Your kind comments are making it all worthwhile! Thank you!! mtnfever - thank you for the link to soft close - I almost wish I didn't have it on the appliance depot drawer -then no one would know how nice it is! motodetroit - I inherited the piece on the side cabinet from DH's mother (I couldn't believe his sister didn't want it!). She got it in Norway in the '50s, and it's a great piece of vintage kitchen ware that sat on her counter for years and always makes me think of her. It has glass compartments (some are broken now) that I assume were used for sugar, flour, spices, etc. We fill it with M&Ms, almonds, popcorn kernals, tea bags and Emergen-C. Here's a better picture: Madeline616 - do you know how long I've tried to get my dog and cat to pose for pictures? Forget about it. And then they just wander into the photo shoot... I'm glad I got a picture of Zelda, our airedale. She's old now, and she doesn't like having her picture taken. taggie - comments like yours remind me that we did the right thing keeping the old cabinets. Two KDs I talked to, but didn't hire, immediately wanted to rip them out and I couldn't understand why, they were classic, worked fine (I realized later that both KDs work for cabinet makers; I don't know, maybe they all do). And keeping them saved me from making all those thorny layout decisions everyone struggles with here. I really had it easy, but thank you for your compliments. dilly ny - I wish I could take credit for the range hood, but it was the only one that would fit our specs. My ceilings are low and, if you notice, the ceiling above the cooktop is lowered even further (there is an upstairs bath above, but no one seems to know why the ceiling descends seven inches above the cooktop) - it narrowed our options in range hoods to this one - sorry, I should have ID'd it - Electrolux 36". dianalo - you are a better man than I. Actually, I know you aren't a man. I have followed many of your comments on the forum. You always have the best attitude. I have to say - cranky and demanding as I am - one of the things I love about reading GW commenters is how MELLOW you all are. In the midst of hair-curling disasters! How do you do it? I want what you're having! westsider40 - "Something's Gotta Give" was on TV in our area today! I ran in and said to DH (who loves that movie) - there it is! What I've been telling you about! The OTK! I had to explain the whole thing to him. But honestly, that kitchen is so completely SWOON-worthy. The whole house. Diane Keaton's turtlenecks. I wish!!! At least we have our easy-care induction, right? liriodendron - here are some pictures of the built-in drawers. I don't think they're anything special, but I'm sure if I were replacing the the cabs, I would have had to pay quite a bit extra to have a set of drawers like these installed. Helped us decide to keep the cabs we had. We keep container lids in the first drawer, the matching containers in the second, napkins in the third and table cloths in the bottom. Great storage. Keeps everything nice and tidy.

kateshome: The rear wall is apparently bowed. In the first picture right behind where the white hood trim meets the wall there appears to be a wood shim attempting to abate this; apparently it's not enough. If the hood is shimmed out any further, the gap between the hood and the wall is going to get larger. You have several choices: 1. Shim the hood away from the wall enough to stay on plane with the wall pucker and caulk/paint the gap between the hood and wall. 2. Remove the hood and drywall, shave the stud(s) and reinstall it all flush and flat. 3. Don't stick your head under the hood and look at the crooked part. 4. Remove the vent, recut the front edge to allow it to be pulled forward, shim it to straight on the back wall and cover the shims with trim.

I've found myself with the same quandry, so I'll be interested to see what you come up with. I did find this pic with a presumably "oil-rubbed bronze" but unusually brassy faucet mounted over a soapstone sink and backsplash; and the look did "pop" but I don't know what brand the faucet was or how hard it would be to find a shinier bronze.

Kaitlyn G, sorry, just seeing this! Here is a photo of how it all turned out. The “white” quartzite I selected ended up being more grayish / off white when compared to the truer white of the cabinets (Fabuwood Nexus in their stock white for perimeter, stock grey for island). It was also a challenge to match with backsplash. I chose Artistic Tile “jazz” glass mosaic. I’m happy with how it turned out, but if I had to do it again, I might have sprung for the “cristallo” quartzite which is a harder slab, more like crystals / rock, vs the creamier more marble-like look of my quartzite. I say that because, despite being sealed w Tenax professionally 2x, there are still parts of my counter that are susceptible to moisture rings / stains from leaving a bottle of oil out without a coaster. They all fade away in a couple of days but it is annoying. Cristallo was 2x the price when I was looking, so I passed, it was like $260/sf installed! That said, I do sometimes regret not splurging on it… but I really wanted the subzero, and I definitely can’t live without that. Have you made material selections yet? If you go w Mont Blanc, make sure they seal it really really well.