I appreciate all of your feedback. So far I am still having work done with this contractor as per our contract. Everything is moving along well and there are no further conflicts thus far. However, after the unpleasant discussion regarding the kitchen designer and her never-agreed-upon-fee, the contractor expressed his plans to "remove $500 - $1200 from my kitchen allowance". I did not agree to any amount and though HE received her technical drawings I never did (except for the pictures and discussions regarding the possibilities). Turns out the kitchen layout I decided upon with the new kitchen person is similar to her design but not exactly the same... therefore I would like to compensate her in SOME way but not to the tune of $500 - $1200 as insisted by the contractor! You all have helped me to develop some backbone. I would like to be fair...I just haven't decided what fair equates to in dollars. Further discussion with the contractor regarding this topic has died down. The son, who is the project manager, has made some comments here and there about how they have to "change the way they do business by informing homeowners of the retainer fees of their vendors" and I should know "no one works for free", and that it was unfair that the person they recommended (according to him) "had her designs stolen". I believe the subject will rear its ugly head once again during the final payout. My husband feels we do not owe the designer a dime and the designer should have told us about her fee. I asked my present kitchen designer his opinion. He said he would gladly sit with a client, discuss what the possibilities could be, show them a few layouts, but once they get to technical drawings he presents them with a $500 retainer contract. Of course he doesnt release any technical drawings without the retainer. In my case, the technical drawings went to the contractor...not to me. My present designer said this is truly between the contractor and his designer. I have other "allowances" for flooring, granite and tile with my contractor. Of course the contractor has made recommendations of places to purchase these items however I am free to go to any place of my choosing. At this point I am hesitant to choose any of HIS recommended places because I am concerned that the materials I choose will (at this point) deliberately exceed my allowances. I just have a feeling, one way or another, he is going to somehow try to squeeze the kitchen designer fee out of me. It's not based on fact, its just based on a feeling. Therefore I believe I am going to purchase my materials elsewhere or at least do some comparison shopping. Any further thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you Melanie

Correct. The gas and water lines are stuck on that wall and crossing them over each other would be expensive and I'm not sure it would buy me too much. I considered moving either the sink or the range to the other wall, but since I couldn't do anything with the space above it due to the breaker box and front door buzzer (building doesn't allow moving it) I felt kind of stuck. Also, it's not the best thing to walk right into when first entering the apartment. Range is gas. There is a hood vented to an air duct that runs the whole building - here's another view: As far as the fridge is concerned - it's not counter depth. It has a pantry to the side followed by a small base cabinet, and a small cabinet above it (you can barely see it in the picture. The issue with a 24" sink cabinet is that it doesn't fit with the wall cabinet above it, which is 30" (smallest IKEA has with double doors - again I can't win).

I like the first choice too, but I admit I prefer warmer tones. The last is what everyone is doing, predictable and certainly wouldn't be a mistake. Here's the thing that you should know before installing the counter. I would take the sample that you choose and look at BS tiles. It seems like this would be so simple, but I can't tell you how many people install the counter only to be stuck with finding a coordinating tile.

Maybe, push peninsula even further back to give more space within. keep chairs with people out of walk way. need panel on right side of microwave hood. Keep same spacing on both sides of window to keep balanced symmetry around window. Stoves that close to corner is not ideal. make sure fillers in corner are wide enough so drawers don't hit handles