marciab - thanks for the link to your story. It makes me feel less alone and, at the same time, hopeful knowing that someone else went through something similar and came away with such an absolutely stunning house. WOW!!! One important takeaway is to take the time to get the design right. We don't have anything forcing us to move, but would like to enjoy our new home as soon as reasonably possible. Isn't Greenville just wonderful? Actually, we are about a mile from the Poinsett Hwy so it is easy to get to town. Its only about 10 miles to the baseball stadium and even closer to get to Cherrydale. Timing really depends on how you catch the lights more than anything else. For a Texan, the distances are negligible. Given that I have done RT Houston-to-Austin (~190mi) in a day many times, Charlotte (~100mi) or Atlanta (~150mi) seem like a nice weekend jaunt and Ashville (~50mi) is a place I will be heading to regularly for the festivals and markets (not that Greenville doesn't have enough of their own). Uhoh, this is reminding me of just how much I want to be there in our own house. ~sigh~ Jay - I really feel for you and know how much you want to get up to TR to build that wonderful, dream cottage. We've been very lucky in Houston not to have the roof fall in on real estate as it has in lots of places in FL. But, things have gotten tougher, so we're not as likely to finish the basement of the new house as soon as we want. This prompted DH to get clever and find a place to tuck in an e-room so the 2nd bedroom can immediately be used as a guest room rather than an office. It does add about 40SF, but delays needing to work on the basement until the recent college grad DD actually does have that large family she talks about. We'll see how she still feels about that once she is through law school (GGG). Thanks for the support, y'all. This has been cathartic and y'all are such a great help. Jo Ann

Okay, now that you've explained all that, I think I understand. I live in a open plan and everyone still crowds into the kitchen! I am a believer that function comes first and form should follow. You'll end up with a hybrid look, but it will be better for living I am sure. I was also thinking how nice it is that the sink and DW will be right there. We have a similar set-up from the patio, we can pass dishes through a sliding window right onto the sink deck. It's great. Getting back to your original questions...I don't know a lot about soapstone, but I think if you can find a "clean" one it will be okay. You mean for in the kitchen, right? I was thinking about wood for the bar surface. Then as I read back, I think you have already considered that. Don't rule out quartz, btw. Not sure why you don't like granite...maybe just because you love soapstone! Also, do get a quote on custom (not the brand...the concept!) because it might price out better than you think and you'll get exactly what you want. Maybe you can make a trade-off somewhere. Contractors in some areas are slow with the decline in the market. People I know have been getting fast service and better prices. I think the biggie is finding fridge panels and slab doors that really look nice with your DR furniture. Counter material is less important IMO. I don't like the white as much as I like the Custom doors...wood with black, especially for the fridge. Mixing in some painted black units could give you the unfitted look suggested above. And maybe you could even find frameless cabs to paint black to go with whatever you have to do to get the black/wood look on some of them. (Yes, leave it to me to make things as difficult as possible!) Have you thought about color? I know Allison's F&B French Gray appeals to you. Maybe there is a color in the Bird of P fabric you could use, a dark gray/green or something. Often, one way to ease a style transition is through color. Like even when the style is different (a less formal kitchen) if there is a color connection, it makes sense to the eye/brain on a deeper level. I do it all over my house...because I have no style! ;-) One last thing to think about... I am a huge fan of frameless cabs and will never "go back" if I don't have to. But, I also find that I can get along fine with very little in the kitchen in the way of food and equipment. I have satellite storage (pantry shelves in the nearby laundry room and a linen closet I borrowed for seldom used dishes, candles, napkins, etc.) and find I really only need about 20-30% of what I have (equipment and food) on a daily basis. Just something to think about...aesthetics vs. storage. Which matters the most, etc...

You sound like a very capable person who wants to be involved on all levels. Why not find a local designer with whom you can collaborate on the design of your kitchen? You have already done everything but place the cabinets and their trim into a layout. If you have a simple design, without furniture legs and spacers galore, you can practically do it yourself with assistance from the cabinet shop. I did this with my first kitchen, done with simple cabinetry. The brother (family cabinetry shop) who did the measuring came to our house and he and my husband and I designed the kitchen on the spot. I had drawings of what I wanted, too. With our second kitchen, I bought a pre-existing kitchen and designed a layout that worked with the cabs I bought. My carpenter and I saw a place where we needed a spacer, and he designed a couple of cabs to fill in where we did not get needed cabs with the kitchen. But I am a spacially gifted person who has had the luck to find good people to work with. I draw everything out on graph paper and measure my spaces multiple times. I also used a cabinetry booklet from one of the big box stores to learn about sizes of "standard" cabs and see basic layouts. I would consider checking with your cabinet manufacturer about layout help before you hire a new designer. You have already done so much design work. I imagine a designer will want to give you opinions on your choices, at the very least. If you don't want that, hire someone for the layout, not for the whole "design." Go over to the Kitchens Forum and start reading. You may find so much help there that you feel confident without an all-out designer on the project. You just seem very independent, which makes me wonder if you want to work with a designer, or a simple lay-out person.

Ground sectional (at far end) with a rug and a long, low console will help fill that wall. Consider how art placement will help as well. In the space behind sectional, create the feeling of an entrance. Placing dining set along wall allows for better traffic flow, helps balance the long wall and you may even be able to add something on stair‘s wall. Keep traffice flow in mind, coordinate both areas with a similar style/colors so room flows (look for inspiration on line), and choose less bulky pieces. Create an on line room planner before purchasing anything. Link below may also help. https://www.hayneedle.com/tips-and-ideas/small-living-room-and-dining-room-combo-ideas/?epik=dj0yJnU9RFhQWWtQMHNaekVHWEFGc3dicmlJWUZkUnR0Y0UySlomcD0wJm49emtEVVJGSmViU0VORGZSY0hzblhGdyZ0PUFBQUFBR0dHZVZr