We demolished a +15 y/o kitchen (IKEA) with Blum hardware in my parents' house and everything including the hardware was in perfect working condition. My own kitchen is over 7 years old and no problem with the Blum hardware. Honestly this is such a quality product that I think that any problem may come from a bad installation and/or some debris/dust trapped in the glides. Another possibility may be that the wood/plywood/particle board bottom of your drawer is warped because some moisture got there, this would impede the glides to work properly. Blum states that their glides are rated for 100,000 opening/closing cycles. This post was edited by barthelemy on Mon, Jun 10, 13 at 16:55

There is nothing wrong with the granite. I have been specifying all types of granites for clients for well over ten years and I have NEVER heard that St. Cecilia is vulnerable - any more than other granites out there. Go to a website - SCI....which is Stone Care International. There you will find sealers, cleaners, disinfectants, etc. for your stone. You want to make sure you seal the granite thoroughly and then do not clean it with anything other than what the sealing company recommends. They are not going to tell you to use Windex or Clorax Clean Up because it eats the sealer out of the stone. In addition, SCI also has a complete line of poltice. If you do get a stain in the stone you can mix this white powder poltice and put onto the stain and take it out. Fabulous product, use it all the time. In my home and use it for clients all the time. Hope this helps. tedebear....Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer & General Contractor

I am in the same camp as @Chris Hunter because I don't know how I could operate with only one large bowl. I think there are several problems with these oft repeated blanket statements that a single large bowl is always better than a double bowl. 1. There are other options than everyone's stereotype of an equally divided double bowl with small sinks on both sides. There are 60/40 or 70/30 sinks. 2. There is the option of getting a low divide. 3. Not everyone has the luxury of having an additional prep sink. Everyone always discusses nothing more than how to wash and where to dry. This is not the only use for a sink. How does one accomplish soaking a dirty pot, draining a pot of pasta, having some water to wipe down a stovetop, washing grimy produce, rinsing fish filets, and washing hands all at the same time with only a one bowl sink and one drain?

krabbypatty: Glad you're finding that your plan is workable. We do like our kitchen--we spent $ on the "infrastructure" in order to get the space--a high priority. A goal was to not have to say "excuse me" in my own kitchen. Each of the vital areas--sinks, breadboards (cutting boards, range--have two exits from them so that no one is trapped there, with the possible exception of the most used cutting board/breadboard which is in the crotch of the peninsula side of the U. The "sandwich station" pullout next to the refrigerator has proved to be a really wise idea. There we cut tomatoes, butter toast, open and cut cheese, pour milk into cereal, serve ice cream, plunk grocery bags. We're really enjoying the freedom to spread out. The dehydrator's been resident on the countertop for 2 months yet we still could do other activities. (It goes into storage pretty soon, as soon as storage closet gets shelves and a door.) Recently two couples joined us for dinner. I went to one corner and zoomed up some blender salad dressing. Went to another corner and pulled out materials for popovers and heaved them into the oven. Two women and I all messed with veg peeling and cutting on the peninsula and built two casseroles and a salad. DH puttered around with two marinated Alaskan salmon and headed to the grill on the deck and bothered no one. Various adult beverages were served in appropriate glasses at the top of the G and yet I could continue working and orchestrating, uninterrupted. Used dishes began to pile up but it didn't matter. Our flatware box was open and ready on the peninsula all through the dining room meal and was consulted twice. Afterwards,well meaning helpers began messing with the dishwasher and I didn't care. __ Drake the Lab claims to run the place. We've developed a new command: "lobby!"so he will leave the G and go to the very spacious T between the two corridor halls and take his blinkin' dog chews or whatever with him. He loves to carry about wood hunks or plastic pop bottles. Also a nested pair of large black plastic flower pots, one inside the other, a clumsy toy that has survived for 3 months without being torn apart. Needless to say, I'm concerned for the future of the oak floor, but hey, DH chose it and he installed it and Drake is HIS dog. Buehl: Not sure if I've ever seen your kitchen. Thanks for the photos and the description of the scouts in the kitchen. That brings back fond memories. Good of you to work with these kids. Many children today don't much exposure to real cooking. Or proper understanding of eating with others. Sounds like your well-planned islandless kitchen is up to all kinds of adventures.