Here is a link that might be useful: Retro Cottage Green Kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: No upper ktichen cabinets

If you make up your mind to do white cabinets (I love them in a house on the beach, so clean and crisp yet homey in a beachhouse) today while I was in Marble & Granite in Westwood, a woman bought 4 huge slabs of Azul Cielo marble for her house on the beach with white cabinets. I cannot imagine how beautiful it's going to be - that marble is incredible. I was in total envy :-)

Good luck, please post pics and please go for the biggest window you can :-)

http://www.cohen-hacker.com/pages/cooking/roomwithaview/roomwithaview_1.html

The program on HGTV will be on again on March 9th - here's a link to program information:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/on_tv/episode/0,1000145,HGTV_32663_63117,00.html

Finishing off the undersides of stone is an "extra touch" that I preach to
Fabricators on ALL THE TIME! It does NOT take a lot of extra work to hone
the undeside up to an 800 grit, or apply some penetrating epoxy and take the
finish up to even a 400 grit hone. This is NOT rocket science - and the Fabricators
that DO employ these little "extras" are the ones that will be heads and tails
above the guys that are just surviving on selling the "cheapest price" work...

Just my opinion as a Fabricator - but polishing the underside of the stone is'a step
that more guys should do - for quality's sake

just my .02 cents worth
kevin

I just found these little numbers and I think I'm in love with them. They're trash chutes. I could put a trash and recycling shed just outside the kitchen and just have the chute go under the shed roof and right into paper/mixed/trash bins. It's hard not to get excited, but I'm easily excitable.

I love the material suggestions. I've been leaning toward laminate countertops - I love the pebbly darker ones for hiding dirt; same story as some of the more camouflaging granites, but I like the idea of some of the engineered stone. What about some of the new HD stuff like Nevamar?

Cleaning trees. That's patently weird.

What about cooktops instead of ranges? I find the concept of the gunge collecting under ranges to be alarming. Does anyone actually move their fridge and stove to clean the floors? You know they have to be the most disgusting places in the whole house. Yuck. Is there any way to keep crap from going under the fridge? Like a gunk guard?

I have a super heavy food processor, and my elegant solution for keeping it clean between uses is a paper bag. It's attractive.

I'm not completely convinced that the restaurant dishwasher isn't the way to go. It sounds like it might be smart to have a double drawer and a regular big one - that's a thought. My thinking with the commercial dw is that you can load up the trays, wash them and then just put the trays in the cabinet, maybe keep a stash of extra trays for loading dirty dishes. You can unload a dozen dishes at a time that way. It's lazy, right?

Here is a link that might be useful: trash chutes

Here is a link that might be useful: Under cabinet towel holder

I've tried to compile everything I saved over the past 8 months that I've been on this Forum. Most of it was taken from a write-up by StoneGirl (Natural stone primer/granite 101); other threads and sources were used as well.

So...if the experts could review the information I've compiled below and send me comments (here or via email), I will talk to StarPooh about getting this on the FAQ.

Stone Information, Advice, and Checklists:

In an industry that has no set standards, there are many unscrupulous people trying to palm themselves off as fabricators. There are also a number of people with odd agendas trying to spread ill rumors about natural stone and propagate some very confusing and contradictory information. This is my small attempt at shedding a little light on the subject.

Slab Selection:

On the selection of the actual stone slabs - When you go to the slab yard to choose slabs for your kitchen, there are a few things you need to take note of:

• Surface finish: The finish - be it polished, honed, flamed antiqued, or brushed, should be even. There should be no spots that have obvious machine marks, scratches, or other man made marks. You can judge by the crystal and vein pattern of the stone if the marks you see are man-made or naturally occurring. It is true that not all minerals will finish evenly and if you look at an angle on a polished slab with a larger crystal pattern, you can clearly see this. Tropic Brown would be a good example here. The black spots will not polish near as shiny as the brown ones and this will be very obvious on an unresined slab when looking at an acute angle against the light. The black specks will show as duller marks. The slab will feel smooth and appear shiny if seen from above, though. This effect will not be as pronounced on a resined slab.

  Bottom line when judging the quality of a surface finish: Look for unnatural appearing marks. If there are any on the face of the slab, it is not desirable. They might well be on the extreme edges, but this is normal and a result of the slab manufacturing process.
  

