if you look at all the stopper feeders you can buy online, they seem longer than what a hummingbird tongue could ever be. Should I shove it in the stopper to make it a lot shorter? It just seems like there is nothing but air in the stopper all the time. How do I get the liquid to stay at the end?

Erika, There are several different schools of thought regarding fridge placement and proximity to the range/prep area. I even once started a thread on this subject, lol If I remember correctly, it was about 50/50 - some liked the fridge to be a few short steps from prep, others liked the fridge outside their work area and didn't mind traveling a bit (I'm raising my hand here), a few were able to accomplish both? In any event, 10' is just about within NKBA guidelines. It screams out to me in looking at your inspiration pics that the CT & hood flanked by two big, beautiful windows is the way to go - give that some thought and go from there. The other things to consider is the idea of an island main sink & DW - it's not for everyone, would it work for you & your family? Are you a stacker or a rinse & load type of person? The island would be a great staging area when hosting and with the sink & DW there it impedes that usage (both functionally & aesthetically). It would give you less island prep space, but really easy clean-up. Also, your storage needs. I know you really would like a hutch on the long wall - is that at all negotiable? A 6'w hutch is going to compete visually with your window view - it's a very 'heavy' reading item, especially if you are thinking of painting it a dark color. What if you located the sink, DW & hutch on the short wall? (fridge would be to the DR end of the window wall - easy access to DR and for folks sitting at the island and I'd do 2 ovens s/s as opposed to a stack on the windowed wall, code permitting) I've rambled enough... let me know what you think.

North facing rooms will be dark most of the day and pick up purple tones from any paint. I would look carefully at the undertones and the formulas to ensure you don't have a lot of red and blue if you can't tell from the paint itself. I had a home with a north facing kitchen that I actually wanted to bring out the purple in so I purposefully went with a barely periwinkle gray that appeared full on periwinkle in that space. I suspect you don't want purple in your room. North facing rooms will also make your color appear deeper so you want something with a high light reflective value. My vote is for BM Gentle Cream.

I get that you’re doing this as a quick fix. The quickest fix is to keep the same paint color (or very, very similar) in a better formulation. Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel is the best coating out there for cabinets. They can color match your existing paint. Or, you can choose a similar color that you like better. You keep the same color so that all you have to do is clean (with TSP) and lightly sand your cabinet surfaces before you paint. If you want a significant color change (like white) you’ll have to remove the paint (chemical stripping and sanding), prime, and then re-paint. It’s just more work.