So sorry to hear about your family. I live in the Nashville area and was lucky enough to not have any damage. There is a Sears Outlet (aka "scratch and dent") on Thompson Lane near Nolensville Road. We purchased a freezer for the garage there, but sometimes they have things that have no damage, or the damage is a dent on a place where you can't see it. I would definitely look there. We used to have a Kenmore french door refrigerator that I loved (we sold it with our house when we sold) and am very happy with my Kenmore Elite DW. I hope you are able to get your family back in their home very soon!

Hi the tile color is called fog by Mirage tile if I remember correctly. I think they changed their name, but you can find them online under Mirage. Let me know if you can't and I'll see if I can find you a link...

The lighting worked out great. We used an LED track lighting system from Lowes in the center of the former flourescent hell space. The LED track lights could be angled at any direction, which helped spread the light around. We also added two eyeball lights inside the well area. I liked the eyeball lights better than regular down-pointing cans because these could also be directed to specific task areas that needed more light. Our kitchen already had a can light above the sink. We also had a large garden window that provided pretty good light, and we had the light under the OTR MW, but rarely used that. We put the main lights (track and eyeballs) on a dimmer switch. I wanted to add lighting over the peninsula, but it wasn't in the budget, and that would have been pretty much just mood lighting -- not necessary overhead lighting. Getting rid of that old plastic covered flourescent fixture made an immediate and dramatic difference in the look of the space. It was plenty of light for the kitchen, but we did need additional lighting in the adjoining family room. One word of caution, though: When we took out the old flourescent frame, the drywall was not nicely finished, so we used quarter round trim to trim out the space. I've seen other kitchens use crown mouldings to do the same, but we were going for a more modern/clean appearance and didn't want ornate mouldings. I've also seen other people use several can lights instead of the track system. I prefer the track system because you can direct the light to the areas of most need in the room, but cans can't be directed. Hope that helps.

How do you find a kitchen designer? I dunno. I haven't found one that I've hired yet. I'm interviewing one Monday. This person was on a list that I got at the Master Builder's Association booth at a home show. We have also talked to acquaintances who have redone kitchens. The "word on the street" was very mixed on the KDs they used. One co-worker said, "best money I ever spent" (but he lost her contact info). Another said, "I gave her 1000 bucks and I don't think she did anything to earn it." (so not interviewing that one) Hence, I'm starting with a random name on a list. I do plan to check references. Before I started looking for "paid help", though, I posted floor plans on this forum, and I got a free cabinet quote from a lumberyard to give me a rough idea of what semi-custom cabinets would cost for my space. I also researched appliances on-line and peeked at my top choices at an appliance store. Website searches on things like "floor refinishing" and "replacement windows" gave me some vague ballpark estimates to plug into a preliminary budget. But, now that I have a layout that I like, and a feel for a couple big chunks of my budget, I need some help with dealing with the tons of little details and options. I want to have my materials options pretty well decided before I start interviewing contractors, because if each contractor fills in their own materials, then the bids won't be apples-to-apples comparisons. My advice would be to figure out as much as you can on your own or with stores that offer free advice before you consider paying someone else by the hour for help. As you do your research, keep asking around and maybe you'll come across some names. At the very least, if there is a builder's association for your area, you might be able to find a list like I did. Good luck.