Other hutch:

Love #2 ! your choices of copper and brick pretty much make the second one perfect :) Your blue and butcher block will look fantastic with the more rustic look of the second one also. You will have such fun choosing things to place on the shelves. My first choices would be cookbooks and jars of home canned things ...lots of lovely colors and good to eat . Good Luck. c

Cabinet #1 seems to be an extremely formal cabinet, compared to your list. I can only visualize formal china in it.

The first one provides a great deal of storage and you could make it look less formal by changing the finish and replacing the glass with chicken wire. That said, the second one reads more like a kitchen to me. However, it's hard to make a recommendation without seeing the scale of your kitchen and the cabinet door profiles you've chosen.

I like #2 also, but will your dishes get dusty? I am so jjealous of you having brick floors. I really wanted them in my kittchen but couldn't find them anywhere around here. Everyone thought I was crazy.. Can't wait to see pictures!

Interesting... thank you all. I really don't want it too country/rustic. My house is very traditional. Casual, yet traditional. I have tons of china (it's an obsession I'm trying to cure myself of). I guess I liked the formality of the first piece in with the rustic-enough brick floor/copper accents? Am I wrong? I worry about dusting my china with the second one.
I love a look like this, for example:

This post was edited by hmgbrd5 on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 17:03

What is the main color of your china?

They're mostly dark blue and white. I have some that have light blue/yellow and pink in them, as well.
I guess I should have explained that this piece will be on the end of the kitchen next to a table and two chairs. (Not in the working part of the kitchen).

This post was edited by hmgbrd5 on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 17:14

cabinet one's shelves seem pretty shallow to me... more appropriate for displaying some china/items, but not too much... it seems mainly for 'decorative use' - not storage...

I would get #2 in a heartbeat! I love it!!!

I have about 17" between the wall and the frame of my french doors (where the piece will go). Piece no. 1 is 15.5" deep with the glass shelves being 13" deep. (if that makes a difference in opinion)

Are you thinking of buying a hutch to store your 'tons' of china in? Neither look like they have much storage, although #1 has more than #2. Or is this more for display?

#1 does look quite formal, but you say your house is traditional and casual. It also appears to be quite a bit wider than #2. Do you have the dimensions of each? Will one fit better in your space than the other?

Is this a new build or are you re-doing your kitchen? Without seeing the other things you describe, and the space they'll be in, and surrounding areas, it's hard to say which style would be better; but it seems that you prefer #1. Is a hutch something that you need to buy now before the space is completed?

What style are your cabinets and what sort of an edge will you have on your counters? Any legs anywhere on your cabinets or island? Any counter supports on your island for an overhang? is there crown moulding in your kitchen and is it simple or fancy?

I'll state straight out that I don't like #1 but it is personal taste. I don't like frous frous or what I classify as overbuilt furniture and #1 is all of that.

I like #2 if it addresses your needs.

What style is your table? If your kitchen is more simple but your table is a little more elaborate then the area with the table, chairs and #1 can be setup as a vignette within the room. If you prefer #1.

Well, the example you posted has straight lines while the first china cabinet is a lot more ornate. I really like the second one but am wondering if it may be too distressed and not the right color for your purpose. To me, it looks blue/grey.
is this meant mainly for display/decorative or do you need storage, too?

The bottom shelf on #2 is perfect for displaying copper measures, pots, etc.

I feel the elaborate doors on #1 will detract from the china display.

#2 for all the reasons stated above. The first cabinet looks like it got separated from its French country dining room......lovely in the right setting, embarrassing in the wrong one.

Another vote for #2 because it seems more fitting for a kitchen.
The first one reads dining room to me also.

Love 2. The finish looks meant to be. I'm rustic, so this one is just great and can see so many options for it in a kitchen.

1 is too "Yup, I painted it". Even if there wasn't a 2, I would pass on it. Unless it was a great bargain, and planned on painting it again.

