Wow! My dear son scratched the front edge (two big scratches!) of our stainless steel apron front sink the second day after it was useable, and I have been trying really hard not to be upset every time I see it. After all, he WAS doing the dishes... I am going to have to see if I can find some Barkeeper's Friend around here somewhere-your sink looks brand new again! I wish the sink grid for my sink wasn't so spendy, but I suppose I should just get it ordered.

Ilovered & night owl... we recently installed our Kraus apron sink, and also decided to flush mount it. To me, there were three functional advantages... 1) Front and back of sink are at same level, allowing use of a spanning cutting board, colander or drying rack. 2) Edges of counter are protected. A lot of people complain about chipping of the counter edge with an undermount sink. 3) We're tall, and this raises the sink bottom up by the thickness of the counter. So it's about an inch and a half less of a reach down into the deep sink.

I am another Le Creuset fan. I have a number of DO in different sizes, pots and skillets. I find they are so versatile and easy to clean. I can make deep fried foods, soups, roasts, breads, stews, roast a chicken all in one pot no need for a ton of different pots. I have a neurological condition in my hands and I am able to lift my 7 1/2 qt and my 9 1/2 qt fine when they are full any bigger and I would have problems. I have used them at high heat, low heat, all day in the oven and honestly never had an issue with the knobs. Mine are from the Le Crueset outlet too. I have a couple of regular cast iron skillets but find I prefer enameled cast iron over the non. Maybe I just am not that great at getting the non enameled seasoned right or something but I usually have problems cleaning them or food sticking so enameled works better for me. I honestly could not live with out my Le Crueset and yes they are pricey even with buying them from the outlet but for as long as they last and how versatile they I think they are worth every penny and someday hope to get even more pieces.

I worry that b/c of everything else going on between the two rooms it will be busy. They're not overly big expanses, really, especially being split as they are between the two spaces...and I really do like it. Part of it, I think, is b/c I've always disliked swirly counters, so I'm confused why I like this, so then I second guess myself. At some point the cabinets will all be the same color..but we'll have the brown of the floor, the brown of the trim around the inside of the doorways/windows, white trim around doorways/windows/floor, light blue cabinets, plus my husband wants to build a very large table for the dining area, and he wants to build it, I believe, out of like butcher block and cedar. I can't remember exactly, but it seems like..over the top. I think I need to find out exactly what he plans to do w/the table. I worry the whole thing altogether will be a LOT and I'll need to tone things down w/a lot of white to balance it out. Not sure if that makes sense. What I dislike about the laminate is the exact opposite thing everyone warned me about w/the white--I detest putting something on the counter and hearing the crunch of crumbs. Or putting my hand on it and feeling crumbs. Seeing spills. The things that "blend in" so I set things down and didn't see the water or whatever and now my papers are wet. I'd thought maybe if it were white there would be no excuses. (tho in reality it's probably wishful thinking) The laminate we got from a countertop place that I believe only does laminate, We installed it, and it was pretty inexpensive. I'm not sure what it costs elsewhere, but 11' was less than $300, so I don't think that was too bad. If I did something different, I wouldn't feel horrible about replacing it, but I wouldn't do it right away.