Stainless flatware - not a food item, but since it goes in the kitchen....And today I finally accepted that I'm down to 4 forks of the set I bought 30 years ago. It used to be that you'd buy 1 or more sets for twelve, not spend a lot of money, & have enough flatware for most anything that came along in the kitchen or dining room. If you spent a few dollars more, you got top quality, heavy pieces that would last a lifetime, barring death by the disposal or disappearance. Then about 20 years ago, somebody started pushing the sale of place settings & almost instantly, sets disappeared. The price went from about $100 for service for 8 to about the same and up for 1 place setting. Now it's on bridal registeries like it's a precious metal to be handed down to future generations. Get real - it's STAINLESS STEEL made for everyday use, no gold, silver, or gems involved, mass produced & having no artistic value. Considering the price of antiques in the current market, it's cheaper to buy sterling!

funcolors: I was SO HOPING you would see this ! I was going to post something to get your attention and approval. I have read your article in haint blue so many times and was going to send for a sample from you. Would you like a paint chip from this ? I would be more than glad to send you a piece of the wood with paint. This is like a treasure hunt for sure and I hit gold. What kind of paint would you suggest on a covered porch in the South ???? Are you kidding!? Yes, I'd love a sample and will reimburse you for shipping & handling! Thank you. I'm so excited that someone is sending *ME* a sample of Haint Blue! lol! SW Duration in matte would be a good choice. Duration's film actually goes on at the thickest mil rate than any other exterior brand. Thickest mil rate meaning the paint film is nice and fat. And that can be a good thing for exterior substrates (surfaces). The haint blue story has been so incredibly interesting. I've heard from people all over the world -- really it's amazing. The store has been very helpful because I was getting a ton of phone calls and emails. A few aren't a problem but it kind of started cramping my time management. And that's why I created the store -- I just don't have time to talk to everyone who wants details about Haint Blue. I'd be nice if I had that kind of time because it's very fun hearing all the stories but reality creeps in. Moving to the southwest, I've learned about Taos and Mayan blue as well. I don't feel confident writing about them yet and I really don't feel confident enough to create my own interpretations of the colors. Maybe this summer. I dunno, not sure.

Our substrait is plywood as well. We wanted it to approximate the 3cm granite on the other counters so we used two layers of marine grade plywood. Marine grade isn't necessary, but we had it on site from our shower construction and didn't mind the extra protection it gives in a water area. Our fabricators came out three times with the counters to do a dry run on the fit, then went back, cut, banged, etc and finally arrived at the finished product. Between the raised counter, the corner sink, the runnels going into a sink, integrating the sink, integrating the backsplash and wrapping the front around the bends in and out, they said it was the most complicated countertop they have ever done. I thought it was pretty simple actually heh heh (it's so much easier to be the designer LOL) Our sink is actually not an exact matched finish to the counters. It went in shiny like any new sink, but after a few months of use it's patina is pretty much the same as the counter. So I think with yours the finishes will blend quickly. My sink had a rim on it (it was able to be installed either as an undermount or overmount because it was a commercial sink). To put the runnels in on the corner they had to chop a bit off of one corner. I was worried how it would look, but really, it's totally seamless. That's what you'll get with a good fabricator. They really do wonderful work, just be sure to ask to see some of their work before you go with whoever you pick. Sometimes cheap means weld marks, dings, etc. You don't want that :) "igloochic-love the faucet! Did you replace it or modify it? Faucet shopping is on my list of things to do...It looks easier to clean without the coils. How on earth did they integrate your sink so well/seamlessly? That looks great!" Those are both KWC Systema faucets. The tall one was actually our first choice. We wanted the reach, and that professional look, but once it was installed, it didn't really work in the windows. We have two friends who have that same faucet and they love it. Cleaning the springs is not an issue at all (they really don't get dirty, even here in dusty alaska). It's a gorgeous and heavy faucet, which was also part of the problem. That swing arm weighed a ton, which was GREAT for use! It functions so easily, smooth movements, etc., but the head is heavy, and given the proximity of the windows, we had grave concerns about it hitting a window and breaking it. We have a 3 year old who loves to play in water and I could just see that thing getting a little shove...it takes a crane to bring in windows to the location, so we figured it was cheaper to buy another expensive faucet than to replace the windows at some point heh heh So that tall one is sitting in a box in the garage waiting for me to decide what to do with it. Poor darling...it's lonely for a nice kitchen heh heh (it's next to a plastic shop sink now...I think it needs to be humbled a bit) :oP So we went for the shorter Systema, but it's still nice and heavy. The visual is better for the location than the taller one, and it does not have the open swing the spring one had (I prefer the open swing frankly, but not with a 3 year old and windows). I'll probably use the tall one in the victorian house...or sell it...gad I don't know LOL (Our remodel is like a shop project from little boy hell...it seems to be together but we have LOTS of extra parts).

John, we took the doors off one wall cabinet and love it. That's where the microwave, glasses, and cookbooks live -- all things we want to grab without bothering to open a door. Here, on the far right, above the ridiculously-placed tulips: I do feel one has to have a relative perspective on these things. Most folks who dislike open cabinets do so because it looks cluttered/dirty/dusty in their eyes. But it really is practical for some purposes. In terms of dirt, I don't notice any more dust there than elsewhere in the kitchen. We store our glasses upside-down, as god intended, so there's no worry about open surfaces. And we have cats. And there are always those neat-o stainless grid shelves, which would solve the dust issue. When I think of you, Johnliu, I really don't think of furbelows and polished blank surfaces, of someone who's going to be running white gloves over shelves and tsk-tsking. No, I think of phrases like "sluicing down", "mise-en-scene" and "fortress of clattery, efficient solitude." I think shelves would fit into your vision very well, if they're judiciously planned and used for just the right sort of at-hand storage.