There are natural and synthetic choices here, each with their own advantages. Lighting can vary from recessed lights to fancy chandeliers-it all depends on what you want the look of your kitchen to be. When it comes to hardware, do you want hand-made ceramic knobs for your cabinets, shiny chrome, or burnished black? Consider too, changing out your appliances if need be. Another consideration is a hanging rack from the ceiling for utensils and pots. They add lots of interest to the kitchen and free up more cabinet space. Adding B board gives the kitchen a nostalgic kind of feel. If you feel your kitchen is the way you want it but still not completely satisfied with the overall look, change the flooring! Once you've made a list of problems to correct in your new plan, the fun part of kitchen remodel design begins, as you make choices about cabinetry, flooring, countertops, and lighting. All of these design elements need to work together to create a coherent design, but that's not difficult to accomplish with the huge variety of products available today. Once you've decided you want to go for broke and replace your current cabinets, you'll be amazed at the beautiful options you have available to you. Your first choice is going to center around wood. Do you want maple, oak or cherry? How about birch or linden? Or perhaps you want a clean, modern look for your cabinets, in which case you might want to look into laminates or glass-fronted cupboards. While shopping take your shoes off and stand on the floor in your stocking feet and see how it feels. Is the floor comfortable or too hard under your feet? Put your shoes back on and go for a walk and see how the floor sounds on the noise level. Today's kitchens are more open than ever attaching to the den or even opening up to the great room. Check out what it took to be certified in the area they say they are certified in. There is nothing wrong with interviewing candidates so set up times to go over the plans you have and see if you and the contractor are on the same page and he will be willing to work with your ideas and at the same time, offer some helpful ones of his own.