The 5” drawers are flat slabs, the larger ones are shaker drawers. I’m thinking it doesn’t look great.

Will look different (better) IRL vs the drawing.

I'm seeing at least 8 5" tall drawers. Seems like a lot. Maybe a rethink in order? Also, I would avoid having so many narrow drawers.

Is the column on right side of dishwasher structural?

Thank you for your thoughts. My contractor brought in the drawer fronts awhile ago and we’re both pleasantly surprised to find that the 5” drawer fronts are shaker style, not flat slabs. Unfortunately the narrow drawers can’t be avoided as that’s the widest that will fit there - the option would be to change to cabinets rather than drawers. The drawing should be showing only 6 5” drawer fronts. There is another set of drawers elsewhere but they are 24” wide. And the column to the right of the dishwasher houses an air duct which I understand can’t be moved.

"Is the column on right side of dishwasher structural?"

HVAC duct to the second floor?

My contractor has brought in the drawer fronts and were surprised to find that the 5” drawer fronts are shaker style. Unfortunately I can’t avoid the narrow drawers. That’s all that will fit - the option would be to change to cabinets rather than drawers. The column to the right of the dishwasher houses an air duct which I understand can’t be moved. Can you tell me what IRL means?

I've installed hundreds of stainless steel apron front sinks. I've yet to get a call expressing regret. It'll be fine.

Yes, the duct goes to the bedroom floor vents on the second floor.

You ou are judging two stainless steel finishes based on a render? No don’t, even photos lie. They have to be side by side. But I will back up and ask why custom fronts? The ikea white shaker cabinets are awesome and have a far better warranty in most cases than aftermarket fronts? Why not an applied front on the dw? Now it’s no longer an issue. I would also get rid of the open shelves and work much harder to hide that duct. I find it hard to believe it can’t move a little.

We had to get custom fronts so we could take the cabinets to the ceiling. The ceiling is 1.75” too short for IKEA’s tallest cabinets. With their shorter cabinets, there would have been an 8-9” gap to the ceiling. Re hiding the air duct/soffit more: The current soffit is 8” high and it will be reduced to 4.5” as shown on the drawing. I understand we can’t make it smaller in depth from the wall - a smaller air duct would be required and that would affect the air flow into the room above. I think one option to hide the air duct better would be to paint it the same colour as the wall - the drawing seems to show it as the same colour as the cabinets.

Most stainless looks similar enough to be unnoticed in everyone’s kitchens. My fridge, dishwasher and double oven are all stainless - from different companies. It looks fine.

Don’t worry about the new sink looking “different”. Just enjoy it.

No for apron sink. Already dated.

or

Not to beat a horse, you seem set on aftermarket fronts. My ikea kitchen has about 1 1/2” of space above some cabinets, less on others. That’s what fillers are for.

Rethink stainless apron front. It can easily get scratched by belt buckles and even shirt buttons.

Under mounted sinks/single bowl are just so much easier, and look better too. The recent revival of a farm sink , regardless material, does feel like it has run its course. Jmho

We had the Blanco Stainless Steel Apron sink in our last home. It looked awesome when it was first installed. That being said I wouldn't do it again. It scratches. We had one area right in the middle of the apron that was specifically scratched up from snaps on pants and belt wearers.

Sure wish the air duct could be buried and we could have that wall space available for cabinets. But it’s not structurally possible,

Can’t the duct be moved to the end of the cabinet run, next to the door?

You COULD have gone around it......? "Buried inside a to the counter cabinet

The duct hiding inside and still a lot of storage

and more sensible, less kludgy drawers

Unfortunately no one (4 designers) suggested that option. Would have been nice.

Yes....... and many kitchen "designers" are not that. They are cabinet SELLERS. There is a gigantic difference.

Design is first about solutions to a problem. It is always, that.:)

Houzz is a great source for solutions/options at the VERY START of a project.

I wouldn't worry about slightly different colors of stainless, I have 4 stainless appliances (4 different brands - F/F, range top, double ovens, range hood) + my (not-apron-front) sink & I noticed it for about the first 10 minutes. Then it's over and you move on to enjoying your new kitchen. :-)

"The recent revival of a farm sink , regardless material, does feel like it has run its course."

"No for apron sink. Already dated."

Apron front sinks have been around for several hundred years which makes them, like subway tile, clearly not a "fad", "dated" or a "trend" that has run its course.

Scratches in a stainless steel apron are easily removed in minutes by hand by a DIYer for a perfect finish match. I've removed gouges. This isn't a delicate dishwasher or fridge front; it's 16 or 18 gauge solid stainless steel.

Not really a fan of apron-front sinks, especially if you need a dinky filler piece around it as showin in your rendering. I think they ruin the line of a perfectly nice drawer run. I especially don’t like SS apron front sinks unless you’re distinctly going for an industrial vibe. That said, they work fine and plenty of peoiple like them. I would suggest doing drawers under the sink. Much more convenient than bending down and reaching in. The Ikea drawers can be cut to accomodate the drain trap wihtout compromising structure.