Hi Bev, Sorry to say that "ct" is indeed Connecticut, and the table was made by a local cabinetmaker. However, before we decided to use him, we priced our options online and found a couple of places that could do a "round table with the end cut off" for us -- DeVos in Texas and Grothouse Lumber in Pennsylvania were both excellent options. (And both were REALLY nice and extremely helpful!) We ended up with African mahogany because that was the only wood that our local guy could use and stay within the pricing of the online suppliers, but they offered many other options and both were willing to make an odd-shaped tabletop if we provided either a template or exact measurements. We went with the local guy in part because he was able to match the bids we had and -- more importantly -- because he could make the pedestal as well. There are other options (metal pedestals) you could buy online, but I liked having it custom made of the same wood as the table. So all in all, it was easier to use the local guy -- he came and installed it, he saw the space and the island before he made it, etc. I suspect any good cabinetmaker could make a custom table for you. This one ran about $2,000. (Our guy REALLY wanted to use a crotch-cut walnut table, hunting-lodge style: rustic, "unusual" etc. I had to gently just KEEP saying "umm, no... round, please" I'm sure the "rustic" walnut would have been stunning, but we were looking for a different look...) We LOVE the round, it encourages conversation, is very flexible in numbers of chairs, etc. We, too, have lots of windows and a big 12-foot slider in this kitchen/family room -- we didn't want to commit floor space to a full table and chairs. This has been a perfect compromise. Here is another picture of the underside of the table, and the way it's mounted to the island, in case that's helpful if you talk to cabinetmakers:

Here's ours, which still is not used as a desk, although we're getting closer now that the construction tools aren't here as much. I never thought it should be desk height, but DH did and he won. We have the swiveling t.v. over it so if HE wanted to, he could look at it from chair I think. We still have to decide on an appropriate chair. Currently we have a wastebasket and dog bowls under it. Cute, yes? Items jump from that lower surface to the upper one constantly. I had hoped that it would be a barrier, but it's not. In my thinking, we might as well have had entire surface flat. Cork board between cabinet and desk is now used less decoratively. It's a working message center. That's where calendar hangs, thank-you notes and such are posted and oddball coupons get put. Although there's a "pencil drawer" we keep a pencil mug on the desk. Cabinet above desk is 16 inches deep--allows notebooks for financial statements, phone books, etc. Top shelf is unrelated storage of party gear. A permanently mounted power strip at front of bottom shelf of this cab allows DH to put chargers in here and let cord dangle down so that the device is seen and not forgotten once it is charged. He can turn off power to all chargers with one switch. Lobby is to left of desk. I'm trying to put "things going elsewhere" into the shelves in the closet in lobby instead of on desk--lib. books, stuff for Mom's sr. residence, things going to friends, etc. Otherwise, they accumulate on desk. But that's fine with me--better there than in the rest of the kitchen where they used to cluster, esp on top of refrig. because that was by front door. Because the peninsula is right there next to the desk, I would rather spread out on that to do any work with pencil and paper, but then, I'm a person who needs special glasses to focus on arm's length stuff, so I suppose that little desk just looks like too much work--easier to stand and write at peninsula with my multifocus lenses and squint. I clear pencils and paper and calendar and address book off the peninsula at least twice a day and plunk them back on HIS desk. Computer will never be used at desk, I'm sure. (It moves between peninsula and dining table all the time.) Telephone holder lives on desk, at least for now. I'm hoping to get it wired into a place on wall closer to dining room, but until then, it's here. This cordless phone is another thing that hides throughout the kitchen and has to be put away on desk when I spy it. One benefit of this space: For parties, we can clean off the desk and bulletin board, put up a sign or something decorative like this framed piece, then put beverages here. Keeps traffic out of kitchen. Remember--this is Formica, so it's not going to mind.

