Did the same thing, picked what was most important first, and the option with the most choices (paint) last.

Thanks mdln, and I forgot about the paint! But yeah, way more to choose from there.

Picked the basic concept first.

Wood tile

Grey cabinets

White arabesque backsplash

Marble ish coubters

Stainless appliances

Kohler cast iron farmhouse sink

Finalized wood tile first because finding one I liked that went OK with 110 year old Douglas fir in rest of house wasn't easy.

Thought I had cabs, backsplash, and counters picked out quickly in one trip to the cabinet shop and tile store. Decided the counters were too busy, changed to a similar but quieter one. Went to appliance store to see a specific range I wanted (Viking Tuscany). Didn't get the range. Decided had to have integrated paneled fridge. And steam oven. And coffee maker. Might as well panel the DW too. And get two of them. Then construction didn't start for another 4 months. Cabinets were waaaaay over budget. Looked at stains to save money found one I really liked but didnt save any money. Ended up mixing the stained with the painted and used both. Expanded budget. Learned more about the cabinet door construction and all the different options, picked a different one than we choose originally that matched the rest of home better. And was a little cheaper! Finalized Kohler color to white. Switched the backsplash to similar one from different manufacturer that was flat instead of beveled. Ordered light fixtures online. Switched the counter to something we liked better that was a new pattern. Refinalized Kohler color to sea salt. Picked wall colors.

Done around a year after I first picked all my selections. The only things that didn't change from first selection were floor tile and cabinet hardware.

Would have liked original choices fine to be honest but end result of all the tinkering is much much better. Worth the wait...

You're neither right nor wrong......I think the first thing someone should choose is the thing that's most important to them. That might be the cabinets, or the floor, or maybe even the general style (rustic, minimalist, farmhouse, coastal, etc).

Personally, I chose the cabinets first, because that was recommended by my KD. Then I chose the floor, then the countertop, then the backsplash, then the paint colour -- the order was mostly determined by my KD, but I actually had narrowed down the floor and counter to a few options back before the cabinets, but made my final choice later. If you want to know what I really chose first, that would be my appliances.....the range I wanted was going in there, regardless of the rest. Also my sink and faucet were chosen very early.

I love how my kitchen reno turned out, and so far I haven't found a thing I would change.

Pick things by their amount of selection available. Start with appliances and go to wall paint colors, then all your selections are always increasing.

Don't be the lady who shows up at the countertop fabricator's shop with a wallpaper border in her hand looking for a match, please.

I think that it was my comment :) The reason behind it is that we are doing custom cabinets (cabinet maker is in the family) and we can tailor the stain to what looks good after the flooring is down. The floor color usually reads a little different when installed (larger area, the color changing with different light exposure), so I want to be able to hold samples in their correct position...and I will probably drive the cabinet maker nuts. We also have existing wood flooring that needs to come up for half of the house (separated by stone entry), and I want to be able to just sand and stain the other side to flow with the new flooring...so the flooring is pretty important. And yes, like others already said, pick what is your most important surface first. We are doing multiple rooms, I have the time to choose as we move on, I don't have to have my choices picked out before the reno starts (appliances yes, but not cabinet stain). I'm just going with my gut like usually ;)

DrB, LOVE the thought of your cab and BS combo! Beautiful. I think it definitely pays to take your time.

TV, I realized after I asked if I was wrong, that there was probably no actual "right or wrong", but there may well be "easier" ways. And that's always what I'm after!

How absolutely wonderful that you can say there isn't anything you would change. Well done! I can only hope to say the same thing. :)

Joseph, I would have to say, there's a bazillion more paint choices than anything else. That's why I would think that would be last?

Your last line had me howling, truly. I get it, totally. But I'm almost 100% certain on a white counter, so no worries. ;) lol

lucky, it may have been you. And I can certainly understand why now that you explain it. Makes total sense. :)

I'm not sure if you could say I picked the counters or cabinets or floor first. We knew we wanted white cabinets...I tried to want the less expensive stained option but i couldn't even picture it. The counters were picked up from the IKEA as is room...under $100 for 16 linear feet...but weren't really sure at first that we would use them.

Then there is the floor. Oh, the floor. Marmoleum Lapis Lazuli. That has driven a lot of the choices. Too much color in anything but accessories would make it look like a preschool.

To be fair, beth09, I've only had it for less than 6 months, but so far, so good!

