dtchgrl, I think it is a personal preference. I personally don't like the complete color block of the door painted like that, while you do. In fact when ordering, there are two options, your way and how we had ours done, and we chose how we had it done. I do see what you say, but I also see houses that are like that and some look elegant and others look like a solid blob of color. Since I can't see mine that way ahead of time, in person, it's a change I am not comfortable making. Easy to go from light to dark, hard to reverse if I don't like it. I may play with it though and see if I like the door that way. I do see what you are after. If I do change it, I'll let you know. Who knows, by Spring it may have yet another loook to it! :)

gr8day ... the house is a 2 and a half story back split built in 1977. While I wanted all stone when it was built, cost considerations led me to settle for a stone front entry and massive interior stone fireplaces but the rest of the exterior is entirely brick. At the time no thought was really given to future matches of the brick for renovations and though I saved a half pallet of bricks, they were later used for repairs when the earthquake we had in the mid 80s cracked some brickwork in one corner of the house. Nothing is impossible of course but I don't really want to think about (or pay for!) the exterior architectural complications of moving the window. Given the basic plan that Lisa drew and incorporating Rhome's suggestions of maintaining the L shap from the earlier plan, I spoke to the gas appliance installation folks. The devil is always in the details. As a prelude to this renovation, I had gas installed this past summer and replaced the old furnace and water heater. My plan is to install a gas range that will give sufficient BTUs for high heat cooking since I stir fry often with woks. I haven't ordered yet but am prepared to place the order for a (Costco Canadian version) 36 inch BlueStar range. The installer told me that the local building code demanded that there be 36 inches vertical clearance and 18 inches horizontal clearance from the elements of a high output range to any combustible (ie cabinet) surface. He also recommended a 42 inch range hood and said 48 inches (900 cfm) would be much better for high heat frying. That would change the location of the microwave from between the fridge and range moving it perhaps back to the corner (angle mounted?) between the range and cleanup sink. Again a minor detail in the original plan but all requires thinking through. Lisa said it best ... dreaming and planning on paper is cheap. I really like the plan and am still working on the details which I roughly grouped into 1) cabinat details (cab choices and special features/inserts etc) 2) lighting and electrical requirements (I have made a first cut thinking about LED lighting) 3) structural details (I have thought of a way to frame in a second steel beam and elinate the posts for support at the end of the island)(plumbing appears straightforward) I am definitely a function kind of guy and have not worried a moment about decor ... but the ceiling will be a style problem for sure - it is 8' as that was the norm in the 70s and it will have an awkwardly placed 8 inch steel I beam to be framed and hidden ... the ceilings in this open planned house are all stippled ... but that is not an option for a kitchen ... in any case, there will need to be some thought given to that issue as well as of course cab style, hardware, floor finish, backsplash, and countertops. Regards ... Doug

We redid our galley kitchen 2 years ago, and I used this site extensively during the planning. I love all the big gorgeous kitchens here, but it was particularly useful for me to see how others with similar space constraints dealt with the same kinds of dilemmas. If you search here or in Google, you should find some pretty awesome examples of galley kitchens. Some of my favorites are BrooklynGalley and marthavila (already linked above but much admired), MGMum, kitchen_maman, runninginplace, erhm, nycbluedevil, histokitch, smilingjudy, yesdear. Each is unique and really lovely.

What’s your style? Traditional? I’d stay white and have fun, and add personality with landscaping , planters and furniture —— But options are endless you can really do anything. Would you consider black? I think this shaped house would look stunners in black. Light blue would also be pretty- more of a cottage effect. Navy would also work. What do you like??