Having lived with our hand blown glass sink for 6 years - and with at least 8+ friends that have glass sinks, I have never seen any problems with temperature cracking or scratching... I think Oceana's claim to fame is that their type of glass is supposedly better for high use applications - i.e. kitchen sinks. ...not to take anything away from Oceana - just pointing out our own experience. I would not limit myself to just this one company for a glass sink... ...and I would stay away from the production sinks from China... I have one friend that took a glass vessel sink with a fairly flat rim and with a creative wood "saddle" underneath, they supported the sink in an undermount installation and it looks pretty cool. Another thought is that you can widen the hole in the countertop and lower the height of the sink that way for sore of a "semi-recessed" installation.

I do not see a reason for not using pex. Are you replacing the whole house? just in the basement? just in a remodelled area?

Unless you seal it and scrupulously maintain the sealant, the copper will definitely turn a mottled dark brown, like an old penny, regardless of whether it's splashed on; just a natural effect of oxidation. It's gorgeous but whether you like it for your space all depends on the effect you're after. Aliceinwonderland is my idol (waves!), and here are the copper countertops I made that are modeled after her incredible island. Don't know how dark your cabinets are; these are a medium-dark 15-yr-old cherry with a 'fruitwood' stain, whatever that was in the '90's (we recycled them from the ReStore). All the counters are copper, around 5 yrs old.

> New Question: if you go for the side drain, do you want the drain towards your dominant hand? Meaning, if you're right handed, do you want a sink with a right handed drain? And should a drain be on the side of the dishwasher? Or do these things not matter? I'm right-handed and prefer the drain in the left rear. That way, I can use my right hand to sweep food waste into the drain in a natural motion. The side the dishwasher is on is mostly irrelevant. Most of the undersink plumbing is from the disposer (which is directly under the drain), the hot and cold water valves and intake hoses, the drain, the retracted flex hose for hand sprays, and soap and instant-hot dispensers if you have them. The only dishwasher plumbing in the sink cabinet is a flexible hose leading from the dishwasher to the drain (via an air gap if you have one), which doesn't take up much space and can be fastened to the back wall of the cabinet, out of the way, and probably a thin copper tube leading from the hot water valve.