Best way is to look at both! Compare the features, shelves, lighting, temperature controls and readouts. I guess none of the new Jenn-airs have the features my 2006, 48" built in JA has? It has crank up/down shelves in both fridge and freezer, it has 3 different temp settings in the fridge compartment, (Meat Keeper, Chrisper and main fridge), all digital readout and control. It is well lit, both the fridge and freezer. It uses the variable speed compressor, which according to an "Old Post", all whirlpool made fridges do, (alto I would double check that). It has been trouble free except the icemaker falied after 5 years, (heater), a replacement cost me about $135 and took me 10 minutes to change it. Just about all reviews, here in GW, are positive about the KA fridges, so either should suffice, just compare the features and if they differ from the KA to the JA, are they important enough to YOU, to pay the extra money?" Compare warranties too!!! I had originally thought I wanted a 42 inch built in fridge, but I can't tell you How HAPPY we are, that I found an extra 6 inches for the 48", something You "May" want to consider! Good luck with your pending decision!! Gary I

The color on the walls is SW Blonde (above the chair rail - below is SW Lemon Verbena - a sagey green that is just a little too light). It is the 5th coat of paint on the kitchen walls! I finally tried it after 4 other failed attempts, all either too green or pink. I really wanted something with a yellow undertone to it. If you search SW Blonde on this website, you'll find lots of info. I should've researched here first and saved myself a lot of painting. But then again, everything looks different with different woodwork and lighting. Firsthouse_mp, thanks for linking that website. I really have a hard time with beiges and greens, but looking at her examples on her blog, it looks so obvious. I can tell the green-beige, pink-beige, and yellow-beige right away. Why is it so hard looking at paint chips in the paint store,then - lol! Well, I think we're leaning towards the lighter color. We are going to our fabricator on Friday to see what they carry in stock, so maybe we'll have a decision soon. I'll definetly post pic's when we get to that point. Besides, then I'll need the dreaded BACKSPLASH help - lol!

Interesting..... I had this vision in my mind to do the cabinets in a dark cherry to tie in with the bedroom and bathroom for over a year now. It was only yesterday that the designer suggested white and I immediately dismissed it, yet since then, the idea has been growing in my mind. There is a lot of white trim throughout the house with the doors and molding plus the blinds there now are also white so it is really not adding another woodtone look. I could see myself making it less stuffy too with a fabric valance on the bay windows. The other advantage is that it is less expensive and it puts the third designer we met with (who will work through Costco and most likely the less expensive of the three--we get a $10 cash card at Costco for every $100 we spend, plus we pay through Costco and it counts for our EOY rebates). I am just going to sit with this idea in my mind for a few days as it is a big shift in my thinking for this room, but this type of input is so impt. for me. I will call the other two and tell them to quote in both the african walnut and white, but as of today, I'm leaning towards the white myself for a more airy, less stuffy look. It is very hard to visualize how very small this is. It is only 8'9" (including the 3' bay bumpout) x 10' (including the step). Doing any type of cabinetry on the north wall would block the entryway. We wanted the desks to face out into a window so we have a view of our backyard while working. That way the blinds can be open yet no glare on a monitor. The desk locations are really fixed as all wiring and lighting has already been done with that in mind. funkart: You brought up some very good points. We are working with closet companies for now that have all the insides for offices and do the wire management so it's not fully custom without an upcharge. So choices really are either 20"D or 24"D cabs but the countertop will have an overhang of 1-1/2". Yes, my kids (3 of them) do use it occasionally though DS has his own laptop, older DD we are in process of buying a laptop for her and my 7-year-old will probably start using it more and more--just the computer. Everyone (all 5) will use the printer (networked) and we may add a second one for laser printing (either here or in DS's room who has greatest need right now), but the narrower depth should still accomodate that. The narrow depth will definitely make it easier to reach over and open the windows. DH wants 20" and I'm leaning towards that as well. I actually want to cut down on the desktop clutter so I'd say more impt. is having enough storage to put it all out of sight--that alone I think will have the biggest impact. I guess things get lost in the back of drawers/cabs. anyway. The uppers will probably be 14" deep, though only one upper. The one tall cab could be something different--could even be 24"D and desk cabs 20"... I'm still trying to figure out the size of the cab since the wire we put in for the plug mold is right smack in the middle where we would do two equal sized cabs and I'm not sure how much it can be move--so the tall cab may end up being larger--closer to 36" and we also need some filler of the left to accomodate the drawer clearance. I'm still debating putting an upper on the west wall or just leaving a bare wall as I don't want to feel closed in, though I'd really like some overhead paper trays over the printer to load it up. Today I'm going to head out to 2 of the showrooms and will visit the third tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a clearer idea then. It took me 6 mos. to design my kitchen (time well spent) though I'm hoping to do this one in much less time as we are so sick and frustrated with dealing with it as it is....

Thanks for the nice comments everybody! Goldengirl I did not go with the Laura Ashley Gold but did go with a Behr Custom Color match for Restoration Hardware's Saffron color paint. I love the color with my cherry cabinets, it really warms up the whole room. Here is the paint lid from Home Depot with the color match formula. We used Behr paints throughout, some of their own colors and some color matches. Kathieo - regarding the pendant lights in the kitchen, our original kitchen had a big wood ceiling lightbox with a double flourescent fixture inside. We took that down and decided to install two recessed can lights over the cooktop area of the island but wanted pendants over the seating area. My neighbor who is an electrician did all the lighting changes and additions for me. If you already have recessed cans in the ceiling, I would think an electrician could move those or install pendants to whatever location you wanted if you don't like the current position. Would involve some drywall repairs but it should be possible to put lights anywhere you like. We added additional recessed can lights to some of the darker corners of the room plus linear low voltage undercabinet lighting which is great for adjusting the mood/atmosphere of the room. We also put dimmers on everything which is saving us bulb life and allowing for a range of lighting looks from subtle to dramatic. Here is our original 1989 kitchen. We liked it at the time but were totally ready for this remodel! I'm just glad we were able to keep our old cabinets. That saved us a bundle!