I also did the floor first. We knocked down the wall between kitchen and living room, and ran the same floor into the kitchen. Appliances were chosen around the same time. Next was the countertops (being installed Friday) and colors for the sinks and faucets. I finally chose a cabinet paint color yesterday. (I have IKEA cabinets installed, but we are doing custom doors.)

i have a couple of ideas for the backsplash, but that will be finalized down the road.

The island counter top is most important to me--and I don't even have a final cabinet layout yet :-)

One thing some of your posts have reminded me about, is the appliances. When I had my kitchen dawn up at a box store, he asked me what they were. Well, I didn't know as I hadn't even confirmed exactly what I wanted, much less gotten them. But I am realizing, you can't literally nail down a design, until you truly know the width of things. Now, I'm thinking I'm just basically going with what I have now, as far as width goes. But, what if I changed my mind? We'd have to go changing things. Need to get this decided.

Yeah; if your space (and/or budget) is limited and you can't do more than a 30" range or fridge, then there's no harm in putting off the specific choices of which appliance with which features.....but if you've got the space to allow you those optional sizes, then you really have to consider those early. For me, they're also most inspiring, since mine is a working kitchen and I love to cook, so I enjoyed thinking of - and shopping for - my appliance options.

Toronto, I have been contemplating starting a discussion on stoves. I've always bought what I'm sure many would call cheap/inexpensive. And for the most part they "seemed" to work fine, except for this last one. :/ But since we are replacing everything, I began to wonder if there really is a difference. I like to cook. Now that the kids are gone, I don't cook quite like I used to, but I'm still cooking most nights, with other things here and there. I don't know that I really need bigger, and I am not swimming in real estate.... Something to look into though.

And as for only having your new kitchen a few months and still loving it all? I can only hope! ;)

Toronto, love your kitchen!

Beth, I too am interested in people's thoughts on stoves. I lack the space for anything other than a 30" range, but I have heard so much from appliance salespeople that they have a shorter lifespan and unless you are in a high end home it's just not worth spending the money on higher end appliances.

Getting back to the original question, everyone has their own way of doing things.... For me the key is to know what you're looking for in terms of function and then what your overall aesthetic is. I research and gather samples of everything before finalizing any single item. It's much easier to change a sample board than a countertop! When designing my own kitchen I was so sure of my own preferences that I skipped the steps I would normally use and ordered cabinets before really looking at countertops and backsplashes. As I moved further into the design process the yellow undertone in the warm white that I loved so much on its own made it difficult to incorporate the other elements I loved.... We're not done yet, so I'll keep you posted on how that works out!!

In other rooms I often find a fabric or piece of artwork or a wallpaper that is so perfect that it inspires every other choice in the space, but kitchens tend to be more about getting the right combination of hard finishes to achieve a certain look so I have to look at them all together.

beth, if you like to cook and are used to or need to cook with electricity (as opposed to gas), you should really, really consider going to an induction range - or an induction cooktop if you are splitting up the stove and oven into two locations. I love my induction range and the difference between it and every electric I've ever cooked on before is incredible. I can't imagine doing without it now. FWIW, here's my reveal on my new kitchen, including before and after pics: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/my-reveal-dsvw-vd~4751866?n=37

Flooring was first since it was the only thing I knew I want

(and of course it was discontinued. lol. so tiresome search for match..)

(was really torn though since it's wood, but didn't want to cut the space visually(too small) without it looking like an afterthought. in the end just continued with(engineered) wood, put cabs on the subfloor just in case, to feel better..))

then it was tile(I know..really stupid..)) but I'm a tile person..and it's handmade so longer wait. if I knew how much it all would take wouldn't be in such a hurry lol. )

cabinets-kinda simultaneously with the tile..

wood floor basically dictated me into painted cabinets. then long contemplation on color. then long contemplation on shades of the color..

(the cabinets are custom so I could choose whatever. The cabinet maker was a bit underwhelmed with my final choice because my initial plan was as bold as one can imagine..))

tile-I love it dearly but it's not my dream tile. my dream tile(a sample) lives in one of the drawers and I lovingly look at it from time to time..:) it was cost prohibitive. I thought whether to do it over the stove top only..then decided-that tile deserves going big, or going home

the tile that went on was inspired by the dream tile though, initially chosen as a support color

the sink was easy since the moment we saw it we knew. It's Blanco Silgranit in Truffle. was born to be there.

appliances-we really looked for sales..open boxes..scratch and dent..eBay..we saved a lot on appliances, they're all good mid range appliances. Funny stories with them too..say Bosch dishwasher is actually brand new since they sold the open box one we payed for to some other folks and then couldn't locate same, so they just gave us new for the same price. Hood, I won on eBay for 100 bucks..just got lucky though. Was my second attempt..Etcetera.

