In our old house, we had to have a narrow aisle if we were to have an island at all. It turned out GREAT -- we loved the convenience of being able to pivot between stove and sink (especially with a heavy pot) and reach both easily, or to toss a dirty utensil into the sink without leaving the stove. Good safety factor, too. And we were surprised at how rarely anyone had to wait a moment, go around the island, or say "excuse me" to get through -- and it wasn't a big deal when it happened. When we moved and redid the big, square kitchen in our new house, there was LOTS of room for a big island and a big aisle, and in terms of proportion and balance, we probably should have had an EXTRA-wide aisle. But we didn't -- we made a narrowish one again. It just works so much better for us. I have read that a galley kitchen is the most efficient and ergonomic layout, and in fact that's the real reason I think islands are so useful; they sort of mimic a galley configuration to give the best of both worlds. If you are large people and are often in the same space at the same time, you might find a wider aisle convenient. But for almost everything else, I think the narrower, the better (obviously, you need clearance for appliance doors, but I don't think anyone is going to let you get THAT narrow). Remember that even if more than one person cooks in your home, you need to consider how often they do so AT THE SAME TIME. Few layouts are optimal for both one-cook and two-cook situations. We both cook, but rarely at the same time. Also, cooking is not the only thing you need to consider: how often is more than one person cleaning up? Unloading the dw? Unloading groceries? Carrying a big pasta pot across to the sink? I know I'm a broken record about this, but as much fun as it is to think about big dinner parties and holidays, and as much as designers try to get you plan your kitchen around them (well, of course -- then you're more likely to splurge on high-end and decorative items), it is much smarter to plan your layout around those ordinary tasks you do every single day. Not only is it more convenient, it will save your back and legs, as well as spills.

You are getting lots of good advice especially from kellyeng, teacats and egbar. I had a fabulous realtor couple when selling my last home. We interviewed 3 full-time (don't go w/ a part-timer) experienced (at least 5yrs) real estate teams (2-3 people so you're covered ) who were good sellers in the area and who seemed to have good marketing skills. One team clearly was not up to par and we selected the best. They hired a pro photographer and paid for a stager to come in after we had things clean and decluttered and somewhat staged. I wrote, or tweeked, quite a bit of copy and made a sheet listing highlights of the property and recent improvements. That was well received by our realtor (who shared the goal of selling) and buyers. The realtor did a great job of marketing to other realtors and managing showings, feedback, offers, etc. We sold fairly quickly in a tough market. I have also sold 2 homes in more rural areas w/o a realtor but working with an experienced real estate attorney who provided me with appropriate forms for disclosure, offers, etc. Of course, I did all of the marketing. One was sold to a neighbors sister after we had an open house (not common in the area). They were not even looking to buy a house! I would expect your agent to do an open for agents and another general one shortly after listing even if it's not customary. I also made sure the house was presented well -- better than the norm. Clean, decluttered, and simple repairs and staging done. It sounds like that is what you have done and it should make your home sell quicker. But there is a time to say "enough" and get it on the market. It sounds like you are at that point. Good luck. Choose the best of the lot, don't sign a long listing so they will have to continue to earn your business, work with the agent on getting marketing set up then let them do their thing.. Mutual respect will go a long way to achieving the end you both want--a sold house.

My husband wanted to put up this ugly reproduction of a horse race painting that he found at a garage sale, I told him "give me a week, I'll find something better online!" I wanted a modern look, some realisitc photography, but I didn't want black and white because we have so many b&w prints in the house already. I finally bought a color print of a park scene (some park in NYC, I'm not sure which) at a web site called Brooklyn Prints. Every mantle is different, of course; I had just enough space to put up a 16x20 print in a wood frame. Our fireplace is for decoration only, so we didn't have to worry about heat damage to the frame or the print, but it is something to think about too. Here is a link that might be useful: Brooklyn Prints

but it seems like the memory is often in much better condition than the toys actually were. This is so true! I nearly "lost" a wonderful memory because of this. When I was a little girl, I helped with a skit as an ending to a performance by a barbershop quarter of high school boys (my dad as a drama coach, and helped them with it--I was the "love interest" at the end of "What Ain't We Got, We Ain't Got Dames"--not something you'd make jokes about now, though. I was a little bit in love with all of them, but especially curt. (I was, oh, 6.) After the contest was over, the boys got together and bought me a purple bunny with yellow satin lining in his ears, and Curt (swoon!) brought it for me. I LOVED that bunny. Loved it. Slept with it, carried it everywhere. Kept it around as I got older. At some point he ended up in a box in the attic. And when I was a young adult, out on my own, my mom & dad sent me all my stuff from the attic, including my stuffed animals. They were really in a sorry state--misshapen, coarse, and dirty. Their present-day reality pretty much overwrote my wonderful memories of them from when they were lovely (or, loved and their misshapenness completely invisible because of it). I have a few things I treasure: -the license plate w/ my unusual first name that my grandparents had custom-made for me -the cloth doll that "my little old lady down the block" gave to me, and I used to create a room design that won a red ribbon at the Iowa State Fair. -the "Night Before Christmas" book that I was given as a kid, and read from every Christmas -the printed velvet vest that my mom made for me (part of a set, but I accidentally ruined the skirt); I could wear it up until relatively recently.