Kitchen remodels

[Crankin]

When we remodeled our kitchen, we kept the basic structure, although we could have changed that to make it more open. Currently we have a kitchen/cooking area, an eating area that is separated by a counter with shelves, cabinets, and the stove on one side, and a formal dining room that is more open to the kitchen. The previous owners used our eating area as a family room, but it is smaller than most family rooms... we have a huge family room on our lower level that is fine, although it makes our house different from homes built since the 90s. But, we saved A LOT of money by keeping the basic bones of the space.
I don't regret much; this was by far the best of the remodeling we did (and we did a lot). What I would change is that instead of getting a combo microwave on top, oven on the bottom, I would have got a double oven and found some other way to deal with the microwave. I don't need a double oven often, but I always wish I had one a few times a year. Also, when we bought our refrigerator, we did it on line and didn't realize that the mechanism for getting the filtered water sucks; I won't go into the description, but let's just say it's a good thing there's no kids here. Hence, we don't use it, and I'm glad we have good tap water.
We have granite counter tops and while I love the granite, I would not get black again, as it shows every speck of dirt and water that dries on it. I love my stainless appliances, and besides what I mentioned above, I would make sure you get a good dishwasher. We recently replaced the one we put in during the remodel (7 years ago). I'm happy with the maple cabinets and the tile floor. I am super glad we decided to put in cabinets on the back side of that divider; they weren't there before and we have a lot of stuff.
I am pissed at myself, however, for being so lazy that I didn't pick out anything different for the counters and cabinets in our master bath remodel. Even though our house is contemporary, I think having the same thing that's in the kitchen is too plain; thankfully, we did get different tile up there.

[Chile Pepper]

I love my kitchen! I have dark green granite, and like Crankin, I love the granite but would prefer a lighter color. Granite is easy to clean, and you can put hot pots right on the countertop. I also love my range. It's a Lacanche, which is in the same price range as Wolfe etc., but it has some advantages: it isn't as deep as a Wolfe, so it doesn't stick out beyond the standard counter or require a custom fit; it combines both gas and electric (I have a model with a gas range top + one gas oven for roasting and breads + one electric oven exclusively for desserts + one electric broiler for non-pastries); and the smaller ovens don't dry out food. I would absolutely buy this range again.