I know everyone loves their Miele dishwashers, but I urge you to test out your plates before you purchase one. We were all set to get one, but then took our plates to a showroom and tested clearance. DH has an extra big water glass that he loves, which requires the top basket to be at its lower setting. That causes the tops of our dinner plates to slightly hit the rotating spray arm. Our plates have little flat edges to them that made them just a TAD too big. That basically cut out the Miele for us. Our new pick is a Kitchen Aid that also has a cutlery tray - KUDE70FXSS. We tested our glasses, plates, bowls, and cutting boards. It was a big help to see how it would all work.

Rockybird, there will be dark blue, I promise! This will not be a white kitchen. I want the house to reflect the character of the house, but also my taste which is modern and European inspired. Sounds like I'm looking in the right direction. I'm okay with a slightly modern/industrial vibe too, this neighbourhood was very industrial in the 19th and early 20th century. Here are some of my other favourite inspiration pictures for other parts of the house. Let me know what you think, or if any of these seem way off base.

Dan, you sound like my DH (dear husband). He’s more interested in how things function, what they are made of and how they are put together. I’m grateful for that and our choices have been guided by his ability to research and comprehend : ) We have the Fisher Paykel DD24DHTI9N model, just the one. The top drawer is taller than the bottom. The dishwasher was the last appliance we chose, and for me, the most difficult. I was leaning toward Miele until I started reading issues with them here on GW/Houzz. Which lead me to Bosch. I could not commit as it was a bit smaller than our Kitchenaide, and I'd finally gone beyond the rabbit hole and was proceeding to Dante’s 9 circles of $ell. This will be lengthy, but I’ll take you through the thought process and why I love my FP. I had a large Kitchenaide DW prior. It’s just DH and I, but I cook a lot – and many of my items are large (stock pots, et al). And I can be messy. And I use more pots and pans than any normal person should, every single day. So a lot of handwashing, which we both hate. DH found the FP drawers first and my initial thought was NO! Finally, I packed 3 large boxes of pots, pans, dishes, glasses, and whatnots and took them to the appliance store. Loaded the FP, without folding tines, adjusting anything, or removing removable tines. I was pleasantly surprised (and apparently the only person to ever bring in their cookware and dishes to that appliance store, so they use me as an example when customers ask about the drawers). I measured everything as well. Home again I loaded the Kitchenaide, and it wouldn’t hold as much as the 2 DD’s. I’m not kidding, but then again, perhaps my items differ from others. The one rack I knew I would not use in either the Miele or Bosch were the top, 3rd silverware racks. I am not patient enough to place each utensil in a slot and didn’t want to just ‘lay them in’ as I knew any spoon left upright would have a puddle inside. I prefer baskets. Everything comes out nice and dry. I hate unloading the DW as well. Abhor it. As I used my pots/pans almost daily, they didn’t get loaded into the Kitchenaide, and by the time we did fill it with other items a week would pass, and it’d take me forever to unload the darn thing. Present Day: We load the FP daily with everything (yes, they are quiet!). I primarily use the upper drawer as it’s easier and larger, and as you have one, you know how lovely it is not to have to lean so far over to place and retrieve items. Since it’s a smaller daily load, it takes minutes to unload and put items away. We run the lower drawer once weekly to keep it ‘alive’. I love that the tines are completely adjustable, those that aren’t are easily removed to make way for large pots. EDITED TO CORRECT: All the tines are adjustable (narrow to wide spacing, and the other two rows fold down, and one row is also removable). My teppanyaki and large griddle fit snugly, but fit, and if there is flow-over into the bottom drawer, no problem, we just run that one too. Life is far better in our household with the FP Double DD’s. I’ve read, over and over, in trusted posts and sites, the FP’s won’t give you issues if you have them installed correctly. DH installed ours. Love the knock to pause feature (works at any point in the cycles), and I love the way they look – less dishwasher-y. In short, I love the DD's because the top drawer is so easy to load/unload (the bottom drawer is not hard to load), we put everything in them, daily, therefore less handwashing, faster unloading. I'm limber but my back is hugely appreciative for the top drawer. Cleaning and drying is wonderful, they are quiet, they are incredibly adjustable, and they don't look like a dishwasher. And you probably wish I'd only typed that last paragraph : ) Good luck with your choices!

Is the main family living space that room off the kitchen? And then there's an office off the garage and then a pool room/office off the backyard? What's your living plan for those rooms - anyone work from home or will that be homework space, guest room etc? Do you have living space elsewhere - like a basement? We have 2 very social teens and our basement hang out (sectional, huge TV, fridge, game table) has been a lifesaver (you def won't want them in the main living area since it's next to the Master) One thing that jumps out to me is the trek from the garage to the kitchen for unloading groceries (but that is a total pet peeve I have based on other houses I have lived in) For this house, I would prob end up bringing them in the front door as that's a more direct route