LRy511, since you posted a picture of your beautiful backsplash with the smaller cabinet over the sink and glass shelf, I did a search for your kitchen. Your title picture I had printed since I love the running bond pattern you used which I have decided I am using also. I LOVE your soft white cabinets (love their style, color and hardware), your granite, your beautiful backsplash over your range, your sink set up, your faucet, your 20X 20 beautiful tiles, the way you got the beam out of the way, your wheat-back chairs (I have the same one but mine I think are in a honey maple color now), all the light you have in the kitchen with that bay window and all the ceiling lights, your wall color, the drawer storage, the pantry pull out drawers and your doggie! Thanks again for sharing. You did an amazing renovation that is beautiful as well as more functional.

You can do this for less, especially if there are no load-bearing walls involved (which is often true in condos and townhomes). We opened up our kitchen and completely remodeled it using Ikea cabinets and custom granite for about $25k total. Ikea cabinets were $6000 including 2 tall pantries, Ikea installation is $2500, countertops were $5000 installed (you could go cheaper with prefab), and we got a new range $1000 at Ikea and hood $300. Backsplash tile was the Home Depot white subway and totaled about $250 for materials. The rest was labor for the contractors demo, drywall repair electrical and lighting, and permit. And we live in a very high cost area, quotes for renovations ranged up to $100k for this job. I planned the layout in Ikea designer with the help and advice from the gardenweb kitchen forum. Our kitchen was "liveable" after we did a major facelift in 2012 when we bought it (painted peeling old cabinets, concrete skim coated the awful old tile) but it was very poorly laid out, not nice to work in (including stve right beside doorway with no landing area), had very little storage considering the 3 walls of cabinets (few drawers, cavernous blind corners) and felt closed off from the rest of the house. We love our new kitchen and even if it doesn't add significant value to our home (we know we over-improved a bit) we find this kitchen a joy to cook in and entertain guests from, and we also plan to be here at least 5 more years so we wanted to have a kitchen we'd enjoy for the indefinite future.

Check out this website: http://woodenchandeliersplus.com. A nice chandelier is the focal point for a space, you could you one large on or 2 smaller ones. Good luck. Check out this article I wrote for how big. What Size Chandelier Should I Choose For My Space? This article will try to sum up how to choose the correct size chandelier for your space. Taking into account the height of your room, the size of the furniture in the room and the size of the room. The first step: The Diameter Get a measuring tape, a piece of paper, a pencil and possibly a calculator (I'll bet your smart phone has one). To determine the diameter of your chandelier: Measure the length and width of your room. Get your calculator (if you have one) and add the two numbers together. For instance if your room is 10 feet wide by 12 feet long, you will get the answer of 22 feet. Anyway go ahead and change that 22 feet to 22 inches. There is where the diameter of your chandelier comes in you need a chandelier that is 22 inches in diameter. If you are looking at a chandelier over a dining room table, figure 12 inches smaller than your table is wide. For example if your dining table is 4 foot wide - 48 inches, your chandelier should be 3 foot wide - 36 inches. Better too big than too small. So a good range to look at over a 4 foot wide table would be 36 inches to 40 inches say. The second step: How Tall If we are looking at 8 foot ceilings in this dining room, it should hang about 30 inches from the very bottom of the chandelier to the top of your dining table. If we are trying to figure out how tall a chandelier to hang in your foyer it should drop about 7 feet off the floor to the bottom of the chandelier. So think of it this way, for every foot of height estimate 2.5 to 3 inches in chandelier height. Trust your eye. The third step: Now Where to Hand This Chandelier Don't limit yourself to just a dining room or an entry way/foyer. You can hang a chandelier over your claw foot tub or free standing tub. This chandelier shouldn't be too large, a mini is usually enough to dress up the space. You can have a chandelier in the master bedroom, just put a dimmer on it and you have created a romantic glow, much safer than candles for those special occasions. A mini chandelier or two over your kitchen island, a large island 10 ft or so could probably take 3 mini chandeliers. The Fourth step: What Kind of Style Should I Choose If you lean toward a rustic decor, a chandelier that has antlers or wood beams could be an option. For a modern contemporary look try a drum chandelier with crystals too add some sparkle and bling. For a more shabby chic look how about a beaded chandelier for one with a distressed painted finish. Most chandeliers have the option of an adjustable height, usually means coiling a cord, taking out a link or two, or some have a sliding mechanism that allows height adjustment. It all depends on the style of your chandelier.

I would strongly suggest approaching this a bit differently than your list. Why? Because unless you are planning to reup those chairs, I don't think that list will give you the more transitional space you want at all. That said, your dining set is lovely and well worth recovering. First. While the chairs are out being recovered, I'd prime all the walls, extend the curtain rod by about 6" on either side, and get some paint samples to compare. Combining a dining set like yours in a way that is elegant and transitional is actually pretty easy to do. Some things to employ are a more modern tablescape, a fair bit of negative space (both on walls and surfaces), and a chandelier that evokes a more contemporary vibe. Basically you need a planned approach that doesn't start with buying stuff or painting the walls gray....even if you eventually choose gray for the walls :-) edit to add...if you don't want to re-up the chairs, I still recommend starting with that primer coat. Then you could look for a shade that would work with the current upholstery. I