Hood Bob Silve

Spiker Woodworking

Earthwise cabinetry

Penthouse cooking

LG Prestige Kitchen Boston

Chicago Downtown

Mutschler Kitchen inc. Blake

Kitchen Assoication MA

Meg Mcmillan Blog

BossaNova, I love it too! No gaps, can't see seams, and very precise with their craft.

tnhillbillytoo, thanks a bunch!

stephct, I don't know where you are (hopefully CT) but they are based in NY.
Website: http://www.centralnewenglandsoapstonefab.com/

They travel all over NE. (ME,NY, CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, and the islands). I love the fact that they fabricate in the driveway. One day for the template, one day for the install. Fabulous! They are the fabricators and have many distributors where they can purchase the stones. Thrilled? Beyond thrilled...and still doing the yippee dance every time I walk in the kitchen:)

The cooktop I want is the Miele 30" 4-burner induction.

Miele make a 30" telescoping downdraft that rises up 14", the highest I've found, but I could find no reviews on it. It retails for $1650 and comes with a 500cfm blower. It has 4 speeds. Shipping weight is 44 lbs.

Bosch makes one that telescopes 13" which retails for $1025 excluding the blower and a 600cfm internal blower for $360 (total $1385). It has 3 speeds. Shipping weight is 41 lbs.

Dacor sells one that rises up 10" (I think this might be too low) which retails for $800 excluding the blower. They sell two blowers, a 600cfm and a 1000cfm, but I could not find a price on either. It has unlimited speeds. Shipping weight is 50 lbs.

I could not find a review on any one of these! Does anyone have (or had) one?

Does the weight have any bearing on the quality of the construction? In other words, if the Miele and blower together only weigh 44lbs, versus the 41 lbs and 50 lbs for the Bosch and Dacor respectively, will the Miele be flimsy?

How important is it to match the downdraft manufacturer to the cooktop manufacturer?

DH would like me to choose a cheaper downdraft, if possible, and I suspect the Dacor might fit the bill, depending on the cost of the blower, if it's advisable to have the downdraft and cooktop by different manufacturers. Also, I cook lots of pasta and sauce and the 10" rise on the Dacor may not be high enough for the pasta pot. I like the fact that it has unlimited speeds (not just 3 or four preset ones) and the higher weight.

With an induction cooktop is 1000cfm necessary or would 500 or 600 be good enough?

All our other appliances are GE Profile and the wall oven, when we replace it, will be either Bosch or JennAir.

Thank you!

Barb

We have bought stainless steel appliances, but thinking of polished chrome for the faucets just to add a bit of sparkle. Much like jewelery. Would love to have Dornbracht faucets, but too expensive. Any suggestions for faucets and sink is much appreciated.

I am pleased with the appliance garage above the counter and the pull out shelves below at the blind corner. What do you think?

Also the batton strips on the wall, when painted the same color as the wall, and ceiling, sould give some texture to the wall. We where just playing around. What do you think?

Appreciate your comments and suggestions.

Thank you so much for all the help directly and indirectly through the many posts on this forum. You guys are simply amazing!

Below are a few pictures of the kitchen from today....

Construction, then painting, install appliances, then fabrication. That's how I'd do it. Backsplash definitely last

These are the things we're having done:

paint cabinets
add hood and vent for hood (no ventilation currently)
build filler and molding above upper cabinets to ceiling
legs on island
toe kick around island
new appliances
new countertops
new backsplash

Can I hold my slabs now or is it too early? Should I order my appliances now? Should I order the backsplash now?

I'm assuming I should have the carpenter do all the construction and painting before having the fabricator install the countertops and have the carpenter install the appliances? Does the backsplash come last?

I hope this makes sense.

