Right off the bat, I'd say you can save $500 by getting the Sharp microwave drawer - I thought all the microwave drawers were made by sharp and rebranded by others.

Thanks for the welcome! boxer, those are very similar except the cabinet style is a simple shaker. I believe the color is very close. The sample we have is a few years old so it has darkened some. A nice preview of what is to come. I'm personally drawn to the darker one, multicolor. I'm hoping light walls and backsplash will be enough to keep it from looking like a cave. It would be nice to also put the same tile by the front door (in a different size) to tie things together. I feel like either tile would look beautiful, I just don't want to pick the wrong one and wish I had the other. Probably the most difficult kitchen decision so far!

I really like your inspiration pics. It looks like the island & hood trim are black and the rest of the hood and cabinets are are a dark brown. I like that look and even considered something similar back in the planning stages of our kitchen (Bertch custom cabinet line). Are you flexible in the design other than the MW/trash dilemma? I'm asking b/c I see a couple of issues, one of which you may already be addressing. First, your DW & range are in conflict. If the DW is open when someone is at the range I foresee bruised legs! Why? Because right now the DW will be in the way of anyone working in and around the range. One step backward and you will hit the DW door...not a good feeling (I say w/experience!) If you must put the sink & DW in the island (a less than ideal location, btw), then at least move the DW to the other side of the sink so there won't be a conflict b/w it and the range. Second...and this is the one I think you're addressing...move the MW from the island to the cabinets next to the refrigerator or to the right end of the island opening toward the end, not the range. Why? MWs and refrigerators work best when they're on the periphery of the kitchen where they are easily accessed by those working in the kitchen as well as snackers from the "outside". Snackers may still utilize them w/o getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. Also, MWs generally work best when next to the refrigerator as most items cooked in them come from the refrigerator or freezer. What type MW? Either a MW drawer (Sharp makes the Dacor...so the Dacor is really a re-badged & more expensive Sharp) or one mounted on a shelf that's under the upper cabinets rather than mounted directly to the overhead cabinets. A shelf gives you more flexibility in MW choices. OTR MWs as general rule, are more expensive than a countertop model. Any countertop MW can be mounted on a shelf as long as you have the appropriate clearances (see specs for clearances required.) BTW...we have a Sharp MW Drawer and love it! I don't think it takes too long to open and I have not had any problems w/the open/close mechanism...nor have I heard of any. We had no wall room and I did not want it on the counter. We're a tall family and putting a standard MW under the counter was not an option. The drawer has worked great for us. As for the trash pullout, I recommend putting it on the island on the other side of the sink from the DW or next to the range so it can be easily used by both the cleanup zone (sink/DW) and cooking zone (range) & prep zone (probably to the right of the range). Where do you plan to store your dishes? To me, the best place appears to be in the cabinets to the left of the range. That works really well especially if the DW is moved to the other side of the sink. It allows the other cabinets to be used for storing prep & cooking tools & utensils & dishes, pots & pans, etc...the ideal location of which would be to the right of the range since the prep zone will most likely be on the counters b/w the refrigerator & range. (Prepping will probably not occur very much on the island as you don't have a lot of clear counter space b/c of the sink and b/c it will be the cleanup zone where dirty dishes, pots & pans, etc. will be stacked...not a nice visual, btw, especially if you're sitting at the island!) What are your aisle widths? How much overhang are planning for the seating? Is the island all one level? (Makes it much more useful if it is.) If you would like a great expanse of countertop to prep while visiting w/guests or to do other work on (like baking, crafts, homework, wrapping gifts, etc.), then I would seriously consider moving the sink elsewhere. Did you notice that Teppy does not have a sink in her island? [Oh, just read that you already noticed this!] Yes, I would definitely reconsider. Try to come up w/a layout that leaves the island clear for those big projects, eating, staging food for parties (buffet, appetizers, or staging for moving to another room like the DR), and for visitors to hang out. One thing you should be aware of...appliances in corners take up quite a bit of room. A 33" oven cabinet, for example, will take up approximately 48" on each wall. A 30" range may take a little less (maybe 45"), but it's still quite a bit of wall space. I do like corner ranges though! See the link below for SharB's kitchen w/a corner range (she has a beautiful kitchen!) (A 42" corner sink base cabinet (for a 30", I think, sink) will take 42" on each wall.) Do you have a layout of the kitchen with measurements? Do you also have one that shows how the kitchen fits in w/the rest of the house (rooms surrounding it & outdoor entrances)? If you'd like, there are several of us that will be willing to help you come up with an alternate layout, but we will need dimensions (walls, doorways, windows, distances b/w walls/doorways/windows, etc.) See the "Read Me" thread for more information about layouts. Good luck & I hope all of this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: SharB's Finished Kitchen

I’ve owned a SZ fridge in my last two houses, worth the cost, imo. I’ve never had a fridge keep food so fresh. Because of the dual compressors, no weird food smells either. In our last house, we had a Thermador cook top and 2 Thermador ovens, no complaints with either. The cooktop is very powerful, but we also loved their low simmer function. Ovens were great and cooked food evenly. I have no experience with Wolf.