Danielle, This kitchen is amazing! I am getting very drawn to the Crown Point frameless as I am finding, like you, that the regular cabinet lines are just not period kitchen friendly. I think I saw in another thread that you said your CP cabinets are much better quality than Omega/Dynasty etc. I just looked at Omega tonight and several details on them depressed me. Now I don't know how I am going to do my "budget" kitchen if even what is supposed to be a decent line does not meet my vision. The problem is the period kitchen business - I am going to find it so hard to put in "modern" cabinets. I looked at CP website and I am wondering what your drawer boxes are made from on the frameless - are they wood or are they metal? Are you happy with them? I was thinking of a painted off white kitchen but yours is making me reconsider and if as you say the oak is more economical then maybe it would be an answer for my problem. I am quite drawn too to their "transitional" line as it looks cottagey cute in a period kind of way. Congratulations on a WONDERFUL kitchen, one of the nicest I have seen on here.

While it's true that A&C is intrinsically a structural style, the OP likes a number of different styles and there are definitely things to do to make the room look and feel more turn-of-the century or Arts and Crafts. It would be helpful to see photos of the actual room, but here are some ideas that would make a big difference: Minimize gew-gaws (purely decorative dust-collecting objects). Choose objects for display that also serve a function. Think pitchers, candlesticks, lamps, mirrors, needlework. Eschew the curvaceous and embrace the rectilinear. Your big furnishings are already in place, but in selecting other objects, look for straight beefy lines, preferably real wood (of any species) pr metal, always with a matte finish. Think picture frames, mirrors, light fixtures. Your furniture color is fine. Look for Helen Foster's stencils online and choose a stencil pattern you like. Make one of the stencil colors blue to tie in the furniture. Stencil around the living rom at a height that seems right, but definitely closer to the ceiling than the midline. Ignore your w-to-w carpeting and use throw rugs on top. Choose any Orientals or look at William Morris designs for great patterns. O-stock has an extraordinary selection of well-priced rugs. Window coverings! Keep them as simple as possible. Muslin, cotton, like that. Stencil them as well if you want more pattern. Have fun!

It took me multiple readings of this thread to understand your room's dimensions and obstacles but I think I finally got it. Think being the operative word here. I'm sure I missed something. ;-) Anyhoo, it seems to me that the biggest hurdle you face is having too many interruptions on each length of wall. I agree that if at all possible, the DR hutch and built-in ex-ironing board cab should be kept. And it seems a shame not to take advantage of those recesses on each side of the DR hutch. So I turned my attention to the opposite wall and and played with the idea of moving the doorway from the outer room into the kitchen. I realize this means moving utilities and all that but it might be cost effective if it means you don't need to do as much customization of cabinetry in your kitchen. I just checked and with a few minor tweaks, you can make this plan work with Ikea cabinets. This is what I came up with: The outer room will be on large space, a mud room with utilities (behind doors), W/D and whatever else you want to keep out there. Moving the door down to the end gave me enough room to put the fridge, DW, sink and range all in one section of your kitchen, creating a very efficient work zone for 1 cook. The fridge is slightly recessed into the wall so that it's bulk is less obvious. The DR hutch is bordered by 2 pull-out pantry cabs with a shallow cabinet between them. You could mimic the DR hutch, giving a nod to your home's past. It also gives you a decent section of shallow counter to set down bags of groceries or a place for small appliances such as toaster, coffee maker, etc. You can fit the GE spacemaker MW above (it fits in a 12" deep upper cabinet). You could also make this section standard depth, sitting slightly proud of the pantry cabs on either side. You'd still have a 49.5" aisle, which will help your smallish space feel less squished. As someone above suggested, I moved the ex-ironing board cabinet. I shifted it over towards the window, next to the range so that it can continue its life as your spice cabinet (love this!). With all the storage on the DR hutch wall, I think that you just might be able to go without upper cabinets elsewhere, which will also help your kitchen feel spacious. You can fill in the old doorway space with an interior window - fixed or working, your choice. If the view isn't nice but you want the light, put in a real or fake stained glass window or other type of obscure glass. Or you can just make it a wall. Note: aisle measurement is counter edge to counter edge. I assumed a 1.5" counter overhang.

Unless you totally hate the look, your home, particularly the dining room, is where I would splurge on some of that period wallpaper. But I adore Art Deco. You can also do suede or faux leather textures with paint or get suede or faux leather wallpaper for the bottom. I'd do the bottom wallpaper and the top wall I'd paint with a gorgeous wallpaper border so that I could hang my art on the upper wall. That top left look that Fori posted . . . ENVY!