Whoa Nellie!!!!! Someone told you to stay away from Marble? Shame on them! First off Marble has been around for 1000s of years. Octavia herself had marble surrounding her when she put on her makeup. Some of the greatest chefs who roamed the planet cooked on Marble. Being Italian I have to say Marble is the way to go. And Greeks, Italinos and NYC cooks can all agree that rolling out dough on a marble surface is a dream. Yes, Marble etches. Yes, Marble can stain and Yes Marble has a reputation for being sensitive. But Marble is BEAUTIFUL. And Marble is not as difficult to care for as most people believe. It can be cleaned with Bleach. Yes, good ole fashioned bleach. I do not mean Comet or one of those powder bleaches. They can scratch. Every 5-10 years have it re-honed or treated by a stone expert. They can buff to perfection. And of course Seal your marble every 6 months. You would have to thie with Blue or Emerald Pearl granite. And you really can't bleach your granite. That could create some ugly whitish looking marks. In a bathroom bleach is a great cleaner and even better with MARBLE. How to clean Marble from E-How http://www.ehow.com/how_4870687_clean-marble.html ".....One of the best cleaners you can use on your cultured marble is a bleach water solution. Use a 2/1 ratio of bleach and water to clean your cultured marble. Spray the surface with this solution and wipe with a soft cloth. Always keep the cultured marble wet while working on it. To fill fine scratches and restore shine, try a small amount of car/appliance wax, or silicone sealer...." Okay lets look at Marble for your bathroom. I really think you need to reconsider Marble for your bathroom. Ask the gang over in Kitchens. There are many who love their Marble. And some of these folks use vinegar, lemon, tomato sauce and olive oil which we all know can stain it. These are all from Decorpad... Park Hyatt Sydney Marble Carrera thid Old House Siegrist After NOW. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK below at how beautiful marble would be with your auburn stain. Sorry I sound pushy, I just can help but think you want Marble and the entire Pearl search was because you were accidentally misguided. If I am wrong. Please forgive me. At least you have had fun thinking about options. ~boxer Marble Statuario Venato Calcutta Gold ( a few streaks to go with the Auburn stain) Carrera Marble Venatino Marble Here is a link that might be useful: Why NOT do Marble?

You guys are all so nice (what would I do without GW through this past 2+ years?) and yes, DH is quite relieved both that he doesn't have to spend a day or two on the floor leveling cabs and also that he didn't royally mess it all up. Course, I told him he's not fired now and I think he was looking forward to some time off, haha, too bad baby! So, we have 3 more cabs to be installed this Wed. and the trim guy is coming this week also... I'm hoping to be able to post the reveal purty soon. The guy building the cabs is going in for surgery this Wed. so he'll be out of commission until May and I'm not sure he got the pantry door finished, so if not, I almost feel like I have to wait for that to be completed before the reveal, ugh.... he said he'd try so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he got to it today. But closer and closer!

Wow. Thanks everyone! I am in a bit of trouble I think because the cabinet color is DONE - he is already spraying the White Dove - which is a warm white but that is good - there will be so much cabinet on view in my small kitchen and I don't want it to be cool - too sterile. The backsplash is ordered and paid for but I don't think it is in yet - could probably stop it. The question posed is dead on - what is my first love? I thought it was the white countertops but I am becoming obsessed with those long (2X9) Carrerra tiles. It is different and little updated from the same old thing. We live in a historic part of LA and the renovated houses in our area all pretty much have the same kitchen- very traditional - marble or granite counters with white or colored backsplash. I was jazzed to do something a bit different. My style with this house has been about using traditional materials but with an unexpected element. The tiles are perfect in that sense - and will elongate the small boxy kitchen a bit - and I have planned to do one whole wall in tile (the one with my hood). Clearly I can't have a counter that fights the wall... I chose the Carrerra for backsplash because I want the blue/grey tones so - while I love the Calcutta as a solution - I'm not sure it is the look I want. Perhaps I should go back to the tile store and look again. Oh, I really need to get back to my former life. This is such a nightmare!!! I so want the Blizzard to be OK - I went back to look at Ceasarstone samples today - it just looks too warm to me with the Carrera...my designer said it is same as mixing carrera top with white subway but I disagree because there are so many colors of subway. I could MAYBE do the concrete ceasarstone color but then am I in trouble with the cabinets? UGH!! My designer is saying let the tile come in and then we can pick the right countertop - but am I already dead in the water with warm cabinets and cool backsplash?

@rantontoo - Blocking this window doesn't violate any NYC code that I am aware of. Given that the apt is on the 14th floor and the windows start 25 inches from the floor and are 6 feet tall, blocking that window actually gives a feeling of safety. I am amazed that NYC allows a window like that to fully open. @nosoccermom - Your first pic is exactly what I was considering. The window area is very recessed. I don't have the measurements but the building required additional wall build out to provide additional wall insulation. The window is probably recessed 4 " plus probably another 2" for insulation