As mentioned by many, these are very different styles and depends upon what your plans are, the other furniture around it. The first one feels like it belongs in a dining room, but if your kitchen is ornate it could work.

Another vote for #2, it's beautiful. I don't care for #1 at all but that is jmo.

Thank you all for your input. I put my kitchen plans up here a while back on the Kitchen forum. I didn't get any bites, so I decided to stick with what I was going with. I didn't consider that the cabinets will matter. Now I see and agree with you.
We haven't decided on cab fronts yet. We're meeting with our millwork guy this evening.
Again, thanks so much for the input! It really gives me things to consider!

Here's the original post with the kitchen layout in it:

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Plan

Are you committed to that new plan now? I hadn't seen your post in kitchens. I don't open anywhere near all of them these days, but for me, there would be some issues with the layout. If you don't bake and don't often use the oven or micro for meals, it might not be as bad for you as it would be for me. At the very least, I would look at putting the your floor to ceiling cabinets next to the ovens so your dry food storage is near the fridge and you have counter space for working either side of your cooktop.

Think carefully about whether a hutch is more important than a table and chairs in a dining area. I'm not sure what you were planning , but your island is small and in a traffic path, backing up to ovens -- not great seating space, and it's too small to seat a group. I'm not sure how you are thinking you will place a table and two chairs in the breakfast room, but it strikes me as awkward and creating a lot of wasted space in what is typically the most expensive square footage in a house.

Seeing your light fixture in that post, as well as the piece you said you liked above, #2 is definitely the better choice. It might not be THE ONE, especially if you would like glass doors or more storage, and you might want to consider incorporating your hutch idea into some glass door cabinets -- perhaps either side of the cooktop.

I am going to post on kitchens too and see if bumping you up can get you some more comments.

I can answer here or back on the kitchen forum.

Quick note for now - I remember seeing your plan and I'm not really equipped to answer but will anyway.

I find your area with the cooktop, sink and DW really crowded. You have a big area but everything is crowded into one little space. I would take out the pantry by the cooktop, and space out the dw, sink and cooktop somewhat. Your prep area will probably be between the sink and cooktop and you don't want the Dw in the middle there if you can avoid it.

maybe put the DW near the end of the cabinet run and then switch the sink and cooktop. Just a thought.

I don't know why you didn't get any responses.
Go back to your post and bump it up.

Thank you all! First - I have a dining area that opens to the living room that is separate from this area.
There are french doors that go out to the patio/pool so we already don't like going around a small table in the breakfast area to get to the patio (if that makes sense).
Also... I marked the direction of my front door. It is a hallway that goes to the front door, so it is very important to me that people don't see my stove (or other appliance) when they look in from my front door. (If that makes sense).
What it does tell me is I need to call a kitchen designer (especially if I can't get more direction here). Thank you for weighing in... it really helps.

Be patient and try again. I've watched many kitchen do better here than with so-called pros. I did bump up your kitchen thread. Some of the folks who are so good may be on vacation or keeping different schedules. It does help to let folks know what you have and what you need to be different, how many people, how many cooks, etc. Posts with too little information or that appear to already be decided may not get much feedback. It was your comment that you hadn't met with the millwork guy yet that made me ask about where you are, and I'm still not sure. You are getting to appreciate how many decisions are involved in a kitchen redo -- now imagine how many facts you know but we don't that are needed to help make them. It takes information to get information. And a little patience and persistence.

I'd keep looking. Neither of those is anything like your inspiration photo. I like #1 because it would hold a lot and keep it clean. #2 wouldn't hold much and it would be dusty.

Lascatx... you're right... the more people comment, the more I see I could have explained! But who wants to read a book when you first open a post?! Millwork = cabinet maker around here.
So right now, I'm still really open to change. Nothing's been ordered and nothing's been bought yet. I WANT to consider all possibilities and have the opportunity to realize before we lock in what could be better. So I love all the input! Thanks for bumping up the thread!