Thanks,
Stephanie

THINGS WE LOVE:
--Our cabinets were so reasonable and they work beautifully. We LOVE Precision Cabinets! Their install was immaculate and perfect. When we had a glitch with the warming drawer, they fixed it perfectly! While I couldn't afford every "bell & whistle" inside the cabinets, I love them.
--White Princess honed. It's gorgeous and I no longer have the OCD urge to constantly wipe my counters (our old granite was polished). I also love my backsplash done in the same material--I am attracted to visual simplicity so couldn't pick a tile :)
--Cheap dishwasher. Paid $500 and we love it.
--Deep cheap sinks. Our main Ebay sink is awesome($500)! Love the 10" big single bowl. The island sink was cheap too, and is the perfect size, $150.
--White everywhere and one big room. Not for everyone, but my DH and I love the big open light-filled room. Far cry from the dark rancher that it was. We tore down two walls and raised the ceiling.
--The soapstone buffet. It was a remnant piece and I love that it doesn't match the rest of the kitchen. Sets it apart and boy does the texture feel nice!
--The papertowel niche. Not important, but I like that the towels are off my counter and totally accessible.
--The two hidden cabinets in the island near the stools. All my Xmas dishes, Thanksgiving platters and everything fit in here!

THINGS WE WOULDN'T DO AGAIN:
--The Vent Hood: Modernaire was a NIGHTMARE to deal with here in the NorCal area. You have to go through a distributor who will upcharge you $2,000 to order a hood. Modernaire won't sell directly to anyone who is in the area of one of their distributors. The rep here was a complete idiot, ripped me off and in the end didn't deliver what I had ordered. I had to then hire someone else to fix the goofs. Not worth it!

--Order our range through AJ Madison. Total pain to get this stove delivered. The rest of our appliances came without a hitch but the delivery of the range was a disaster. They refused to deliver it until we had a concrete pathway, but our city had some issues with solid pathways and the runoff, etc. Had 4 delivery dates and they turned around each time and refused to bring it in the house. In the end I would have purchased this through our local store (there was no discount on this by buying on internet, unlike the other appliances).

THINGS WE STILL NEED TO DO:
--Help me pick kitchen table chairs! Those pictured are folding chairs for holidays. Our old ones were falling apart, so we ditched them in the move. What should I put there?
--Shades ordered and we are waiting for them to come and be hung.
--The stools (CB2 Vapor) are too tall and we need to have the legs cut down. They only come in 30" or 24" and one is too tall and the other is too short. Sigh.

THE DETAILS:
Cabinetry—Precision Cabinets, Brentwood, CA; painted in stock color which matches Simply White
Walls—BM Simply White
Kitchen Counters—White Princess granite, from DaVinci Marble & Stone in San Carlos, CA, with 2.25" mitred square edge
Buffet Counter—Brazilian Black soapstone from Texeira, SF, with no edge finish
Door and Drawer Pulls—Top Knobs, Square Pulls, Polished Chrome; ordered off the internet
Main Sink—Ebay purchase 36" SS Farmhouse w/apron front , single bowl, flushmount
Island Sink—Dawn 19X17 single bowl, undermount
Main Faucet—Blanco Meridien Semi-Professional in Brushed
Island Faucet—Santec Penza pull out in Brushed
Refrigerator—Electrolux WaveTouch; ordered off Homeeverything.com
Dishwasher—Whirlpool Gold Quiet Partner III; ordered from AJ Madison
Microwave Drawer—Sharp 24"; ordered from AJ Madison
Range—Viking Range w/6 burners and griddle; ordered from AJ Madison
Hood— Modernaire custom hood
Trash Compactor—GE Profile in SS; ordered from AJ Madison
Warming Drawer—Kitchenaid Architect Series II; ordered off Homeeverything.com; panel from cabinet co.
Backsplash—White Princess granite
Windows—Semco
Flooring-DuChateau pre-engineered floors in Lugano
Big Slider Door—Custom made 10’ bypass doors by McFarland Doors, w/custom screen
Island Pendants—Hudson Valley Pelham 13" ordered from Butler Lighting
Breakfast Table Pendant—Round 26" linen chandelier by Restoration Hardware
Buffet Sconces—Boston Library Sconces by CircaLighting.com

Before:

Family room:

After:

Miele Lumen DA6290D
Kuppersbusch IKD122500EUL
Thermador Professional HPIN
Futuro Futuro Streamline ISSTREAMWHT
Franke Opus FDF367IXS

My kitchen has almost the same layout as the picture of your kitchen you posted, although I think mine is smaller. My cooktop is in my island. We are redoing our kitchen, but not changing our layout or getting new cabinets, it's just a facelift. Anyway, we currently have no ventilation in our kitchen. I've been convinced by GW about how important a hood is and I really can't stand the cooking smells. My concern is that a hood is going to do exactly what you described above. It's going to be the first thing you see when you walk in the kitchen and it's going to make the space seem smaller.

