I have a new miele and love it. The only downside is the glass holder/upper shelf which is small for my large drinking family. We had a newish Kitchen Aid stainless DW and it left a white, mineral film on everything unless we added vinegar even though I used Jet Dry and we have a water softener. With the miele, I put in the Cascade tabs that has both liquid and solid and everything comes out crystal clear As someone on this forum said, you empty your DW everyday (or almost) and there is nothing more annoying that unclean dishes. My girlfriend had the ASKO and loved it, but when she needed service, it was hard to find someone local that was authorized and it was a pain to get parts. She replaced it recently and the new DW (a Bosch?) didn't fit into the hole.

We also had venting drama...our KD told us: "In my 25 years of being a KD I've only come across a handful of kitchens that couldn't be vented outside...and yours is one of them." Our GC told us: "External venting is impossible in your kitchen." My response? I refuse to accept that w/o more information. So, I asked for details and then I told them to start thinking outside the box and come up w/a solution and how much it would cost. Then, I told them, I'll decide if it's worth it. For several of weeks we went round & round with this... It caused a "stop work order" to be put in effect b/c of this + a couple of other issues (they thought that would make me give in b/c our kitchen & PR were totally gutted)...but I told them I'd rather have the delay while we work everything out than settle for less. Issues we had w/venting externally: Shower drain pipe blocked access We had smaller ceiling/floor joists than expected & they were closer together than expected (just barely met code) [We have part of the MBR & all of the MBA above our kitchen] Ditto for the wall studs in the wall behind the cooktop Well, after about 5 weeks they came back w/a cost of $4,800 to move the shower drain. They also insisted there was no way to fit the 8" round duct in our ceiling...I mentioned a rectangular duct conversion and they both claimed they didn't know of any; but my KD came back the next day and said she had called Vent-A-Hood and they told her yes, there was such a thing. We decided to build the wall out 6" to allow the duct to run up the wall. So that left the shower drain issue. The estimate was ridiculous! So, we went and got 3 outside estimates for the move...and they came in ranging from $550 to $1,000... Needless to say we went w/an "outsider" (all the while our GC claiming anything other than their solution wouldn't pass inspection...wrong!) After 9 weeks of no work, we finally ironed out all the issues for venting (and the pantry issues & measuring issues we knew about) and began work again. Bottom line: I very much doubt there's no way to vent externally. I would get an outside opinion b/f accepting what your KD or GC say. What I also learned, btw, is that if a GC doesn't want to do something, they will usually do one of two things: (1) tell you it cannot be done or (2) give you an outrageous estimate hoping you'll say no (and if you don't say no, they make killing on you!) So, if they do present you w/a ridiculous estimate...get outside estimates on the work like we did! HTH!

I used Diamond cabinets in my kitchen. Mine are shaker style in cherry, all plywood construction, solid wood doors. Since I don't have a painted finish, I can't comment on that, but I can say that I am very happy with the finish on my cabinets. I have a total of 18 boxes including a tall pantry, and all of them arrived in perfect shape. No issues with the finish, no dings, dents, warped doors, etc. One drawer had a problem where it didn't shut all the way on its own with the soft close feature, and they sent me new glides. That is the only problem I had. I did order them from an independent dealer, not Home Depot or Lowes, and I think the service was better than what I would have got from the big box stores. My sister used Diamond in a white finish in her kitchen and she was very happy with them as well. Another used Thomasville in a painted/glazed finish, which are pretty much the same as Diamond except the backs are bit thinner, and she was very happy with hers, too. All of these are recent installs, within the last two years.

worldmom, you and I have a similar vision, I think, for our kitchens (and don't even get me started on my passion for hutch-like cabinets!) I really like when the perimeter and island cabs and counters are the same except for one (and only one) variable. For example all white cabs but soapstone on perimeter and marble on island (which is what I'm doing.) Or all marble counters but white perimeter cabs and a black or stained wood island. In your case I could see having the hutch be the same as the island rather than the rest of the perimeter cabs, though, because it is almost like a stand alone unit. And I know what you mean about it looking too tall - it's because it *is* taller by virtue of going all the way to the counter. I'm currently wrestling with my on the counter cabs and worrying that they are too spindly. But I think your kitchen is going to be beautiful.