Hello! There's a very slight possibility that I might finally be able to get the granite counters I've wanted since I did my remodel in 2004/2005. The only way I can justify getting them is if I choose a granite that is on the lower end of the price range. So...did anyone choose a lower-priced granite, and if so, can you share experiences/prices/pictures? Thanks! I am not looking to change anything in the kitchen except the countertops. I will keep everything (paint color, cabinets, backsplash, appliances) the same. This is just a possibility, not a guarantee, but I want to prepare myself for the cost before even considering it. The edge I would want would be nothing fancy, just not squared off. I would like something curved so that my little ones won't get really hurt if they run into them. And if the price is too much, I'm pretty happy with the laminate I have. Just wanted some opinions! Thanks!

Way to many variables to answer, even if there was a question.

Demifloyd, your curtains look to be at least two widths of fabric (54" x 2), so the curtains fishfacenj is considering will not be nearly as full as yours'. Personally, I would not buy anything already made up from Calico Corners. The husband and wife in Florida who made a houseful of curtains, slipcovers, bedding, etc. for us do quite a bit of contract work for CC---they do not, contrary to popular belief---have their "own" workroom. They job it out to different workrooms and individuals and the quality varies greatly. This couple told me the markup on the CC work and it was almost DOUBLE what they charged me as a retail customer. A good friend purchased a loveseat from Calico Corners, to be covered with material she purchased at CC. They required her to buy 25 yards of 54" width fabric (that is half a bolt!), and charged $2500 for the sofa/upholstery in addition to the fabric. There is NO way this item could have used more than 12 yards of fabric according to any guidelines for matching stripes, etc., and her fabric wasn't even a matched print. When the sofa was delivered there was no leftover material, as there should have been. The loveseat was well-made, but was certainly not in the $3500 league... she could have bought something much nicer for that price (fabrication + material). I don't know where you live, presumably in New Jersey, but I would not purchase anything from Calico Corners unless you simply LOVE the curtains and have to have them. I would also raise an eyebrow at the decorator's suggestion that she haggle with a retail establishment on your behalf.... that doesn't sound right, as the designers I have known and worked with normally would not deal with a CC-type place, anyway, Remember also that you will have to buy the drapery hardware (poles, brackets, etc.) and pay an installation fee in addition to the cost. If they aren't exactly what you wanted, I would pass and do something custom on your own. If you do want them, look them over very carefully, as the original customer may have found a flaw in the material, they may hang unevenly, etc. Ideally, silk curtains should be lined with baby flannel and interlined, and should be weighted evenly along the hem. Once you've bought something like this there is generally no return or redress. CC requires a deposit on custom work, which is usually hefty enough that people don't simply forget to pick them up.

Ricksample, you bring up an interesting point. Interior design is like any other consumer goods and services. There are differing levels of craftsmanship, materials, customization, and service; and different price points for each. Think of it the way you think of buying a house, a car, and your clothes. Some of us are happiest with a streamlined condominium or a simpler house on a smaller lot in a particular city or neighborhood that we're relaxed and comfortable in. Others of us feel most at home with a larger lot, a more complicated or intricate or historic structure, and a more precise or specific level of architectural design, construction, materials, and finish. Somewhere between, say, $200,000 and $2 million is the right place for most of us. I would venture to guess that the participants in this forum drive anything from a VW beetle or a six-year-old family van with stray Cheerios under the seat to a pristine BMW 7-series, and there might be a Maserati or a Roller in here somewhere. As to our clothes, well, you get the idea. The thing that is so lovely about this forum, in my view, is that there is a polite and welcoming place for every level of taste, every style of living, and every point of price and comfort. Now and then a whiff of snottiness or defensiveness creeps in, and then we ease each other over it. So it's not reasonable to say to people who can't live happily with drapery that isn't custom to the room and the windows, exquisitely made from gorgeous fabric with beautiful hand and drape, lined and interlined, hand finished, and professionally installed, "Shoot, if these perfectly nice stock panels from China aren't good enough for you, you're a snob and an idiot." Likewise, it's wrong to say, "If you're willing to settle for those plain Jane things from a common national retailer that I wouldn't have in my house, you must not have good taste or care about your home." Every now and then, we just can't resist taking a swipe at the extremes of extravagance and crimes of bad design, but that's what keeps it interesting, and that's how we all learn. I shut up now.