I'm not really sure what my question is...you just wrote exactly what I've been worrying about. I'm guessing you wouldn't give up a hood for these reasons?

btw, I LOVE your kitchen! It's one of my inspiration kitchens.

Thanks,
Stephanie

I found this stunning White Fantasy kitchen on the Rabbit Runn design blog:

Here is a link that might be useful: White Fantasy Rabbit Runn kitchen

BFR in NH does slate. I love this co.
http://www.bfrandassociates.com/

Boston Granite Exchange (The have tons of slate)
The do not have pictures of slate on their web site
but they do sell slate slabs. If you are looking for an
installer you could call them to see who is near you.
West Bridgewater Location
279 Pleasant Street,
West Bridgewater, MA 02371
Phone: 508-521-1800
Fax: 508-521-1804

http://www.bgeusa.com/index.htm

Vermont Slate Co. they are not too far away and are
well known throughout the US and Canada
http://www.vermontstructuralslate.com/applications/counter-tops

VT Structural Slate Co.

Black Slate

Slate Countertops Slate Stone co.

VT Structural Slate Co.

Black Slate Stone Co.

Plum Slate

Sheldon Slate Products

VT Structural Slate Co.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to care for Slate countertops.

I have no issues with pan recognition for either small pans on the larger hobs or large pans on smaller hobs.

We've literally pulled this thing together on as tight of a budget as is possible, so I'm happy to share our sourcing! We found this half-finished house about 9 months ago. It was a casualty of the downturn, a builder had to abandon it mid-construction. All of the gas, water and electricity had been roughed in, so, to stay within budget, we had to work within the existing footprint. The man I hired to be my husband 10 years ago has been acting as GC, and has been working with the vendors daily (he's doing a great job, isn't he?)

First, I was so fortunate to run across this photo on kitchens.com, which happened to be the exact same footprint. I really liked the layout, and loved the white kitchen, but I wanted something a little less, I don't know, country? Formal? Not sure, but I needed it to be a little more "us". Whatever - you can see where the bones came from.

There was already a gathering room with walnut exposed beams just off of the kitchen, so we looked for ways to wink back at that room with some contrast in the kitchen. I came across these photos (I can't remember the source) and loved the details.

Here's another - I'm *think this one came from Elle Decor or House Beautiful.

I'd fallen in love with the "Royal Master Sealight" pendants from Restoration Hardware a couple of years ago, and kept going back to them.
They only have the 7" versions left, but if you look around on ebay, you may find them.
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1618050&categoryId=cat1701013

The chandelier in the breakfast room is from the Ballard Designs outlet in Roswell, GA. I THINK we paid $70 for it?

The cabinets and island were done by a local custom cabinet maker. I'm pretty sure they ordered the legs from a catalog.

The slab was a very special point for us, hence my excitement. In our current house, which is 30 years old, we have slabs of "Alabama White" in the entry and on a fireplace. It's held up beautifully and we kept comparing anything we saw in slab yards to it. It's notoriously hard to find because the Sylacauga quarry is kind of sporadic. So my husband drove to the quarry and bought enough tile for our bathroom and asked where he could get slabs from. They put us in touch with a distributor who, oddly, didn't have a vendor in our area, so we had to order directly from them. So, what you're seeing is a 2000 lb 6cm slab of Alabama White Statuary. We bought two additional 2cm slabs for the gathering room fireplace, wetbar, and the powder room. We still have one more slab that we haven't identified a use for. The kids were acting up, so I couldn't get the photos I wanted of the island slab, but wow, it's more beautiful than I'd hoped for.

