I stuck this Ikea thing in my kitchen while waiting to remodel. I don't really love the drawer fronts but the sides and back are veneered oak and the top and legs are solid. Depending on what you mean by portable, something like this might work. It's heavy. It came with things to attach it to the floor but they aren't needed. But I love this thing. Huge drawers I have filled with canisters of dry goods. i use it for a baking (and storage) center. But I can open all drawers at once without any hint of instability. The wood is pretty in a no-nonsense kind of way. Too bad about the drawers--if I weren't about to remodel I'd consider putting in some effort to redo them. I love it that much. It might be bigger than you need, and the wrong style, but yes, portable islands are great if you don't need electric or plumbing. Look for "unfitted" kitchens as well as "free-standing". Here is a link that might be useful: ikea 'portable' island

Sorry! I have been so limited on time but I wanted to touch base on several of the postings so here goes! Nancy, I wish I could switch out the cabinets between stove and sink but it is not a fit. Hoosiergirl, Thanks so much for your input about a small island. I am looking at about the same size after discussing it with dh. It seems the island couldn't be a permanent fixture because if we moved any furniture in and out of the house it would be a problem. I have been taking pictures of the inside of the cabinets as I have been tackling getting the stuff off the counters. Dorothy, I hope that in the process of getting new countertops dh will be able to move the drawer base and put the dishwasher beside of the sink. I am having a little trouble convincing dh to take the trim off immediately in that my "family emergency" is that dfil is in CCU at the local hospital. I plan to try the grouping of three on the glass items this weekend. As I said so many of them are truly sentimental and I feel that the place for them is up there if I can make it work! Chris, As you can see I have a small one but I hope to redo it to make it more like the one in the picture! Patricia, what kind of soft items do you have in mind for a kitchen? Sky, I measured the area and it is 36" x 36" over the sink. I hope to start looking for a mirror but wondered if I should spend the $ when I am going to need some kind of backsplash down the road. Nancy,thanks so much for taking the time to do this for me. DH says he wants a lighter color in there rather than the Copper Mountain. Michelle, thanks so much for the input on the other kitchen. I loved it. I know dh won't let me paint the cabinets. This is the third kitchen I have redone and the first one we painted, the second ended up being wood doors and painted cabinets. He loves the true oak. The island in that kitchen makes me drool and since I have doors to close in the cart that I have and want a tile top I think I am going to look into putting those mouldings on it like that. It also makes me think about the post about taking off the cabinet over the sink and replacing it with a valance. Oh my mind just went overboard. I wonder about the height of that particular cabinet. I do have one more dilemia about the placement of the fridge, with the freezer on that side and the icemaker on the door, there isn't really enough room to open the freezer. If I moved the drawer base down and put the dw beside the sink. I will be back!

not at all! here's kinda mix of track lights and semi-flush.. the diameter is a tad too small http://www.lampsplus.com/products/possini-euro-lilypad-etched-glass-19-and-one-quarter-inch-wide-ceiling-light__15453.html and yes, the feel is..more contemporary I'd say which btw might be completely fine. it's okay for a lighting fixture to contradict a general scheme a bit. Lights are like art, in this meaning. But you need to love it of course, first of all, in order to pull it off. I'll look for track ones too. But I must say I'm not the most objective person in the world:every time I can hang a light I hang a light..:) I'l be back:)

We don't know the dimensions of the space, so it's difficult to give you any really useful advice -- we're guessing! So, please post a sketch with the dimensions, preferably wall-to-wall, not cabinet-to-cabinet. If you cannot do wall-to-wall, then to/from the items that stick out the farthest...things like appliance handles, counter edges, walls, etc. One thing I will note is that a 24" or 27" deep counter is barely usable for prepping b/c you have to worry about things falling off the back. I have that on one of my peninsulas and I don't like prepping there for that reason. Perimeter counters work b/c you have a wall behind them to stop things from falling. In the meantime, the following Kitchens Forum FAQ might help: FAQ: Aisle Widths, Walkways, Seating Overhangs, Work/Landing Space etc https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500771/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc [Taken from the "Read Me" thread]