I have to disagree with warranties for appliances these days. I have broke even several times but lately, especially with washer and dryers, I came out WAAAAAAY ahead. In fact, we just got bought out of our contract on our washer and got a check in the mail for the full purchase price plus tax and I bought a new washer. The washer was only four years old. I did not have a warranty of any of my appliances I bought 15 years ago. Back then, it would have been a waste. I've had one call on the fridge, two on the dishwasher, three on the oven and one on the cooktop. That would have been a break even I think. But, at this point with the cheap parts and sending stuff overseas, I most likely will buy a warranty on every item because one service call alone will pay for the cost of the warranty. Now, the key is to price warranties. The same warranty at store A is not the same price as store B. Sears is WAAAY overpriced with warranties so I don't buy there. Our local store is very reasonable for the exact same coverage. If you want a warranty, shop both the appliance and warranty cost.

Honestly, I'm not sure of anything. I'm having sooooo much trouble finding lighting I really like. This is the first thing that has 'grabbed' me but I really prefer the look of the chrome light over the orb. I'm just afraid it will be too stark with everything else in the room. As for the lighting plan, we are going to have something over the sink, under-counter lighting and a different ceiling mounted light in the other half of the L. I also have two windows and a door that has window panes in the top third. Right now the room is dark because it has wood paneling everywhere, but we are painting that a light color as well. I'm open to other options. Thanks for the input. Keep it coming.

So many interesting ideas--thanks! We decided to wait a week or two before sending the deposit, mainly so we can get some bids back so we have a clearer idea of the whole budget. But this is reassuring. Some reactions: On the cabinets on fridge wall. The cabinet to the right of the fridge will be a pull-out (the bottom half). Right now, it's 12" wide framed, with a 9" pullout. We're still nailing down the width of the little gap to the left of the fridge in the base cabinets. For a reason we haven't quite identified, the KD has it at 3 3/4, while we calculate it at 6" (everyone agrees on the whole run at 102". Actually the latter is not quite true, because when we remove the plaster and replace with drywall, we may pick up an inch or so.) Anyway, if it's 6", we should be able to put a small open space between two boxes, with a floor and a back, to get the full 6" for some trays etc. If it's much less, it gets difficult. (Michellemarie, I think it's OK to install a 30¨ 120 Advantium below counter. If we could get away with it, we¡¦d go with the 27¨, because clearly we could use the 3¨ extra. But it seems that's not possible.) We thought about glass doors on the top run of cabinets to the left of the fridge, but we thought it wouldn't match up too well with the rest of the run (e.g. the pullout to the right of the fridge), and anyway this was one place where we may save a bit of money. Also, we thought it would force the shelf in the middle, which may not be too efficient way up there. Bmorepanic, we don't want to increase the width of the cabinet to the left of the range, because there is not that much room to move the large "window" over the sink (partly because it is a load-bearing wall, and mainly because we need a big enough wall cabinet to the right for dishes). And then we want the hood placed symmetrically between that "window" and the wall. Lots of you mentioned the pull-outs to the left of the range. Our only thought was only that we need a place for a few small appliances, such as a blender, that are pretty tall but we use frequently (enough that we want them in the kitchen but not enough to put them out). And the pull-outs give us more flexibility on height. I shouldn't admit it, but we aren't the type to worry about scratches on the insides of the doors. The other alternative for the appliances is the end cabinets in the alcove, which will be 15" deep and just shelves inside (which could be adjustable. In this case, maybe drawers to the left of the range make more sense--we need to think more about that one. As for the hood, we're thinking something like a very low profile chimney hood. Maybe this Jennair or this Kitchenaid Architect II. We need to think a bit more about the entrance, I guess. Hestia, we like the idea of the 1-over-2 doors (I don't quite know the style, maybe transitional? I have to consult on that one. We're looking for period but not religiously so.) I don't know about putting in upper ones in the entrance wall. In the architect's elevations (I showed the KD's; I don¡¦t recent PDFs from the architect, only hard copy), it's clearer that there isn't much horizontal room for uppers. Rather, the idea is that the base cabinets, which will use all the available horizontal space, will look a bit like the base from which the arch extends up and over. Joanr, I kind-of like the idea of switching the trash with the silverware. The nice thing about such a small kitchen is that no matter where you are, you're a couple of steps from the trash. And I do worry about the corner there getting a bit clogged up during clean-up time (with more than one person helping). But it would be in a bit better position at least for one person. Right now, I don¡¦t quite know exactly how wide that existing silverware spot is. But if it's 18¨, then it would solve our little gap on the fridge side. We could put the trash in the 18¨ slot and use whatever space we have on the fridge side after the Advantium for a wider set of drawers. The thing is, we don't have a lot of flexibility on sizing on the range side either. We can't move the window much, and we want the range centered under the hood (itself centered between the window and the left wall) and the sink under the window. So either we have about 18¨ there to the far right or we don't. I'll have to check with the KD. Finally, I don't think we have room for an upper cabinet on that bit of rear wall to the left of the range. But what we have in mind (it's something we had original to our previous '20s house) is a very shallow built-in spice cabinet. I think it would look nice and be functional. Anyway, thanks again for the many useful suggestions! Andy

To me, the last slab you posted is beautiful ....maybe same level of busy but somehow more monochromatic and uniform than your giallo. I could see the latter blending together to create a uniform grey/brown look when viewed from a distance. I think the higher contrast in the background color and the 'speckles' in the counter in your giallo make it busier to my eyes. Also, how much do you like the pattern in your current counter ? The giallo is a variation on that theme - lighter background but same overall effect. Do you really think its worthwhile to change your current slab for the giallo (asking earnestly). Have been counter obsessed myself lately and I think you could take a peak at Colonial Dream/Cream, if you search by my id (CurryUp) you should find pictures of the slab I posted. Its a cream colored granite with minimal specks, really pretty. Just my 2 cents.