I am partway through our kitchen remodel. The wife and I are pretty stuck on the look and color of a laminate countertop we found for the kitchen and like our solid surface sink on laminate counter we have in the bathroom, but afraid the seam wont hold up as well in the kitchen plus the sink is $800 alone. ouch! We are contemplating a topmount stainless sink, but was also thinking about a black solid surface or granite top mount sink. We just dont like the huge lip though and not sure what to do. here are some before pictures, the flooring color, countertop color, part of our bathroom cabinets the same color as the ones going in the kitchen, and the current state of the kitchen. We also dont know what to do for backsplash yet. the cabinets are going in today, the floor is going in on wed and counter as soon as we decide on a sink and get it ordered. any input would be great. thanks, Ryan Image link:

Ryan, I have owned at least 30+ properties and own four homes right now. I have a custom home that we GC'd and act as GC on ALL of our homes. I have had several different types of sinks and want to tell you about a few of my opinions. About 18+ years ago, I had a Corian sink with counter... (hated it). Why? I loved it for about two weeks, then it just got on my nerves, pretty much like curtains with ruffles. I hated the blandness of the integrated sink & counter... then it chipped, rough teen horsing around and was pulling on the edge and about 10" popped off. Glued it back on, but was so ill. Sold the home. Then I bought a house with a sink almost EXACTLY like the Franke sink on the link you posted. It was a dressed up faux granite product (SilGranite), which was black and laminate counter top. That sink ALWAYS looked nasty and grimy. Maybe it was the color. It only looked clean for 2 seconds after cleaning. I never want a black sink again. EVER. It also always looked 'dull'. I would have rather had a 'laminate' sink than that Silgranite sink or whatever it was called. Here's an old thread. Check out the white sink link: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/gal111946143028.html In another personal home, I bought a deep, double bowl, cast iron white porcelain sink. I loved it. It looked pretty and clean most of the time. Then I dropped a heavy pan on the bridge between the two sinks and off popped about a nickel-sized chip. Then it started to look ghetto after that. Painted the chip and sold the home. However, in my home right now, I do have two Jacuzzi cast iron porcelain sinks, but different styles, in other areas. I just like the look of white porcelain, but it's not practical in a busy, home kitchen, in my opinion. I guess we're just not that careful; plus, my wrists are weak. If you own a cast iron skillet or Le Crueset, then you need stainless, in my opinion. Plus, it would look great with your cabinets and floors. Don't worry that you have to be matchy-matchy with hardware with a stainless sink! I used a dark, bronze iron knob and it looks great with it. Faucet is satin nickel. My favorite style of sink is a large, single basin stainless steel sink. You can wash large items in the sink and not get frustrated with too small of a width. If I need to wash smaller, delicate items, I can use a plastic dishpan which is easily tucked away when not in use. All stainless is NOT created equal. Think about the quality of the steel of your forks, knives, and spoons. Notice how manufacturers call the majority of eating utensils "flatware"? 25 years ago, almost all eating utensils were "stainless steel" and 18/10 (chromium/nickel) at that. The more nickel, the less chance or corrosion or staining. Do you have any 'silverware' that stains? And I am not talking true silver. A good quality stainless is a must. Professional stainless is 304 stainless; and the best quality finish is a 18/10 finish. If not, it will look shabby, dull, spot, dent, etc... If you hate stainless, it is because you probably have not experienced a quality product. I have some huge, heavy pots and my sink that I have now is nothing short of perfection. It's ridiculously priced though. The MSRP on my Franke sink in my personal home is in the $1,900 range, which you can usually get it for about $450 less, depending on where you shop. I found a new sink exactly like mine on eBay a few minutes ago for about $1000. This sink is a 16 gauge, 12" deep, 304 stainless with 18/10 finish. These specs are professional grade quality. Remember: 304 stainless, equivalent to what is required in restaurants. Most of the very best sinks found at HD or Lws are only 301 stainless...and the best finish they have is a 18/8 finish...on a $1,300+ sink @ (HD ONLINE). Go online and check out how hard it is to find a sink with the specs I'm quoting. So, I like nice things and I am sure you do, too. Since I have to redo homes and have rental property, I want the quality to show and last, so I can save money and charge more for rent! I have my 'favorite' places I like to shop. Most homes I redo are more high end and I ALWAYS use the best quality stainless that I can find. If I could not afford a 16 gauge, then AT LEAST 304 STAINLESS WITH AN 18/10 QUALITY FINISH. This will be hard to do at a local box store... and you will pay. Also, not every counter is an under-mount, and I use the drop in sink below. I found a site that has SUPER FANTASTIC PRICES. I am amazed at the quality for the money. Remember my Franke sink? Well, they have the SAME type of sink but without FRANKE stamped in the sink for a pittance. Here's a VERY similar quality sink I'm going to buy for another home I'm buying... and I *might* move into this one. ZR-3219SB Zero Radius Large Single Bowl Undermount Stainless Steel Sink - 16 Gauge Overall: 32" x 19" Each Bowl: 30 " x 17 " Depth: 10" Free Grate Set MSRP: $999.00 Our Price: $549.00 On Sale: $499.00 Special Sale Now: $399.00 You Save $600.00! (But save over $1,100 ~ $1,500 over the Franke SS sink!!!!) Most of the sinks at the site below ARE under-mount sinks. However, they do have a couple of drop-ins with very good quality finish, much better than HD. I'm going to put this same sink in the house my daughter is living in. The beauty of a good quality stainless is: doesn't chip, looks clean, has a beautiful patina in time, shines somewhat, you can use high grit wet sandpaper on it to buff out any mars, rarely stains ... and if it does, spray lightly with diluted bleach and in 20 seconds it looks bright again. 16 gauge is strongest, 20 gauge is the minimum. Price is right. I'm a stainless fan and always will be. Here is a link that might be useful: 304 grade stainless with 18/10 finish.

I think that's a pretty small fixture for a dining space. However there are lots of similar ones- Google orb chandelier. Crystorama is a popular one. how close will the island be to the fixture?

I usually get inspiration from the countertops. The counters read "yellow with green". Of course this is probably the yellow being thrown from the wall colour. Go ahead and paint your walls 'primer white' to get rid of the yellow cast. Now you go ahead and look at the counters in a neutral situation. As someone who is not fond of the counters, I would have a hard time choosing something that comes close. Perhaps a porcelain "limestone" looking tile. It will have creamy off-white colours to it. Sadly, the living room floors - the white wood-look tiles - have been MATCHED to the kitchen tiles. This is where things will get mucked up. Once you change the COLOUR of the tile in the kitchen you will disturb the 'flow' from one floor to another. It then becomes a question of how much do you like the WHITE wood-look tiles throughout the rest of the house?