Danie, I just had someone email me last week about my backsplash so I'll paste here what I replied to her: The tile is tumbled travertine and it's by Tierra Sol. The number on my invoice is NS AN TM RANWH. It was ~$15.00 a square foot. It came in a couple of other neutral-ish colours. The height of the tiles is about 0.75" and the lengths range from 1" to 4". The sample I brought home looked more yellowish in my kitchen than the final product turned out but I've learned to like it and have received many compliments on it--I think in the end it's maybe for the best as there is just SO much cream and yellow everywhere and the backsplash picks up some of the other tones in the granite. We used Mapei C#13 French Vanilla grout (sanded). After installing, I used Stone Tech's Enhancer Pro (an oil-based enhancer) and even though I had read so much about an enhancer, especially an oil-based one, dramatically changing the look of the tile, I really didn't see much of a difference--and I applied a few coats of it. But it must've sealed it well because even tomato sauce wipes off without any problem.

Hi, lesmis. I just came across your post, and, while two months have passed, I hope you were able to find the right glass for your cabinet doors. I work for Bendheim and wanted to clarify a few points regarding the Restoration Glass® samples you received. As you noted, seeing the true nature and slight waviness of the glass is almost impossible from a small size sample. The slight distortion is easier to see at a distance, under reflected light, and in a larger piece. We normally recommend the "Light" variety for windows requiring minimal distortion and the "Full" for cabinet doors viewed from a shorter distance. You are correct about slight color hues in some antique glass. There were various blown glass manufacturers back in the day making different qualities of glass. Today, Bendheim works with the Lamberts factory in Germany, one of the few remaining producers of mouth-blown window glass in the world. Going back to the color issue, the Restoration Glass we supplied for The White House, for example, was custom created with a slight amber hue to match the original. Most antique glass, however, is clear with a slight greenish cast seen from the edge; same as the true Restoration Glass made by Lamberts. Regarding price, Restoration Glass is not inexpensive. However, if you view our production video online, you will appreciate the intense, highly skilled labor required to produce a single sheet of Restoration Glass. Finally, be careful about cutting your own glass. IÂve heard many professional restorers complain of antique and salvaged glass breaking during cutting because not all period-style glass is of high quality. I hope this information was helpful. Please feel free to e-mail me directly at jmiret@bendheim.com with any questions regarding our glass. ~ Jen Miret, Bendheim Communications Manager

There is a stained glass shop in our area that does a lot of stained and leaded glass repair. Along with classes and selling glass, I think it is a major art of their business. We had to have a piece or two of our front door replaced (beveled, of course) and that's how I found them. The number of broken pieces concerns me, but I have no idea whether that will be a problem other than the cost of repairing more of them. Be glad they aren't beveled -- you pay by the inch for custom beveled edges. Hope you can find a good shop near you.

NYCbluedevil, I agree that I do not want a clown car kitchen! Nancy, our lighting is actually simpler than what is shown, but I agree we do have a lot going on. I like plain frosted glass, but my designer warned me that texture tends to show marks easily if anything damp or greasy touches the surface and is hard to keep clean looking. Have you had experience with frosted glass? Michoumonster, our exterior door, whatever design we pick, will be laminated to meet local energy codes. I had not thought about that for the pantry. The Paris is cool looking (and my favorite city) but not quite opaque enough. Camphappy, that is a good point about tempered glass - thanks for the reminder. Localeater, that is an interesting idea - I will run it by my designer. I can picture doing a vertical strip of rectangles and squares maybe 1/3 of the way over from one side, with a very opaque glass on one side of the line and a less opaque glass on the other side. The more opaque glass could be repeated on the pantry doors to tie the elements together. DH and I picked out a few glass textures we think might work. What do you think of these? If we pick a pattern with lines/ridges, do you think vertical or horizontal would be better? Ripple: Quarter Reed: Pilkington Stippolyte: Pattern 62: Master Point: Cord: Cannes: Thela: