There was never any doubt in our minds that we'd light our cabs. I had so many pieces of pretty crystal to put in there, I couldn't wait to see them showcased . . .finally! Our electrician used halogen pucks. They're on a separate switch from the undercab lights, but are hooked up to the rope lights above the cab that highlight the things up there at the same time. We usually only turn those lights on in the evenings when we're entertaining and it looks really nice like that. Everything is on rheostats in this new kitchen except the puck lights, and I wish we'd have put them on dimmers as well . . . just because. I'd encourage you to add the lights. I think everything looks better in a glass-fronted cab when they're lit like that. "> ">

You have to stop worrying about symmetry. Think more in terms of balancing the massing of the cabinet run and appliances. Don't crowd all large things to one side or area and ignore another. Having something perfectly symmetric can be boring and un-subtle. This is a drawing I did for my kitchen layout. It is not symmetrical, but it is balanced. The stove/hood balances the fridge, both in stainless. The cabinets are all different sizes, but they compliment each other. Casey

I have glass doors on the cabinets on each side of my stove. I used frosted glass though, and it is even worse than clear glass about showing grease spots. I have no trouble at all keeping the doors clean. I have a really good hood though, so that probably makes a difference. As long as you have a strong hood that pulls out the smoke and grease, you should have no trouble at all with the glass staying clean.

Our lighting is bad (at some point we will put in a few more recessed lights) so it's hard to see our coloring. Pick your cabinets first, get a sample (i.e. tiny size drawer door) and then countertop shop. We picked Silesstone and I ran to the Silesstone installer (they don't sell directly) who gave me the 12x12 tile and when I got home I hated it. So, that began our great granite search. Ours has whites, off whites, and lots of other browns and some black (not in the original plan to have black). In the initial stages, my husband wanted granite and I wanted Silesstone so I won but in the end, he did as I hated my first choice (which would have looked nice too). And, I never would have guessed I'd pick an granite with movement, but we have a small kitchen so we figured we'd go for it. In person it looks really nice - it would look nicer if we ever finished it. Oh, we still haven't cleaned the grooves well so you can see it doesn't show that much but if you look up close you can see some dust. I tease my husband with that and the windows - I only design, buy and install, I don't clean.