First of all, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this, look at my plan, and assist me. In response to some of the questions/comments... The right side that desertsteph mentioned not being able to see/read on the drawing - right now there is a large old butcher block table there, with 3 wall cabs and some shelves above. We do not use the table - it basically collects junk. I think that area could be used much more efficiently. Yes, this is mostly "steamlining and prettying up"! I'm not opposed to changing things *if* it really makes sense to do it but am not looking to change things just for the sake of change. I think I have a good base and there is no need to tear it all out and start from scratch. I just want to be sure that I am making the most efficient and effective decisions. I was thinking of putting another oven beside the refrigerator; it seems like the easiest place for a new appliance. I do have a floor-to-ceiling pantry that holds a ton of stuff. If I don't put in a second oven, the space beside the refrigerator would probably be a combo of deep drawers and a good sized pantry cabinet, and/or some kind of built-in microwave as right now we have a countertop MW that just sits on an old dresser! The floor is pine planks - very pretty, warm color - all the first floor floors are the same material, and it will remain. The hall door sees the least traffic, so it seems like the cook center is already in the best place given that I need to keep 5 doors into this space. The space between the island and the kitchen table is basically a corridor to the living room, so that needs to stay clear. I briefly considered a new countertop with an overhang on that side but the overhang would make my existing top drawers unusable, so I ruled that out. We do not have an entry room or mudroom at this entrance to the house; there is a brick patio outside this door. Our laundry room is as long as the kitchen but about 6 ft wide; part of this is a half bath, some is laundry, and the rest is storage and "mud room" functions. There is a lot packed into that little space but it works pretty well. I have aspirations of building a covered stoop at the back since we do use this entrance all the time, but that will be a few years away. I don't think our site setbacks would allow a full mudroom or entry here. I like the shelf above the cabinets too, although I'm not much of a collector, so I don't know what to put up there. I'm short so it is too high for me to access for storage, and works as display only. I'm having outlets installed above the shelf as part of this project so I can install lighting up there to light the ceiling. My finish plan is: *keep the floors *cover the ceiling with an anaglyptic wallcovering that looks like tin tiles which will be painted white *install crown mold all around, painted white *paint the cabinets white, add a "light rail" piece of trim to the bottoms, switch out the hinges with something less obtrusive, change the pulls on the drawers to bin pulls, and change the door pulls to new ORB/white porcelain pulls *paint the wainscot and trim (now blue) dark brown, picking up on the darkest brown tones of the floor and the dark brown fleck in the laminate countertop *paint the walls a very light cream/yellow (BM Pearly Gates, I think) *I'd hoped to replace the countertop to the left of the range with Corian to match what's on the right. It's probably 20 years old and it looks great, but this CT is so old that I am having trouble matching it. I am still looking at options here - would like to use something white/light colored but have also considered the Ikea butcher block for economy reasons, although I am not sure I am up to that DIY project *I bought subway tile for the backsplash at the range, but I have to replace the CTs first because they are not currently at the same height (only a fraction of an inch off, but against the lines of the tile it will be really evident) I guess my biggest question is - is it worth it to consider moving the sink? Would I gain the same benefit by undermounting a new sink at the existing location on the island and having a butcher block piece made to cover half of it to expand the prep area? That would certainly be less expensive, but would it be as effective as the combination of a main sink and a prep sink? I appreciate your time and your thoughts. Thanks for your help!

I spent at least a month every summer when I was a child, at my grandmother's house in NW Arkansas. No brick or stone farmhouses - all clapboard and all quite simple. It was a poor area - poor soil, poor everything. No one had money for frills. One place stone was used was for small houses/cottages, in particular ones on Mt Sequoia in Fayetteville. They were really kind of ugly but with time, the remaining few have some charm. Just remember that much of Arkansas has that dry, red clay soil that stains everything. Using stone as a foundation row will help keep rust splatters off your clapboard. But keep it there, not all over, and no brick unless you just want a brick house.

Traditional ? you mean true divided windows where each piece of glass was installed between wood muntins? I can't imagine you could even buy a window like that...maybe at a salvage shop. My experience is with Anderson 400 which offers is the look of true divided windows, are energy efficient, and avoids the snap in/snap out vinyl grids, that break and leave holes in the window frame. K H, tell your husband to take a look...he needs an introduction to muntins in modern age. He won't freeze with these. My neighbor mowed his lawn last evening while we were having guests for dinner. I shut the windows, closed the slider (Anderson as well) and it was like turning off the t v.

I'm not a fireclay fan. If it chips, you're dead; no repair is possible. You can chip a Whitehaven. If you keep white-out over the chip, you may cover the exposed cast iron and slow its inevitable rusting and self-destruction. I'd suggest you look at an Elkay Quartz Luxe sink. The color goes all the way through so small chips and gouges aren't catastrophic. It is repairable and difficult to scratch . It isn't as shiny as the alternatives. If you're getting new cabinets, you can get the full apron sink; here's the short apron version.