Wow, a lot of posts. As I said in my original reply to Melanie1422, I did a lot of research into this issue when I wrote my series of blogs last year. It is, as I said earlier, too long a discussion to reproduce here, but those who are interested can pursue it at http://cft411.com/2008/03/24/in-the-valley-of-the-blind-one-of-five/ I absolutely do not want to get into any kind of tit for tat discussion, but I did want to reply to the post that found the quote "I talk my customers out of them on the grounds that they're a waste of their money and my time" condescending and arrogant. Cabinetmakers do this sort of thing for a living. Ask for a quote on a remodeled kitchen, and he normally tells you how much per running foot, PLUS an added price for drawers and other extras. One of these extras is Lazy Susans or any other kind of blind corner "solution." Understand, please, that the cabinetmaker is PAID for his time to make that Lazy Susan, but the one I quoted is, I think, essentially correct. Because they add so little to the usable storage space in a kitchen, they may well be considered a waste of a cabinetmaker's time. Certainly, they are a waste of the client's money. Of course, if a client absolutely insists on it, that's what the cabinetmaker makes, and since he is paid for his time, it is not a waste of his time, per se. But do they add to a kitchen? I say no, and say no most reluctantly because they really do look slick. Also, Lazy Susans do not work in every blind corner. In my kitchen, there is a stove on one leg of the blind corner, so all I can do is use the "solutions" intended to access the blind corner from one of the legs. None of those really provides as much storage space as a simple drawer bank. And, believe me, with a kitchen as small as mine, I would kill for a storage solution that really added meaningfully to the total storage space, so it is, as I said, an issue that I researched most thoroughly, especially in view of the fact that my wife really wanted me to do something with that blind corner. Excepting only the very rich, anyone who commissions a new kitchen has a budget, and all of the blind corner "solutions" cost extra, but none of them, as far as I was able to learn, really add much, if anything, to the usable storage space. I really feel that the wisest course of action is to install drawer banks on either leg and use that money for something else in the kitchen. Finally, I will say that these comments apply only to base cabinets. I did see a number of solutions for the blind corners in upper cabinets, almost all of which add a lot to a kitchen, both in ambience and usable storage space. And they do so at a much more reasonable price. Just my opinion, of course. Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information

Kiki2013 -- it depends on the faucet you pick. You are cutting it close but you should make it. You need to measure it yourself to make sure. We did 3.25" from countertop front edge to front of sink, which was what the fabricator said was minimum. Our sink is slightly curved, so 3.25" was only at center -- slightly more as you move out to each side. If you use 3.5", assuming zero reveal and if you have standard counter depth with 1.5" overhang, that would leave you with 4.25" (25.5" - (17.75" + 3.5")) left to the back wall, minus the width of your backsplash. Make sure you are using the right sink measurements. You want the sink inside width, not the exterior measurement (e.g. measure what is visible when you go from front to bank). If you have a positive reveal, add the reveal amount twice (once for front and once for back) to the measurement. I have the Blanco Culina -- I have 1.5" from back of sink to the front of the faucet, the faucet is 1.75" width, and the width of my backsplash is 0.5". That is 3.75". You would want more than 0.5" from the back of the faucet to your backsplash. In our case, we have a window sill behind the sink with a 0.75" overhang beyond the backsplash, so we extended our countertops by 0.75" (to 26.25"). Everything fit in our case but with very little room to spare. You should pick a faucet where the handle doesn't pull back behind the faucet, which could cause your hand to hit the back wall. This post was edited by calumin on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 0:16

Oops, so sorry CC! I'd also like to add that having your surfaces seamless, sleek, impermeable to stains, maybe super hard surfaces. I'd go for stainless steel in some areas. In fact, that is what the cooking side of my kitchen will have for countertops. I also think that a super strong stove vent in the kitchen will help keep the particles of atomized cooking steam from making a gooey mess on your surfaces in there. A good mudroom well placed to match the way your family and guests live and enter the house. If someone mud wrestles, I'd put an outdoor shower off the deck, or maybe just inside the family entry. Having folks take off their shoes as they enter is another good habit to REQUIRE. I won't say ENCOURAGE. Flat REQUIRE it. If their clothing is equally soiled, have a place for them to strip in the mudroom, with the laundry right there. If dirt doesn't get any further into the house, you'll manage to contain it. Another thing I'd say is to bring your groceries through that door as well, and unbag them there, maybe have a way to sort them at a folding table in the laundry. If you buy in bulk, placing a freezer in this home service area would be great. I think our buddy Lavender Lass has designed her farmhouse redo to have the real home working area by the back entry. Perhaps have your recycling area included here. Trash control is another item to work into your plan. I personally do not like a garbage disposal, because I compost my organic stuff. But having a garbage disposal at your prep sink (if you are planning one) would keep it out of the main kitchen sink area. I think they are dangerous, and complicate using the main sink. And I do not have nor plan to have a prep OR bar sink. Other than training the folks who live in your house to pick up and put up, I've about exhausted my ideas on this. Oh yes. And NO SMOKING in the house. You'd be surprised what nicotine does to even fabric, much less painted surfaces. That's it. Maybe someone else can come up with other ideas. :)

We will have a slide in gas range with a copper wall hood above. I like the idea of a recessed shelf in the wall behind the range and also like murals. I'm undecided about a mural(It would be in the recessed shelf). I also want a very easy to clean backsplash behind the range. If I do a mural on the wall inside the recessed shelf, that would probably be far enough back not to get anything on it, but inside the shelf, around the mural, and the wall around the outside of the recessed shelf absolutely need to be easy to clean. I hate grout! Our style is very rustic. We just had darker brown/rust color quartzite countertops installed. I tried to find photos of recessed shelves with something other than tile, but all the recessed shelves I've seen are completely tile. Very pretty, but hard to clean(especially the grout) and I guarantee I will splash on it! I have the quartzite on the wall and up on the windowsill behind the sink and am thinking of possibly a tumbled stone without grout for the splash everywhere else. Any suggestions? Photos? Thanks!