• Mesh backing: Some slabs have a mesh backing. This was done at the plant where the slabs were finished. This backing adds support to brittle materials or materials with excessive veining or fissures. A number of exotic stones will have this. This does not necessarily make the material one of inferior quality, though. Quite often, these slabs will require special care in fabrication and transport, so be prepared for the fabricator to charge accordingly. If you are unsure about the slabs, ask your fabricator what his opinion of the material is.
  
• Cracks and fissures: Yes - some slabs might have them. One could have quite the discussion on whether that line on the slab could be one or the other, so I'll try to explain it a little.
  • Fissures are naturally occurring features in stone. They will appear as little lines in the surface of the slabs (very visible in a material like Verde Peacock) and could even be of a different color than the majority of the stone (think of those crazed white lines sometimes appearing in Antique Brown). Sometimes they could be fused like in Antique Brown and other times they could be open, as is the case in the Verde Peacock example. They could often also go right through the body of the slab like in Crema Marfil, for instance. If you look at the light reflection across a fissure, you will never see a break - i.e., there will be no change in the plane on either side of a fissure.
    
  • A crack on the other hand is a problem... If you look at the slab at an oblique angle in the light, you will note the reflection of the shine on the surface of the stone. A crack will appear as a definite line through the reflection and the reflection will have a different appearance on either side of the line - there will be a break in the plane. Reject slabs like this. One could still work around fissures. Cracks are a whole other can of worms.
    
  • Resined slabs: The resin gets applied prior to the slabs being polished. Most of the resin then gets ground off in the polishing process. You should not be able to see just by looking at the surface of a slab whether it was resined or not. If you look at the rough sides of the slab, though, you will see some drippy shiny marks, almost like varnish drips. This should be the only indication that the slab is resined. There should never be a film or layer on the face of the stone. With extremely porous stones, the resining will alleviate, but not totally eliminate absorption issues and sealer could still be required. Lady's dream is an example. This material is always resined, but still absorbs liquids and requires sealer.
    
  • Test the material you have selected for absorption issues regardless - it is always best to know what your stone is capable of and to be prepared for any issues that might arise. Some stones indeed do not require sealer - be they resined or not. Baltic Brown would be an example here. It will not absorb one iota of anything, but it is still resined to eliminate a flaking issue.
    

Tests (especially for Absolute Black) (using a sample of YOUR slab):

• To verify you have true AB and not dyed: Clean with denatured alcohol and rub marble polishing powder on the face. (Get denatured alcohol at Home Depot in the paint department)
  
• Lemon Juice or better yet some Muratic Acid: will quickly show if the stone has alot of calcium content and will end up getting etched. This is usually chinese stone, not indian.
  
• Acetone: The Dying usually is done on the same chinese stone. like the others said, acetone on a rag will reveal any dye that has been applied
  
• Chips: Using something very hard & metal—hit the granite sharply & hard on edges to see if it chips, breaks, or cracks

Measuring:

• Before the templaters get there...
  
  • Make sure you have a pretty good idea of your faucet layout--where you want the holes drilled for all the fixtures and do a test mock up to make sure you have accounted for sufficient clearances between each fixture.
    
  • Be sure you test your faucet for clearances not just between each fixture, but also between the faucet and the wall behind the faucet (if there is one). You need to be sure the handle will function properly.
    
  • Make sure that the cabinets are totally level (not out by more than 1/8") before the counter installers come in.
    
  • Check how close they should come to a stove and make sure the stove sits up higher than the counter.
    
  • Make sure they have the sink/faucet templates to work from.
    
  • Make sure have your garbage disposal air switch on hand or know the diameter
  
  
• If you are not putting in a backsplash, tell them
  
• Double check the template. Make sure that the measurements are reasonable. Measure the opening for the range.
  
• Seam Placement: Yet another kettle of fish (or can of worms, depending on how you look at it, I guess!) Seam placement is ultimately at the discretion of the fabricator. I know it is not a really popular point of view, but that is just the way it is. There really is more to deciding where the seam would go than just the size of the slab or where the seam would look best in the kitchen.

  Most stone installations will have seams. They are unavoidable in medium or large sized kitchens. One hallmark of a good fabricator is that they will keep the seams to a minimum. It seems that a good book could be written about seams, their quality, and their placement—and still you will have some information that will be omitted! For something as seemingly simple as joining two pieces of stone, seams have evolved into their own universe of complexity far beyond what anybody should have fair cause to expect!
  