Speaking of that extra slab - at first we were going to try and use it for the backsplash. But for a myriad of reasons (including my husband simply not being able to commit a slab to a wall) we ended up looking at everything else from subways to hexagons.

I hesitated over and over because I know how hard it is to match unless you go through a local vendor... but every local vendors wanted 3x the price of what we were finding online and we just couldn't work it in the budget. I drug my feet and drug my feet until I came across this photo from Tracery Interios. It was what I'd been trying to accomplish all along.

I honestly don't know the difference between board and batten and bead-a-board, but this is some sort of 6-inch locking wood paneling. They were set to paint it our "SW Pearly White" but my mom and I walked in while they just had the primer on it and said "STOOOOPPPPP"! We loved the white-washed feel. The stainless backsplash attached to our range should protect it, but if it becomes a problem long term, we're just going to look for some metal sign art to mount behind the pot filler.

What else - oh - the permiter counters are Caesarstone. But they're only 2cm with mitered edges to 6cm. With the marble island, we wanted something a little more durable than for the perimeters.

And paint colors. The gathering room and the breakfast room are a Valspar color called "Silver Sea" that we had cut 1/2 strength. But it's painted on top of the full strength, so it's our own weird blend. Trim and cabinets are SW Pearly White, but they're different colors because the cabinets were professionally laquered, so we're "figuring out" that now.

Here are some random other photos that we've taken along the way. I can't thank you all enough for your enthusiasm and cheering. I'm going to be back soon for hardware opinions!

A view of the gathering room, the beams were our original contrast inspiration.

Some views of our perimeter counters:

A closer look at the backsplash material:

The "lunch making station" as I'm calling it:

The wetbar, which is on the opposite wall of the fireplace in the gathering room. We wanted this to tie in as well.

And finally - the original kitchen, how we found it:

What did I miss???

So are some snaps of our 90% finished kitchen. You won't see the wall with freedom columns without their doors, or the lunch station without it's backsplash, the pot filler, the appliance garage doors, the glass shelves to replace the wood ones currently or even any blasted hardware (shakes fists in the air still). But you'll get the general idea!

Without further ado - my island:

So - lemmie hear your cheers for the final mile...
"Don't lose your mind! Don't lose your mind! Don't lose your mind!"

I say almost finished as I still need to decorate and fill those windows and I have a problem with the cabinets - Almost all my cabinet doors need to be replaced. You can't see it in the pictures, but the paint job is pretty bad and the seams on almost every door are starting to split. I knew this would happen eventually, but not as soon as I moved in. ARGH = frustration. However, no one really notices but me. However, between the problems with the paint job and the splitting seams I feel like my cabinets look 5 years old.

Also, still need some fillers, the kickplate on the island, and my window treatments are getting put up on Friday (woven wood shades).

So far, I am loving the kitchen. The "barrier island" some warned me about hasn't been a big issue. I just get what I need from the fridge and put it on the island. My fridge drawers help durign meals at the island as I keep what I need during meals in there. My ovens are awesome and have made great cookies, chicken, steaks, pork roast. I love the microwave drawer and have used the warming drawer to keep cookies, pancakes, waffles, and dh's dinner warm!

As some of you know, we did a whole house renovation and 1900 sq. foot addition (the original whole house was 1500 sf). I have some other pictures on flickr, but haven't taken pictures of everything yet as some rooms still have boxes, no pictures have been hung, and some rooms have paper taped over windows for privacy until our window treatments come in. If you'd like to see what I have so far, you can visit my flickr album.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91801398@N00/sets/72157625738507421/
Here's my info - hopefully I won't forget anything.

Cabinets - Holiday Cabinets. White shaker doors and walnut island.
Granite - BIANCO ANTICO!!! :) Love
Backsplash - American Olean 3x6 white subway tiles. This is where I decided to save money and I love how they look
Appliances - Wolf 36 inch rangetop, best 42" hood, Wolf L series double ovens, subzero fridge, sharp microwave drawer, kitchenaid warming drawer, u-line fridge drawers, Miele La Perla dw
Sinks - big one is a Kraus 32 inch single bowl, prep sink is Ticor, can't remember the size.
Faucets - Delta touch faucet
Lighting - pendants are Hudson Valley Randolph, 10 inch, kitchen table light is Murray Feiss American Foursquare 6+2 light in ORB
Hardware - Amerock Kane in weathered nickel
Floors - White oak to match the 75 year old floors in original part of house.

Without further ado:

View of kitchen from family room

View of kitchen from eating area

View of kitchen from mudroom/outside pantry door

Fridge & oven wall

Love my bianco antico!

More of the granite

Love my runnels

This was taken on Superbowl night. My prep sink used as a drink cooler. An unforeseen but very handy use! It took a lot of ice to fill that 10 inch deep sink!

Kitchen table taken from the kitchen. My table has 2 self storing leaves, so we can seat a lot of people!

My pantry. There's more shelves tothe right that you just can't see from this angle. Terrible lighting, but you get the idea and can definitely see I'm not one of those super organized pantry people!

Family room. More shelves that need to be decorated! You can see my desk area to the right of the fireplace. DH has an office, but this is my space.

Cooking lots here!

Used a grout recommended by Bill V. (Latricrete Permacolor, I think) He said that lots of grouts are a little off white but this one wasn't. It is a true white. Easy to clean if it gets sauce on it. Just use a little oxy clean.

Oh, and I did just see Mission have this on sale for around $13 sq foot. Not sure if the sale is still on or not.

Thanks for the kind words

Everything went very smoothly and I am so excited.
Thanks to GWers (stoners) who shared all their marble and soapstone experiences, pictures, and info-made me confident when I chose the slabs and I'm so pleased with the results (giddy......hugging the installers!)

Now we're waiting for the cabinetmaker to return from vacation & put in upper cabs... Excuse the mess.

Thanks for looking,
Katie

Wow-thank you for your wonderful feedback! It means a lot. We acted as our own GC on this build & had no kitchen designer, so I was really flying by the seat of my pants. We did find an amazing cabinetmaker and I couldn't be happier with his work. I'll reiterate it-this forum was amazingly helpful.

Here are the details below. I will post some more photos of the adjoining rooms and half walls (drjoann) during the week as I unpack & organize. The room with the baskets is the playroom and our carpenter built the built in based on a Pottery Barn Kids picture. Rhome, the area behind the range wall is a mudroom with lockers & cubbies. We moved from a 2 bedroom in the city so I often just wander into the mudroom and stare. LOVE IT.

Any questions or details I miss, please just ask. I'm happy to answer anything.

Ceiling height is 9 and a half feet

Floors: 8 inch heart pine, tung oil & satin finish

Cabinets: Local cabinetmaker. Inset, shaker style with single bead in Ben Moore White Dove

Perimeter Counter: Soapstone (Green Mountain Original)
Island Counter: Calacatta Marble (Honed, 5cm)

Backsplash: Horus Art Tiffany (crackle, bianco)

Pendants: Restoration Hardware Benson (smallest size)

Hardware: Cup pulls are RH Gilmore, pulls are RH Aubrey, latches are Rejuvenation, and ice box latches are Clifside Brass. All are polished nickel.

Stools: Holsag Bulldog in Heritage Walnut (online through cymax.com)

Hood: Modernaire PS 26 (42 inches, 18 inches height)
Contact person was Pat Hartman

Range: Thermador Pro Harmony 36

Microwave: Sharp Drawer

Refrigerator: Sub Zero 42 inch Side by Side

Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel double drawers

Sink: Shaw's 30 inch

Faucet: Rohl (modern architectural series)

Potfiller: Perrin & Rowe Country series

Thanks for looking!
Katie

Sorry for the delayed response. I haven't been on GW as much lately. Thanks for your kind words. I think mine is a "coming soon" kitchen on the FKB. Here are some photos that won't show in the thread anymore. Don't know why. Any questions, I'd be happy to help. Good luck!
Katie

