What a lot of great info on this thread! I'm especially happy to read all the posts about gloves, as I've come to realize that I need about 3 different kinds - I got a pair of goatskin gloves (big expense, but WORTH it), some nitrile ones for repotting (easy to clean and they don't get sopping) - and I have a cotton pair of regular gardening gloves for everything else. The latter are not very satisfactory, and I'm always on the lookout for the Perfect Pair. It's gotten to be a bit like looking for the Perfect Swimsuit when I was younger... I got the Felco #6 pruners when I started working at the Sac Cemetery Historical Rose Garden - I have weak hands, and the #6s are much easier for me to work with. For my little garden of potted roses at home, I use the generic pruners that I already had. In fact, I try to keep the Rose Garden tools separate from the stuff I use at home, so I don't inadvertently carry some Bad Things (viruses, rust, etc.) to the Rose Garden (as far as I know, I don't have any of those Bad Things at home, but you never know). I got an L.L. Bean boating tote (very sturdy) to keep my Rose Garden stuff in, and all my at-home stuff stays out on my balcony. It's very convenient. I was kind of aghast at myself when I spent so much money on those Felcos, but I have never regretted it. For my next mission: copying a list of all the great gloves mentioned on this thread and trekking through the nurseries in town on The Great Glove Search! Laura

A story? Well, one of the first things we did was an exercise out of the Not So Big House books: We made a list of the words we want to describe our house. In our case, we had a lot of words about function: Efficient, energy-efficient, good storage. And a lot of words about the "feel" of the house: Cozy, charming, nostalgic, friendly, inviting, light-filled. And words we don't like: Dramatic, modern, impressive, funky, trendy. That's not a story exactly, but it's kind of like setting a goal for how we want the house to work /feel /look. And we're very clear on what we want: A small (1600-1800 sf) house for the two of us after the children are gone, which will be built on our 45 acres of farmland. We want it to be age-friendly and to have all the everyday living spaces on the main level, and we want it all to be easy to clean and low-maintenance. We want every space on the main level to be used every day. We want to have a small upstairs for guests. We want a great outdoor kitchen with ample seating and a small pool. And we want it all to be mortgage-free. That doesn't feel like a story to me; it feels like a goal. Two comments on this thread with which I can really agree: While I believe in electricity, plumbing and even central air...I do love old houses. So while I would never be considered a 'purist' my perfect home would probably be similar to a car build on "Fast and Loud" LOL. I want it to look vintage, I want it to pay homage to vintage....but I want the car to go fast, stop on a dime and have air conditioning :) and I guess our not-yet-finished house's story would be 1920 meets 2014 technology I like the door picture ... but I'd say it's a cottage door leading to a small, picturesque home.

Brompton leather is a pure aniline wax pull up with very little protection. It will show a wear story as it is used VS a protected leather that will not show that story. The waxes move over the surface of the hides as they are rubbed across or scratched. As your body oils work, back into the hide the waxes then again shift around and the color darkens once again. It is a story of the use of the sofa. There are many other companies that offer the same styles that are made in America if that is a concern. Brompton is a very stiff leather. There are other leathers out there with the same type characteristics that have a softer more supple hand just FYI! I hope you don’t mind me getting in on this conversation as I don’t have any of their sofas but I do know leather and hope I have helped some on the wear ability of the leather itself. Leather is tough and can take very active households but everyone just needs to understand that Brompton is not always the best choice for that application unless you don’t mind the difference in colors through the years. Be advised that Brompton should never be placed in direct or indirect sunlight it will fade fast. Understand that Brompton does vary from dye-lot to dye-lot. What you see in a swatch can be several shades different than what you will get. Be sure to request a current cutting for approval before placing your order so you understand and can see the true color of what is available at the time you order. Brompton is not only available at RH. Many other manufactures offer this same leather on their products.

I have a display in my showroom that gives a "standard" 10' x 12'L shaped kitchen with 6 different tiers of pricing for that "same" kitchen. The pricing ranges from $4K to $15K in the same cabinet brand. The differences are all in the selection of the cabinets that go into the layout. The cheapest tier basically gives a corner cabinet, but no lazy susan and only 30" high cabinets with no drawer stacks or anything else "extra" except the skins to finish off the sides and toekick. The highest price tier shows 2 drawer stacks, roll out trays, silverware organizers, 30" cabinets topped with 18" glass cabinets and stacked crown molding, etc. It's the "same" kitchen. And we haven't even gone into the differences that choosing another cabinet brand could bring into the equation. For instance, that same $4K lowest tier "apples to apples" kitchen would cost $6K in one of my other brands----BUT because they include the Blum soft close as standard but the first manufacturer doesn't, it isn't an exact "apples to apples" comparison. My point isn't to confuse anyone further. Really. :) My point is that one of the most important elements in pricing is making a partner of your KD when it comes to budget. We know our cabinet lines, and if you are candid (and realistic) about what you want to spend, we'll bend over backwards to see that you get the most for your money. As an example, a couple came to me and told me that their budget was $6K for cabinets in a medium sized galley kitchen and that they had pretty simple tastes so they thought it was a realistic budget. Initially, I put them in my lower priced line and managed to get their whole list of wants quite easily. However, when one of my higher priced manufacturers began a promotion on some of their door styles, I was able to upgrade this couple with "the same kitchen" to full extension soft close drawers, all butt cabinets (no center stiles, which would have been a bear in the lower priced cabinet line), furniture finished plywood ends (no tricky skins for the DIY installer) and even a desk area the exact size they specified (the lower priced line didn't carry a desk drawer in the size they wanted, so they had to "settle" on a more stock size). They got all of those bonuses plus a better quality cabinet with a better finish for $800 more. That put them at $100 under budget, or over budget by the time the taxes were figured. They were so excited to be getting a much better quality kitchen than they though they could afford that they were willing to dip into their savings for the difference. And the best thing about this kitchen was it is going to WORK well for them, and they even have a integrated spot for their beloved dog's crate. It was a win/win situation, and I was able to fully help them create the kitchen of their dreams on their modest budget because they trusted me with their budget number on the front end. A good KD will be able to guide you into the look you want within your budget (if it's realistic) if you're willing to let the KD work your layout and brands. Unless you want something highly unusual, getting a "dark cherry shaker" kitchen, or a "glazed cream raised panel" kitchen can be accomplished in MANY different lines. It's the skill of the KD and installer that can make a 10K kitchen look like a 100K kitchen, and a 100K kitchen look like 10K worth of Chinese made garbage.