• Factors determining seam placement:
  
  • The slab: size, color, veining, structure (fissures, strength of the material an other characteristics of the stone)
    
  • Transport to the job site: Will the fabricated pieces fit on whatever vehicle and A-frames he has available
    
  • Access to the job site: Is the house on stilts? (common in coastal areas) How will the installers get the pieces to where they need to go? Will the tops fit in the service elevator if the apartment is on the 10th floor? Do the installers need to turn tight corners to get to the kitchen? There could be 101 factors that will influence seam placement here alone.
    
  • Placement and size of undermount (or other) cut-outs. Some fabricators like to put seams in undermount sinks, some do not. We, for instance will do it if absolutely necessary, and have done so with great success, but will not do so as general practice. We do like to put seams in the middle of drop-in appliances and cut-outs and this is a great choice for appearances and ease of installation.
    
  • Location of the cabinets: Do the pieces need to go in between tall cabinets with finished sides? Do the pieces need to slide in under appliance garages or other cabinetry? How far do the upper cabinets hang over? Is there enough clearance between the vent hood and other cabinets? Again the possibilities are endless and would depend on each individual kitchen lay-out and - ultimately -
    
  • Install-ability of the fabricated pieces: Will that odd angle hold up to being moved and turned around to get on the peninsula if there is no seam in it? Will the extra large sink cut-out stay intact if we hold the piece flat and at a 45 degree angle to slide it in between those two tall towers? Again, 1,001 combinations of cabinetry and material choices will come into play on this question.

  You can ask your fabricator to put a seam at a certain location and most likely he will oblige, but if he disagrees with you, it is not (always) out of spite or laziness. Check on your fabricator's seams by going to actual kitchens he has installed. Do not trust what you see in a showroom as sole testament to your fabricator's ability to do seams.

  With modern glues and seaming methods, a seam could successfully be put anywhere in an installation without compromising the strength or integrity of the stone. If a seam is done well, there is - in theory - no "wrong" location for it. A reputable fabricator will also try to keep the number of seams in any installation to a minimum. It is not acceptable, for instance to have a seam in each corner, or at each point where the counter changes direction, like on an angled peninsula.

  Long or unusually large pieces are often done if they can fit in the constraints of a slab. Slabs as a rule of thumb will average at about 110"x65". There are bigger slabs and quite often smaller ones too. Check with the fabricator or the slab yard. They will be more than happy to tell you the different sizes of slabs they have available. Note, though, that the larger the slabs, the smaller the selection of possible colors. Slab sizes would depend in part on the capabilities of the quarry, integrity of the material or the capabilities of the machinery at the finishing plant. We have had slabs as wide as 75" and as long as 130" before, but those are monsters and not always readily available.
  

• Generally, it is not a good idea to seam over a DW because there's no support for the granite, and anything heavy placed at or near the seam would stress the stone, possibly breaking it.
  
• Rodding is another issue where a tremendous amount of mis-information and scary stories exist: The main purpose for rodding stone would be to add integrity to the material around cut-outs. This is primarily for transport and installation and serves no real purpose once the stone is secured and fully supported on the cabinets. It would also depend on the material. A fabricator would be more likely to rod Ubatuba than he would Black Galaxy, for instance. The flaky and delicate materials prone to fissures would be prime candidates for rodding. Rodding is basically when a fabricator cuts slots in the back of the stone and embeds steel or fiberglass rods with epoxy in the slots in the stone. You will not see this from the top or front of the installation. This is an "insurance policy" created by the fabricator to make sure that the stone tops make it to your cabinets all in one piece
  
• Edges: The more rounded an edge is, the more stable it would be. Sharp, flat edges are prone to chipping under the right (or rather wrong) circumstances. Demi or full bullnose edges would almost entirely eliminate this issue. A properly milled and polished edge will be stable and durable regardless of the profile, though. My guess at why ogee and stacked edges are not more prevalent would be purely because of cost considerations. Edge pricing is determined by the amount of work needed to create it. The more intricate edge profiles also require an exponentially larger skill set and more time to perfect. The ogee edge is a very elegant edge and can be used to great effect, but could easily look overdone if it is used everywhere. We often advise our clients to combine edges for greater impact - i.e., eased edge on all work surfaces, and ogee on the island to emphasize the cabinetry or unusual shape.
  Edge profiles are largely dependent on what you like and can afford. There is no real pro or con for regular or laminated edges. They all have their place in the design world. Check with your fabricator what their capabilities and pricing are. Look at actual kitchens and ask for references.