THINGS WE LOVE:
--Our cabinets were so reasonable and they work beautifully. We LOVE Precision Cabinets! Their install was immaculate and perfect. When we had a glitch with the warming drawer, they fixed it perfectly! While I couldn't afford every "bell & whistle" inside the cabinets, I love them.
--White Princess honed. It's gorgeous and I no longer have the OCD urge to constantly wipe my counters (our old granite was polished). I also love my backsplash done in the same material--I am attracted to visual simplicity so couldn't pick a tile :)
--Cheap dishwasher. Paid $500 and we love it.
--Deep cheap sinks. Our main Ebay sink is awesome($500)! Love the 10" big single bowl. The island sink was cheap too, and is the perfect size, $150.
--White everywhere and one big room. Not for everyone, but my DH and I love the big open light-filled room. Far cry from the dark rancher that it was. We tore down two walls and raised the ceiling.
--The soapstone buffet. It was a remnant piece and I love that it doesn't match the rest of the kitchen. Sets it apart and boy does the texture feel nice!
--The papertowel niche. Not important, but I like that the towels are off my counter and totally accessible.
--The two hidden cabinets in the island near the stools. All my Xmas dishes, Thanksgiving platters and everything fit in here!

THINGS WE WOULDN'T DO AGAIN:
--The Vent Hood: Modernaire was a NIGHTMARE to deal with here in the NorCal area. You have to go through a distributor who will upcharge you $2,000 to order a hood. Modernaire won't sell directly to anyone who is in the area of one of their distributors. The rep here was a complete idiot, ripped me off and in the end didn't deliver what I had ordered. I had to then hire someone else to fix the goofs. Not worth it!

--Order our range through AJ Madison. Total pain to get this stove delivered. The rest of our appliances came without a hitch but the delivery of the range was a disaster. They refused to deliver it until we had a concrete pathway, but our city had some issues with solid pathways and the runoff, etc. Had 4 delivery dates and they turned around each time and refused to bring it in the house. In the end I would have purchased this through our local store (there was no discount on this by buying on internet, unlike the other appliances).

THINGS WE STILL NEED TO DO:
--Help me pick kitchen table chairs! Those pictured are folding chairs for holidays. Our old ones were falling apart, so we ditched them in the move. What should I put there?
--Shades ordered and we are waiting for them to come and be hung.
--The stools (CB2 Vapor) are too tall and we need to have the legs cut down. They only come in 30" or 24" and one is too tall and the other is too short. Sigh.

THE DETAILS:
Cabinetry—Precision Cabinets, Brentwood, CA; painted in stock color which matches Simply White
Walls—BM Simply White
Kitchen Counters—White Princess granite, from DaVinci Marble & Stone in San Carlos, CA, with 2.25" mitred square edge
Buffet Counter—Brazilian Black soapstone from Texeira, SF, with no edge finish
Door and Drawer Pulls—Top Knobs, Square Pulls, Polished Chrome; ordered off the internet
Main Sink—Ebay purchase 36" SS Farmhouse w/apron front , single bowl, flushmount
Island Sink—Dawn 19X17 single bowl, undermount
Main Faucet—Blanco Meridien Semi-Professional in Brushed
Island Faucet—Santec Penza pull out in Brushed
Refrigerator—Electrolux WaveTouch; ordered off Homeeverything.com
Dishwasher—Whirlpool Gold Quiet Partner III; ordered from AJ Madison
Microwave Drawer—Sharp 24"; ordered from AJ Madison
Range—Viking Range w/6 burners and griddle; ordered from AJ Madison
Hood— Modernaire custom hood
Trash Compactor—GE Profile in SS; ordered from AJ Madison
Warming Drawer—Kitchenaid Architect Series II; ordered off Homeeverything.com; panel from cabinet co.
Backsplash—White Princess granite
Windows—Semco
Flooring-DuChateau pre-engineered floors in Lugano
Big Slider Door—Custom made 10’ bypass doors by McFarland Doors, w/custom screen
Island Pendants—Hudson Valley Pelham 13" ordered from Butler Lighting
Breakfast Table Pendant—Round 26" linen chandelier by Restoration Hardware
Buffet Sconces—Boston Library Sconces by CircaLighting.com

Before:

Family room:

After:

i might also add that i love my sink!!!!!! i think stainless is easy to keep clean. the outsite of the apron hasn't scratched but the inside has a little. i also don't protect it with anything at all. i get many compliments on it as many people haven't seen a sink like this.....btw, it's a kohler verity. hope this helps!

