Gosh what a funny turn around - this discussion started right after I had finished my last kitchen and now it is revived just as I'm going through all this madness again trying to replace a kitchen in my new home .............. when I can find someone interested in doing some work. Jennifer, I'm leaning to Bosch appliances if they meet my requirements. One of my joeys lives in Germany where Bosch and Siemens (made by the same company apparently) are made and are very highly esteemed. Because I have so much renovation work to do on this house, I'm watching my pennies a bit so I will probably stick with a Dishlex Dishwasher that has always served me well and these days they are extremely quiet too, but I am looking at Bosch for the oven and cooktops. In earlier posts I praised the Fisher and Paykel oven and cooktops, but then discovered a BIG flaw in the design of the oven - it had a double glass door with a gap between the two sheets of glass and guess where every crumb and spill went, so they will not be on my radar again. I'm also hearing good reports about Electrolux but very bad ones about Miele and their service which is really letting the brand down. For those getting on in years too - beware of push button settings and slide controls, arthritic fingers just cannot manage these. As well, I'm told the slide controls on cook tops are not as accurate as knobs.

Liz, You have beautiful cupboards. I love your integrated dishwasher, and the designed space for the microwave. It should fit your new oven perfectly. But here's the thing: the thing that makes your cupboards beautiful is the timber doors. As wood mellows, it would be hard to match in new "door" elements - you could tell the old/new. If you are basically happy with the layout, then refreshing the benchtops and a new stovetop doesn't need a kitchen company. You need to work out your new stovetop, as you need to know your cutout. Then get some graph paper from the newsagents, and measure up. You can go directly to a local stonemason for a quote, or use a refurbishment company to overlay your existing top (e.g Granite transformations). (A new sink is relatively cheap and works wonders to update the kitchen!) A good handyman (or even better, a builder who just wants a bit of work on the weekend) can rip out the existing cupboards, mount a new range rangehood, and would probably be willing to take a hammer to break your connection to your dining room. Most plumbers (if its gas) or electricians are willing to connect in a new stovetop and sink for a reasonable price. It sounds to me that the only really "new" add -in is your new pantry area. You might need to be a bit clever to make that blend, even if you can't get a 100% match. If it's a full length pantry, one option might be to consider an off the shelf "door door" or even bifold, with a similar profile, so that it's sympathetic . You could then stain, or paint, or varnish to either blend in or make a contrast. Best of luck!

what happened to the old column? i think you need to add a corner cabinet (900 on the stove wall and 1050 on the sink wall) with doors hinged across the corner provides 300 + 450 wide doors and better access to the corner for storage of big appliances and to allow more space for the drawers to open, the 1000 fridge space allows an air gap and two 750 wide drawers next to the 900 wide stove, i've kept the 1200 gap between benches and island and added a cabinet (opening toward the sink allows for a 600 wide 450 deep space for a bin) then two 750 wide drawers and the built in microwave making a longer island and extra drawers next to the dishwasher ...in my experience, if you're having custom made cabinets you only need to specify the size of appliances and sink, the general layout of the room and your preferred arrangements and approximate sizes and the cabinet maker should measure the site and custom make the cabinets to suit the space with minor alteration to allow for any obstacles eg like making the pantry cabinets narrower to allow for architraves around the entry door..and it's more comfortable to walk around if the pantry doesn't overlap the architrave or encroach on the doorway

I would expect most would be custom due to desire to pick fixtures, look and size to suit space. Good luck