Thank you, thank you for so many thoughtful posts. This is an international move for us, so I have been travelling to coordinate everything involved - I only had 2 weeks to find something and this house ticks a lot of boxes for us, so I will work with it. I completely agree with many of you on working with what is there and with the Scandi modern look - as I said in my first post "will try to go with a mix of nature (lots of wood), clean lines, bright colors (fern green, orange, yellow, turquoise), and some funky accents". My mom is Danish and I have inherited Danish modern dining table & chairs, buffet, turquoise pottery, floor lamp, etc. so that is our style in general. Our stuff is pretty modern, but not industrial, more nature-oriented mixed with lots of ethnic art and crafts bought on our travels. I'm definitely not trying to recreate a period-perfect kitchen or house - as palimpsest accurately guessed, this is a split entry colonial revival ranch so I'm really not sure there is any period-perfect style anyway. But we do like to respect the period features of our homes (most recently an 1882 Victorian and a 1910 Tudor revival, both 4 stories so we are really looking forward to one main level!) (And I really enjoyed reading all the commentary here on period issues.) Nonetheless, Tuscan-looking or even American traditional just isn't us, or the rest of the house, ergo my desire to create a feel in kitchen more in keeping generally with our eclectic stuff and the period of the house. Even though they are not my taste, there is no way I could take down almost new solid maple (cherry-stained) cabinets, as much as I might love IKEA. Anyone have any experience stripping stain off cabinets like these? I "might" think about that as I would like them better in a lighter wood tone, of course even better with a slab front but too many cabinets to contemplate that. I like the suggestion to take down and store the uppers next to the range and do a big tiled backsplash with a big stainless range hood. I like that idea aesthetically and practically since microwave vents are never powerful enough and uppers near a stovetop always wind up sticky and greasy. Will definitely look for a sleek stainless pull, maybe with a curve. I wonder if it possible to somehow cut off the mullions from the glass-fronted ones?? For the floors, I have loved the look and feel of cork previously so I'm inclined to go with that - it needs something less busy to minimize the busy-ness of the cabinet fronts. I don't know what to do for the counters? Formica or metal-trimmed aren't what I was contemplating. I think stone or tile will look too "Tuscan"/90s - whatever you want to call it - with the cherry cabinets. Already too much wood cabinet for butcher block. That leaves concrete, stainless or that manufactured quartz that looks quite uniform. Any thoughts? Thank you for all the links - I loved some of the tile patterns, but am concerned about busy-ness. I haven't had a chance to look at all the lighting links - thinking something clean lined, Scandi looking, not space-age. I'm also a bit stuck on backsplash and paint color. I love green and will be using it elsewhere in the house, but I have too many memories of dark green with cherry in 90s kitchens. Maybe another shade? I do love yellow and orange, which again will show up elsewhere in the house alot. I guess I am just really hung up on that cherry and what goes with it...

I'm in the process of doing this very thing. Doing Bridgewood Skandia (full overlay)cabs in maple with wheat finish...black counter of some nature (granite? Quartz? Still to be determined) and, goddess help me, stainless appliances. The Husband likes the look of ss and he so seldom has an opinion and when he does, I usually let him have his way. (Unless I'm totally opposed.) My sister SWEARS that there's a new stainless finish that isn't a fingerprint nightmare. I hope she's correct. Here are the tiles we are leaning toward for the backsplash...(tiny samples...I've ordered larger ones but they've not arrived yet): From Tile samples So far I'm leaning to the micro-mosaic on the left. Colors are JUST what I'm looking for. I set everything on The Dreaded Black Shelves so that I could get a feel for how the tiles would work with a black counter. Propped my cabinet sample above...and that is what I have for a "style board" to date. Floor will be marmoleum...I've included a link to my pinterest board for my kitchen. I've found pinterest to be a great way to add/edit ideas. Here is a link that might be useful: mjsee's kitchen pinterest board

The bay window was existing, but I believe it may have been a previous retrofit from a straight window before I bought the home. It's approx. 42" x 42" and 16" deep. It looks close to being a 45 degree angle for the sides. The glass backsplash was the big splurge, they run between $125-$150 a square foot installed. I was only going to have it behind the stove to keep costs down but my husband said just go for it so I did that whole wall. Its super easy to keep clean, just like cleaning a mirror or window.

Oak is an appropriate choice. I’m doing a MCM kitchen where she chose sapele, because it looks a lot like the mahogany that was used a lot in the era. That is in the final selections stage. Heres an original MCM oak kitchen that they updated to a dark cherry. I love bed the originals! I think a classic quarter sawn cherry could work as well. They preferred the dark. Here's one I designed using the cherry, to match the original cherry buffet that was still in the dining room. The kitchen had been ruined by a fire, and someone painting cheap flat white paint all over everything. Yes, that's a 14 foot island taking over the breakfast area too. And, for something completely different. I'm doing a project where vintage metal cabinets are being sandblasted and powder coated turquoise. Color matching range. White Corian counters, checkerboard floors. And the original wood trim, and a new wood ceiling to match. That might be more vintage to you than MCM, but it's still a good look.