Hi Andrew, If this is going to be your only source of light, I would suggest something a bit more powerful than fluorescent lights, namely high intensity discharge (HID) lamps of some sort. The two varieties of HID lamps are metal halide (MH) and high pressure sodium (HPS). HID lamps commonly come in different wattage ratings of 250, 400, 600, and 1000W. They generally produce the most light per watt and have a broader spectrum, although LEDs are getting close in terms of light output--they just cost a ton more. I'll spare you the details of the differences between the two, but MH lights are bluish in color, while HPS are generally yellowish. Citrus will generally benefit more from MH, but both types are viable. The HID lamps will require a ballast to pump the high voltages needed to maintain a plasma stream in the arc tubes. Fortunately, there are kits you can buy that include a housing fixture, two bulbs, and a ballast. I'd recommend them if you're just starting out, so I've attached one as an example. You can get lower wattages for less money. -Tom Here is a link that might be useful: Grow light kit from Amazon.ca This post was edited by tom1328732 on Sat, Nov 29, 14 at 23:17

Annkh, congrats on your anticipated new kitchen! My newly remodeled kitchen is about the same size as yours. In fact the middle of my U is 116". As you have planned, I have a 36" diagonal corner base cabinet in the left corner. I suggest my solution, a 27" diagonal corner wall cabinet above it. Three Rev-a-Shelf 20" D-shape trays with steel bearings are inside that wall cabinet. There is no center pole; each tray simply sits on a shelf. That baby holds a ton of stuff and brings more storage outward into a small kitchen. I even have seldom used small items, such as parfait glasses, sitting in the unused corners. In case you are interested, homewarehq.com has those trays for a great price, $33.50 each. I wouldn't leave a dead, unused corner in a small kitchen. My kitchen has a 33" "Easy Reach" cabinet in the right corner. This is something like the bifold cabinet door you now have in your left corner, except there is no lazy susan, just a shallow single shelf (18" deep) to allow easier access to the bottom. This cabinet only has an 11" wide opening but many items can be turned on their side. Mine holds a large cake carrier, a George Foreman grill, large Corningware pieces, muffin tins, cake pans, and baking sheets stored on their sides in tray racks, plus other items. This cabinet may serve your DH's issue regarding the need for shelf storage. Also, your 36" sink cabinet has room to store large items. Mine holds a bread maker, a Kitchenaid stand mixer, coffee maker, plus a pull out for cleaning items. That would then allow you to have a 27" wide drawer bank on either side of the range. On the left side of your sink, I suggest a 6" wide, 24" deep, 5 drawer "apothecary" cabinet. They're great for holding rolling pins, small items like potatoe peelers, rolled up tea towels, napkins, spices, or cake decorating supplies. If interested, you can google woodharbor.com + apothecary base cabinet. That should pull up a page of their cabinets. About 2/3 down the page, on the far right look for Apothecary base w/Dwr fronts-Bapth to see the cabinet I am recommending. A 9" wide tray cabinet could then fit to the right of the sink cabinet. A 1" wide folding stool could be stored in here for handy access to the top shelves, plus other things like a slide out towel holder. A 15" wide wall cabinet with a glass door and lit inside could go on either side of your sink window to help make that wall the focal point of your kitchen. One final thought, a counter depth refrigerator would make your kitchen look larger since it would not protrude much beyond the base cabinets. Anyway, these are just some thoughts for you to mull over. Good luck and can't wait to eventually see the final product.

Sjerin, the paper towels do work pretty well in that spot -- and looking through the photos in this thread, november and rayminkle have them in the same spot! How funny is that?!? The only time they are not convenient is when my kids spill something at the table (happens about 7x/day) -- it's about 6 paces away and not quite a straight shot. However, if I put the paper towels closer to the table, I think my two-year-old might "notice" them and start raiding the roll... There was a huge thread once about where people put the paper towels. Very entertaining. If I had a huge kitchen and no kids or dogs, I would have a little custom nook right under the counter, hidden from view behind an island or peninsula but without a door, so I could grab them quickly and easily but they'd be hidden. Doubt it will ever happen -- the kids will grow up and go, but there will always be dogs. :-) As for living without a dish drainer, when I was trying to figure out where everything would go in the new kitchen, I couldn't fit both the coffee maker and the dish drainer in the one logical spot for both. So I decided to try living without the DD (living w/out coffee is not an option) and not only could I live without it, but I was surprised by the difference in "cluttered-ness." Removing just the DD (and my old one was small, probably 14"x6") made a huge difference. And scootermom wins a prize -- my screen name means Champagne Tastes, as in "Champagne Tastes and a Beer Budget." I chose that b/c I found the kitchen forum when I was confused and disappointed after getting two quotes for our kitchen project -- both more than 50% over our budget. So when it asked me to choose a screen name, that phrase came right to mind. (see above about huge kitchen with custom paper towel nook) ;-) I did find another pic of the kitchen in action:

@itssourcasa...I’ve gotten sooo many quotes, over the course of 4 years. But it’s been hard to compare because we keep changing things. I feel like some of this cabinet line’s products costs are high (the trim and panels are high) but then the kitchen as a whole isn’t too bad compared to other quotes I’ve gotten. At least from the prices I’ve got in the past. My entire kitchen, less the crown and range hood is pricing at $17,500. I did include the riser and base. Having the contractor do the crown. This includes double stacked 48” cabinets, island with drawer bases, appliance garage, furniture ends, and all drawers. I only have one lower that’s a cabinet. Starmark is the brand, from what I understand is pretty good? Even our cabinets.com quote (which was this layout exactly) was right around 17k-18k. That included the hood though. I believe I got a quote from menards, and that was in the 16-17 range. And then the local kitchen store was 17k-18k but that was no drawers, 42 uppers...so basically I’m getting all the upgrades for the same price. That quote was bare bones. From what I read, don’t many people spend 25-35k (or more!) on cabinets for a kitchen this size? This room is 102x149x169 with 9 foot ceilings. Hope I’m not overpaying! I’m supposed to pay for the kitchen on Monday.