Since the remodel went so long we had to ask the stores to keep whatever we bought in stores, came to check on them..couldn't have them ahead of the time since warranty starts on the day of installation. And boy, that remodel dragged..

Fridge, we didn't plan on purchasing at all, wanted to take our old one. Last minute decision, and I like it much more too. Specs were the same though so didn't matter

Kitchen cabinets were ready long before everything else was ready..the cabinet maker was really good..

(wasn't just kitchen; was gut remodel with addition. was like a new build just worse..)

hardware, I picked by the time the cabinets had to be installed, obviously. Luckily I found something I loved rather fast..then it's a small kitchen, so.

The most painful was the countertop. I knew I wanted solid color that would go well with tile, cabinets, and floors. so knew would be Quartz

then it was finding exact shade of Quartz

I was exactly like that monkey with the glasses..with my samples of door, floor, and tile, circling the slab yards trying to put it all together in the right order..and all the big slabs kinda resembled the small samples but not exactly..:)

was very exhausting

needless to say slab yards are very noisy. and very big. I don't do great with big and noisy.

obviously my advice would be start with countertop not the tile..but since tile was much more important to me had to go in reverse...

ah, lights. since kitchen's small..just these can lights (we have them only in utilitarian spaces in the house. our kichen is a perfect spot for these. lol). we put them on dimmers as everything else. and undercabinet lighting which I love love love.

Paint went on when all the paint went on. Choosing paint is the separate story..actual time of choosing didn't take that long but amount of reading material I went through beforehand is impressive..then I studied the line(GC had an account with a certain store I had no idea about..we could choose anything but would be more expensive)..then I thought.and thought...Don't laugh, thinking takes a lot of energy:)

ah, the faucet. I choose the most affordable the least offensive the most functional of Kohlers out there(or actually my DH did after consulting with me..he was the lead with appliances, plumbing, all that jazz. Bathroom fixtures, I mostly chose..with his blessing).

It's nice I just wanted copper..;) Really wanted copper. And it's a stainless steel. It goes with another stainless steel.

(I don't like stainless steel. then I don't like anything -black apliances, white applances..unless it's some cute pink or red or blue and costs many grands that I'm not going to spend on it- I'm not excited. They just need a) to function b) not to be too ugly..)

So I bought a set of copper knives, to compensate myself. Much cheaper than a faucet..:)

I'm just starting and have chosen appliances over the years to use. Those were the most important to me. They dictate the layout and type of boxes.

Tile for flooring. I'm using the same thing I had done in our family room and hallways throughout the house. A different pattern/width will be used for our MBR/BA. Entry will have a mosaic with a design, I think, but undecided.

Haven't chosen cabinets but will likely use Ikea with the possibility of Scherr's doors. I'm checking out an Amish shop and a local cabinetry shop, as well. I know what I want the finish to look like but I'm having trouble picking a door style. Budget may pick an Ikea door, though!

My sink a grey Silgranit I want to reuse, as well as getting another size.

I'd like a zinc countertop but we'll see. I've been eyeing those for years. If that doesn't happen, soapstone is my next favorite.

As you said, paint is last and the easiest to change in the future, too!

I also decided on the basic concept first: layout, white cabinets, wood floors, bay window, etc. The floor was easy because we decided to match it to the wood in the rest of the house so that was first. Then we decided on appliances and had the specs ready when we met with the cabinet guy. We ordered the cabinets and appliances more or less at the same time. I knew I wanted solid glass backsplash before we selected the counters, I struggled with the counter, finally decided on Cambria Roxwell quartz, meanwhile, the contractor wanted the painter to paint so I just chose white because there was really just the ceiling and a few very small areas. Finally found someone to do the glass and chose that last. I picked out things like lights in the middle of construction when I had time and nothing urgent to worry about.

"but I have heard so much from appliance salespeople that they have a shorter lifespan and unless you are in a high end home it's just not worth spending the money on higher end appliances"

three, interesting. That works for me! lol I may still make a thread. ;)

Knowing what my overall aesthetic is, is a great question in itself. I love so many different looks and styles. I could go a few different directions. However, to help make the right decision, I am trying to keep it in line with my home. Asking myself what would make the most sense and blend with the rest of the house.

