I guess I'll be the dissenting voice here, and say I love that idea. First of all, a 12 inch deep cabinet is ideal IMHO, for either pantry storage, small appliances, dishes, or anything, because you won't lose anything behind anything else. It sounds like they will be separate from the rest of your cabinets, so I don't think the fact that they don't ''match'' is much of a consideration. (Not to me anyway.) Of course, I'm one who mixed natural cherry, stained cherry, oak, pine and walnut in my kitchen, so I don't care much about other people's rules! I have an Arts&Crafts style kitchen, where cherry and oak look perfectly natural together, so I don't think this is a problem. I also believe the door styles being different is a good thing, since you will be using the 12 inch deep cabinets in a different way than your "kitchen" cabinets, thereby designating them a different zone. I personally like the idea of using this as pantry space, whether it's for food, or seldom used appliances/dishes, and think the narrow counter space will be a huge boon to your small kitchen. As a former antique dealer, I know that Hoosier Cabinets were meant to be utilized as kitchen cabinets in their entirety, during a time of unfitted kitchens where the range, sink and cabinets were freestanding. That's why there is storage for food, jars, utensils, flour, sugar and a counter that pulls out, and why they are big/deep. I'm sorry to hear the story of your family heirloom, but think you would be happier with the space you currently have if you let that determine how you need to use it. Sometimes letting go of an old idea will allow you to find a better solution, which I think you have. I hope you instantly love it if you try this, because I'm sure I would!

I live in a large 40 year old colonial which has 2 porches and has a cherry-ish stained wood on the front, side and garage doors. It also has a portico over the front door, and a columned porch on one side both of which are trimmed in a light color. I have narrowed down the color 'family' that I want to paint the outside of my home. For the body, I am seeking a warm color in the yellow, beige and cream group. I may have found a good one with BM Concord Ivory, which on the areas of the house that I have sampled it, looks correct to me. My problem is imagining the whole house painted in that color.... would it be too bold? Is it too gold? Has anyone here used Concord Ivory on their exterior? Does anyone know of a warm yellow/beige color that does not overwhelm on a large house? For trim, I seek a warm, complementary ivory color and for the shutters I fell in love with BM blue dusk, which I would describe as a mid-tone blue/gray. I usually am the one that my friends come to for color help, its funny when its your own decision, its much harder... Thanks in advance!

mercy, can't open your latest, but we have a small eat-in nook that's approximately 8' x 8' with a 42" expandable square table. This is the smallest nook we've ever had, but it works fine for us. However, I agree with blfenton that you won't be able have a seat on the DR side of the island, but think you could on the right side. You original question was about the size of the island and whether the set back was enough for the sink not to interfere with those at the island. In reality, will people be eating at the island while the sink is in use for clean-up? Since you don't need to worry about multiple cooks and like your original plan, it may be fine with the switch of seating at the ends of your large island. What did you change with the latest version? A couple of comments about your addition: if this were my project I'd see about a header and scrap the column. Though you'd have to shift the sliders over, you could hide the header by incorporating it into a coffered or tray ceiling over the FR. I'd have more glass to the deck -- doors preferred to windows. Good luck!

christamarie, any room you design, you need to work from outside in at the same time you design inside out. The extension you put on your house has to go with the existing look of the house. Right now, I envision an ugly nose stuck in the middle of your current house without other information to go with. The window over the sink is not even centered on the extension as is. The roofline of the extension has to tie in nicely with the extension. This can be quite expensive depending on what you do. If the rooflines are not tied in well, you can conceivably create leak points. If the additions are not done well structurally, they tend to sag and fall apart from the existing house over next several years. You can see this when you look at old houses that had 'suboptimal' additions put on them. First, the esthetics of the extension from the ouside has to look harmonious and well designed with the existing house. This is what makes you look at the house and say 'that house looks ugly' or 'that house looks nice'. People will have a gut response to the exterior of the house immediately. A well-done extension will improve the look of the house. If not well done, it looks like an ugly sore. You also have an opportunity to improve the way the house relates to the natural light coming into the house. I see tiny little windows added to the extension. This is a wasted opportunity IMHO. Ourside corner windows can be used beautifully to add wonderful architectural interest to the house. In your case, you have put a pantry there. Try to get some 3D software and try to envision the exterior of the house first. There will be many iterations as you work the exterior as well as the interior at the same time. This type of design is NOT EASY...