in the end we realized/decided that the 42 or 43" wide sink was just too big for our under-10-foot long kitchen (12 feet long including the fridge), and that the biggest sink we could get would be 30" unless we want to skip a dishwasher. 24" would be better for a sink for our space but I prefer a double sink even 28" 70/30 double basin sink. so off the above sink goes to the backyard perhaps, or perhaps it will be given away. apparently the cast iron sink is around 500 pounds, so not used lightly. we're in an old house so there's something to be said for a lighter sink. we're also on a parlor floor (and the sink was removed from a third floor apartment) oh well! I love the sink but practicality prevailed.

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!

I always had a chrome faucet with a stainless steel sink, mainly because that's the way the house came. Our countertop is coming in tomorrow so we needed to buy a faucet quickly. We decided to go with a stainless faucet to match the sink and the stainless appliances that are supposed to be delivered on Wednesday. Also, there is nothing shiny in our kitchen, so we thought the SS would work better than chrome. The only worry we had was with the finish of the faucets. Some of the stainless ones seemed to have a bronze tint to them in the stores where we looked. Below is a link to a question I asked about that. There were good responses, but we went with a Moen that has just a hint of bronze (or so MrsPandy says - I don't see it). Here is a link that might be useful: My question about faucet finishes

@C. First of all, if you are 5'10" and have really bad back pain, then a 38" countertop height might still be too low for you. I'm barely 5'7" when when standing up as straight as I can, and a 38 3/4" countertop height is very comfortable for me. At 5'10", you could easily go up to a 40" countertop height. It is uncommon for kitchen designers to specify countertops much higher than 40" for anyone except a frequent kitchen user who is taller than 6 feet in order to retain the general usability for varying heights of potential users, but you may always do what you find best for yourself. I would encourage you to do a mockup of a 40" countertop height and try different tasks like chopping on a cutting board and stirring in mixing bowls to see how you like it. Remember that you should allow 1/2" for cabinetry leveling, so find your perfect height, and then subtract 1/2" (from the total of cabinetry plus countertop) when placing your order. The minimum possible front countertop ledge width is determined by factors which contribute to the risk of a break. I will guarantee you that ledge width in your picture is probably wider in person than it may appear here. Few fabricators will cut a continuous ledge (meaning without seams) less than 2 1/2" to 3" wide, and some fabricators will even burden you with a 4" or greater ledge, though that is excessive. The Galley issues guidelines for cutting the sink hole with no seams around the hole, but this technique complicates the handling and transport of the piece because that area is so delicate once it is cut. If I understand, correctly your countertop will only be 1/2" thick which may mean that you are using porcelain or something of that nature, and in that case, the substrate will dictate that you will need a seam for a narrow front ledge rather than having the sink cut from the middle. Porcelain is already fragile, and it won't survive the handling, transport, and installation with a pre-cut, narrow, continuous sink ledge. Be cautious of any fabricator who wants to install steel rods to help stabilize a front sink ledge. Those rods can get wet and swell and cause future breakage. The best policy is to avoid rod reinforcement. In terms of ergonomics, the height of your countertop and the height of your sink is relatively more important than how far forward you stand to the sink, but if you have really bad back pain and want to give your best effort to eliminating that in your kitchen, then an apron-front sink still needs to be on your list for consideration. I regularly operate within the full confines of the apron front which brings dishes and other tasks such as cleaning the sink very close to my body and allows me to stand mostly upright. It is the leaning forward at a sink that strains your back, and you will lose at least a hand width's advantage with a non-apron-front sink of your ability to work closer to your body to minimize leaning. For many people this is not an issue, and due to the fact that non-apron-front sinks are usually less expensive and more plentiful in terms of brands and styles, plus more aesthetically pleasing in many instances, the majority of kitchen remodelers are not using apron-fronts. Both Rachiele and Havens offer texturing for their stainless steel sinks, and if you look at their portfolios, you'll see that a hammered or otherwise textured finish is actually very pretty for an apron front sink. I have a textured finish, and it hides water spots and scratches and it looks as new today as it did several years ago when I had it installed. My only caution is that the interior of the sink should preferably be smooth to aid with cleaning. I believe that texturing can be applied only to the forward-facing and top ledge part of the apron front if you like that look. Spillage over the apron front is not a problem for me. Every now and then, I might get a small drip down the apron front, maybe after loading the dishwasher with something wet, but nothing more than you would sometimes get from a sink with a ledge that gets water on the front ledge and drips down occasionally. I would be hard pressed to say if I even have to wipe drips of water off the apron front even once per week. It just really is not a problem for me. It sounds like you are on the right track to helping with your ergonomics. As I mentioned earlier, your first step is to see if you can raise those countertops up to 40". If you do a lot of bread kneading or something where you need your arms straight down, you might consider doing dual levels somewhere in the kitchen. Generally, 41" to 42" is the upper stretch of a modified countertop height, and that would be for someone taller than 6 feet. The reason that we don't like to raise the countertop much more than that is because then they become unusable for people who are shorter. However, at a height of 5'10" with back problems, 40" is not at all out of reason. Be aware that if you wear shoes with thick soles when you are working in the kitchen or if you intend to put down a comfort mat on the floor that has substantial thickness, those factors could alter how you feel about your cabinetry height. Mocking up a height and doing various tasks is the most reliable way to determine what is best for you.