem. Make sure to get a cover to put over your food so if it splatters, you just have to clean the cover and not worry about cleaning the microwave - so much easier.

Congrats on the new house.

I will include some pictures. This second home is 225 miles from our permanent home, and it s very close to one daughter and 3 kids. We generally go there at least 2 times per month…DH’s family is in that area , too. When our other daughter visits from another state she and her family will stay there, too.

I will not try to make all changes at once, but i do not want to wait too long. There is carpeting that has to go, window treatments will be changed, etc. I look forward to the time when almost all paint colors will change…to something warmer!

The microwave is not in a drawer. I greatly dislike that range hood, and everything gray. Changing the kitchen color becomes more complicated due to the gray tiles.

Wow - that is a really nice kitchen. It is very white though. You have a chimney exhaust hood. You can get that in White or black if you want or you could even get a wood stained one. That will be an easy change.

With the faucet , you will have 4 holes drilled in the top. You will have to get a new one that comes with a base plate ( covers 3 holes ) and then get a soap dispenser or cap to fill the last hole.

That microwave is the same I used in a showroom I worked at. You do get used to it. If you take some measurements, you might be able to take that out and install a drawer unit ( you will need to verify the opening - it may need to be trimmed ) .

I think you should also consider painting the walls instead of the cabinets. It would be easier and can be changed as your tastes change.

Good luck!

Thank you, Debbie. Yes, I am sure that many people would really like this kitchen. I would not ever consider painting the cabinets., but I will work on some changes to try to warm it up a bit. I did get rid of the LED bulbs in the chandelier, and I will do the same for the island light…unless I change them first! This is not a good time to find a handyman who has time to work us in.

The next thing to go will be the dining room chandelier, dear lord it is NOT my taste!

FWIW, you don't necessarily have to ditch LED entirely—it comes in multiple color temperatures, just like incandescent bulbs. So you can get a soft white if that's what you're looking for, whether it's incandescent or LED.

Given that this isn't a home you live in full-time, I'd focus on issues like carpets in poor condition and just live with things like light fixtures you don't love until you can schedule time with an electrician or handyman. Your kitchen fortunately looks beautifully done, even if not to your taste! If it was a recent remodel and you can find the contact info for the cabinet company, you may also be able to change the chimney hood to an under-cabinet hood that matches the cabinets, which you might like better. It should ideally be wider than what's there now, too. (The rule of thumb is 6" wider than the range—yours actually looks like it's narrower than the range.)