Installation:

• Seams:
  

  One hallmark of a good fabricator is that they will keep the seams to a minimum [StoneGirl]

  
  
  • A generic good quality seam should have the following characteristics:
    
    • It should be flat. According to the Marble Institute of America (MIA) a minimal amount of lippage is acceptable (1/32"), but conscientious fabricators all strive for a perfectly flat and smooth joint.
      
    • It should be narrow - as in smaller than 1/16". (I think the MIA stipulates no larger than 1/8", but that is pushing it - and only if the fabricator bevels the edges of the seam, almost similar to the edge of a stone tile. This is, thank goodness, not a standard practice any more!)
      
    • The color on either side of the seam should match as closely as possible. On regularly patterned stones like Ubatuba for example - there should be no variation. On stones with variation in colors or veins, the match should be made as close as was humanly possible.
      
    • Vein direction should flow. The MIA suggests a single direction of vein flow, but it is acceptable IF DISCUSSED WITH THE CLIENT to change vein direction on a seam if no other option is available. This would happen in book matched slabs - you will have a "butterfly" seam in this case. In other cases, the fabricator could put a miter seam in a corner and change vein direction 90 degrees. This is usually done with extremely linear veining like Bamboo Green, for example, but this is something that should be discussed with the fabricator and agreed upon by the client.
      
    • The seam on the finished edge of the stone should NOT dip in and create a divot in the edge. When you run your fingers over the edge, you should not be able to feel the location of the seam at all.
      
    • The thickness of the slabs on either side of the seam should be equal (or feathered out so that there is no discernible difference)
      
    • The glue in the seam should be of a color that matches the stone as closely as possible. Glue joints that are too light or too dark will show up something terrible. The idea behind tinting the glue is to try to make the seam "disappear" or something relatively close to it

• Checklist:
  
  • Check the seams for evenness and smoothness.
    
    • Make sure that the seams are neat and clean.
      
    • Make sure that the seams are not obvious.
      
    • Make sure the seams are butted tight
      
    • Make sure that there are no scratches, pits, or cracks
    
    
  • If sealing is necessary (not all granites need to be sealed):
    
    • Make sure that the granite has been sealed
      
    • If more than one application of sealer was applied, ask how long they waited between applications
      
    • Ask which sealer has been used on the granite.
    
    
  • Make sure the sink reveal is consistent all the away around
    
  • Check the gap of the granite at the wall junctions.
    
  • Check for inconsistent overhangs from the counter edges
    
  • Check for chips. These can be filled.
    
  • Make sure the top drawers open & close
    
  • Make sure that you can open & close your dishwasher
    
  • Make sure the stove sits up higher than the counter
    
  • Make sure that you have the appropriate clearances for your appliances
    
  • Check the edge all around, a good edge should have the following characteristics:
    
    • Shine: The edge polish should match the top polish in depth and clarity. The edge should not be milky, dull, or waxy.
      
    • The edge should not have "waves". Eyeball along the edge. A good edge should have a mirror like reflection and be fairly flat. Waves that you can see or feel are not a good thing.
      
    • The aris (very top of the edge) should be crisp and straight, even on a bullnose edge. Once again you can see this by eyeballing along the very top end of the edge profile. A wavy, dippy aris is poor craftsmanship.
      
    • A good edge will have a consistent profile. It will not be larger in some spots or smaller in others.
      
    • A good edge should also have NO tooling lines. These will be fine lighter/white lines running along the edge. This is a mark of a poor edge polish, of a CNC machine that is not set correctly, and a lack of hand finishing. This is common when a company has only mechanical fabrication (i.e., CNC machines or line polishers) and no skilled hand fabricators to finish the work properly.
    
    
  • Run your hands around the entire laminated edge of yor counters to make sure they are smooth
    
  • Check surrounding walls & cabinets for damage

Miscellaneous Information:

• More than all the above and below, though, is to be present for both the templating as well as having the templates placed on your slabs at the fabricator's
  If you canot be there, then have a lengthy conversation about seam placement, ways to match the movement, and ways to color-match the counters that will be joined at the seam
  
• Find a fabricator who is a member of the SFA
  
• When they polish your stone for you don't let them wax it. It will look terrible in 2 months when the wax wears off.
  
• Don't use the Magic Eraser on granite--especially AB
  
• Any slab with more fill (resin) than stone is certainly a no-no!!
  
• When you do check for scratches, have overhead lighting shining down so scratches are easier to see
  
• Don't let them do cutouts in place (granite dust becomes a major issue)
  
• Granite dust can be a problem...some have heard of SS appliances & hoods damaged by the dust, others have heard of drawer glides being ruined by the dust
  
• If you have wood floors--especially if you're in the process of staining or finishing them--make sure that they don't spill or drip granite sealer on the wood floors. Apparently the sealer interferes with the stain or finish process.
  
• Suggested Prep for Installation:
  
  • Remove any drawers and pullouts beneath any sections that will be cut or drilled onsite, e.g., sink cutouts and/or faucet, soap dispenser, air gap, instant hot etc. holes, cooktop cutouts.
    
  • Then just cover the glides themselves with a few layers of blue painter's tape (or some combo of plastic wrap and tape)
    
  • If you make sure to cover the top of the glides and attach some of the tape to the cab wall as well (to form sort of a seal)and cover the rest of the glides completely with tape, you should be fine.
    
  • Usually the fabricators will have someone holding a vacuum hose right at the spot where they are drilling or cutting, so very little granite dust should be landing on the glides. What little dust escapes the vacuum will be blocked by the layer(s) of tape.
    
  • When done w/installation, remove the tape and use a DustBuster (or similar) on all the cabinets and glides
  
  
• Countertop Support:
  
  • If your granite is 2 cm thick, then there can be no more then 6" of of unsupported span with a 5/8" subtop
    
  • If your granite is 3 cm thick, then there can be no more then 10" of unsupported span - no subtop required
    
  • If you need support, the to determine your corbel dimensions:
    
  • Thickness of Stone - Dimension of Unsupported Span = Corbel Dimensino
    
  • i.e., an 18" total overhang in 2 cm would require a 12" corbe; the same overhang in 3 cm would require an 8" corbel

Google Floodstop

also, not entirely sure about the checkerboard floor, although I ADORE that look. when it comes time (maybe now??), could you buy a few tiles and lay them down to give yourself a better of idea of what it will look like?

I think on flooring there are many many options that will look great (perhaps the checkerboard) so don't worry about that and try to be flexible.

I really like the option Bmorepanice presented. I also like the idea of the 1" white hex tiles with a pattern made every so often out of black 1" hex... have seen many of these in older buildings but don't have a good picture to share. and here is a kitchen whose floor I love. they are antique french limestone hexagon tiles... sort of similar with bmore's:

Cote de Texas blog has taken that format one step (no twenty steps) further and has outlined several designer kitchens and the elements needed to create the designer look. Do not miss reading Joni's outstanding efforts. I am sure we can all learn a lot from her! I know I always do!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cote De Texas - Kitchen Elements to Copy

So I finally uploaded more pics of the little details in my kitchen that I have wanted to share with various posters over the last couple of months. I have now responded to some of the appropriate threads, but many of the original threads have fallen off into oblivion. At the risk of posting some of the pics twice, I thought I'd compile all of them into one place, and ask you all to share your detail pics, too. There are so many clever solutions to lifes many kitchen dilemmas. Where better to share this collective wisdom? What ideas have worked for your?
Here are some of mine:
holders for sponge and disposal cover inside front of sink. Attach by suction cup, can't be seen unless you are standing right over sink

"angled" plug mold, which is just flat plugmold attached to an angled mounting block in the corner

Spice storage. There is a tiered rack on the lower shelf which I like, but I don't like the door mounted racks because I can't read the labels on the bottles. Get the kind that just have a small bar across the front, instead.

Cut out in fixed shelf in tall pantry cabinet for broom and mop handles

Corner cabinet with lazy susan, no center pole. I'm not wild about the hinged door, it bangs into the surrounding cabinets if you are not careful, but I can store a ton of stuff inside, and the opening is very wide allowing extra large items inside.

phone cord solution - there is a hole in counter, and the outlet and phone jack are hidden in the base cabinet below (second picture)

door stops to keep cabinets from hitting the wall or surrounding items - there is a small flexible cable that works just fine.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

You seal it once a year depending on usage. Sealing as easy as regular cleaning, really! Wipe on, wipe off. Buy aquamix or stone tech. I also seal my bath marble, travertine floors once a year...

Also buy the daily cleaner from them (concentrate). I use it after every cooking...

rococogurl: No, please don't! Not yet! I don't want the world to see our sink (and kitchen) in that shape! (I'm patiently waiting for this thread to roll off the board so no one can see it ever again. Uh, wait, doh!)

