to the original poster's original question: I looked at the photos, and this is what I see. Nice condo kitchen, nice functional layout, decent cabinets with many more years use in them, nice white laminate counters. White fan. White backsplash. Whitish floor. I would personally stick with white, not change anything out until you need to do so, or until you find a really cool used alternative locally. You can always change out the handles for a brushed nickel if you can find pulls with the same hole distance, this will look nice, and would fit your budget. If you collect any kind of pottery or interesting glass you can put your collection on top of the uppers and put some inexpensive LED rope light up there to light your collection and give the place a more open feel. To me, this kitchen space as it is without any major updates would not benefit from black, but you need to go with what you love.

This is awesome feedback and so incredibly helpful! For a newbie like me, having your input really gives me confidence in our layout. So I've been contemplating the reco to switch the fridge and the range. I know having the fridge closer to the hall gives quick access to drinks, ensures the door opens properly and keeps the people from having to walk behind the cook to reach the fridge. But what are your thoughts about the impact of the fridge placement on the openness of the space? Do you think having the fridge on the right and the hutch on the left creates a more enclosed entrance into the kitchen? Right now we dont have any wall cabinets so we enjoy a fairly open and bright space with the large windows. I dont want to lose that so I'm interested in your thoughts. houseful: Your rendering is awesome. Its so cool to see my space in 3D! I surely dont want to lose inches in the planning (every inch counts, right) so Ill go back and recalculate the cabinet measurements. I love the curved island because it adds so much interest. My DH and I really want to maintain the seating for 4 on 2 sides of the island. This is the only way we could keep the ability to look at each other and our guests while eating. We played around with a "T" shaped island (the bottom of the T extending from the window), but thought the proposed island gave us more prep space. mom2lilenj: I fell in love with your idea of switching the DW and trash. It makes so much sense! If we lose that seat in the 33" space due to clearance issues, well definitely incorporate your suggestion. I also like your suggestion to expose the brick in the chimney. We had an architect friend over to take a look at the space and when I mentioned using the chimney as a decorative feature, she said because it was plastered over, the brick is probably not "pretty" brick. Id like to find out though, so maybe well expose a section in the mudroom to find out whats underneath the plaster. Even if its not pretty brick (which Im not exactly sure what that means), it would be awesome to expose another original element to the house. Ill keep you posted. Thanks again for your input and I welcome any other thoughts or ideas!

The picture from your image has a VERY large radius, right? That is what I want also. The end of my 42 inch wide island needs to seat two people (sometimes). I thought from the beginning that I need to add a dramatic curve to that end to increase space for two to sit side by side. I have much more length to play with than width, hence my willingness to have a large radius to fit the second seat. Here's a website that advertises custom wood tops - I have no idea about the cost but I definitely plan to pursue. I have no financial connection with this company but looks like they offer exactly what I want. Maybe you too. Can't seem to find their location. That might give an idea about what shipping costs would be. http://www.williamrogersco.com/custom_capabilities Here is a link that might be useful: William Rogers Custom wood tops

even three in a row we don't tend to use. I wish I would have made room to do two at the peninsula and 1 at the end and 2 around the corner facing the living room. we currently could fit 5 at our peninsula with one at the end but only with kids does that ever happen. they love it though:)