It's much easier to change a sample board than a countertop! So true, great idea. :)

I don't have an inspiration piece, as you and others have mentioned. However, after looking at a bazillion kitchen pics, what really strikes me and makes go oooh, is beautiful wood cabinets with interesting grain work. So, I am leaning towards making the cabinets the star of the show, IF I can afford it. And then let everything else play a subtle, supporting role. I really hope it works out that way. What kind of sealed this deal, is yesterday I was at a friends house, and her husband had just bought a guitar. The back and sides were made from curly maple, and the front from spruce. I took one look at that and said I could only hope my cabinets were as beautiful. There is something about a great looking piece of wood...

Thanks for your suggestions!

Toronto, I have a gas range, and will have that again. I looked into induction a couple years ago, but I think I am just a gas girl. Thank you for mentioning it though! Glad you love yours. :) And wow, did you do a transformation on that kitchen or what!? Very nice! You did well considering all your constrictions. :)

april, then long contemplation on color. then long contemplation on shades of the color.. I don't know why this made me laugh. I guess cuz I could relate. ;)

I'm so glad you had a great cabinet maker. Would love to be able to say that at the end....

This is exactly how I feel about the faucet, ah, the faucet. I choose the most affordable the least offensive the most functional

I LOVE the fact you bought the copper knives! lol I want something copper bad. I love it, and it adds so much warmth and character. But like you, it may end up being minimal.... Why's it gotta be so spensive? :/

sas, I love how you approached designing your kitchen, especially about the BS. You have some really great thoughts, they make total sense. Thank you for sharing. ;)

alex, good point about those pesky appliances. I'd love to hear about your Amish experience once you see them. I have a local kitchen shop who carries custom Amish cabs, and then I spoke with a woman locally who drove to an Amish place in Arthur Illinois. to get hers. She was very happy with them. Good luck!

Thank you ALL for sharing your processes and thoughts with me. I truly appreciate it. Got some great food for thought here!

I picked my granite first, then appliances, then cabinets, then backsplash. The exact order of importance for me. My wood floor was pieced in to match existing.

Well, I did the exterior walls first – log home, decided early on how I wanted all the interior facing portions of the exterior walls to be stained. A neutral light color. Decided that I could go with the GC custom build cabinets so that was second, and that I’d stain them the same color as the logs. They look a touch lighter than the logs due to the fact the logs were initially a bit darker. Since interior stain would be the same throughout, regardless of the rest of the kitchen, this did have to be a first decision.

The thing is, although I put a chronology below, yes, like doing a whole house floor plan and elevations at the same time, I was considering general tonality and color alongside everything I picked out. It’s just that some things (paint color, say) has more leeway than others (appliances – generally speaking, it’s white, black and SS, with exceptions being markedly harder to find in brands you might be wanting to go for, or pay for). Details
came later.

Next was the floor. I wanted tile in there, and yes, I did go for the “dreaded” wood look tile, but I had this look weathered, and I ran it 90 degrees from the wood that would floor
the rest of the house.

I wanted black appliances and ORB hardware. I was tired of white appliances (which at my
old home developed yellowing especially on handles), and at the time I thought of SS as being way too industrial, but I’ve since come around to liking some of it, even in log homes. Nevertheless, appliances are less expensive without it, and so that was that anyway. I did end up with an induction range that is both SS and black, and it works nicely. (It had the features I wanted, ADA accessible for one. And didn’t cost as much as the rest of the kitchen…) And further on appliances: GW converted me to induction; I wanted a freezer on the bottom for ergonomic reasons - and NO ice / water dispenser (simply didn’t connect the line for the ice up – trays are fine), and I am very happy with a low-end but apparently via reviews reliable DW, since it is often just one cook/diner.

I also knew early on I wanted quartz, my brother LOVES his… I went through what seems like hundreds of samples until I got the shades I wanted. I’ve always liked green, especially an earthy or a sage green. I think it is Viatera Wildwood, and the other side of the kitchen is Eco Luna, which is an off white. I started looking at paint at the same time. The non-log sections are SW Canvas Tan, with a dusky sage green accent wall whose name I have to look up. I knew paint colors were something I wanted to be complementary throughout the house, and not the same thing throughout the house, so I looked at the Sherwin-Williams brochures on color. Went with the “Global Spice” thematic, simply choosing the accent wall to be a shade darker than the one in “Global Spice”. SW Canvas Tan is a unifying touch – my ceilings are done in it. It’s more of a warm white than a true beige.

I found pull down shades I liked with my log walls and the Canvas Tan - neutral tones.