The advantages of stainless apron front over the traditional fireclay apron front sink are: less expensive, easier to install (fireclay can have uneven dimensions and therefore be harder to scribe the countertops around it), lighter so easier to install, will not chip, and you won't need a drain flange for a disposal (fireclay is thick so in order to install a disposal you would need to buy a longer drain flange). Disadvantages are: the look is not traditional the way fireclay is, and stainless shows water spots and scratches (the scratches develop into a patina over time, so I wouldn't worry about that).

Regarding faucets, there are SO many choices. I would make sure that you get a sprayer faucet so that you can easily clean into all the corners. I myself prefer a faucet with an integrated sprayer, rather than a side sprayer. You get better water pressure with an integrated sprayer, and a side sprayer means you have to hold onto the handle for the spray to stay on. Pay attention to the reach of the faucet - that dimension is available on all the brands' websites. You don't want the reach to be too short so that you have to reach far into the sink to grab it. I will link below to a thread with 100+ posts showing faucets, and you can see if any appeal to you.

There was an interesting thread that I will link regarding SS apron front sinks, and whether to get a curved or straight front. It has some nice photos, and people also posted the names of their sinks, so I think it will be of use to you. I will link it below.

As to brands, I have read on this forum that people really like their Kraus sinks and their Ticor SS stainless sinks; both are heavier 16 gauge. I think Ticor also offers stainless apron front sink with "zero radius" corners, which I would stay away from - those zero radius corners tend to collect gunk. Ticor also offer sinks with "tight radius" corners that will have a very slight curve, which would be easier. A nice kitchen with a SS apron front sink is Hobokenkitchen's. She bought hers as an inexpensive no-name on eBay.

Thread Called Which Kitchen Faucet Did You Pick?

Thread called SS Apron Sinks - Curved or Straight Front

Hobokenkitchen's Kitchen with eBay SS Apron Front Sink

Kraus Apron Front Sinks

Ticor SS Apron Front Sinks

We were going to get a Kraus stainless sink cause we heard such great things about them. We ended up getting silgranit instead (not an apron front), but Kraus was a close second for us especially with all the great reviews of their sinks on Overstock. We did get a Kraus faucet, and are so pleased at the quality of it. Not just pleased, amazed at the quality of the faucet for such a good price. We bought at the website expressdecor, cause they were offering an additional 10% less than overstock for our Kraus faucet. The faucet has been installed for several months now, and has been flawless.

I checked out your link. I am concerned that it is a double bowl sink in a 33" size. I would prefer a single bowl sink in that size so that you have a wide enough area to soak roasting pans, cookie sheets and the like. If you like a double bowl style better, can you go to the Kraus 36" size?

Kraus KHF203-36 double-bowl 36-inch farmhouse sink (pictured with the faucet KPF-1602 we bought!)

Kraus KHF200-33 single-bowl 33-inch farmhouse sink

http://www.lavello-sinks.com/gallery-of-installed-sinks.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Installed Lavello Farmhouse Sinks

Greg

gglks -- the paint is Aura (Benjamin Moore) Frappe, AF-85. I have to say I haven't noticed any fingerprints on the sink ... but there are water spots (inside and on the rim). But of course, those just wipe right up with a sponge (when I'm so inclined, ha ha!) I'm not a belt-wearer but my husband is, but we also haven't noticed any scratching on the outside of the sink.

I just went and double-checked: no fingerprints, no scratches. There are some scratches on the bottom of the (interior of) the sink and, as I wrote, water spots, but other than that, nothing. And I only noticed the scratches because I was just now really looking for blemishes.

The sink is Bates and Bates Farmhouse 12 Gauge Satin Stainless Sink.