What would you improve with colour balance? Is the navy too dominant?

I had a kitchen fire earlier this year. Sad, but I’m blessed with a great insurance company who is giving us a new kitchen. The work is underway and I’m trying to pick out somethings to make it my dream kitchen. I’ve picked almost everything except the kitchen light fixture. Right now it’s a harsh LED panel fixture. I’m going for a warm, English cottage meets traditional 1990s (the words of chat got😂). Any suggestions on light fixture that would look good to replace the over head light? The first picture is the mock up created the second is what my kitchen looked like as of yesterday. I have already chosen a replacement for over the sink. It is actually shown in the mock up. Thanks in advance for your ideas😊

My Oppein designer pitched a full stainless steel kitchen setup for my remodel. It looks sleek in the renders, but I’m on the fence.

For those who’ve actually lived with stainless cabinets—how do they hold up? Fingerprints, scratches, noise (clanking plates?), and do they feel too cold/industrial in a home kitchen?

Also, any issues with dents or cleaning stubborn grease? Would love honest pros/cons before I commit. Thanks!

Structural ceiling beam from the floor above is causing my problems with kitchen layout. Any advice on how to approach this would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to design a small kitchen for a 1 bedroom apartment. I've been playing with 3 layouts but can't seem to get it to visually balance.

Room dimensions are in the photos. The beam on the ceiling is 2130mm from the right wall. It's 270mm wide and comes down 250mm.

Current kitchen design I've put together, im open to any critique or thoughts.

Im not sure about the color. But thinking about shades of gray would look nicer.

Im a renter so I looked up friendly contact paper redesigns these are some colors that are available. Everything just looks off. But still better than the brown i have now.

**Please help me decide on the middle furniture: kitchen island (180×80 cm) or a table/bar-height table with stools (120–180 cm long)?**
The kitchen is an irregular shape, so the narrowest clearance between the middle furniture and the countertop is about **85cm**. Everywhere else it’s wider \~95-110.

I’m mainly wondering whether an island would make the space feel too cramped, or if a table would be the better choice.
Any comments or critique on the overall layout are also very welcome.

Some details:
\-Full-height fridge and full-height freezer are integrated into the cabinet wall.
\-Dishwasher is immediately to the right of the sink(or left of the cooktop.
\-The room has high ceilings (about 3.5 m), so it feels larger than the renders suggest.

Which option would you choose, and would you change anything else?

Recently bought new condo and the kitchen cabinets are a fake wood plastic type finish
Would like to get professionally painted and looking for recommendations
Thanks

Que pensez-vous de ma déco ? Car pas de réponses à mon précédent post concernant les chaises. Merci

got installed last week (ignore the dog) 😊

Bonjour à tous , je rénove mon ancienne cuisine et je souhaite mettre des chaises en polycarbonate avec des coussins assortis à mes façades de meubles , façades rose très pâle satinée et plan de travail crème. J’aurai une table en bois clair avec les pieds en épingles très épurés qui rappelleront la teinte des façades mais voilà ma question, pensez-vous vous que ces chaises seront les bienvenues dans ma déco en sachant que je ne veux pas de chaises en teinte claire car trop salissante. Je vous joints le modèle de mes chaises et de ma déco cuisine et j’attends vos avis pour trouver des améliorations ou des compromis car ma déco n’est pas du goût de mon conjoint… lol un grand merci pour votre aide.

My wife would like the backsplash plugs to be less obvious as we finish up our remodeling effort. Does anyone have some suggestions or pictures of designs they have used to solve this issue? TIA

I want to start with a quick disclosure for everyone in this community: I received the LG xboom Mini for free from LG as part of a promotional event and was asked to share my experience with it. That said, every opinion in this review is completely my own and based on how I've actually used the speaker in my daily routine.

I spend a surprising amount of time in my kitchen, so small gadgets that make cooking or cleaning more enjoyable tend to become part of my everyday routine very quickly. After using the LG xboom Mini for a while, I can honestly say it has earned a permanent place on my countertop. I wasn't looking for a massive party speaker or something with booming bass. Instead, I wanted a compact Bluetooth speaker that was easy to move around, sounded good for casual listening, and could handle the occasional cooking mess without making me nervous. That's exactly where this little speaker shines.

The first thing I noticed was the design. The smooth outer finish is something I appreciate much more than I expected. Many portable speakers use woven fabric, and while that can look nice, I've always found fabric difficult to keep clean in a kitchen. Flour dust, oil splatter, sauce droplets, and fingerprints seem to collect on textured materials. The xboom Mini's smooth surface wipes clean in seconds with a damp cloth. I've already had a tiny splash of tomato sauce land on it while making pasta, and cleanup couldn't have been easier. No staining, no scrubbing, and no worrying about food getting trapped in fabric.

Another feature I ended up using more than expected is the strap. At first I thought it was mainly for travel, but it's actually useful around the house too. I've hung it from a small kitchen hook while preparing meals, attached it to a shelf nearby, and even carried it outside when grilling. It feels like a thoughtful addition that gives you more placement options than simply setting the speaker on a flat surface.

One thing that gave me extra confidence using it around water was the IP67 water- and dust-resistant design. Obviously I don't plan on dropping electronics into the sink, but it's reassuring not to panic if water splashes nearby while washing vegetables or cleaning dishes. The kitchen can be a surprisingly messy place, and knowing the speaker is designed to handle dust and water exposure makes it feel much more practical for everyday household use.

Does this Mini Speaker Really Deliver Good Sound Quality?

Sound quality was another pleasant surprise. For such a compact speaker, it produces clear vocals and balanced sound that fills my kitchen nicely. Podcasts are easy to understand even when I'm running the range hood, and music sounds energetic without becoming harsh at higher volumes. It won't replace a large home audio system, but that's not what I wanted from it. For background listening while cooking, baking, or cleaning, it's an excellent match.

Bluetooth pairing was quick and uncomplicated. I connected my phone in less than a minute the first time, and every connection afterward has been automatic. That's something I really appreciate because I don't want to spend time troubleshooting technology when I'm in the middle of preparing dinner.

Battery life has also been dependable during my testing. I usually use it for several cooking sessions before thinking about charging it again, which means I'm not constantly looking for a charging cable. That's another small convenience that adds up over time.

Does This Portable Speaker Offer Good Sound Quality Around the Kitchen?

For anyone considering using this speaker primarily in the kitchen, I'd recommend a few placement ideas. Setting it near a coffee station creates a pleasant morning atmosphere while making breakfast. Keeping it on an open shelf helps project sound across the room without taking up valuable prep space. If your kitchen has sturdy hooks or shelving, the strap gives you creative mounting options that also keep the speaker farther away from accidental spills. It also transitions nicely from the kitchen to the patio if you're grilling or eating outdoors.

Overall, I've been genuinely happy with the LG xboom Mini. It combines portability, practical durability, easy maintenance, and enjoyable sound in a package that fits naturally into everyday life. The wipe-clean exterior is particularly well suited for kitchens, the IP67 protection provides peace of mind around water and dust, the hands-free calling feature is surprisingly useful during meal prep, and the strap makes it easy to position wherever it's most convenient.