I just posted this on someone else's thread but I wanted to say THANK YOU for helping me find my voice! And making progress! The granite guy came today and fixed the crack. You can't tell at all standing over it. I can see it when the sunlight is reflecting off of it, but also bc I was specifically looking for it. Anyone else would just see it as graining. Granite guy said it happened probably when the cabinet guy was hacking at the trim he had to remove bc it wasn't right. This I can live with. The cabinet guy showed up yesterday. The magnet he brought to fix door wasn't the right one. I started to show him which cabs had nails still sticking out and he said he'd check all of them. Then he said ok I'm done. I opened a cab and said the nails aren't finished, I thought you were going to finish them. He says,"Oh I didnt realize that you wanted me to do that." Really?Really? I guess he thought the splintered wood was fine? So then he says ok I'm done. I'm going to run to HD and get the magnet and be right back. Then I went to check his work. He missed cutting nails in 2 cab and didn't finish 3 others. Well...An 1 1/2 later he calls and says he got the battery but needed to go home and he'd come back tomorrow. I told him he missed more nails etc. And... he didn't come. But I do consider it a small victory he came at all. And lastly, I called the glass guy and said it was really driving me crazy everytime I look at it. He said he was going to call daltile to see if there was anything he could do, but if not, they would have to do it over bc it was their mistake. Yea! So I'll let everyone know how things turn out. I really don't expect to hear from cab guy. But, it's not the last he'll hear from me!

If your microwave is on that shelf, will you be able to open it? I'm having a hard time seeing how you can reach in to pull stuff out, assuming the mw hinge is on the left and the control panel is on the right (not sure if they make MWs in a reverse configuration). Could you swap it with the double door cabinet right next to it? That way it will be partially hidden from view next to the fridge -- out of site from the casual kitchen observer. As for the window, if you included a few inches of filler to the corner, you could likely do a simple, short valance across the ceiling over both windows to make their heights look as if they are the same. Not sure how you feel about fabric up there, or if it will get gunky... Also, did you consider doing just a free-standing hood instead of the cabinetry run above the stove?

First off, can I say your avatar is adorable?! Love it. : ) I was looking back at the previous posts, and I think the minor tweak that Mama Goose suggested has some potential. I still vote for a door directly from the kitchen to the pantry. Please here me out... if you move the freezer into the pantry, then you can put a landing counter next to the fridge. Above it, you can put a standard MW that sits on a shelf, which would be very convenient. Even though you'd be paying a little bit more now to move a few studs, I'm guessing it would still be less expensive to do that + standard MW than the price of a fancy drawer MW. Just a thought. I'm not sure what you're planning for pantry storage, but a landing counter might be nice in there for things going in and out of the freezer. I'd love a counter in my pantry for some of the items I don't like on my counters: crocks of sauerkraut, fermenting kombucha, fermenting kefir, etc. I agree that setting this kitchen up and pretending to work in it is a good idea. One of the issues I've run into when the workings are on one side of the island, and the cleanup is on the other is that I end up playing ring around the island to get things. The prep sink does help with this somewhat. Picture making apple pie. The apples need to be washed. Would you rather wash them at the prep sink right by the fridge where they came from, or to run them around the island to the cleanup sink? I remember scenes like this from our old kitchen: What do you do when you go to bake at the island on the fridge side and you are missing measuring spoons. Where are they? In the DW. Run around the island, retrieve them from the DW. Go back to where I was working. Now I need to melt butter. Pull a stick out of the fridge. What shall I melt it in. A bowl? They're being stored on the other side of the island. Around the island I go to get a bowl, trot back and melt the butter in the MW. Then a child comes in and wants a drink, round the island again to help them get a glass, add your own scenarios ad infitum. By this point, cooking is starting to lose its thrill! I think this is why folks are trying to have you consider having the working side of the island so that it's on the same side as the cleanup sink. It helps reduce the circling around the island. I do like the fridge, freezer and pantry all in the same general location, if possible. This helps you to be able to retrieve the food items all from pretty much the same spot.

OK, I don't like the tile I posted and wish I'd been more precise. You're not going to go wrong with white subway, but if you wanted permission to walk a little bit on the wilder side, I think your kitchen could pull it off. What I was trying to suggest was a shape idea, like this perhaps. I disagree about using a traditionally laid herringbone accent, especially with a thick border. I would think it was too stodgy if this were my little kitchen, (except maybe the sideways pattern in eam's first two examples.) If you want an accent and use subway, you could also consider a stack or a chevron pattern. Here they use that pattern for the whole backsplash. Or do the BS in matte tile and the accent tile in a gloss finish. Or lean a large, funky handmade ceramic plate behind your range and support a starving artist. Your kitchen is darling. You didn't ask but I'd paint the stools. I'm just full of good ideas for your time and money, aren't I?