Greenhaven, yes I should really hold myself back from insanity when discussing lighting with my husband! Those are pretty track lights that you posted. Robotropolis - I thought track lighting is rigid track, while monorail is flexible curvy track? But yes, same concept. Thank you very much for the Canadian lighting online store - I will totally check that. So tricky finding Canadian sources sometimes. I do like the idea of wall-mounted articulated sconces as an alternative to ceiling-mounted lighting, at least on the long part of the perimeter "L". I may have some open shelving on the wall on either side of the range - TBD. Dh knows there are recessed lights designed to come in contact with insulation - but the boxes that go into the ceiling are apparently *huge*. So each one would require cutting a big hole and then a lot drywall repairing. We will hire out the drywall repairs, but don't want to incur unnecessary expense there. I'll definitely try out an LED E26 that you've recommended. EAM44, there *were* upper cabinets on either side of the window before. I agree the window size/proportions really leave a lot to be desired. I *adore* your inspiration photo. Unfortunately, this is an exterior load-bearing wall, with a walkway outside (fire regulations), in a condo building, with a moisture envelope. I've learned the hard way that standard solutions for openings in load bearing walls don't work in this building because replacement vertical studs can't be tied into joists in a structurally/seismically acceptable way due to difficulty accessing the locations where those tie-ins would have to happen. I'm going to add curtains and hope that that visually widens the window a bit. Here's a very crude mockup (no counters, fronts, curtain rod, etc.): Edb2n, I think a small lamp or two on the counter might end up being a good solution for me. Dh will complain about it most likely, but I hope he can compromise a bit there.

Blumotion is the glide system that lets the drawers open and close. The difference is in the drawer box construction. Metabox: uses powder coated metal drawer boxes. This is the cheapest option for Blum. Most custom cabinet companies do not use this. This is similar to Ikea boxes. Tandem: companies typically use hardwood dovetailed boxes and uses the glides by Blum. This is the typical American cabinet system that you see with typical mid to high-end cabinets in America. You only see dovetailed wooden drawers when you open and close the drawers. Tandembox: DO NOT use hardwood dovetailed boxes. The sides of boxes are stainless steel modules from Blum and the cabinet maker only makes the bottom and back that fits the Blum SS hardware sides and bottom. This is similar to what Ikea drawers look like but the components are made of SS instead of powder coated steel. The components are much higher grade than the metaboxes. This is more common with European cabinets. In America, there is typically an upcharge from Tandem to Tandembox. (for some companies, the charge may be the same...) This is not common in America. Tandembox Intivo: the drawer boxes use SS and tempered glass. Tempered glass is expensive. (I have only seen a few houses with this system ever!) I have no idea what the up charge is. I think it is quite a bit higher. If you go to higher end cabinet showrooms that have European style cabinets, they should be able to show you the difference between Tandembox and Tandem. They all have similar opening and closing mechanism; Blumotion. The drawers give you completely different feel when you open and close since what you see is SS versus wood. The difference is really the esthetics, not drawer mechanism.

I would never want to get dishes out of a lower drawer - I hate lower cabinets, even if they have drawers, and I would never give up upper cabinets, even though they are dangerous during earthquakes (unless they have childproof locks). I do not mind getting on a stool/stair to reach the very top of my upper cabinets, but I seriously do mind getting near the floor to get something from the bottom drawers. I only put things in lower cabinets that I do not use very much, and I would never consider buying a house without upper kitchen cabinets. I care more about storage than I do about sight lines in the kitchen. I'm very focused when I am cooking, and I do not need distractions from other rooms. I also like to keep smells and odors contained within the kitchen and not have them travel to other rooms, especially when I cook on the grill and set off the smoke alarms. If I had doors to my kitchen, I would close them. I had pocket doors to my kitchen in Venice, and that was perfect because I could close it off when I wanted to. I hate kitchens that invade living rooms - I like separation.

That was a little rough but, I do appreciate everyone's feedback! Two changes in particular I'm taking to heart: 1) 42" vent instead of the planned 36": While some say matching the vent to the stove width is adequate, many more say to go +3" on each side. 2) Not enough wall space for 22" window framing with 24" cabinets and 42" vent (thanks GD): I can address this by both reducing the cabinets to 21" AND mounting them on the side wall instead of the back wall (yes, the upper back shelf will be hard to reach, we'll also need door restrictors to avoid hitting the wall). While #2 above gives me ~24" more back wall space, I lose ~6" to the wider vent so, I end up with 18" more back wall space. I spoke the the window supplier and he said there's a 4 1/4" (!!!) overall space from window edge to actual glass for a vinyl casement windows. I may consider an aluminum frame as the frame is much smaller (but, it only has a 10YR warranty). The window guy mentioned the GC can bury much of the new construction vinyl frame in the drywall so I could get more glass (and the frame won't look as big). Has anyone ever heard of that before? Here's the new elevation: