Formal living rooms are rarely used from my experience. I can't tell you how many times I have "re-done" them for clients because after living in a home for a while the home owner realizes that they are wasted space. My advice to you about a formal living area is to leave it undone for 3-4 months and utilize the rest of your new home. See what is missing. Do you need an office, a den? A library? Quiet reading area? An exercise room? A craft room? Or maybe you really do need a formal entertaining area for your multitude of guests that come around every weekend where you entertain very high-brow style. But figure that out first otherwise your investment will be wasted. Part of why you and your husband are drawn to different furnishings is for these reasons: 1) The function of the room is not well established. So he envisions sitting on a big bulky comfy couch watching TV, and you envision sipping tea on a gorgeous ethnically inspired piece of furniture and chatting with your friends. This can only be vetted out with time and understanding how you as a couple will use all of your house. 2) You have different ideas about home design. Your husband is interested in comfort and you are interested in style. You will need to find a happy medium. Instead of saying well his style isn't going to fit with my style, think about how he can have a comfortable piece of furniture in the room that is perhaps tailored enough to go along with some beautifully wood carved, ethnic pieces. And this may actually enhance the look and make it look less "themed". And at the end of the day you may want to consider hiring a designer to help you through the process - often times that can help you weed through the process of balancing out form and function and his wants and your wants in the space. Best of luck!

The butterfly drawers would be sturdy enough for grains and cans. I would just make sure the drawer glides are able to hold the weight. I usually look for Blum hinges and glides, they've usually held the best for prior projects. Lazy susans are usually what I love to use for corner storage. However Lazy Susans with a center pole usually cut down on storage space and can be cumbersome when trying to get items in and out. I love the ones that are mounted to a fixed shelf with no center pole. If something falls off it's just like reaching in the back of the cabinet shelf. Plus with the fixed shelf your able to store heavier items like mixers, pots and pan. Magic Corners I find to be awkward when trying to store items, and most you can usually just fit smaller items in the compartments. And the one complaint I get from them is that the glides get sticky over time. If your still wondering what options to go with, find a local kitchen showroom and try them out. Open all the options your looking at and see what fits your lifestyle and habits.

Blum and Hettich are the best I have used. They can cost more but I believe it is worth i9t. Bending a cheap hinge the wrong way may see it break almost instantly.

I would consider putting cabinets on the short wall where the utility wall is. Have your stove there centered on the area. Move the sink so it is centered on the long wall where the cooktop is now. Put the fridge on the end run of cabinets closest to the dining table. That will give you an L shape kitchen with a nice work triangle. If you have your heart set on an island remove all the wall cabinets and install a large island. This is not the style of your kitchen but it does show the layout I described above. L shape cabinetry with stove on short end, sink in the middle with DW to right of sink with cabinet above it for dish storage and the refridgerator on the end run so it is out of work triangle and conveniet to the dining area for serving or work triangle for prep and cooking. Island can be any style you desire. L shape with island and open across from island; you might consider this layout if you desire an island. Something like this?