Medicine cabinets have come along way in recent years. The best option is to get a frameless style and integrate it into a wall of mirror. You can mount sconces thru the mirror on either side of the cabinet. If you have walls on either side of the sink, you can put the cabinets to the side, integrated into mirror again. If you have an open wall in your bath, yo can get an extra tall medicine cabinet to hold loads of stuff. There are loads more on houzz photos. Just search medicine cabinet. Sometimes you have to hunt for the cabinet because they are so well integrated. Robern makes some of the best frameless styles, but there are a ton of others on faucetdirect.com. Many even come with integrated lighting for a very modern look.

Unless buying custom manufactured wood cabinets, you are buying a series of boxes. A 100k euro kitchen installation of an Italian kitchen is one example from my portfolio. Differences are found in the hardware, the door/drawer pulls, weight of doors and exterior finishes. It is about the design, first. In our region, you can knock off 1200-2000 just be sticking with a full depth fridge--but it is design that will make it possible to install full depth and get a counter depth effect. In the Garden Oaks Fine Accommodation residential display suite I needed to prove that a high-end design can be executed for less. Again, it is design that does the trick. The owner of the kitchen above loves the pendants over the breakfast counter. I did not have the heart to reveal the price--$19 each. That owner likes/needs bling so the 14k euro chandeliers (2) in the foyer are a feature. But we get more comments on our pendants--because they are integral to the overall design. Real estate agents have pegged this kitchen at anywhere from 45-75k. It cost under 30k. DYI projects offer the opportunity to take the time that you might not otherwise allow to a designer (hence our need to come equipped with knowledge, contacts and suppliers that augment our services). I recommend drawing from images (Houzz is great for that) to start, then researching suppliers, collecting specs, and developing a document that covers all aspects of the kitchen from lifestyle needs to style to comparisons of product reviews. Whittle it down to an instruction for purchase and installation. Consider challenges such as the dreadful corner cabinet turntable and splurge on solutions that make your design truly functional. You'll appreciate the expense that delivers practical functionality. There are remarkable solutions for the corner cabinet--but my fav is to determine whether that space can become storage (cabinet or drawers) in an adjoining room. When not practical, articulated pull-out stainless shelves are functional--and cool. Undermounted sinks are great for clean-line counters. Well placed recessed lighting (design again) eliminates the need for other fixtures--and allows you free rein to purchase for focal point impact or (my preference) to fit seamlesly into the overall look. Enjoy the journey--have fun!

Flooring should be light. I'm not sure how a bamboo floor would work. Did you end up going ahead with the kitchen plans? What did you go with?

My new kitchen will be light grey cabinets, white and grey stone bench tops. My current dining table is a clear glass top, black leather chairs with chrome legs/framing. I love these gold polished glass pendants for over my island bench but will they look okay with my dining suite or is it too different? I can go for the grey glass lights but they are quite opaque during the day.