Thank you both for responding. The photos were really helpful, racmrc, and you have a good looking setup there. I received a call back from Blue Star this afternoon and after I explained to the rep the look I was going for, she said it would be fine to omit the island trim, run a stainless sheet from the countertop downward behind the rangetop, extend my granite countertop behind the rangetop where the island trim would normally go, and then do the ceramic tile from the countertop upward as a backsplash. I think that's how I will go, unless one of you experienced folks has advice to the contrary. I wonder if I may impose further by asking more opinions... Do you find the back burners of the rangetop to be adequate in size to accommodate large pots in the normal 24" deep countertop situation? I saw where someone mentioned making the stove cabinet deeper so the rangetop would have more countertop space behind it to accommodate larger diameter pots and wondered whether that was a good enough idea for me to make some changes here, at the 11th hour. I would have to make all the cabinets along that wall deeper to make it work. Thanks again for your help - Len

These two entirely different burners. I would consider the features of both and how they relate to the way you cook and the cookware you use to see what is best for you. Marketing may tout certain benefits that are in reality limited or may not have any benefit for the way you cook. Some will say that BS is a open burner and Wolf is sealed but this really refers to two different characteristics of the burner. I think it is better to refer to BS is a open, uncapped burner. Wolf is a sealed, capped burner. Sealed actually refers to the "tray" under the burner. It will determine how the range top is cleaned. In the case of the Wolf range top it is made so that nothing can spill underneath. It is finished in black enamel. It is stationary and cleaned from the top. The BS can be disassembled. Spills go through the top to a tray below that can be covered in foil. The black enamel can be subject to stains or etching over time. The BS "tray" is cast iron and develops a seasoning over time. Another option is something like the American Performer that is semi sealed in that it has a lift off tray to prevent spills from getting to the tray. The tray can be washed in the dishwasher. There are videos that show how to clean the BS on YouTube. People can be very passionate one way or the other about which is the best. The other aspect is whether the burner is capped or uncapped. The advantage here is that the capped burner can cause more flare to the side on the highest heat. The amount of flare depends on how the burner is engineered. Wolf has the dual stacked burners and I thinks that keeps the flare from being too wide on the high heat. They don't try to get too much range from one burner. Another consideration is the shape and configuration of the burner. BS has a star shaped burner. The burner ports are oriented so that as you turn up the burner, the flare goes out from the rays of the burner. This keeps the heat at least from the flame tips in a specific area and spreads the heat over a specific area. This is significant if you cook with cast iron or steel pans that conduct heat poorly. In order to take advantage of this feature, you have to match the pan size to the burner. Wolf has a ring burner. If you cook with a pan that is heat conductive like heavy gauge aluminum or copper, the shape of the burner does not matter as much. The first criteria some consider is which one has the highest BTUs. The benefits for this would be heating large amounts of water a little faster, being able to stir fry larger quantities at a time, faster preheating of a pan for cooking and faster recovery for heat in a pan after adding food. Some people consider the low end of BTUs. Wolf has two burners stacked to give a range of heat, especially the low end. While BS gives the high end range in BTUs they don't give the low end so you can't make a comparison with Wolf. They give a temperature which is a meaningless number. Subjectively people say BS simmer is good but no way to tell objectively. Another thing to look at is the configuration of the range top. BS has different sized burners which you need if you are going to take advantage of the star shapes with cast iron and steel cookware. Wolf has all the same with one small pan burner. People have preferences about that. I would try to cook on these burners if possible. That way you can see how the burners can adjust and what would work for you. If you can't do that there are quite a few videos on YouTube that can let you see how they work. Service can be an issue. Wolf has excellent service for the first two years or for whatever time frame you can get a full warranty. After that you are at their mercy. You have to go with their service so no getting bids. They are pricey too. BS may not have as good as service, but would be easier to fix long term. With just getting the range top you don't have oven baggage like blue chipping with Wolf and any possible door issues with BS. I personally have Wolf burners and they work great for me. I almost never have them going full blast. I sear steaks in cast iron and you can easily preheat that to smoking hot. I stir fry occasionally about a pound of ingredients at time. I use it for canning. I cook a lot with 12-14 inch skillets, so a little flare it good for me. The smallest pan I use on the bigger burners on fairly high heat( highest spread of flame) is a 7 inch pan. I use it to caramelize sugar and it cooks very evenly. It is an old Revereware pan with only about 0.5 mm copper over stainless steel so not all that great but it browns evenly. Anything smaller goes on the small burner I like the burners being the same and that they go super low to hold large pans of food for parties. A LeCreuset pot full of mashed potatoes will not scorch on low. I could cook on either though. If I needed the super high heat more, I would get a BS but I use the low heat more. There are always work arounds for any shortcomings to either. It is important to understand the role of cookware as it relates to getting heat to your food and determine what features you use the most. There is not really an overall better or best but one will be better for you. Understanding Stovetop Cookware

Kay- I purchased my CC from Treavor in Boston (I am in NY). Frankly having him there to take care of service makes it worth every penny compared to dealing with a local appliance store (it might also be beneficial for you tax wise). Between the BS and the CC I think you would be fine with either one. I find the CC burners to be incredibly useful. They go from burning hell hot to low enough to sit a paper plate on top of them. I cannot see any advantage to having different sized burners with this much control. When comparing the two I think looks are a major deciding factor (for me the BS looked too commercial, I like the clean lines on the CC).

Skoo -- I hate to rain on your parade, but to prevent a future problem... Costa Esmeralda has simply got to be some of the prettiest granite on the planet. That is, many slabs of Costa Esmeralda are; others can vary from disappointing to downright frightening. So until you pick out YOUR slabs of Costa Esmeralda, you don't know if the slabs your yard will have when the time comes will be grey-green, aqua-green, mint-green, 'where's-the-green?' green, lemongrass-green, or puke-green. Which makes Costa Esmeralda a uniquely poor granite to plan colors around. You may be thinking "Well, I'll just buy these slabs now" to guarantee you'll get the colors you want (need). And if you have a place at your house to store the slabs until you're ready to use them, this is a viable strategy. You'll run the risk of the slabs getting damaged in multiple transits, or possibly cracking in a freeze-thaw thing. But if you have the slabs in a place you control -- then go ahead. But do NOT rely on writing your name on some slabs -- even if you pay for them now -- then leaving them with the stone yard or fabricator. Because slabs are sold out from under you SO OFTEN that it's more the rule than the exception. Do a search here for "They sold my slabs!" and you'll see what I mean. Here's some Costa Esmeralda: