Hello All - thank you for the nice words about our kitchen! XC60, yes, I like my fridge. It functions well, just be prepared -- it's loud! Just random clicks, pops, etc. Truly quite loud. But it is pretty! :) Since I posted this question the other day, I've started folding a pretty dish towel and placing it daily beneath the faucet handle. Amazingly, this one simple action keeps water from spreading all over the island and making a big, wet mess. I guess I'll just do this daily to make the splashes not that noticeable. Floors - to the person who asked about floors, I simply just picked out the color I liked at my builders office. Sorry that I don't know what it's called. My only rule of thumb, personally, after having had dark brazilian cherry floors -- get something not too yellow and not too red, and don't go super dark. Super dark floors are in fashion, I know, but mine at my old house showed EVERY single piece of dirt, fuzz, debris, etc. For a busy family, our floors hide everything and are perfect for us!

Well I have been monitoring this thread and can now add some. I decided to paint (join the club-huh?) a vanity in a guest bathroom which doesnt get used much (in case I screw it up who will really see it?).. the vanity is a dark oak. The floor and wall tiles, bathtub, toilet and sink are all medium grey. Currently the walls are a mauve with shades of white spongepainted (that was handy work circa 1995 or so). I have painted walls, but never wood before so I am still a bit hesitant. I could not decide between painting the vanity white, dark brown or black. I was leaning towards the dark colors but then decided to go with white. I have primed using the SW Prep Rite, PRo Block and just last nite started to use the Pro Classic in Greek Villa ( very nice white).Since I am chicken, I have started doing everything on the insides of the doors. After one coat of primer and one coat of the paint, it looks decent but definitely will need another coat of the paint. ( I was planning on 2 coats so that is not a surprise). I am pretty sure I got the satin finish, am wondering if that is what you are using? I am so chicken. Now I am having second thoughts if I should have painted the vanity a darker color. I also don;t know what color to paint the walls. I frequently don't decide these things until each step is done... but if you have any suggestions for wall color with grey and white and I am typically more traditional as opposed to contemporary. Thanks for letting me spew!

Thanks for the input. A pro painter painted the Duration over my builder's white, 2 coats (no primer:( and it looks fine. But a neighbor's kid splattered some watery mud off their hands on the walls and I don 't think its cleaning anything like its reputation. I had the extra paint so did the bathroom in it, two coats over primer, looks good. Low odor going up, went on fine. Just don't know that it was that big a difference between other paints I've used in the past. So I'm not slamming it as bad paint - just don't know that its the big break through that it gets marketed as. Plus when putting up the christmas tree I made a chip in the pain to drywall in it fairly easy. Maybe its my expectations, I had plaster walls in my other old house - this drywall stuff just seems to dent, chip and get holes poked through the paper real easy. And I'm not tough on it, just a sedate 50 year old. I may try the Cashmere just as an experiment. Don't think I can go wrong either way, just to see the difference. Wish there was another BM dealer in town.

Linelle, that's a great attitude! We're going to pay cash too - not going into debt for this kitchen. Just need to figure out how big or small the budget will be :) After thinking about it and taking everyone's advice into consideration, I think I'd be happy with replacing all doors and drawers to get an updated look, and don't necessarily need to replace the cabinets since the boxes are still good. I'll get DH's input on this option vs replacing cabinets for better function. He said he's fine either way but I need to be sure he prefers saving money over the extra work that comes along with keeping the boxes. I'm trying to make peace with the arched uppers but don't want to keep them even after seeing all the great before and afters. Modifying or replacing just the uppers and keeping the lowers would save some money but I'd still have the oak grain to deal with as well as the partial overlay, and wouldn't have the same updated look as replacing all. I'm also leaning towards replacing the counter, which I think would have a big impact and will let me use paint colors on the cabinets and walls that will flow better with the rest of my house. We have the budget for this and it's a compromise between the full "gut and replace" project I originally wanted (moving plumbing and electrical) and just using what I have.