Thanks everyone for your replies! I think once we have all the cabinets and counters installed, we will buy a framed mirror and put it up to see how it looks (thanks for the advice sweeby). I was in a mirror store and the lady pointed me to a bronze finish mirror which she said people put up in wet bars. It has a smokeyish brownish tint, and seems to reduce the glare. Not sure if this will work with the colors we have chosen for the bar though....(Aristokraft sasparilla and cambria aragon countertops...stainless hardware and appliances. lesleyintn...I would LOVE to see pictures of your mirrored wet bar!

Sochi- I KNOW the old saying of: "If could-haves, would-haves, should-haves, if's and but's were CHIPS AND NUTS... the whole WORLD would NEVER STARVE" applies here, and I don't want to get a sore foot from kicking a dead horse..... but......... first of all - your fabricators should have used 2 slabs for the project to have gotten a showpiece result. Yes I know that Quartzite is more expensive per square foot that many other Granites - but the extra cost would have been worth it for the end result that you now do NOT have.... as far as seams go - from your description - IMHO your fabricator is a rank amateur.. Seams can be made to have NO GAP between the two halves of the stone - I TEACH this technique for cryin out loud!!!! IT CAN BE DONE BY HAND!!!! A "dual seam" at the cooktop - one at the left side and one at the right side - both front and back - might have stretched the stone to the right - (looking at the counters facing your cooktop) enough to have given you enough stone to have gotten the overhang dimension so you didn't have to do the walnut thingy (which is going to show wear WAY faster than the stone would have) A guy with more "pro level" experience would have "floated" that idea BEFORE fabrication started. This guy did not - which tells me he does NOT have a lot of jobs under his belt, or, he was clearly distracted by other things that held his attention more.. Did you have Boxerpups on the project ? - maybe he was captivated by her good taste and just couldn't focus on your counters, but then - IF Boxerpups would have been your designer - this clearly would NOT have happened...HA!!! Seriously - your fabricator is not up to a re-do if this is his "best effort" "coming out of the chute" - Tell me you have not paid in full for the job... IF you get another slab - I would look for a new Fabricator (with a Capitol "F") that CAN handle a project like this. Quartzite is NOT the easiest material to work - it is way harder that many Granites and can be frustrating for guys to hone and poilsh, but it can be done - you need to have a real "PRO" do the "re-do" - not a beginner..... hth kevin

The two stools positions between the island and the bar? Right now, the spacing is exactly 36" -not enough room to get by when a person is actually seated, but less use the bar. If your bar cabs can be 21" deep, the aisle (at 39") is still short of the 44-48" that would be recommended. The one closest to the ovens is probably the most problematic. Is it possible to extend and round the end of the island and fit two stools there?

Wish I did have a picture. That would mean the cabinets were actually IN instead of still in my dreams and the cabinet makers workshop. The counter is 36" high...standard counter, not bar height...and it is 6 feet long. I'm a little worried about stools not snugging far enough in too, but I keep checking where my seat is at various tables/counters and it always seems to leave enough room for the step. But somehow I can't shake this picture of a basement rec-room bar with grungy carpet on the floor and covering a step for a footrest at the bar. I just can't picture how to make it look purposeful and attractive and I can't find any pictures of anything like it.