jacksopcam, Having lived with copper sinks for several years and a lot of friends of mine have them as well, my comments: 1) Yes, a thicker 14 gauge sink makes a BIG difference. I've seen them in the thinner 16 gauge and they dent fairly easily. I have a friend who bought a thinner gauge sink on Ebay and ended up returning it and buying the thicker gauge sink. When I was looking it came down to two companies selling the thicker 14 gauge sinks - Copper Sinks Online and Linkasink. Since Linkasink was sold through showrooms, they were 30% - 40% higher (they have to make a profit too). If you are willing to spend the money on one of these beautiful sinks, buy wisely. 2) Rachiele can make a claim that they sell the only "maintenance free" copper sink, but they make a lot of claims... Copper is copper (unless you buy a copper sink made in China or India - then who knows that is mixed in with the copper...). 3) We do not wipe our sink out - ever. ...we just let it do it's thing. The patina will change slightly over time and sometimes we leave something in it that lightens up the patina in spots - but it always darkens again (like a penny) and we love the rustic nature. We simply clean with soap and water and about once a month we wax it with the stuff we got from Copper Sinks Online. If you pour something really acidic down the sink - just rince it out with water. 4) It is easy to try and price shop copper sinks and think that by buying that $800 sink from the Ebay dealer you are saving money. These sinks have big quality differences between them. Remember, these are crafted by a copper artisan. I was told it takes almost a full day for a craftsman to make one kitchen sink! As with any artisans, there are good ones and not so good ones. What I liked about the company we bought from is that they seem to be one of the largest out there and have been around the longest. They have their own artisans making their sinks. If there is an issue with quality - you just return it. 5) Several Ebay dealers try to mask this, but they are selling out of Mexico. If you want to return the sink, you could be in for some major hassles. To me, it is best to deal with a company that has offices and a warehouse in the USA IMHO. I can't find the posts in the archives (a lot of history was wiped out on this site), but about a year ago there were at least 6 - 7 folks that chimed in one thread about how they loved their copper sinks and there was a big discussion about where to buy, thickness, etc. Bottom line is that every person I've spoken with or who has posted on this site that has bought from Copper Sinks Online has been very happy not only with the company but their products. Hope this info helps.

beachem, I think your friend's sinks are too small. 24" sounds more like a desirable/large prep sink size than a main cleanup sink. I'm planning on a 33" cleanup sink--I had 30" in my previous home and want to go just a bit bigger (and a farmhouse sink) For the prep sink, I measured the double sink I currently have (and hate). Each half is just over 15" and is certainly big enough to wash veggies, wash hands, measure water out for a recipe... I find 15" a bit cramped, so, I'm planning an 18"-24" prep sink (exact dimensions to be determined--we're getting really close on a final floor plan so I'll have dimensions and can make detailed decisions.

My personal preference is the 1st layout. First for the wall oven. If you cook/bake much then having two ovens, especially gas in the range and electric in the wall, is really really nice. The oven stack can also include a warming drawer and a MW or CSO. Second, for us there'd be no benefit in the second layout. With our layout similar to your first we grab stuff out of the frig and put it on the island as a primary landing zone. From there stuff gets prepped and off to the range or ovens. Then often back to the island for plating or in to a warming drawer. BTW, I'd ignore the work triangle. Great bit of marketing but of little practical benefit. Third, I think a range and hood look better aesthetically when looking from the informal dining. Lighting looks much better. I'd move the two over the sink closer together and ideally over the outside edges of the sink to eliminate shadows in the bowls.

Stacy, I have the Akurum line which had the split top drawer standard. It can be done by mounting a divider to attach the rails to. That is how I do the individual trash pullouts under the sink (see the under sink photo I posted earlier) . I dont necessarily think split drawers are an advantage because you lose about 3 1/2” storage. I like the off-white Bodbyn. It’s not yellow in my kitchen which does have warm lighting @ 3000K and lots of wood which causes it to photograph with a yellowish cast. Look back at my daughter’s kitchen to see how the Bodbyn looks next to bright white subway tile. She has warm lighting too. Also, Ikea has a new door, Akstad that is bright white. Hope you find something you like.