Johnliu, that was a great write-up, very educational. Count me as someone OCD about my knives. I also want to emphasize that one's "taste" in knives is very individual. So, for me, regarding ceramic knives - I know they are really sharp, and maintain their sharpness much longer than steel knives, and are easier to care for (as long as you don't drop them). Having said that, I cannot stand the hard sound they make when chopping - that sound and how they feel as they strike the cutting board gives me the shivers. Obviously, this is a very personal thing! One more thing that John briefly mentioned that I want to expand on a bit is the type of cutting board. If you care about your knives, or care about the investment of $$ you've made in your knives, you should not use a plastic cutting board. They will dull your knives in just a few uses. You should use wood cutting boards. No one knows where the idea came from that plastic boards are safer - researchers at the University of Wisconsin have studied this perception that plastic cutting boards are better, and were unable to ascertain why people think this. Their findings were that wooden boards are safer. "The [University of Wisconsin] researchers purposely contaminated wood and plastic boards with bacteria and then tried to recover those bacteria alive from the boards. They also tested boards made from seven different species of trees and four types if plastic. They incubated contaminated boards overnight at refrigerator and room temperatures and at high and typical humidity levels. They tested several bacteria, Q Salmonella, Listeria and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Q known to produce food poisoning. The results consistently favored the wooden boards, often by a large margin over plastic boards. The scientists found that three minutes after contaminating a board that 99.9 percent of the bacteria on wooden boards had died, while none of the bacteria died on plastic. Bacterial numbers actually increased on plastic cutting boards held overnight at room temperature, but the scientists could not recover any bacteria from wooden boards treated the same way. A major question is why wood is so inhospitable to bacteria. The researchers have tried unsuccessfully to recover the compound in wood that inhibits bacteria, and is continuing the research."

Yep, coffee/cocktail tables come in many different sizes. Measure about how long you think it should be (somewhat shorter than your longest piece), and about the depth you think it should be (leave a traffic pattern to the outside too!), then search for those (about) size tables. To test, tape the size of the table you like in blue painter's tape on the floor before buying. Good luck!

Do these photos make it more clear? I've added three more things two of which currently don't exist. Label: Addition - this started out as location for downstairs powder room + laundry + would house 5ft wide coat and shoe closet. Now, considering making it a quiet area, sitting space, piano spot, place for coat closet? would probably have it open to the foyer or glass doors if needed. Label: Possible spot for 1st floor powder room. Self explanatory. Deck - This exists and the spot for powder room is eating in to the deck area as it is currently. NOTE: I've added more detail to the photos in the first comment

May be just an issue with the photo but the wall covering behind the basket looks to be poorly installed. I would pull the sectional forward to cover that, place the floor lamp in the right corner and buy a sofa table to put between the sofa and window. I'd want the rug to slip completely under the chaise portion and then under the front 1/3 of the 4-seat section. I would select a round table. If you get a pretty patterned rug that you want to see, use a glass and metal table.