I'll be sure to post pics when things are looking better...

dianalo: Things are holding up as good as could be expected. We applied 5 coats of 511 Porous Plus and have had zero problems with staining. Had incidents with salad dressing, soy sauce, red wine, some rusty object, etc. -- everything left a scary sight, which just disappeared with elbow grease and soap and water!

Etching is a different issue, though. Since we went with a polished marble (the best, most aesethically pleasing, and most reasonable Carrara slab we could find), I knew etching would eventually rear its ugly head. We are slowly accumulating little spots (biggest one is smaller than a dime) around the sink and stove area. I'm the only one noticing them so far, and you and the light have to be at the right angle to see them.

Eventually the whole counter should "patina over", and we'll hopefully be left with a nice piece of old-world charm...

mcapizzi: Overall, we love the faucet. The filtered water tastes just okay, but our SoCal water is pretty bad to begin with. If you taste it side-by-side with our unfiltered tap water, it's actually a massive improvement! I still think I may go with a better undersink filtration unit at some point, which will be easy to swap out and leave everything else intact.

Yes, the filtered water is cold only (taps directly off the cold line), and Yes the filtered water pressure is lower than the regular cold.

Kitchen Power Grommet

I am adding the link for others. I might start a post in the home decorating site, too.

The morgue drawers are getting some fun cushions. Now, if I only knew how to sew.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Crypton fabric

If you have children or are a messy eater at all, I would recommend laminating the fabric for the cushions, whether you attach them to the seat as described above or make/have made box cushions (caution: sewing with laminated fabric is challenging). Most nice fabric stores will laminate any fabric you choose. I saved $ using a company in SC (see link below).

I sent them my fabric and they sent it back laminated. It is a nice, soft, matte finish. So now they just wipe off and will last a long time.

Here is a link that might be useful: IPA Southern Fabric Laminating

What I have found with couches and chairs in a small space is the arms tend to make a big difference in how they look/take up space in a room. Going from a larger rolled arm to a simple straight arm made the pieces fit better. Depths are all different too for seating and sometimes too short for comfort...I took a tape measure with me.

Here is a site with small couches/chairs. I ordered a couple of slipcovers from them which fit my couch/chair from World Market. The covers are great quality fabric and really well made....would guess the furniture is too.

http://www.thesofacollection.com/index.php?cPath=42

Link below is a thread here on the subject a while back. Good feedback for your question. There is also a site called Apartment Therapy which lists companies/manufacturers. Other sites are cropping up too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smaller Homes furnishings

The Never MT, TapMaster and Hafele trash pedals are things I had never heard of before this forum. The Never MT has been great and I look forward to using the other two.

We planned most of our kitchen before I found this forum. When I first looked at appliances, I decided that induction cooktops were just too expensive. We planned the kitchen around a range. But after I read so many good things about induction cooking on the Appliance Forum, I decided to look into it. One visit to a Viking showroom where they let us play with their induction unit and we were sold on the idea. Thanks to GW discussions, we were also sold on the idea of the DeDetriech induction - which gave me more features, a lower cost and less open space required beneath the cooktop. This let me fit in a shallow drawer right under the cooktop for utensils.

At this point I was very glad we had decided on IKEA cabinets, as the transition from range to cooktop and oven was quite easy, and I didn't have to wait months for a cabinet change.

Here is a link that might be useful: never mt

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pendant Lighting at Art Lighting Gallery

Also, when I considered the alternative of 36" cabinets with a lot of moulding and filler, it was actually more expensive than 42" cabinets with only a small moulding. It could be just my cabinet manufacturer, but I was told at the time that the labor and materials were more involved (i.e. expensive) with extra crown molding and filler, than with just a taller 42" cabinet.

I agree with the other poster who said realtors prefer to advertise 42" cabinetry over 36" cabinetry. My area is similar. I never heard of anyone not liking a sale home's kitchen because the cabinetry is too tall, but I have heard of complaints if buyers think the cabinetry is inadequate.

My counters get heavy use. The only "extra" care I take is with citrus/vinegar products. I just use a bigger cutting board/mat than I would have with my granite counters.

Etching on a honed surface show A LOT less than it does on a polished surface. I don't regret my decision for a minute, and would gladly do it again!

