I'll have to be honest, as much as I want to believe in Aquatic after talking with their incredibly enthusiastic and helpful cust srvc rep,as well as the most impressive specs on the market, I visited a showroom yesterday to experience the real deal (Infinity VII) and found the dry test-drive a bit harsh on the bones, i.e., doesn't conform to body like I had hoped, a little too upright and not conforming to the reclining torso. That test drive, albeit a dry run, convinced me this was not the tub for me despite it looking ideal on paper. Granted I wasn't able to float in the tub with water, so this is slightly unfair to the mfr, but getting in and out of the deep vessel along with reclining in the tub without water was surprisingly uncomfortable, and bone-crunching. I'm a young man still, and felt like multiple grab-bars on the walls would be de rigeur. The only reason I post this is not to discourage you from buying Aquatic, but because shopping for a whirlpool/airbath combo has been one of the most difficult quests I've experienced in planning my bath addition, and on paper, this was the tub for me, in vitro, this was NOT the tub for me. Just keep in mind that you simply must seek out a showroom to sample any tub prior to making the huge investment - not just money for the tub, but permanent plumbing specific to that tub leaves little room for future change of heart! For this reason, I've been very careful in ensuring that I'd be completely happy with the fit, and felt it necessary to share my experience. This is a decision 3 years in the making due to lack of showrooms that simply don't offer the real test drive or tub variety that gives you an overall gestalt. Again, Aquatic might be for you, but test drive it, or your regrets will eat you up. Other tubs I've crossed off the list, right or wrong, were Bain Ultra cause I simply wanted the combo, however, they seem to have an unbeatable reputation in the strictly air-bath category. Sani-jet, I actually experienced with water, and the jets were simply too weak for me, but again all their specs looked good on paper. Neptune, I experienced in a hotel, and was extremely impressed, but when it came to owning one, the contour again wasn't something I'd want to recline in for an hour, and none of this years styles/profiles appeal to me. Americh, don't know. Maax.....two trades people gave me bad reviews saying they make the most comfortable, stylish tubs with the necessary whistles and bells, but technical issues required discontinuing their carrying the line....surprising, as Home Depot Expo was pushing this on me like you know what. What am I going with, well I did a dry test run on the Jason LX635 (6 foot) which meets my comfort criteria without water, looks great on paper, has been in the business for as long as Jacuzzi has been in business (Jason=son of Jacuzzi), and was carried by a local trusty high end fixture place with exceptional reputation and attentive to customer feedback. Again, I'm taking a risk without doing a 'wet' run, and their head pillow was so poorly placed, that I dissed the option, but overall, it met most of my criteria. Will keep you posted after install, etc. The most comfortable tub I've experienced was the Maax oval-shaped whirlpool-air combo (Pearl?), but again, I talked to two vendors who said they had issues with them which is highly unfortunate since comfort-wise and on paper it was the perfect tub, like sitting in a LazyBoy, but with water massage. I hope to seek something comparable in the Jason.

Oooh, that mamadadapaige is so smart! As I was reading through this thread and enjoying every photo my first thought (at the reclaimed encaustics) was "wonderful!" and then I saw your inspiration and I thought "fabulous!" and then I saw your proposed tile and it left me a little flat. My initial thought was that the white and charcoal simply have too much contrast, while the tile colors in your inspiration photo don't contrast too much -- a la Goldilocks, they're "just right." Instead of charcoal / white could you do rust / cream tiles, being really true to the inspiration photo? I think what my eye was drawn to in the inspiration photo was the border, or rather how the border fixed the look, the way a picture sings when it's been appropriately matted and framed. Anyway, mamadadapaige said it much better (and sooner) than I, but I guess I still wanted to say "me too!" You have such incredible materials in that kitchen (that quartersawn oak is so yummy!) -- I'll be looking for more pictures from you.

lceh, I'm sorry I came late to this thread -- have you looked at the General Finishes dye stains? In terms of quality they're superior to the MinWax products and you might get a longer lasting finish from them? Then there's also milk paint, which is a fabulous cabinet finish topped with a good sealer. It's gorgeous. For anyone who is trying to "stain" their old cabinets and can't get all the previous coating off, this is a potential option. They make an additive that allows the milk paint to seal to previously-finished surfaces. Done this way, it's more opaque but has lots of natural tonal shadings that are the next best thing to a translucent stain. This is an old unfinished oak dresser I did, it's milkpainted white with gray stencils, but gives you the idea. (Driftwood plus Snow White and a little Slate gives you a perfect Gustavian Grey...) Whichever product you choose, they'll all look good -- have fun mixing! Here is a link that might be useful: Milk Paint

I can't get over how nice everyone here is to continue to help me with this and offer suggestions. Thank you! I realize its hard to tell from the pictures how much space there actually is. But there would not be room to turn a rectangular or oval table the other way, and I think it would look awkward. The breakfast area is a rectangular area, so turning the table the other way just wouldn't work. Also, with the table in that space there would not be room for a small piece of furniture in front of the wall/panel. It would really crowd the whole area. The table is as close to the window as it can go and still have room for a chair there. I could do a round table and I may do that, and DH could sit at the window end, but that still doesn't fix my other issues--the obstruction of sight lines, how closed off I feel, etc. I think it would be nice every time I enter the house (which would be from the mudroom) and every time I walk into the kitchen from the family room (which is often), to see my whole new kitchen, not just half of it. That is what I was used to before (for 18 years). It is definitely harder than I thought to adjust to changes in the space, even the changes that I like! Must be a sign of aging... Obviously the whole area is unfinished and will look better when painted trimmed, countertop, backsplash etc are done. For those that have wondered. We have three kids. Two are of college age, one goes away to college, one lives at home. Weekends and summers are busy with lots of kids/friends. I usually have six chairs at the table and actually usually have a leaf in it. And maybe it wasn't obvious to all, but when I talk about putting the range on the end, there would actually be countertop of the end. I was referring to that whole range space, which in my mind includes the countertop on either side. Like in this picture: