stacey, I totally sympathize! It took me forever to make up my mind about countertops. My island sat for 2 months with no top at all because I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. I agree with holligator that most of your inspiration pics don't have both wood floors and wood counters. For example, in the inspiration photo you said was from mamadadapaige, the white tile floor supplies the contrast. They've also broken up all the wood with a very dark countertop on the perimeter. If you're looking for a top that will still look new in 3 years, I'm wondering if wood is the right choice. Wood is softer than stone and scratches and dings more easily. I have a wood top on my hutch that is stained to match my island. It has lots of scratches on it already. It's only been in for 4 months and I've had to use the touch-up kit numerous times; consequently, it requires much greater care and maintenance than my marble. I'm not going to push marble on you because I actually think the Costa Esmerelda provides just the right amount of contrast and would be the smartest choice for resale. However, if you're considering marble, you won't have any stains if you seal it a couple times a year. I'm not sure what type of marble appeals to you, but Carrera, for example, is much, much cheaper than any Silestone/Caesarstone and many granites. Perhaps you can ask people who have had marble for 3 years or more to post photos or share their experiences with wear and tear. And here's a photo I found on the Crown Point website with light counters and what looks like a wood top on the island. The wood top matches the floor while the island is darker. I like how they injected color with the backsplash, which along with the contrasting white of the trim and hood keeps this kitchen from being too monochromatic and ho-hum.

Palimpsest, my guess is that the scooping is only possible if we can get the crank housing off (many indicate that it is possible, but I can't quickly figure out how to do it). The window piece should be able to slide straight in; in that case, then we put the housing back on and it sits in the scoop recess. I'll give Soft-Lite a call to find out if they have an alternate housing. We have about 2 weeks before the correct plywood sink base comes in, so the soapstone templaters won't be out until after then. Brickeye, good point on the outlets. The window isn't much wider than the sink base, and plugmold starts within a few inches under both adjacent cabs, so we're good on that front. Weissman, I guess my meaning wasn't clear. DH gave me the green light for the already expensive garden window, so an extra $1K for Okna would be pushing the limits there! This is our only kitchen window, and I do really want the ventilation that the side-lites provide.

With all due respect @jesjonesy, I was the first one to direct you to the European style operators in post one. I was challenging the idea that someone was putting forth that you can only source a quality window from Europe. That simply is not true and the assertion that US built windows are a "bag phone" vs. and iphone is laughable. Some of the most trend setting development in glazing is happening right here in this country. Again...if you are looking for a European style operator (i.e. push out casement) you sources West of the Rockies will be limited and even more so in vinyl. If you are willing to entertain fiberglass or wood, you can expand your search. There are some very good manufacturers in North America that make some products in fiberglass that will at least equal the performance of the European units cited in thermal, structural, and air infiltration performance. The other mention of glazing is, for lack of a better descriptor, a bit of hooey. Cardinal has been meeting Euro-spec gas leakage rates for the last 10+ years and provides a lifetime warranty on their units. The most likely thing to fail on a sealed and insulated unit is going to be the glass. That potential probably goes up by a measure percentage the more it is handled and shipped across the globe. I don't know about you, but I would want to be able to warranty my glass with a product that is made here in the states and easily accessible without having to cross the Atlantic. If someone can show me a performance metric in a window from Europe that doesn't have a competitive equivalent here in the states and it was desirable, I might be inclined, but I haven't seen something produced over there that is unable to be sourced in North America.

In terms of overall length, I have from left to right: 48" Freezer(18")/Fridge(30") 3/4 inch side cover panel 120" counter top, therein 36" induction cook top 3/4 inch side cover panel 30" wall ovens 48" pantry (2x24" high cabinets) 2" cover panel to the wall = 249.5" Total I've been going back and forth on the hood. It's probably the most discussed item. Originally we planned to get a custom hood liner built for an insert hood, but now we are leaning towards this very basic BOSCH pull out hood. Minimum mounting clearance over cooktop is 25 3/5". There is no maximum clearance given in the spec sheets. It should come in right around 30-32" clearance (math: 84" tall cab (incl. toe kick) - 36" base cabinets - 15" wall cab to mount the hood to - 2" for the hood hardware = 31"), which is very average as far as I can tell. I was planning to build a custom open cabinet left and right of the hood cabinet which will probably be around 16-17" high to seamlessly integrate the pull-out. See inspiration below.