I don't know how the IKEA LED strips compare with the non-IKEA ones but I wasn't drawn to them, and I'm pretty pro-IKEA and value driven (as opposed to low-cost driven, that is, I love lower cost but only if it's a good value). I suspect they are just LED tape strips, and I had decided I wanted bars and not tape. As for installing lights inside a piece of furniture, have you considered the stick-on lights that you can put anywhere and that are either battery-operated (so you can swap out batteries when the lights dim) or LED? They are usually sold in 3-packs at Bed Bath, Home Depot etc. and are not expensive, we put them inside our last kitchen's dark cabinets and they really kept us sane when looking in the back (and in our new kitchen we only did drawers and pull-out cabinets on the deeper bottoms, and regular cabinets up top, so we don't have that issue anymore). Follow up - I wavered between Environmental Lights and Juno, both with a dimmer, and ended up having the Juno's installed and decided I hated them, but couldn't afford to uninstall them and install the Environmental Lights, so returned the Environmental Lights and lost a restocking fee and shipping but was impressed with Environmental Lights overall and how they were helpful and customer service oriented and would seriously consider buying from them in the future - but I can't speak to how the lights would have looked or worked. As for the Juno's, I now fairly well love them, they are fully dimmable piece by piece and turn off piece by piece so the look is customizable from hour to hour, and when all 3 fixtures are turned on at the wall switch and fully "on" the light is brilliant and dramatic. So I'm fairly happy with them but not thrilled with Juno overall - the Home Depot dimmer-dial model I bought has NO diffuser which really hurts the eyes when used with a shiny quartz countertop (I used the Environmental Lights diffusers out of frustration), and Juno's customer service people had no fixes and no suggestions for this problem, and basically wash their hands of these models since they are the "Home Depot brand". Plus Environmental Lights responds to emails on weekends and Juno has no customer service outside of business hours. Overall while I like the Juno lights fine, I prefer Environmental Lights as a company.

Hi everyone! It's great to get input from the Houzz community. My husband was active duty AF for 27 years and we're finally making this house our own. Thanks so much for the great feedback particularly from @damiarain and @caligirl5. Also, I am working with a KD. I’m so grateful that you both took time to give in-depth suggestions and actually provide a revised layout. In response to your suggestions: - Fridge - Damiarain, IMO, Moving the fridge to the wall proposed on the end of the counter would make it stick out too much and the sides would show whereas one side is hidden by the stub wall now. We considered removing the stub wall but it’s pretty involved so we opted to take down the pantry only. Furthermore, as shown in the 1st and 2nd pics, the great room is across from the kitchen and I personally prefer the look of cabinets on that wall complemented by a new staircase and not a fridge protruding out. Also, the space isn’t very wide in the entryway and an open fridge would definitely block someone’s path into the kitchen from the great room if placed in the end. It might work in the center of the wall, however. - Damiarain, you said, “have upper cabinets only on either the wall next to the pantry or next to the fridge.” What would I do with the entire open space where the fridge presently is…that’s losing 83” on the fridge wall? Besides, I need the extra storage for all the stuff I've gathered at our various assignments. - I understand your suggestion about moving the range and it’s valid. The wall is 154” and we’re cutting down the width of the new pantry to 31” whereas the current pantry opening is 44 ½”. I’ll have to talk to my KD about the lack of sufficient prep space on the left. You’d think that would be a major consideration in presenting her design. However, I am installing a counter level bar which will give me lots of space to the left of the sink (above the dishwasher) yet it doesn’t resolve the issue of someone washing dishes and another cooking on the range. I don’t know what the answer is but there has to be one. - Good point about leaving breathing room around the hood and going with more drawers whenever possible. - @caligirl5…I have the sample block for antique white but it doen’t work well for my house. We live in Florida and have lots of windows so I need a more contemporary look although I don’t want bright white. I’m now thinking gray may be the answer since all the other whites may clash with my bright white crown molding. - Sorry about the dimensions and thanks for your recommended layout. I have a thing about storage and have lots of dishes/glasses so I don’t know about getting rid of the cabinets on the fridge wall entirely and putting. Furthermore, as stated previously, I’m concerned that a large full depth fridge on that wall may really be in the way vs. being tucked where it is now. - A previous design had the microwave across from the range in a drawer pretty much where the cooktop is now. I opted to put the microwave in the pantry and put large drawers there instead. I've attached pics of a new design keeping the same footprint with ceiling height cabinets and a picture of the torn down stair taken from my great room. I will definitely give all of your recommendations more consideration and I’m really thankful for the help.

Not sure where you are located, but I found that having custom cabinets was equal in price to semicustom and I got exactly what I wanted. Hope you found what you were looking for with the new designer. If not, repost this in Design Dilemas.

I have a 1956 MCM ranch with those great overhangs and we installed HD ( I have no idea of brand ) patio doors they are vinyl and have stood up very well in S. B.C. Canada in all the different weather we get. They were quite affordable we got triple glazed since they are quite large and we get very hot and very cold weather and also live up above a highway.Our doors are 96” wide and the same height as you have. You of course have all the rules in CA you need to follow so not sure mine would meet those criteria Those nice big overhangs are IMO awesome for controlling heat in the summer and where we live the sun heats the house in the winter so a great design. We do have one large window facing west that does let in heat and UV we have solar shades on that window and makes a huge differencr in the anmount of heat from that window, I think if I was to change all my windows I would go black metal with the skinniest frame possible like commercial ones.