I use those 4' orange electic fence stakes from home depot (about $1 a piece)for lots of things in the yard & gardens. Pound it in the ground and then slide the PVC pipe over it and into the soil a bit. Set out several of these with holes drilled in the PVC pipe and string wire through them to make a fairly sturdy, portable & cheap trellis. I use these stakes to build easy fencing. I use plastic cable ties to secure wire or plastic mesh fencing to them. Because I dislike the orange and it stands out like a sore thumb, I paint my stakes black. Pound 2 rows of these stakes in the ground about 4' apart and slide each end of a flexible PVC pipe over them, making an arch. Cover this with garden cloth or plastic to protect plants. I "sew" the fabric to the pvc with fishing line. If you are using plastic, cut some flaps in it, to keep it from blowing away in a big wind. I use them to brace non secured retaining walls. At my old house I built a raised bed using them to hold the lumber together. I drilled holes in the timbers and slid them over the stakes, then I lined the interior side with heavy plastic.

I think the location of the MW is fine...it's easily accessed via the kitchen as well as snackers...w/o those snackers getting in the way. I use my MW a lot, and I wouldn't have any problems with that location. As a matter of fact, most items that I MW come from the refrigerator...so if the MW were too far from the MW it would be an issue for me! Once you put in a permanent island with water, it will be perfect (I add water to some of the things I MW)! Something to keep in mind about the refrigerator...if you end up with a less-expensive counter-depth refrigerator, your refrigerator will most likely stick out another 6" or so b/c the doors + handles will need to extend out past the surrounding cabinets & counters. (Recessing it into the back wall won't help b/c you still have to have the doors stick out.) Overall, the layout is pretty good. But keep in mind that if you don't put in a corner cabinet of some sort, you will need significant filler in the corner to ensure the drawers on either side clear each others handles. You'll probably need at least 3" in each direction. It would be nice if you had more space b/w the range & sink, but it's probably workable. One thing, though, since the cleanup sink is currently the only water source in the kitchen, everything will be done in that corner...prepping, cooking, cleaning up...so be prepared for a bottleneck there. At least the DW isn't in the Prep Zone...that's a definite Plus! (The Prep Zone will be b/w the range & sink b/c of the sole sink.) The counter to the right of the DW probably won't be used much unless you make it into a coffee/tea center or similar. It won't work as a snack center b/c the MW & refrigerator are too far away. Once you put in an island w/a sink, your Prep Zone options will expand. I suspect the preferred location will still be b/w the range & sink primarily b/c it's just so convenient to the range, but you'll have the island as a secondary Prep Zone. My only concern w/the island as a Prep Zone is that (1) you don't have much space on the range end (it's the narrow end), (2) using the sink side causes the island to be a "barrier island" as well as puts anyone working there butt-to-butt with someone working at the cleanup sink, and (3) the refrigerator side appears to be a major thoroughfare through the kitchen...it looks like the path to/from your front door is right there...so you'll have major traffic there and that's not a great condition for a Prep Zone. I'm assuming there's no seating planned for either long side b/c there's not enough room for it. You could, though fit one or two stools on the opposite end from the range (the # will depend on how deep the island is). With 176" to work with plus a major thoroughfare through the kitchen on a working aisle... 176" wide kitchen - 25.5" sink side - 42" aisle b/w island & sink (need at least this b/c so much is going on in that space) - 48" aisle b/w island & refrigerator wall (need this b/c it's a major thoroughfare & a working aisle) - 25.5" refrigerator side ----------- 35" for the island. If you want a deeper island, you'll need to reduce aisle widths...but be careful, don't make the aisles so narrow they become congested b/c of everything that's happening in them!

The previous homeowners made a classic mistake of mixing "earthy" with "fresh" in fixed materials. Maybe they did it for resale, I don't know. But the mistake is there. White kitchen plus white subway tile doesn't look good with travertine(or that granite, for that matter). It's not a question of traditional vs modern; it's just a plainly wrong choice of combining materials. Fixed things should make sense together; if they don't it doesn't matter what style it is or was supposed to be-it will irritate you. I'm not that optimistic about travertine floors-I have them myself in my current home(not everywhere but big entry and kitchen)-I find them much bossier than wood floors. Luckily I prefer warmer palette, so I was able to combine them with wood, and work with them and not against them. I agree with Lily'smom about warmer aqua, it will work; aqua by itself is on the warmer side of blues. But it won't be enough to tie everything together. The materials are fighting each other. You'll need-eventually- to change either the countertop, or the backsplash. (The backsplash you're probably loving more; but it's easier to change) The question is: after you spend your time and money tweaking here and there-will you arrive to the feeling of the house you're after? I'd make a plan. What bothers you the most? And I'd start slowly changing it. In our new house, the owners put a newer kitchen, probably for resale because it was like a sore thumb. It didn't make any sense with the rest of thehouse. I thought for days how to tweak it until I understood that whatever I do-it won't be a good solution. It was a wrong plan for the home, and a wrong style for the home. Fortunately (or not LOL) we had to abate tons of asbestos, literally gutting the house..was psychologically easier to decide to put in a new kitchen, because the old one had to come down off the walls anyway. You can start small, taking doors of the upper cabinets, painting the lowers aqua..btw I'd paint the uppers aqua too. Painting walls if you don't like the current color(even though it's cool), seeing how it all comes together. Or you can decide the floors or the granite boss you around too much-and start with that. In which case I'd start with the granite)) Much smaller surface to tackle. And harder to work around, than travertine.. This house is traditional..you can't make it into a completely different house. But you can translate a different feel. It takes planning, time, and money(or less money and lot of work if you DIY a lot)

I'd kill for that kind of space. I would put shallow locker-like cabs opposite the washer/dryer so they are right there as you step in the door. I would make that cabinet on the opposite end of the L from the sink a tall mop-n-broom pantry with electrical inside to recharge hand vacs, etc. I would put a rod over the w/d, or try to find a few inches of space for one of these Arrow hangers. Perhaps beside the lockers, directly opposite the dryer. You could put a bench under it for changing shoes. Or boot storage, depending where you live. The Arrow hangers hold a huge amount in very little space, quite strong and sleek. Good luck with your project.