You have put so much thought into the details of your home. I am really looking forward to seeing it built (I bet you are, too!). You have no idea how much! We've put off our build even longer because our youngest decided to stay home/begin at community college, and this isn't the time to uproot her. Have you tried drawing up the space in something like Homestyler.com and placing virtual furniture in the room? I have a different program, but I'll try Homestyler. I'm not completely happy with what I'm able to do with my old program. Is the area by the sink counter a window overlooking the great room, or a counter height pass through? I was set on closing off the kitchen, but now I'm considering a pass-through -- regardless, the kitchen will not look like it does on this layout, but it will be contained in this footprint. The one thing i've always wanted is a fireplace between the kitchen and family room Very cool idea, but I'm not sure it's for me. It'd be possible in this layout. I'll kick it around a while. the sink would be on the outside back wall where a large garden window could be installed. Yes, I think the sink is going to the back wall, and, yes, a large window over it -- though I'm thinking bay window rather than large garden window. My biggest regret is that my great room is against the master bedroom. Like your plan the TV & other components are on the wall that joins the bedroom. An excellent point. My husband is 50% deaf, and I sleep like the dead; still, extra insulation would cost very little and benefit greatly. I agree that you would be more comfortable with a few extra feet of width. Also, something to think about, will you have a lot of overnight guests? All bedrooms on same side might create a few noise issues, especially with little kids. Yeah, I think I'm set on needing the extra few feet, and it runs "the easy way" with the roof. When we added our master suite to our ranch, as part of the plan, we had soundproofing material placed between the walls of our master suite and the rest of the house...precisely to avoid the noise. You're the second person to mention this. Do you remember specifically what type of soundproofing you used? And was it successful? What we also planned for was a shower with a bench, just in case either of us had mobility problems in the future. We put in a pocket door in for the bathroom, so it wouldn't interfere with our shower door opening, and we have a pocket door for our walk in closet. It is always open, and we can choose to close it if necessary. Plus, be sure the door for the water closet doesn't interfere with entering the bathroom or the shower door. We learned these lessons the hard way. LOL We're definitely making some bathroom changes: - Toilet moves out of the wonky closet and down to the unnecessary bench seat. - This makes the closet 3' larger and allows the closet to open into the bathroom (yes, pocket door) ... or, we might have two closet doors -- that's still up in the air. - The tub and shower will flip-flop, allowing the tub to be the focal point upon entering the bathroom. The tub will downsize to a standard size, and the shower will increase in size. Sounds like lots of changes, but it's all in the same footprint.

My parents built our house as a passive solar house in the late 50s in a softened Bauhaus style in Switzerland. Large rooms with large double pane windows and heavy duty wooden sliding doors to the backyard. From my bedroom, I could see over lake Zug towards the Rigi and Pilatus mountains and the Alps proper beyond. Ahh, I do miss my home and those views... The kitchen was bright due to large windows toward East. It was a fitted galley with red painted plywood sliding doors on the slanted uppers, and another row of white painted cabs above those. All the bas cabs were white. We had a stainless steel counter with an integrated huge triple sink, with the small middle sink housing a removable colander. We used the pullout faucet to wash down the whole counter, including the glossy black tile backsplash. We also had a large "American" fridge, which was needed, as I'm one of 7 kids. A red laminate counter with a metal edge covered the cabinet run on the other side. All cabs on that side had had drawers. There was a pullout cab that housed oils and vinegars too. and in the center of that counter was the prep area. It had a drawer that stored the kitchen utensils and below that was a pull-out cutting board, underneath that sat a kitchen stool. It actually was very ergonomic, with the large cutting board at the right height for peeling veggies and slicing and dicing. No uppers on that side of the kitchen, instead there was a huge interior window towards a butler's pantry/cleaning/storage room. I liked helping to cook, but didn't like the clean-up, haha, I still don't. I especially hated to have to buff the dark grey linoleum floor. The polishing had to be done with a loud buffing machine that looked like an upright vacuum, but instead had two large circulating wool pads that polished the floor until it looked shiny for a day or two... Here an approximate drawing of the kitchen: The cabs were slanted with integrated wood handles, similar to the cabinets in the photo below, which I found by googling slanted kitchen cabs. I don't think, that I have ever seen such cabs anywhere else. I do like them, they're not so much in your face. I still do love the Bauhaus and MCM houses. Jeez, I live in a house that has a lot in common with my childhood home: Passive solar too. Lots of large windows (shaded in Summer) towards the south and the backyard. Plus I'm planning on white cabinets with a dark grey/black backsplash for our upcoming kitchen remodel. Ha, maybe I'll check out red laminate choices versus the butcher block for the island? I wish I could do the stainless steel counters on the perimeter, but I think they're just too much $$$.