Thanks, Bill - I was hoping you might see my plea! Backbuttering, which we weren't doing before (oops), has helped enormously, as does this tip on how to do it. My husband has determined that (a) he will never tile a wall again and (b) those who do it professionally (and do it well) are worth every cent they charge.

Thanks everyone for your great comments! Buehl, love your idea but sadly, no, I can not close up that window. It is the window to the street, the porch and I love it. Even if I didn't love it the Historic Preservation people would never let me get rid of it. So it stays. It sounds like you all agree adding the fourth counter makes it too small. What if the counter was 18 inches instead of 24? Would 6 inches help much? I still need storage underneath. Bmorepanic - you are not the first to propose cutting down the other side. A second designer I hired suggested cutting that down to a 15-18 inch pantry only (pantry for dishes, not food - food pantry has a good home) floor to ceiling piece of furniture painted a different color. I actually love the idea but here's the rub...that counter is totally our favorite place to work. Our dishes are in the uppers there and that works with where the d/w is...we hate to mess with that part of the space. I am thinking I could make something that was a pantry-like cabinet but still had a counter...not as deep but we could still prep over there... and keep the 24 under the other window. My husband and I don't love the bigger counter moved to under "street" window because it is weird to face the street while you are prepping...and at night the blind comes down and that is even more strange. At the other counter you are facing whoever is sitting at the counter so that seems a happier place to work. Our goal in adding the counter under the window was to have a place to plate the food out of the oven. We also have to have room to store: all kitchen gizmos, pots and pans (we have alot) but I think we could also hang some. I would also love to have a spice drawer, pull out pantry for oils, and a tray storage. Am I high to think I can get all of that in? I know if I go shorter than 20inches it won't happen. Ugh! I can tweek my plan now but I have to decide by Monday if the counter under the "street" window is 24 inches or less. If it is going to be 24 inches then I have to reconfigure the garden window so the sink can be centered. If it is under 24 inches then I can tell my GC to center the garden window and take another week to figure it all out. But not much more. I would love to hear more ideas - it is so helpful to get input from people who understand kitchens as opposed to someone who designs kitchens. My guy threw boxes and uppers everywhere and now I fear I am cooking in a space the size of an airplane bathroom. Here is a link that might be useful: amacs renovation blog

I don't think it is a problem. I think your eye travels into the room more readily than to the threshold. That being said, I know nothing about slate (except that I like it, especially w/ your brick), but 1+ inches seems like a decent size piece of tile. Is the concern because it is on the edge of the stairs? If it really bothers you, could you shift farther right, not centering three tiles, but increasing the visible piece presently at the left of your doorway to show a bit more? Could that eliminate your "finger"? Again, I really don't think it is a problem.

You can do herringbone as an accent btw. Like under the hood. Herbflavors reason is probably along the lines of : Your kitchen is not plain. You’ll have two tone cabinets. Wood flooring. Windows ... it’s a lot of visual hopping around. I do think herringbone is a risk but will probably still look great!! I’m Totaly obs with herringbone also. I’m thinking what I’d do if this was my kitchen. Do you like finger tiles? It’s basically the small tile you picked it. It’s very pretty also! Love that...