I don't know about marble, but I once had a kitchen floor in black-and-white linoleum squares. It looked fabulous ... for about five minutes. It was a major pain to keep the white squares clean. EVERYTHING showed, every piece of dirt and lint and dust. I soon grew to hate it. I think black-and-white floors are one of those things that designers love because they look great in photos... but the designers never have to actually LIVE with them. Hope this helps.

"Vision" is a kind way to put it Igloo! There was something about the house that pulled us in when we saw it, despite the total lack of curb appeal and the hideous kitchen, bathrooms, living areas, garden, etc etc. Flyleft, yes, wine above the fridge (required to give us the "vision"). I know its not the best place to store it, but we're not talking long-term storage here! The wine fridge has "good" wine (1 bottle of) and a couple of beer bottles but is mostly full of Pellegrino water. Your DD is getting a very thorough education in "Advanced Remodeling", she will be ready to graduate soon ;) Soigne, we got the L-brackets at Lowes. i think they were in the hardware area (not the shelf bracket aisle, those were not heavy-duty enough). they were very cheap, maybe $10 each. Dgmarie, I don't know whether the pendant lights are code. I do know i have seen other pics on here of pendants hanging over sinks, which doesn't mean that its code of course. My DH installed them (and the undercab lights). They each have their own box in the cabinet right above the pendant, so if they somehow fell, they would cut out. But i do not know if its code -- anyone else know? Mystery, we like the fridge but wish we had gone with the french-door version you have as we didn't think about clearance between door and island -- there is not too much space to get round the door when its open (at least not for me, but thats another topic!). Yes, I agree the freezer is annoying, but i suppose all bottom-freezers must be similarly so. I do prefer having the fridge on top as we are not huge freezer-users, so for us, the frustrations of the bottom-freezer are worth it. The cooktop is fantastic, my DH researched and bought it and I'm very glad we went with induction. We paid a lot less by importing it (I think it was about $1000), as I've read for others importing from the UK or NZ.

The cost to refinish marble countertops will be based on size,condition of stone(how severe is the scracthing, etching and or staining,cracks,chips,etc)type of stone(darker stones and some limestones can be tricky to refinish)time and materials. Special pricing if we change the finish from polished to honed(easier and reasonably priced) or honed to polished(which is impossible to do to granite on site- very-difficult to do on marble(can be pricey). Our pricing on an average kitchen(60-80sqft) with normal wear and etching will start at around $650.00 and up. Larger kitchens with multiple islands and multiple countertops and other areas over 100 sq ft can that can be done in a day will start $900.00 and up. Pricing will vary region to region. Stone refinishing is one of those trades where experience is very important. I have been doing this since 2003 and still learn something everyday. While some stones are easier to work on others can be a serious undertaking. Not to mention the possibility of damaging fixtures back splashes,cabinets etc. Other issues could be dust or water containment and proper masking techniques so appliances,wallpaper,furniture and fabrics are protected . So While I am sure that a very handy person could do or try to refinish the stone there is the question of purchasing and using the proper equipment. I think in the long run it is cheaper to hire a bona -fide refinisher with references. Stu Rosen www.mbstonecare.com www.stoneshine.com

Thanks for the kind words and kitchen love, everyone! oakparker22 We used Amish Custom Kitchens. Very happy with them! nosoccermom I'm sorry but I'm not at home this week, so I can't answer any dimension questions at the moment. But in terms of layout, I wouldn't change a thing. Thought maybe it would be annoying to have the fridge a little farther away from the work area, but it's not an issue at all. katieleabrown86 The black is not hard to keep clean. Sometimes crumbs do show a little more, but that's easy enough to fix. Because of the leathered finish, streaks don't show at all.