Writersblock, I like the angled cabinets. I suppose that if I had more space, I would have opted for non-angled cabinets, but these worked better in my space. In the top one in the corner by the sink, I store some of the larger appliances, like the slow cooker, etc., on the lower shelves, and some of the bigger serving dishes that I don't use often on the higher shelves. In one of the angled lower cabinets near the range, I store smaller appliances, like the toaster, the vacuum sealer, etc. In the other, I store vases. The two upper angled cabinets in this area are very small and glass-fronted. I could probably use them for things like wine glasses, but I use them purely for decorative items. Colorfast, the built-in next to the table is where there used to be a closet. Thanks again everyone for your comments.

Sorry to sound a discordant note, but I personally don't like the French doors at all. I think an arch would be perfect. From the kitchen, the doors seem unnecessary, but more importantly, they would interfere with light unless you added the sidelights, which, as several folks have said, will look pretty busy IRL. But it's the view from the FR that really makes me dislike the doors. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the obvious, and here, the obvious is the fact that you'll have wall after wall after wall of French doors. Together they form an overwhelming block of glass and muntins and frames and grid shapes, with no easy way to soften them (these aren't windows and won't have soft, poofy window treatments). I think they could look even odder IRL. Either you'll have a shade or something on the patio door, and nothing on the others, or you'll leave all three doors nude, which will give you one black door at night and two others that have indoor light behind them. They will look similar, but wrong. Plus, in reality, I find that people actually keep interior french doors closed far less often than they think they will. I think the arch avoids some of these problems. It pierces that corner so that the FR won't feel so much like an isolated addition or a 3-season porch that's been tarted up--instead, it would be connected to the house. And having the curved arch lets you break up that infinite repetition of rectilinear grid, grid, grid without having to add anything. Finally, it will connect the FR and the kitchen with the rest of the house architecturally by repeating a motif you already have. Sorry to add confusion--just my $.02!

This looks lots better without the hutch! I think I feel the same way you do about doors. When I asked our designer who was taking my design and putting it into construction drawings what he would change, he said, "You have too many doors!" I told him I needed every one of them, kept them all, close most of them daily and the others weekly, and thank my lucky stars every day that I didn't listen to him! So it seems to me that you should keep these doors for all of the very good reasons you gave, ESPECIALLY because you can't multi-task in the kitchen with noise (I'm the same way), or you will probably regret it. I have a somewhat similar situation at the end of our lower level TV/WS room that sort of funnels down as you approach our stairs--a set of 48" wide double doors on the furnace room on a slanted wall on the right, a set of 48" double doors on a closet that juts out into the room on the left, and a set of 54" double doors to the workshop sort of straight ahead, just past the bottom of the stairs that go up to the right. I had planned every inch of our house, but the closet was an afterthought. When the 3 sets of doors were installed, I thought, "Wow, that looks cool!"--just like I HAD planned it! So, in spite of the irregular nature of the space, the thing that I think makes it work is the absolute sameness of the doors and trim, as well as the relative distance between them. But it's definitely not symmetrical. Our doors have no glass, and are stained 3-panel oak with with a simple 3-1/4" arts & crafts trim. We don't have all of the competing glass around that you have, since there are no windows in this area. Because you only see your 3 sets of doors from the family room, and with your seating arrangement really only facing the 2 sets of doors to the interior of the house, this will probably work out ok. I'd make the doors to the kitchen double doors, and have them open onto the family room walls, and have the lites, trim, height, and frame width match the doors to the dining room as much as possible--make it look like they were all put in at the same time. The sliding door to the deck will look different no matter what you do, but I'd try to get the other sets of doors to match it in trim and height, although I'm guessing that you won't be able to match the sliding door lites' design, since your pictures are showing different styles. Also, take into consideration the lites' style on the exterior windows of the family and dining rooms when you're finalizing your sets of doors. Not sure I'd put glass doors in the cabinets in the family room, since there's already so much glass in this room. In any case, can you try this out with a double door in the 6' space, see if you think it might work, and let us have a look? Anne

I haven't chosen any of the hardware yet, so I am open to suggestions. But these are pretty cheapo 1980's cabinets, not as nice as any posted here :) The first picture posted is very nice, but those shaker cabinets have more to them than ours. I don't want a very modern look, I like it in other people's kitchens but it's not what fits in my house. Here's the kitchen shortly after we moved in - the paint job the PO did on the cabinets is horrible and needs to be stripped and re-done. The countertops are now concrete, the dishwasher is a new white one, and I'm putting in white subway tile backsplash... so lots of white I love a bright kitchen. Our home is decorated in traditional-transitional style.