I'd be a happy girl if my trees came out looking anything like that (on a smaller scale, of course!) I've ordered 30 Norway Spruce, 20 Colorado Spruce and one Crabapple to help with the kitchen window situation. I changed the plan a little, and will now be doing a large "L" of trees along the north and west sides of the lot, instead of just the north side. I am going to keep looking for a third variety that the road salt won't kill, but with just these 2 kinds, would you mix them up somehow or put all the Norways on the outside, or all the CBS on the outside? I have never planted anything more than one of those Christmas "plant in a box" things and really appreciate all the tips. Thanks!

Post in the Kitchens forum for lots of great help.

Congratulations on your first home! What you've done so far is beautiful! Here's a thought (which you might hate, but what the heck, I'll say it anyway--maybe it will spark a new idea in you, if nothing else). Could you remove that bar entirely, and build cabinets along the red wall instead? Or, if (since, as it appears) there's nowhere else for your sink to go, perhaps you could take out half of the bar (or more, if you replace the double sink with a single one), and still use the red wall for more cabinets, maybe some shelves if you like those? You could do a tall pantry and a row of base cabinets; it would give the kitchen more square footage and lots more storage, and make it look and feel more convenient and less cramped. Put in drawer base cabs instead of cabs with shelves, and paint all the cabinets ivory/cream, or IMO a very pale sage green or gray-green would look fantastic with the wood and furniture you have so far. (You could also consider getting short wall cabinets [the height of your backsplash] and installing them on the countertop in the corners, so they basically extend the wall cabs to the countertop. More storage, but I don't know how much if any countertop you're willing to give up.) Oh, and I also dislike those countertops--they're not awful, just not my thing. I'd pick a lighter color there, as well, maybe just a shade darker than the cabinets, or some other color used throughout the space. I do think the glass panel thingy there is kind of awful, though. That's what I would do, anyway. I don't care for those kitchen-dividing bars in general, and I don't think that one is doing your lovely new home any favors; I think it makes it look really cramped and unnatural, if that makes any sense. Taking even half of it away would open that space up so much. IMO, of course. I hope that helps!

well, maybe some of the pros will weigh in, but I would put appliance garages etc on the periphery of your kitchen, not in a corner, for the exact reason you describe. adjacent to your fridge, for example. mama goose has a collage of microwave/ beverage stations/appliance garage that she often posts as examples of this. you lose 33" of counter and cabinet space by leaving that gap, so I'm still not sure how it helps. your pantry is a hike from the kitchen, so you may want to add a pantry cabinet for often used items. looks like a fun project!