Work on your layout as a hobby until you get it right. Post it here for some impartial help. Once you get that worked out enough to know the scope of the project, then dream a while on the finishes. Many times, that's the most flexible portion of the project, and on a long project, a lot of people are already tired of what they picked by the time that the end of the project rolls around. Be sure that your choices aren't just "design ADD" where "oooo I LOVE every zen modern kitchen that I see on Houzz.....look there's a Tuscan one too!" It's fine to have an infatuation with many different looks, but only marry the one that suits your home's bones, and your family's living style. Minimalism is my personal sought after style, and it works with my house, but not as much with my design samples everywhere just this side of hoarding lifestyle. I'm hoping that redoing my home office will help with that, but I'm trying to be realistic by making sure that every single piece of furniture that I own will hold "stuff" and keep it from becoming clutter. Be similarly realistic about your home's bones and living style. A winery in Tuscany might be your retirement home sometime in the future, but decorating a 1980s Colonial Revival like it's that winery will not work with those bones. Maybe a painting of Tuscany, and use some of the colors with traditional wood cabinetry could work....but not the overly faux glazed and faux distressed and grapes and leaves and olives and wrought iron wine caves...etc.

Hi - I'm new, but have been lurking (and getting lots of great information) for several months. We are starting on our semi-DIY kitchen remodel, and need to cover up a flue opening on one wall. Below follows my post in the fireplace forum: We are doing a kitchen renovation and have removed the woodstove that was in the kitchen - it was not useful, it worked so well, it was too hot to stay in the kitchen! Anyway, the flue pipe went into a brick chimney that has two other flues, one for the main fireplace in the greatroom on the other side and one for a woodstove in the basement. We have plugged the hole where the stove pipe entered the brick chimney flue with a metal cap. A square section of the brick chimney was open to the room (and framed with wood molding). We need to sheetrock the entire wall, because the brick is flush with the current sheetrock. Are there any other things we need to do before we cover the bricks/capped flue with sheetrock? thanks for any adivce.

Since no one has given you any feedback yet, I'll take a shot... So you have what people call a barrier island. That means for the normal kitchen workflow you would have to walk around your island. If you read this thread, you will see the main problem with your workflow: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg111625296905.html (Maybe this thread should be made sticky?) To fix your workflow, you could either move your fridge to the wall with your sink or add a prep sink on your island. Also, through what door do you bring in your groceries? The small door in the kitchen to the foyer seems like it will encourage a traffic pattern through your kitchen. Having more counters/pantry there may be better. Regarding the powder room... having the guests go through the mudroom to the power room seems awkward and inconvenient. Could you have it open on the other side into the living room (I think that is the living room)? Also, you only need 2 more feet for a full bath. It seems like you have plenty of room to add a full bath if that is something that would be of value to you (it does help resale). Hopefully some others will chime in and help you out with this one.

Thank you all for your comments and advice, it is very much appreciated. I met with a design person from a local cabinet company on Saturday and he sent me some preliminary concepts. @Bob W - Thank you, it was my husband's vest that he wore all the time and I don't have the heart to remove it as he always hung it on the chair when he took it off. @live_wire_oak - thank you for your input. I work for attorneys so I am going to have them review the contract prior to signing. I meet with the contractor next week. @Patricia Colwell - Thank you. I am going to get rid of the oversized pub table as well as the small bench sitting under the mirror. I plan on putting a much smaller standard height square table and/or rectangle to sit maybe 3/4 people. I am a cooker so I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. As far as storage, I have more than enough as it is just me. I do have a dining room (below) off of the kitchen, which after the kitchen is complete, I may or may not put a small dining room table in there. It is empty right now. I have had it both ways over the years (i.e. dining table and I also had it as just another sitting room). It never really got used as a dining room. My budget is around $50,000.00 so I would like to stay around that. Considering the house was built in the 30's. I have been getting bids for the job for over a year now and have had contractors bids from $45,000.00 to $75,000.00 but that also included the back porch and bathroom. The bathroom has already been completed. The contractor that I am going with (I have not signed the contract - meeting next week) has bid the job at around $45,000.00 including materials. We are supposed to go over specifications when we meet. I have a detailed list of my specifications which need to be included with the contract. @Design Girl I'm not going to change the layout, other than I am going to extend the cabinets over a little i.e. on the other side of the stove and also extending over to the doorway to the back porch door. I have also asked him to send me an image with white cabinets as well. As far as the LVP flooring, I have it just about in my entire house. Unfortunately when I started renovating back in 2017, the only wood flooring in the house was a mess and could not be salvaged when I tore out carpeting, so I opted for the vinyl plank flooring because it was within my budget. Would love wood flooring but I just can't afford it. The wood floors were a mess and I also had a large iron metal return vent where you see the plywood square. I wish I could have salvaged the wood floors but they were so damaged with nail holes, digs, cracks etc. This is my current vinyl plank flooring: I have to say that I do love my vinyl plank flooring. I also put vinyl plank type tile in my bathroom and even my best friend who likes the finer things in life, thought that the bathroom tile was marble. She had to take her shoe off to feel the floor LOL. As far as tile, I had ceramic tile flooring in my bathroom prior to remodeling and I ended up with 3 cracked tiles from dropping stuff (I am clumsy), so that is why I opted for the LVF. The cabinet company sent me some computer images of what it would look like in grey. I do not like the countertop. Also, I want the cabinets to go to the ceiling with crown at the top. My ceiling are an off size. Right now they are 8'9". I want the ceilings tore out so that I can have recessed lighting installed so the top will changing depending on how far down they come with the ceiling after tear out. Thank you all very much, any suggestions and/or comments are appreciated as I am all over the place right now.