MWK Bear -- I think that kitchen sounds great...the Rubrik doors will make it pop. I too think the Curava counters look great--very Terrazoesque. I'd like to know the PPSF as well--recycled glass typically costs 2-3X more than Quartz and Corian in my experience so I would be interested to know. BTW, many granites are actually cheaper than most other premium products these days. Also, I noticed the Curava stuff is made well so it will have the durability of Quartz and Corian. A similar product I ran accross, called IceStone, is basically made with a concrete filler which is a huge pain to take care of and is not very practical as a countertop given all the maintenance required. Terri--I agree. Corian is not shiny...it has a matte finish to it, one of the reason we selected it. This post was edited by ChrisInSD on Thu, Jul 3, 14 at 1:58

As others have noted it depends on what your goals are for this remodel. (1) How long will you be in your current house (the one you're remodeling)? [If a short time 3 years, remodel based on YOUR needs/wants] (2) What is the goal of your remodel? What kind of kitchen are you going for? Take the "The Sweeby Test". (3) How much do you plan to DIY? If at least some DIY, how good are your DIY skills? (4) What is your budget? (5) Look a the Finished Kitchen Blog to see sample kitchens and their various elements. (6) What is important to you? (I know, the best of everything you can afford!) You've already defined your kitchen's feel (Sweeby Test). (7) Now, armed with what you want out of your kitchen, your budget, and ideas from the FKB, list your priorities for you kitchen. Some people really want a granite or soapstone counter and will compromise on cabinets or flooring or appliances. Some want solid wood doors and all-wood door boxes while others want top-of-the-line, the-best-money-can-buy appliances. What are your priorities? To consider: Cabinets: ...Do you want well-built, well-accessorized cabinets or will basic (but still solid) cabinets with only a few accessories be fine? ...What style of door do you want...modern or traditional? ...Also look, at the style of drawer fronts...if you have mostly drawers in your base cabinets then drawer fronts will be a major part of the look of your cabinets in your kitchen. ...What type of doors do you want...wood, wood-veneer, metal, MDF? ...What construction do you want in your cabinet boxes...plywood, particleboard, metal, MDF? ...Do you need/want full-extension drawers and/or pullout shelves? ...Look at drawer & pullout shelf glides...are they plastic or metal? (metal is generally stronger and lasts longer) ...How much DIY do you plan? Some cabinets, like IKEA, come ready to assemble (RTA). Most come assembled. Other elements to consider: Countertop: granite, soapstone, quartz, solid surface, wood, laminate, recycled glass or paper, etc. Flooring: wood, tile, stone, laminate, etc. Backsplash: none, partial (continuation of countertop material), tile/stone, paint, etc. Lighting: recessed, undercabinet, pendants, etc. Appliances: You can spend 5,000 plus dollars on a range or refrigerator or you can spend One thing to keep in mind is that some things will last longer than others. Generally, appliances will need to be replaced long before cabinets and countertops so yes, you might go "light" on the appliances initially or even re-use what you already have. That would leave more of your budget for higher-end cabinets, countertop, and flooring--items that you change much less often. Backsplashes can be delayed. All these things are subjective...based on your needs and wants. You will get many opinions here; read them knowing that everyone is different and everyone (1) has different goals for their kitchen and (2) has different priorities. Filter comments through the lens of your goals/needs/wants. Good luck!

In most production cabinets, the back is nothing more than to close the cabinet box. A hanging rail is what will support and hold the cabinet to the wall. Perfect example is of Joe's picture, where you see the solid wood at the back of the cabinet, that he's screwed to the plywood. That cabinet doesn't have a back, just a hanging rail, and it's obviously not going anywhere. Now, whenever I do an island, I always try to use at least a 1/2" plywood panel across the back of the cabinets, then a finish panel or wainscoting. I don't do a whole lot of frameless cabinets, but I do the same on them. This adds to the rigidity of the cabinet boxes, as well as giving the finish panel something to nail onto, anywhere I want to attach it. Plus, people won't put their foot through the panel. It also makes it easy to attach corbels. If you have the room, build a knee wall behind the cabinets. Now you can attach the cabinets to a wall. Then either drywall and paint, or use finish panels to cover the knee wall.

I'm just going to say this in case - the wide Domsjö is two bowl sink. It never came any other way. Sektion has standard sized drawer fronts. Buy an extra 36" wide taller drawer front just in case you need it - you can always send it back. Sektion and Akrum cabinets had different sizes of drawer fronts. Stop by the kitchen area and ask about issues with installing the Domsjö sink in a Sektion cabinet. The Domsjö should come with replacement metal bar for the front & bar edges. The front metal bar takes the place of the top bar on the front and the back. You might need to cut down the back panel to fit under the bar. We did a simple reinforcement of the cabinet by adding plywood across the back on the inside of the cabinet under the bar and then attached the official cabinet back to the ply. Given a choice, I would buy ANY other white farmhouse sink and undermount kit. Eventho it's hundreds more. In our case, the sink wasn't quite deep enough - there was a wide gap between the sink and the wall in the back that was plugged with two tons of caulk. In the end, I named the sink the Rain of Terror because it dripped water everywhere and rotted the Ikea wood counter. If you use someone else's sink in an ikea cabinet, know that you may need to cut the cabinet top back as shown in @sh's photo because a 36" wide undermount sink is 36" wide at the front or near to it. The sink maker has an undermount kit (usually) that amounts to metal bars with screws under the sink. The bars stretch across the cabinet from side to side. Then, use your "extra" drawer front and carefully cut it to fit the front.