The last thing I picked out was my drawer pulls, but I knew they and the faucets and the lighting would be ORB. I still haven’t selected my backsplash!!! Someday… I’m not in a rush, as I’ve never lived in a home at any time that had any backsplash other than sheet rock. But I would like one… I have a pretty good idea now what I’ll want, but haven’t seen it.Not worried.

I have splashes of color – the spines of my cookbooks on their shelves, and the spices on the wall spice racks. For me, drawers for spices would mean continually looking down, and hunting (other than salt, pepper, and garlic powder, there are NO go-to spices – I love cuisines from around the world)! I prefer the spices at eye level, actually.

I am very satisfied with my kitchen. With the proviso that GC didn’t quite give me
as many drawers as I requested, but I did get more than he thought I needed… or
something like that.

artemis, am I understanding you? Did you end up buying a frig that had the water and ice dispenser in the door, but you just never hooked it up? I don't want that feature either. And when I have gone looking, almost every one has it.

Your kitchen sounds lovely!

I don't want that feature either. And when I have gone looking, almost every one has it.

I know! I also wanted a fridge without those and, also hard to find, I didn't want French doors. This is the one I went with from KitchenAid http://www.kitchenaid.ca/en_CA/shop/-[KRBR102ESS]-2104899/KRBR102ESS/ because it felt like a quality build but didn't have things I didn't want. Many of the others without water/ice dispensers and without French doors felt very cheaply made when it came to things like drawers and handles.

Toronto, the link is broken but I searched what was in brackets. Is this it? I don't want FD either!

yes, that's it. Sorry about the formatting problem.

No problem. Thanks!

Beth09: I got a 33 inch wide fridge that had an internal icemaker, but not on the door. I did not connect this up. You can decide not to connect up an exterior door one either, if you don't need it. I also didn't want French doors. Just be clear with your GC/Plumber. At any rate, it was impossible to find a fridge that holds anything worth holding without being ice-maker-ready. Yes, I tried.

I was able to find several recommended models that had just an internal ice maker in both 33 and 36 inch sizes, and freezer on the bottom, but this was last winter. It may well be now that most recommended fridge/freezers have the door display, too. Still, you do not need to connect a water line, but I am glad I don't have to confuse people with an external display that has no ice nor water.

Unless you regularly use the ice, you can have ice jams. I use sporadically, and I have ice trays, and if I'm having a party, I'll bring in a couple bags.

I agree with Sas in creating the whole picture. I did not and had drama when it was time to figure out the backsplash.

We continued the hardwood into the kitchen, so that was easy. I knew I wanted white for the cabinets. We picked the granite which was not the best choice so that left the BS being more difficult. I would choose a granite that would easy to match to a BS tile.

I have a small kitchen so appliances really were not an issue. I did want my DW and fridge paneled, so we went with sub-zero for the fridge.

artemis, thank you for explaining. I do fear there will come a day when we are forced to buy the frig with all the gizmos. And when I was working with a guy at one of the box stores, he was saying it seems to him that they are moving away from 33 inch wides for 36.... Ice jams? Terrific. lol

Beth09.... They left 36" space for my fridge. Which is good, if someone who buys from me needs 36" they have that. Meanwhile, I'm happy with my 33"... So yes, the kitchen world is moving to 36". My kitchen fridge in my old home is 28" and nothing wider would fit.

My quartzite drove all my other choices including the colors throughout the house, floors throughout the house and cabinet colors

Start with whichever choice is the most important to you and the most limiting. At one point I wanted a very specific mono bloc marble island- that one decision drove every single other choice (I abandoned that island in the end.)

Planned on walnut perimeter cabinets and blue islands with walnut butcher block tops. Went to the granite yard to select stones. I saw the Blu Ray granite and told my partner we could change the islands to walnut with the blue granite. (He's all about blue). That decision changed EVERYTHING going forward. I had wanted a showstopper backsplash, but I had to give that up. <sob/> We balked at the price tag on the walnut cabinets, so we changed from walnut to cherry with a stain that knocked down the cherry coloring. At a certain point it's hard to remember what things were decided upon first, because as you make decisions other things get changed due to those choices.

cpartist, your quartzite is simply heavenly. I cannot wait to see it installed, along with the rest of your kitchen. I already know I'm going to love it. ;)

Cheryl, plans may have changed, but you know what they say, Everything happens for a reason. And your kitchen turned out seriously fabulous. I mean that, and I think all the compliments you got on it confirms that!

I hear you about balking at walnut cab prices. I'd give my right arm to have them, but they want two, I can't do that. Your cabinets turned out gorgeous, you're not really missing much. With those, or the show stopper BS. ;)

1.) Cabinet type/brand.

