I naively believed nothing could hurt my granite countertop until the day I discovered that my coffee maker developed a slow leak at the base and sat in strong dark roast for days. Yes, it left a mark. A friend said soak it in boiling water and that did the trick. For the next 10 years, I never had another problem. And I never put the coffee maker direct on the counter again. I used a glass cutting board for awhile but drips could sneak under it. So I switched to trays. There are so many pretty ones. And it is so easy to move the coffee maker out every couple weeks to clean in the back corner. I am currently using a beautiful glass tray with a 2 inch lip I found at the Home Goods. It is perfect and so unintrusive. Form + Function works for me.

Semi-gloss is an excellent option for people looking for a bit more glow. It looks 'clean' to many people (a lot of people believe shiny = CLEAN). When the floors are missing this glow, people feel upset. They fell their floors are lifeless and dull. And this leads to 'over-cleaning' (people try to achieve the shiny-clean look as often as possible). All of this reduces the life of a floor. And yes, someone's enjoyment of their floor is part of the 'life span'. If you hate your floor you are more likely to refinish it SOONER than is technically necessary. So glad you love your floor. I've always said a medium-dark floor can offer the DRAMA of a dark floor without looking like a black hole. Your floor has visual impact without disturbing your cleaning schedule. That's a win-win to me!

I know you want wood floors, and it's exciting to go from vinyl to real wood. Can I ask you to skip a beat and take a look at wood finishes that are less yellow/golden/orange and look at finishes that are more greyed or reddish next to your espresso cabinets? Or even better, consider stone or stone-look porcelain tile flooring with radiant heating underneath. If you still want to go with the casual look of lighter floors and dark espresso cabinets, that's your business. I only mention it because you seem to be taking the safe route of light wood floors and quartz countertops, although those work better with white cabinets. I just want to make sure someone points out that your espresso cabinets offer the potential for a much more elegant look.

" At one time, French terms for dining was most popular. " Not exactly the right description. A good chunk of Western gastronomy- what to eat, how to prepare it, how to eat it, how to serve it - originated in France. It wasn't that French words were "popular", it was more that so many origins and reductions to practice of various gastronomical elements were created in France. What other language would they have used for the results that were adopted in English? The list is nearly endless and immediately recognizable. Sauté, boil, dessert, délicieuse, menu, restaurant, plat du jour, baguette, saumon, biscuit, carrot, onion, mayonnaise, mustard, on and on. A cute one that non-French speakers often don't know is the literal meaning of "hors d'oeuvres". The words at first glance without recognizing the familiar sense mean "out of work", so a playful reference to the serving of small pieces of food as perhaps coming from someone with no income and limited means. And of course, other foods and techniques from other cultures usually carry over their foreign language origins too. Wok, sushi, sashimi, as simple examples for items from the other side of the world.