Thanks Carrie, but I don't really have much talent nor do I have patience. I just sort of slap things together. If I can do it anybody can. To show that is why I post pictures of some of the garden stuff I do. If you look closely you'll see that the big shells were lined up first and then small shells glued in between. Bob does the hard work like the drilling holes in the brick -- although I could do that if I had to. Don't tell him though ;-) I have to laugh when I remember how my Mom said I was just like my Grandmother; "always outside beatin' and bangin' around on something" :-)

Thank You again for all of your responses. So, we went to dinner last night and I presented the plans to her and it went pretty well.... I went through some of the things that came up here and the various trade offs. Her biggest hang up is the 39" aisle. She thought it seemed narrow and was concerned with feeling jammed into the space (she was surprised to learn that her current aisle is 42" so that seemed to alleviate her concern). We didn't have a chance to go back to her place after dinner, but she would like me to come over and help her envision the changes (putting tape down on the floor and doing a little bit of pretending). She likes the pullout trash and would want to keep that as well as the pantry which she was very enthusiastic about. the fridge was a bit of an issue for her and I would definitely have to take her to look at different options. I don't think the Liebherr will work for her, because she made a comment about her current fridge not holding everything and I am going to bet that the Liebherr has much less cubic ft. of storage than her current. The Liebherr has as big a freezer as fridge, where she needs much more fridge than freezer. The Fagor that profrip posted would be a better bet. Less expensive and also double the cubic ft. of fridge space in the same footprint. She made a couple of comments that she thinks for economic reasons that she should just redo the current layout (just as you suggested LWO!!). She expressed some concern about the lack of counterspace with the current plan though. I could see her going that route. I told her that in a "real" client/KD situation she'd have been presented with many options, one being to clean up what she has. She has a GC that she will use and is going to have him over to look at the plans. I told her that the two biggest issues for her to address with him is the electrical panel (which would need to move down so that it was accessible from inside the pantry)... not sure if an electrical panel can be moved. AND the pipe chase, which I was banking on being able to reduce in size - going from 16" x 20" to 13" x 17". I guess this would mess up the ceiling which would need to be patched... Anyway, this should be interesting. If I had to guess what she ends up doing, I will say that she will re-do what she already has. We'll see. She's a bit of a procrastinator so I don't see this taking place any time soon although I think she should put it into gear as I think there are good deals and promotions out there and people looking to work. bmorepanic, I gave her the one dish drawer as an option and she liked that. very good idea for a small space like this. I think she would also opt to eliminate the drawers that come down to the counter, but keep the cabinet above which was earmarked for her cookbooks. She loved the idea of sitting at her peninsula and flipping through her cookbooks. Khat, thank you for your comments... they made my day! and also the points you make are good ones about the uppers and the molding.

Hi Kath, Congrats on getting your nursing degree! I'm sure you worked VERY hard for it! Use the DOLLAR STORES, esp. for laundry/cleaning items, Deoderant, toothpaste, misc. cutlery, glassware, plastic storage containers, etc. Get that crockpot out and use it! I work 2 jobs and I am so thankful for my crockpot! Plan ahead for meals, especially with you working. Get a FOODSAVER and make ahead meals and freeze them. Get the mixed salads at the lower cost grocery stores, roast some chicken...you've got dinner for that evening and a meal to take to work the next day! Take your own lunch and snacks to work. Refill water bottles. Buy a filter for the sink or a filtered water container. $10 at Walgreen. $5 to renew the filter every 3 months. Drink more water instead of fruity drinks or soda. You'll be surprised how you will get used to in and REALLY only WANT water. Buy secondhand clothing for yourself and your kids. CONSIGN any good clothes you need to get rid of, shoes, purses, belts. Our local Goodwill stocks underwear by HANES...'seconds' I guess. They sell for 80 cents apiece. Sell your nursing books you don't want to keep on the Internet (amazing.com half.com) Good Luck!

If the art doesn't work for you, it may be time to let it go. I understand how that works. Right now I have a 24x36 framed flamingo poster in my guest bedroom! Next year, who knows? Is IKEA the only option for you? Where would you put your other lamp if you put one behind the chair? This is from Target. https://www.target.com/p/globe-head-floor-led-lamp-black-includes-energy-efficient-light-bulb-project-62-8482/-/A-52011634 I'm not sure I see a lamp back there though. If the large plants aren't working for you, what about something like a wall planter with succulents or air plants? https://www.target.com/p/decorative-wall-sculpture-black-project-62-8482/-/A-53477921 Or a piece of the woven wall art that's everywhere now? https://www.target.com/p/15-34-x28-34-hand-woven-cotton-and-wool-wall-art-opalhouse-8482/-/A-54572890 https://www.target.com/p/12-34-x-18-34-white-woven-wall-hanging-opalhouse-8482/-/A-77643970 Or a colorful African wall basket? https://www.etsy.com/listing/698589448/african-wall-baskets12-rwanda-basket?