2.) Appliance types.

3.) Structural options.

4.) Layout.

5.) Cabinet appearance and details.

6.) Counters and floors.

7.) Exact appliances.

8.) Exact plumbing and electrical fixtures.

9.) Exact dining room table and chairs and movable island table.

My kitchen had lovely natural oak floors when I moved in. The rest of the kitchen was a disaster, but the oak floors were staying, so that was the first decision.

2nd - I wanted white cabinets, simple as that. I wanted frameless cabinets, simple as that.

3rd - layout. My cabinet guy helped with that, and the only thing I declined that he suggested was a rangetop and separate wall ovens. I decided a range would be fine. Guess what - I've regretted it, and should have listened to him.

4th - sink. Wanted a single bowl, approx. 30" wide interior, stainless steel, didn't spend too much time on that decision.

5th - counter. I knew I wanted granite, so no decision needed as to type of countertop. Went to 2 granite yards, and at the second one, I was like struck by lightning when I saw mine. Loved it, and that was it.

6th - wall paint

7th (last) - backsplash. Installed several months after kitchen was finished. I needed that time to make up my mind. The backsplash is the hardest decision of all.

The amount of choices we have on the one hand seems huge on the other, everything is a small variation of the other thing. I wonder how many choices people had when they were remodeling a kitchen back in the 70s or 80s. I am currently obsessing over a faucet. I don't think there were that many faucets to choose from back in the day- and mind you of today's choices while there are many faucets, they tend to fall into a much smaller subset of general styles.

Floors are always first. They have to work with the rest of the house. Then if you have open concept, everything has to be coordinated to all work together. Because it is one giant room. That is why kitchens have gotten to be so expensive. They used to be closed if cheap utility spaces. Like a laundry room. Now they are part of the living room and have to be much prettier and cost a whole lot more.

frideajune, just out of curiosity, what was the granite? :)

I don't think there were that many faucets to choose from back in the day- and mind you of today's choices while there are many faucets, they tend to fall into a much smaller subset of general styles.

Yes, but it's all still enough to kill way too much time deciding. And this goes with everything from faucets to shampoo to you name it.

Then if you have open concept, everything has to be coordinated to all work together. Because it is one giant room.

Just one reason why I don't like open concept much.

I like Lynette Jennings method of choosing colors and finishes that work together. It starts with a piece of patterned fabric that you like, because you know the palette works as a whole. Then every color choice gets pulled from the fabric and used in the same proportions as in the print. So if you want a wood kitchen, you pick a brown based fabric and start looking at what matches it.

Mary, that's an interesting approach, thanks for sharing. :)

".....today's choices while there are many faucets, they tend to fall into a much smaller subset of general styles."

No kidding! So many were really the same, with very minor differences, but in one or two styles I personally don't like. It was really hard to find a good quality faucet that didn't look like all the others but still offered the feature I wanted (included spray). And of course while still being less than 4 figures.

Pick things by their amount of selection available.

Floors are always first.

It starts with a piece of patterned fabric that you like, because you know the palette works as a whole.

All three of the above statements make sense to me:

- Choosing the thing that's hardest to get /hardest to get exactly what you want seems logical. With that in mind, it seems that paint would always be last (or near last) because paint shades are almost infinite and are widely available ... as opposed, for example, to slabs of granite.

- Floors make absolute sense because you want them to mesh well with what you're using throughout the rest of the house.

- Finally, beginning with an inspiration (whether it's fabric or not) makes perfect sense. Personally, I have a color scheme and a theme in mind for my kitchen, and I'm making choices that fit into that "overview" that I've long had in mind.

I'll add a couple more thoughts on what should be chosen first /last:

- I'm going with a U-shaped kitchen, so I'm choosing the countertop first. A U-design is compact, making the counters more prominent ... whereas, the cabinets themselves are a bit more hidden than they are in other layouts. Doesn't mean the cabinets don't matter, just that they're what you see second in a U-shaped kitchen.

- It seems to me that cabinets should always be either first or second (at least third) because they are the most expensive item in your kitchen. Since they are an investment and are so much trouble to change, they should be a priority.

- I think appliance SIZE needs to be chosen early on, but the specific appliances can wait.

- Finally, it seems rather obvious that backsplashes, lighting and drawer hardware are decisions that can be put off. These things are important and add personality to the room, but they're things that can be changed out without major effort.

Good thoughts Mrs. Pete, thanks. And I agree about the cabinets.