side note to Lynn - I was on the dating scene not too long ago so I know what that's like (after my ex suddenly left me). People show what they're made of over time, so be very patient as you get to know them. Be yourself and don't be afraid to turn off people who aren't a good fit. Few people these days are capable of commitment because our society promotes a "shopping"/disposable mentality when it comes to relationships. Commitment comes from deep within and you have to know a person's character and past to know whether they are capable of that. You can see that in how they've handled past relationships, friendships, jobs, and business arrangements. My current husband and I found one another through non-dating channels. Because it was long distance we had a chance to get to know one another deeply with no pressure or expectations. I'm a lucky woman. I can tell you that having a partner to "help with decisions" isn't always convenient though ;) . Handy-ness can go either way too. I haven't had a sink or range or dishwasher for three days now because dh is too busy with work to hook everything up. When you aren't handy and don't have a handy spouse you just hire someone and get-er-done :) .

macfrodge- long, low window backsplash - that sounds amazing! Don't suppose you have any pictures to share? And a Karbon too - I have a feeling I'm going to love your kitchen. Just had a friend over tonight about to buy a Karbon, they were test driving mine. Apparently Preston Hardware carries them now - no one had them in Ottawa last fall when I was buying, I had to rely on the recommendations of the garden web folks. They didn't steer me wrong. Do you love yours? Re: the bianca, you sound very patience, a virtue I'm sadly not known for - but I'm sure your MDF is spectacular in the meantime. Have you considered marble? rococo - I've always loved catmom's kitchen and been tempted by her backsplash. My fear of a "too sleek" kitchen is probably silly. I'll get some samples. Glad to hear that you're a backsplash junkie - I'll call on your help! I'll probably re-post next week with my updated mostly finished (save backsplash and island) kitchen and see what people think. Thanks again. firsthouse - still no decision - so embarrassing! I wanted to live with nothing for a few months and see how I felt about the space. I think I need more than nothing, but probably not the fabulous patterned tiles I was originally considering. Summer has me spending more time in the garden than the kitchen, but I really want to figure out the backsplash over the next month or so. Fingers crossed.

Food for thought.... I don't like sitting to eat where there is a large cooktop. When you put the cooktop on the island, it is not as functional as an eating place. You need to decide what is more important; eating or cooking. If eating on the island is more important, then I would move the cooktop to where the ref/frig is and the island is freed for eating. I simply don't think your pass through looks good enough in your kitchen. It really looks like a hole cut out on the wall because the house design was not good enough. i am sorry.... Do you really need this? Can you live without? How does it look in the DR? Does it look like a hole on the wall in the DR? These things never look very good, IMHO. Most pass throughs scream out "I was an afterthought because the initial design was so bad..." Sometimes, a well placed door looks way better than a pass through. I am being blunt. But you have not started yet so this is the time. Can you spend a little more money and make it a peninsula or completely open up? Yes, they are expensive but if you are putting in Thermador columns, you have a pretty big budget. The walnut trim around white on Sochi's kitchen is what give that kitchen the pop, the character and style. It is one of the elements that makes it work so well!

Weird - I didn't even notice that the number of pictures went way down. It's very good information for anyone doing a reveal thread who enjoys before/after pictures. All the pics are copyright (me), not anyone's site. With the laundry room we're caught between a rock and a hard place. It's in the garage right now, a long trek from anywhere and it's complicated but there are water/drain/dryer vent issues that cannot be reconciled at that location. To move the washer/dryer to the area with three bedrooms we would completely lose a bedroom or bathroom. We no longer plan on having it directly off the master bedroom, however by process of elimination it will either be off the master bathroom or (large) master closet. Luckily both areas are ideal in terms of utilities/venting and where laundry is generated, and they're reasonably easy to access from the other three bedrooms. Wish we could have a dedicated laundry room but the floorplan of the house pretty much eliminates that possibility.