I've never tried what you are suggesting, but, I would blanch them to try and knock down anything they may be carrying (mold/yeast/bacteria) just in case, and I would at least cut them in half. From making beer, I know that while nothing deadly will grow in the bottle due to the alcohol, you can still get some infections that will taste like crap.

So you have the Broan 6" MD6T and you have it unfiltered, unconditioned, and ouputting under the fridge for conditioning purposes? So you are relying on the exhaust heat of the fridge to cool the incoming air? How cold did it get this past winter for you? How cold was that make up air? Detectable at all? Here we had -20 real feel in NY with the wind chill at times. It was brutally cold and cold often. I think I might have to put in a heated MUA. So update on Broan. The lady I spoke to today was completely useless. To make a long story short she had absolutely no idea how to use the Make Up Air Specifier on her site. It was quite pathetic and my impressions of Broan's customer service = suck. I spoke to Dean at Electro Industries at length about all the factors I'm thinking about. We went over two options - one using the MA-10 (10kw all in one 10" heater with damper, blower, filter, and current detector to control blower speed) and the less expensive heater unit EM-WX1025R. The broan MD6T comes with a 24volt 20VA transformer so I could then use the one signal to turn on both the Broan damper and the heater unit. Both options unit can accomodate up to 637cfm in a 50 degree temperature rise. It's a 10kW unit though and would require a 50A or 60A two pole (240V) breaker and its own dedicated lines (of course). I can take care of the electrical so no problem there but man I'm guessing my heating bill (which was astronimical last year) will be more than I can tolerate this year. Temperature Rise Needed/CFM EM-WX1025R 10000 Watts 80/395 70/452 60/527 50/632 40/790 30/1054 MA-10 $1917 + freight EM-WX1025R $800 + freight. I think that should be sufficient - it's better to have 50 degree air coming in than 0 degree air. I'm thinking that maybe I can get away with non-heated air if I can get fresh air to come up that old supply register near the range. The opening is closer than the fireplace but it might work if I put a blower in-line as well.

Restrained Gold is very pretty but where I am it takes on more of a butternut squash/marigold tone (esp in artificial lighting). SW Blonde is a bit lighter and very close to your inspiration photo once it's on the walls; many many posters have used it successfully. Though it's a yellowish tan on the chip, Blonde's more of a muted antique gold sort of shade that will work well with your blue and *should* be ok with your kitchen's warm grey, though of course I'd test it out. I used a local line's color that is pretty much dead-on for Blonde in two places -- office and dark hallway: Just to show you how much it can shift in apppearance, here's a shot I took in the same room at the same time on a late fall day: Normally it's much closer to the way it appears in the hallway and as it looks by the bookshelves, but admittedly full sun or artifical light calls out more of a bright gold tone. Good luck with the hunt -- your place is looking good so far!

Jpmom, you home is gorgeous already! The 12" crown will look perfect with the already tall baseboards. Then add all the other woodwork in, the fireplace mantle, wainscoting, and pillars in the dining room. So pretty! My first reaction was to continue the white painted woodwork. It seems naturally connected to that bar wall from the the LR and DR with the baseboards and wainscoting. Oh and I also love that transom window above the other doorway too! My other thought was that I know from experience how the backsplash tile can completely change colors due to the lighting and what is directly next to it. I would want the two areas in the kitchen with the backsplash to look related. It may look completely different with one being next a window with white cabs and dark counters verses the other being in low natural light with black cabs and white Quartz. I'd definitely wait to decide on what to do with the bar area until the rest of the kitchen is painted white as Romy suggested. I do think it might look great either way, but I'm just one who needs to see it in real life before committing. I am sure either way it is gonna be stunning! ETA.... Could you possibly find a remnant of the Volga blue to fit the bar top if you went with white cabs on the bar? Or possibly just cut the granite and add a dark walnut type wood butcherblock section that reads dark above the wine fridge? Think romy's dark wood top next to the granite? Just a thought....:-)