I do not think we had to go up the 12 or so inches, but we have peaked ceilings in our timber frame kit and a perl in (cross beam) so it was the obvious place for us to turn. 0ran across for support at the point so it was the obvious place for us to turn.

Not yet, but I will so I can't say how I like it. There's the center smaller island which is 5'x3.5' which will have the prep sink on one corner. The large island which basically divides the kitchen from the family room is quite large - 16' x 3' (cabinetry but will be larger with counter overhang) with a slight angle. This will have the main sink & DW. So unlike you, they are not identical to each other. I think I'm going to be satisfied with the layout. It works in the house.

One of the reasons I chose maple butcher block, in addition to liking the way it looks and feels, is that I wanted to be able to cut right on the counter and yet still have it look good. One corner of the previous island was also butcher block, it was there for 30 years and took a lot of abuse. I make many jams and jellies and did all the prep work on it creating many stains and of course cut marks from chopping during regular food prep. Occasionally I would bleach it which got out the stains and maybe 3 times in thirty years I sanded it a bit to refresh. That being said, I originally wanted honed Carrera Marble for my baking center and would have appreciated the patina that comes as marble ages so I think it depends on weather you need a pristine look to be happy. Mine is a working kitchen and I am very happy with the butcher block although I will admit that it was hard for me to put the first few cuts in! Linda

I have a rectangular dining room with a large window at one end. There is an opening on a perpendicular wall right next to the window wall, to the foyer. Across the room on the other perpendicular wall there is a door to the kitchen, with just 3 feet between it and the window wall. This means that there is a natural walkway between the foyer and the kitchen on the window end instead of going around the long way through the hallways to get to the back of the kitchen! Because of this, I did not center my oval dining room table in the room and it fits fairly well in the area beyond where the doorways are, and the light fixture is then centered over the table but not centered in the room. I put a bench in front of the window and with that and a few baskets the dining room is now a dining room/landing area and suits us for every day life. But I want to make the room a little more dramatic and elegant and also have more people to dinner! I started thinking about adding leaves to the table at least occasionally; I have two to add. But then what happens to the light fixture? It is convenient to our lifestyle to have the table, when smaller, set back. But not to have a centered light fixture would be very unsettling for me. Is there a light fixture that could actually be angled or adjusted somehow so that I could center it as needed? Any advice?