You guys rock. Thanks for the feedback and photos. You really think I should get a dimmer for the hall lights? Hmm... I'll mention that to DH. We're putting a dimmer in his man room. We were going to turn them on and off as we used it. I definitely think it will bug me to have the only hall source not coming from overhead with that long of a stretch. Kmcg - Do you know the wattage or your sconce? For the recessed lights, 6" would be the way to go, right? I saw they had "kits" but they looked different than the stuff being sold separate. I'll have to make a trip to Lowes over the weekend and see what they have. Roseabbey - I was thinking of using 3 recessed lights. I'm glad to hear that will be enough light. These are the photos I had in the other thread. This is looking down the one side of the basement. There's stuff beside and behind me. The wall on the right is 20'. (Count to the 4th column.) There will be a door at the end and two doors on the left. left side

I should have mentioned this before (it was late!), but I think #1 is your best layout b/c of... Workflow, (Yes, it would be better to have refrigerator --> Sink --> Range, but only if you have a Prep Sink or you don't have a DW. With only one sink, the DW gets in the way of that arrangement, so this is better) Logical separation of the major zones, Easy access to refrigerator & MW for both kitchen work & snacks, No zone-crossing, and Protection of the Prep & Cooking Zones from through-traffic in the kitchen. Note that even though the refrigerator is farther into the kitchen, it's a straight shot to get to it from the LR, table space, or bedroom areas...and no interfering with work going on in the kitchen! I know you have an OTR MW in your layout, but to be honest with you, I really do not recommend one. They're usually very ineffective hoods b/c they're too shallow and b/c they're just not designed that well as a hood (they're real purpose is a MW, venting is more of an afterthought) They're rather short for a MW (at least my sister's is...but she has a very, very tiny kitchen and had no other place for a MW, so she's stuck with it) They're not the safest things to use b/c they're so high and you have to reach up and over a hot range as well as steaming/splattering/smoking food. If you're short or a child, they become very dangerous b/c you're either reaching inside above or at your eye level or you're using a chair to get to it. Try taking a dish full of water (use cold for safety!) out of a shelf that's as high as an OTR MW is...unless you're incredibly well-coordinated, you'll have trouble blindly reaching up & in and then blindly pulling it out while keeping it perfectly level and perfectly "calm" so nothing sloshes over the edge. Your youngest will certainly not be able to do this even when she's old enough to start using the MW. Now, imagine doing this with boiling water/steam, smoke, or high heat rising or grease splattering... If someone needs to use the MW while someone else is working at the range, you'll have a bottleneck...this could be someone who's defrosting something for dinner, cooking veggies or other dish for dinner, or someone trolling for a snack. A MW drawer, regular one mounted below the counter/on the counter/hanging from upper cabinets, or a built-in one is much safer and easier to use. [If any of you are even slightly tall, then I'd nix the idea of mounting a regular one below the counter b/c of bending over, reaching in, and pulling out...all would be done blindly for someone even the slightest bit tall. (Besides, drawers are great...you open it, look down, stir, close...all without taking the dish out! Plus, it has a "cool" factor...especially favorable with the guys!)] Pantry... It depends on the handles you use & whether you have hinges on the wall side of the cabinet. But since you seem to only have a 30" deep wall, even the hardware & hinges...

Hi maybeiloveyou, I didn't answer your question. My initial response would have been to install bronze light fixtures. However, since you have the stainless hardware, I'd probably stick with a stainless look light fixture. I'm also looking at the Shenandoah cabinets. Depending on the layout I choose I'll have between 12 and 14 cabinets total. I chose the Mission cabinets in Cherry Bordeaux and that quote was just under (a few dollars) $8,000. Maybe I'm being "hosed" by my KD? Did you guys go with the all plywood sides upgrade? Do you have oven cabinets or pantry cabinets? I'm just trying to figure out why my quote is so high. Maybe I should visit another Lowes for a price comparison.

Just getting back to GW -- b/w family & work, my time was limited this past weekend. . "How big of a kitchen sink should I get?" I would try for at least a 30" sink base cabinet. It should fit a sink b/w 27" and 28.5". That size should fit just about anything. If a 33" or 36" works in the layout, then go ahead and get a larger one. If you were getting a two-bowl sink, I'd say at least 36" - even with a 60/40 or 70/30 split. But with a single bowl, a minimum of 30" is probably enough. . "How big of an overhang do we need for comfortable seating..." That depends on the height of the counter. The minimum recommended overhangs are below. Note that these overhangs are for short to average heights/leg lengths. If you or anyone in your family is tall (say, 6' or more) or have long legs, then I would go with a deeper overhang (maybe another 3" depth). Table-height seating (30" off the floor)...18" of clear leg/knee space Counter-height seating (36" off the floor)...15" of clear leg/knee space Bar-height seating (42" off the floor)...12" of clear leg/knee space. However, if you plan to eat meals at this height, you need at least 18" of depth for plate + glass. For all three heights, a minimum of 24" of linear space is needed per seat. Note that there have been some rumblings in the Kitchen Design world that for table-height it should more like 30" of linear space per seat -- but I have not seen that "officially" stated anywhere and based on my experience, I think 24" is fine for table-height seating for most people. . Regarding a hood...have you considered building out the wall another 9" or so and then the soffit the same. Then, run the hood duct up inside the new depth and into the new part of the soffit and then out to the outside? From the pictures, it looks like the soffit goes across the Kitchen to the outside wall. Is that correct? (Or, is the soffit really just the ceiling?) I have a blank slate that I'll post. I haven't had time to work up a layout, but I do like Sena's layouts. Let me know if the blank slate is correct, please. Blank Slate: . Possible soffit location? Or, just ceiling?? .