I paid a ridiculously high amount of money for mine (in my opinion--I think they were $17 each, which is probably not high at all for some kitchens, but really for me it was unnecessary). It was one of my last decisions and I just allowed my sense and budget-mindedness to get overwhelmed. Now I know better how to deal with those things, because of experience. But any way, I got these supposedly high-end pulls, guaranteed for life finishes---which tarnished within 6 months! The kitchen design place I worked with replaced them all in a similar color but with a different finish, so there is a happy ending. But I've since looked around and realized that there are a lot of options that would have satisfied me. I did get a size I'm comfortable with that looks proportionate to me, so if I ever want to I can replace them in another color or finish. So, I guess if I had to do it again I'd look on pulls as I look at paint--a relatively easy thing to change, even if you don't necessarily want to do it very often. Though at the time of course it felt like the most important decision in the world!

bodica, Very good advice. It is hard to remember to pause and enjoy the experience. I assume we will never do this again. This is supposed to the the "forever" house. :) Days when we make a lot of progress, we are on cloud nine. Days when we don't it hits us hard, but, we will get there and I know it will all be worth it. Analogous to having a baby... sdionnemoore, I love talking to people who are at the same point as us. I really love the SW Blonde strip and all the colors on it. Please post pictures as your paint goes up! I'd love to see them. Humble gold will be the main color in our house, but there are a lot of different colors as well. Here is a link to our blog if you are at all interested in seeing some of them. Good luck with your painting also! Jaymie

I think you are probably wise to go with your lesser choice and have the sink in the island. You loved the island plan and it had the sink there. Anyway, you are so much closer to the look you'd hoped for than when you first posted the plan with the bilevel peninsula. I tried to draw things out. I'm not sure how you want to move the fridge and how large you envision the pantry. So here's just an attempt in which I tried something a little different, because if you want a hutch looking piece I'm afraid it has to be wider than you have? I might have some of the measurements off from what you plan for that wall. Also, if you want the sink centered in the island you will have to have 2 ft on each side, which squeezes your dining area. Maybe you didn't plan it centered, though. I have it centered in this plan and you can see how it affects the length of the kitchen to see what you think.

Wiz... I'm expoloring other wood species. My very first, and extremely long-running choice was maple. But that was when I thought I wanted just natural with a clear-coat. Now that I want a light gray stain, I'm visiting the thought of a different species. I only showed white oak as it was the only picture example out there that gave me a starting reference point as to stain color. I prefer a tighter, less intrusive grain pattern...which unless I get a really high-grade oak, I will have the potential of knots, etc. I woke up this morning to the brilliant thought (about your cabinets and wood grain pattern) that some of the extremely high-end 'Italian' kitchens being touted right now show a horizontal grain design. As we all know that the Italians are masters of design, you are keeping good company. : ) ~ Merillat shows a kitchen where some of the grain goes horizontal...which now looking at the pic from a slightly different perspective, I think it would have looked fab with the door grain running the same. ~ Sochi used horizontal grain on her cabinets with superb results. A link is below. And in closing....my granite has a distinct horizontal (to the slab dimensions) pattern that I think would be fabulous being reinforced with a horizontal wood grain. Now see what you've done to me!!!!! : D Pepper ~ Now having another new set of thinky thoughts. ps. Is the addition of blue in your stain formula a distinct color element or was it added to offset the yellow tones of the wood? Here is a link that might be useful: Sochi's Kitchen pics