The new countertops will give the room a very different and happy feeling. For what it's worth... Are you considering green laminates? Greens seem problematical. The green choices in the laminates were not as successful for my schemes as some of the other palettes, although if you're working with the "avocado" direction you're not in quite the same bind as those of us with a bent toward Granny Smith or celery. My point: don't rule out other colors and schemes. (And don't make the mistake of compromising with DH on a good dark green and then noticing that it's the ubiquitous standard countertop in your local Menard's home improvement store. What a bad moment to notice something I usually don't even see!) on another tack...I live in a metropolitan area and yet even here it was hard to find a vendor display that included all the laminate lines. I found one in a very comprehensive flooring store in a small town suburb and another fab display in a commercial cookware outlet, intended for restaurant rehabs. Once I'd looked at these places, I knew I'd really seen the spectrum of options.

I just packed up this week past and the kitchen was demolished on Tuesday. I can't believe how much stuff I have! No wonder I think I need more storage and have ordered uppers that go all the way to the ceiling! I tried to exercise some discipline and throw out all the old things I rarely use anymore. I wasn't very successful... let's say it was like removing sand from the desert with a teaspoon. I guess I'm just attached to my old favs, like special friends. Plus, my mom passed away last year and I ended up with most of her stuff - as the only girl child, my brothers simply delegated all that kitcheny/household stuff to my best judgement. How could I possibly get rid of the green glass citrus squeezer??? or Grandma's best china?? Or Auntie's hand painted china, etched aluminum trays or the ancestral beer glasses?? For the record, I did throw away all the sippy cups and souvenir kiddy dishes (the baby starts HS next week), and at least 2 dozen coffee mugs are packed to donate to the local thrift (I'm sure those breed in closed cupboards) but I still have at least 3 dozen I can't part with. Hey, who wants to come to my place for coffee? Or tea? I counted 6 teapots, keepers all. I do think I'll replace all, or at least most of my kitchen towels. They have all seen better days, even if they rarely see the light of day anymore. We are currently settling into our "temporary kitchen" in the wet bar area of our basement rec room. This classic piece of 1960s design and construction leaves much to be desired functionally, but at least it boasts running water and a usable refigerator. Ironically, in the 13+ yrs we've lived in this house, we have seldom ventured into this cubby-hole, except to access the beer fridge. Now, I can hardly wait until the kitchen is completed so I can start planning its renovation...

The Wedgwood vase is very pretty - it reminds me of the startup silhouette on the Kindle app. But the Beagles Biscuit tin is perfect! Raboo - my Lab chooses to spend part of her day and every night in her crate. And we haven't closed the gate in over 4 years. It's right in the kitchen where she feels like she's in the center of all the activity. She loves it, it's her den and her favorite snoozing place. We have dog beds in the study and family room too - but she still prefers her crate.

If you have pretty much the same storage layout, you can sit for a bit and identify any past storage sticking points/irritation areas, and decide how to fix them. I agree with beacham's inventory/cull advice but then if your storage worked well in your past kitchen, go ahead and replicate it rather than fretting. Don't be afraid to have some empty cupboards but as you're putting things away, you may realize an item can now 'go high' as beacham notes, rather than using prime storage space. And nothing is set in concrete. In the past six months, this forum has inspired me to rearrange cupboards, my pantry and even my refrigerator. This may help, too. I believe it's something Buehl put together, from the New to Kitchens thread. Storage/Inventory