Lauren, Thanks for posting again. I understand since I get so busy myself and I am glad we all helped you giving you insight and finding out that the furniture you like at least is made in the USA and is very beautiful. When you have time, please update up and if you buy the set, pictures please. Remember to measure your room and areas that have vents and windows and see how each peace of furniture will fit in your room. I wish my room was bigger since I really wanted a wooden bed with a headboard and foot board and a triple dresser but these pieces would not fit into my bedroom space. When I have time, I also will take updated pictures of my beautiful bedroom since the accessories of the right lamps (went with crystal), blind and curtains really changed the look of my room making me love my bedroom's peaceful retreat space.

oruboris: I don't agree. We do have stained cabinets, not because of any trend, but rather because they fit with our decor. Following your logic, since the 50's stained cabinets have been the norm. There are probally a far higher precentage of stained cabinets in kitchens today than painted ones. I suppose that makes stained cabinets, um, ... well common? And cherry? Often refered to as timless, I suppose that must mean in the next decade or so it will become, um, ...well...tired, and then tiresome? And berryberry: When is the last time you tried to strip off a modern stain finish so that you could paint over your cabinets? Easier said than done. In any case, if your kitchen works well, looks new, has a reasonable level of quality componets, and feels good to you and yours, it will take decades before it will become dated. Only a few trends in kitchen design have not lasted over the past 50 years, painted and/or stained cabinets are not on that list, but Avacado green is. :-)

sparx44 - My kitchen now is maple with a chestnut stain, so relatively dark. I too had heard that maple can come out blotchy, but I think mine came out really nice. We are moving and doing a new kitchen that is why I want to do something a little different now. Here is a link that might be useful: Mercy's Kitchen

By far the second one is the best! You now have separate zones for the various kitchen tasks and when 2 or more are working, they won't be bumping into each other! I skimmed through the posts, so hopefully I didn't miss anything... First, I have a suggestion that I think will make a big difference in the look...box the refrigerator in so it looks somewhat built-in. Install 3/4" finished end panels on each side and a full-depth cabinet over the refrigerator (b/w the finished end panels). This technique makes the refrigerator look more "finished" and would look great w/your style. [The finished end panels should be the depth of the refrigerator box, not the depth of the counters or the depth of the box + doors. The doors need to be outside the panels to open properly/fully. In my case, my end panels are 26" deep. Yes, put an end panel b/w the wall & the refrigerator.] Love the MW cabinet! Cabinets over the sink...I would either shorten them (perhaps to match the ones over the desk) or eliminate them altogether. If you're looking for a more traditional look and have the $$$, Artteacher_nj's hood is a great look (unfortunately it was out of our budget!). Otherwise, I might look for a more traditional shaped hood, although the one you have in the second pic looks nice... The overhang is 12" in the first pic, but what is it in the second? I would go with a minimum of 15" and a max of 18". If you have more than 18" then consider shallow cabinets underneath the overhang for seldom used items...but keep at least 15". Most people go with 12" or less b/c they do not have room for more...you appear to have plenty of room, so go with the NKBA recommendation (15"). Be sure though, that you have plenty of room to walk b/w the desk & the island (54" - 60"). As for the island...I think a darker color would look very nice...I do like the mixed colors in a kitchen...especially white & black (or white/cream & dark cherry or mahogany). Is there a reason your cabinets do not go to the ceiling? With the current design you will have major dust bowls... If you stay w/them, consider putting newspaper up there to make it a little easier to clean. Taller cabinets also offer more storage...seldom-used or seasonal items on the top shelves, naturally! HTH!