In nature form tends to follow function, so simple things that enhance how we function as human beings tend to be beautiful. Let's start with light and warmth. We evolved as mostly outdoor creatures, getting a lot more lumens per day than we do now as indoor creatures. For this, among other reasons, expanding your window is an excellent idea, provided that you can afford the heat loss that you might incur. Natural light is GOOD for us, and if you can get more by affordable means, I think that you should do so. Also add lots of pot lights and undercabinet lighting for when the sun isn't out. For simplicity's sake, I'd stay away from sconces, pendant lights or anything that might seem to add clutter. Your kitchen looks rather, uh, compact. Will you be able to expand it any? If not, can you afford to lose the storage from the two cabinets that you propose to remove? If you possibly can get along without them, do it. The greater sense of spaciousness that you will have from the expanded window should more than compensate for the lost storage. I don't think that it will look "funny" if you have cabinets wrapping the corner to the left of the expanded window but not to the right. Nature isn't symmetrical, and the modern esthetic aims for balance rather than uniformity. Your cabinets and cooking center on the right should balance nicely with your cabinets on the left. Chuck what I said about a cornice above the window: that was an attempt to make things tie in to repainted existing cabinetry. Simple, light, unfussy sounds so right here. I don't know how much you like your 3-part sink, but until recently I had a sink like yours and hated it, because it took up so much space yet the numerous basins couldn't really accommodate much. If you go to a single bowl sink you'll get more space in the actual sink with less use of precious countertop work space. How I operate in the kitchen is very important to me. I'm right-handed and I like to flow from sink to chopping/prep spot to stove. It looks like you have a right-hand flow so that's good, but your prep space is so small. Any chance of moving the cooking center further to the right and giving yourself more room for prep? For additional storage and ready accessibility, I'd suggest one of those storage systems that is suspended from a bar mounted against the wall under the cabinets. It holds modern spice racks and untensils above the counter so you don't lose any horizontal work space, yet keeps frequently-used things right at the point of use. I like your hardware choices, and think that they would be fine if everything else is simple. I'd only go with one style though, either knob or pull but not both, and only with a slab door; even a shaker rim would be too much with them, imho. I tried the minwax website but couldn't bring up your "old english" color. Still, most walnuts have a cooler, bluer base to them than woods like cedar, which has a red base tone. Gray or silver or mixtures with same will be dynamite with a blue-based wood, leavened with amber tones from the stone tiles. The names of stone products vary so much: harvest gold = autumn harvest = autumn gold, but here are some websites for the kind of stone that I had in mind: http://www.brazilgranite.com/products.php?pageid=73&ind=4 http://tile-direct.com/cid/49/pid/108. This is one for fun: http://tile-direct.com/cid/69/pid/209 This is the "T" knob that I was thinking of: http://www.knobdepot.com/detail.aspx?ID=6587 For laminate or solid surface materials, the following looked like they might be promising: Wilsonart crystalline onyx, greystone, mesa flint and mesa desert Cambria- Windsor, Victoria or Hyde Park Caesarstone Tan Brown 9350 Silestone of Canada - Alpina White, Silver Nube or Rosa Grey. You were talking about laminate counters, but perhaps you would consider an engineered stone? With it you can undermount your new sink, which gives you a simpler line, easier cleanup overall, and a few more inches of counterspace that would otherwise be hogged by the rim of a drop-in sink. The materials cost and labor to mount it are not all that different, plus you get a much more durable product. As you say, a lot of premium components went into building your house in the 80's, and I don't think you'd ever regret adding this relatively affordable luxury. So here's your new kitchen: lighter, roomier, clean, warm, earthy, with cool touches of silver gray and gleaming metal. HTH.

I think the problem is that all the solutions look hideous and we want to entertain and still have the ability to have our homes look nice. The chair rail will become damaged, if you have wrought iron stools so why bother. I am not going to cover the beautiful chair with a cover for it will not look right and that it not the look I was going for when ai made the purchase. I too am at a loss. I have a small jar of paint stored in the pantry at all times for this happens after every huge event. I just make it part of the cleanup routine and if it really is bad also I have a small tube of caulk always available as well, and sometimes I can get away with the erasers. It tortures me and I have spent many hours thinking of a solution that would not involve me just purchasing an entire set of barstool as this is my third.

I like the idea of centering the door, and making it either a bifold setup or split sliding doors. Or just have a centered entry with no door. Which wall are you stacking the W/D? I ask because you'll want the room in front of the stacked set to dismantle, and work on the units if needed. I don't think that is a big deal. Dryers are light weight. But you will need to take off the dryer, and still have room for the washer to be pulled out. To me the best place for the stacked set would be along the vanity wall. Is there enough room for the set there and a sink next to it? What kind of folding space will you have? Will you remove the toilet? I'd like to see a drawing of you proposed layout with measurements.

I'm guessing this is in the U.K.? Assuming this us the view through the main French window? Do you mean you'll replace the see through-end fence? I'd remove the decking and make narrow beds. Possibly remove one row of paving stones too if you like gardening. I'd put in creepers and or espaliers. Maybe a small tree like an amelanchier or crabapple in the far right hand corner. A few pots with seasonal stuff. There's not much space for anything else. I'd lose the whirly drier and put in a retractable clothesline which disappears when not in use. The circle of paving could have a pot or water feature.