Here is a link that might be useful: Momto4Kids' Kitchen

...I will post a picture of my kitchen but in the meantime, here is a link to the pendants we bought. They are absolutely beautiful when lit and are hand blown by a wonderful glass artist. For unique "art glass lighting" the pricing is actually quite reasonable. ...we didn't want something imported that we would see in the house down the street... The pendants are the first thing people tend to notice when coming in the room.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Alabaster Swirl Glass Pendants

Yes, there are pix of the faucet. It's on Kitchens We Love -- here's a link which takes you to the temporary album. There's a link to that, then go to the sink gallery; it's there. The finish is platinum matte.

I have a Rohl 3018.

The sprayer has no downside I've been able to find. It's got just the right amount of great power without a drop of splash back or kick. The head is wide and the spray is very even. It's on a spring mount that slips in and out of a crosspiece perfectly because it's solid metal and very heavy. Great reach.

When it was installed I made sure the faucet spout would empty into the drain -- we adjusted the spot on the deck for that so no splash from the spout. The spout is narrow enough to fit into a teapot -- very directed stream, again without a drop of splash, nary a drip.

Since the faucet spout has the arc and swivels right and left, I made sure it was spaced far enough away so it wouldn't hit the sprayer -- that's easy to overlook.

Very solid in every way, as you'd expect at this price level. The faucet handle is on the right (or left if you like I think) and it opens out to turn on -- handy because you can nudge it on with the side of your hand and turn it off the same way. It's not stiff. The cold swivels up and hot swivels down.

Originally I wanted the Tara classic profi -- the all in one. I'm not sure whether you're looking at that or the seperate mounts. There are two versions (I hadn't known about the second one and at the time their website wasn't the greatest). Also a small matching faucet for prep sink and a super soap dispenser (which I installed elsewhere since my sink was a bit small for the whole works).

Glad to answer any other questions you might have. I find it gorgeous as well.

Bridge faucets are lovely, but I don't like them function-wise for the way I work. I really like having a hands-free spray. I can turn the water on and off with a quick flick of the back of my wrist. It's been a great faucet so far.

Someone posted a link to this supplier yesterday. I have no experience with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jado Victorian

Here is a link that might be useful: Alno cabinet site

After living with copper for a while, my $0.02 is to keep them waxed. Copper Sinks Online uses a wax called Renaissance Wax. It helps in the bathroom with toothpaste (if the sink isn't waxed, the toothpasted dries and is hard to remove) and helps with acidic foods in the kitchen (that can wear off the patina). The wax takes minutes to apply and is no big deal. Other than that, it's simply soap and water cleanup. We love the look!

I had a friend buy a copper kitchen sink on Ebay and was disappointed when comparing it to the sink we got. ...it was a lot thinner than ours - so buyer beware! ...these are artisan crafted products and there are many differences between them.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Copper Sinks Online

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1112092431979.html

For me, 3 things so far bug me about my new kitchen.
Main sink is way too deep - have to bend over to rest something on the bottom while washing it, and bend to use the disposal. Who knew this could be a problem?? I should have looked harder at the Advantium 240. I went with the 120 because of its larger size, and am disappointed with some aspects of its performance (lots of info about this on appliances forum). And I would have researched faucets better. I researched everying else to death, and just went with the faucets the KD recommended. Pull down would have been better than pull out in the prep sink - it's too big for the sink and sprays everywhere if I am not careful when I pull it out.

Best thing I did in the planning stage was to take inventory of every cabinet in my old kitchen and make sure there was a place to store everything in the new kitchen.

This forum is such a great resource for for avoiding mistakes, but it also causes you to get stuff you never knew you needed! Have fun.

Here is a link that might be useful: biggest regrets thread

--I would have looked up the decible (sp?) level of our dishwasher and probably upgraded to a quieter one;

--I would have added a spray feature to our island prep sink;

--I would have switched more cabinets to drawers or roll-outs;

--I would have changed our 1 1/2 bowl stainless sink to one with two large bowls.

--I would have pushed harder on getting a warming drawer rather than letting the project manager convince me not to;

--I would have switched our wine cooler to a beverage center because collectively DH and DS go through tons of soda and we hardly drink any wine. (DH insisted on keeping it a wine cooler so this is his fault.)

--OTOH, I love the air switches and am very happy they put them in. That was a surprise;

--I haven't yet used the thingy that opens up in the toe-kick to sweep crumbs, etc., into, but I'm also glad for that.

If I think of more, I'll let you know. Good luck!