Are any of the short walls by fridge and stove arch load bearing or contain ducting or electrical chases? I would be eliminating as many as I could to improve layout possibilities if you plan to replace cabs....that means drywall repair but worth it I think. All those jigs and jags make the room choppy. For example, removing that little wall by the fridge means you could run cabs under the window in an L-shape and eliminate that tiny cubbyhole with window. I am not sure what the purpose of the stove arch was/is but that would be high on my list of things to eliminate. What is in that short wall by the fire extinguisher? What is the space between the fridge and the doorway? If a closet, that would be a candidate for removal too. You will need to decide on how extensive you want to go and that will probably be determined by eliminating or keeping the cabs. If you eliminate them and are on a tight budget, look at Ikea cabs when there is a sale. If you keep the cabs, I would probably forgo spending a lot of money on new countertops so big box stock laminate counters should run $150-250. Using LVT tiles on the floor, painting walls, demoing the brick arch, centering stove on the wall space, removing wood valance, ditching curtains and blinds for Roman shades, and I assume updating lighting but only because I cannot see what is there are all things that could be done within a modest budget. Additionaly, how old is the flooring...old enough to be worried about asbestos?

I agree with the others that this is not an easy or inexpensive job. We have a concrete patio off our eat in kitchen and looked into closing it off to. We spoke with an architect who told us you just cannot keep the slab, it would have to be demolished. I live in an are with 4 seasons so the supports have to go down into the ground a certain level, below the freeze line (sorry if I'm not getting the terminology correct). Then you're talking adding HVAC and electricity to make it a true addition/enclosure and not just a 3 season room. In my case, the venting from the dryer would have run into the to-be enclosed space, so that would have to have to be moved as well. And since I had a bedroom window directly above the space, that would have needed to be made smaller as well. So it completely opened pandora's box. So it could be done, but not for cheap.

That really isn't a floating wall - it's connected to a soffit and continues down the hall to another doorway. I would not come out from that towards the staircase - it will look like part of your kitchen is in a hallway. Have you actually cut open the wall to see what/how big/where all these pipes are on the inside?? They are most likely not spread all through that long wall. Maybe you can remove a bunch of the wall, just leaving behind some posts ( there surely are some structural columns inside there ) and then you can be more creative with cabinetry Sort of like these maybe?? The key is to truly know what can and can't be done structurally in your home. You will need an architect to help with the structural changes since it might be a load bearing wall. You definitely have a great space to work with!

You have such a wonderful opportunity when doing a remodel. Contrast is exciting but the more contrast, the busier and likely more crowded and smaller your kitchen will look. I'm with Calidesign on continuing the maple onto the island. If the only decision you can still make is the countertop, definitely use the same on both types of cabinets. In choosing colors, colors closer in value (level of light and dark) can add dimension without looking as busy. Note in the kitchen above that they've used a muted blue with the wood.. not a dark blue. But also note where your eye stops. It's at that black hood and range -- due to the contrast. And the same would be true on the dark countertop if there weren't so many reflections. As for the countertops, I opted for a very high-end natural quartzite because it's less porous than granite and I wish I had chosen a quartz product. Stone varies so much and can stain very easily in lighter colors, even those touted as being non-porous. Good luck with your renovation!