There is no license needed to install tile. It appears that your installer had little experience with marble installations. When installing marble or Limestone tile ALWAYS: 1.Before grouting, on a very clean and dry floor, apply a grout release or a first coat of sealer onto the tile to make it easier to clean off the grout. Use only clean water to rinse the flooring. Note use a penetrating sealer and if you don't want the color of your stone to darken, do not use color enhancing sealer! 2. ALWAYS USE UNSANDED GROUT. Sanded grout can scratch the surface of your stone. 3.After grouting and a day or two to allow the grout to dry. Make sure the surface of the marble is clean and apply a final coat of sealer. 4.DO NOT use a haze remover that is acidic only use one that is specified for marble floors. Acid will etch the surface of the marble and ruin it. 5. CLEANING , use stone soap which can be purchased at most big box hardware stores or tile suppliers or water and mop with a damp mop. Rinse your mop frequently and change the water often as the dirt in the water can get into the grout and/or scratch a polished marble surface. I do hope that your tile problem has been resolved. There is nothing prettier than natural stone for flooring.

Here's another possibility. What if you made a rye muffin, whole wheat or any savory muffin and followed the jam muffin method: a dollop of batter in the pan, a chunk of limburger in the center and another dollop of batter. Then you'd have "Limburger Surprise Muffins." Here's a recipe from the Honey-Baked Ham site for a plain rye muffin, low on sugar. Just delete the Ham and Cheese and use the plain muffin batter. Ham and Cheese Rye Muffins. Epicurious has another delicious-sounding yeast-based rye muffin. Delete any flavor ingredients that don't seem compatible with the limburger. Scandinavian Rye Muffins . The filling in the center wouldn't have to be plain Limburger. You could do an Obatzda-type spread with any combination of Limburger, butter or cream cheese (about 3:1), milk if desired, paprika, dried or minced fresh onions, whatever. I'm going to try that Epicurious recipe myself (though I'll skip the Limburger, LOL). I love rye and it sounds delicious. I hope you let us know what you decide and how your new recipe turns out. Carol

You have a tremendous advantage in living with this basic layout already, but I'd suggest drawing it carefully to scale anyway. Also, that will help spur thoughts that might be useful on this side. What sort of things will be stored in the non-pullout 24" deep cabinet? Have you given any thought to putting in a window on the stove wall since it's on the exterior? Something low below the cabinets, or high, above? Has DH had the opportunity to fondle soapstone yet? :) BTW, you're showing the same dining space also, so it's safe to assume it's also working very well for you. Do you have a table for two against the wall, or? Is there room to bring in a comfy chair for relaxing and chatting with the cook? I like your idea of bookcases backing the counter. Since books are one of my very favorite mood creators and decorations, I'd do glass doors there.

Sure, the cabinet distance would have to be appropriate to the undercounter appliances kept there. I think though, if your toaster can scorch the bottom of your cabinets when they are the standard height of 18" + above the counter, you've got other problems to worry about :) For what it's worth I covered the entire underside of my cabinets with stainless to better reflect and diffuse the lighting and to make them a bit more heat resistant. This "hutch" is not in a run of cabinets so it can be whatever height the poster needs and it would not throw other areas off. The doors may have to be folding AND pocket in order to retract fully enough. A tambour that opened side to side would be historically accurate, but it would need a bottom track which would catch crumbs and that would be a pain to keep clean. The side styles could be wide enough that each door was under 24" and at least then it would retract past the depth of the fridge, and that would solve that issue. I actually find the water things in most refrigerators really inconvenient. In that regard I think the coffeemaker could end up under one of the cabinets on either side of the sink. This kitchen is large enough and the two seating areas distinct enough in location that there really won't be a single point-of-use for a number of things, but the distances from point A to point B in this house are substantial anyway, so that's ok.