We have a piece of molding running around the recessed portion. We put in cabinets in our bathroom similar in style to what you show in the early 90's and I found that the flat ledge created at the bottom of the recessed panel is a great place for dust and other stuff passing by to collect. I'm happier with the cabinets in our kitchen (but I don't think I'd do beaded inset again since there are a lot of crevices for stuff to collect in.) We've had them in for 5 years. Like nhbaskets, we have slab fronts on the shallower drawers and the recessed panels on the higher drawers. detail of drawer:

We have had our new Hancock and Moore leather sofa for 6 months and I just went to check the size of our nailheads. I love the way they look and they were the H&M standard nailhead sizes on their sofas. The nailheads on the top and bottom are 1/2" (your #2?) and the arm nailheads are 1/4" (your #1?) according to my measuring. Not sure of the sizes of the 4 choices you posted, but just measuring them on my computer screen, which may not be true to the actual size of course, that would be the 2 smallest of your choices (what you have #'d 1 and 2). My 1/2" nails are plenty big and I definitely wouldn't want them any larger. Do you know or can you find out the size of each of your 4 choices? I wouldn't want any larger than 1/2" and on my sofa I like having the 2 sizes. Both ways will look good, so don't obsess over it. (:

I hear you on the finish taking twice as long as the initial steps. The demo, load bearing beam, electrical, plumbing, drywall, flooring, painting, cabinet install happened in less than three weeks. I was really hopeful that we will be done in 5 weeks. But no.. The last two weeks have been just twiddling thumbs waiting for the granite install. That is not counting the 'final coat' of poly that had to be redone-not once or twice but three times!! I am so stressed by all the decisions we still have to make-it doesn't help that every step of the way I have been immobilized by analysis paralysis. We just have to make decisions and write big checks-I can't even imagine how much longer our kitchen reno would have taken if we had the time or the skills to DIY. Much Kudos to all you DIYers-at least you can look at the final product and be proud of all your hard work!

I look forward to it, Grouchy. Vegetable gardening is getting a bit... predictable... for me. Not that I am by any means an expert, and I still have plenty to learn, I think one can grow beans and tomatoes so many times in a row before they need something to supplement their interests. So, for me, I think it's time to set my sights on new horizons (of course, I will also be growing plenty of beans and tomatoes as well). Impulse? I think it's more of a compulsive disorder for me. I have already decided to cut 2 annuals that I have seeds for from the main project, though, I will probably stick them in a nice pot just because I already have them. Xeriscape I have a limited understanding of. While I have worked on a few xeric yard projects in my time as a landscaper, I would say I know far more about how to successfully grow a pepper than I do xerscaping a yard. But, that too, is my main focus in my personal landscaping here at the house. Not only does it more suit my laissez faire gardening style, it fits well with the mountain west/desert southwest type-plantings that I aesthetically prefer. I have settled on the P. strictus which, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I will be planting with the A. caerulea. I was also intrigued by the scented Palmer's penstemon (P. palmeri) and my compulsive disorder put those in my basket as well, though, where I'm going to put it, I will have to work out between now and when it (hopefully) pops up. I decided on Agastache ruprestris 'Sunset hyssop' from seed and at the risk of becoming overwhelmed, I will probably wind up buying a red or yellow P. pinifolius as well as a couple other other dry/heat loving plants to go along with it (Russian sage? gaillardia? ornamental grass?). I think, in regards to your digitalis conundrum, there's a lot of keyboard warriors out there. I don't pay much attention to all the doom-and-gloom perpetuated on the interwebs. It's like the bandying about of the horror and danger of bringing a poinsettia into your home at Christmas time. How many children are killed each year because they ate a houseplant? How about a garden plant? These same people who did a google search one day and now make it their life's mission to set up caution tape around anything and everything probably don't even have enough sense to put a fence around their backyard pool. But hey, at least their tot's wont die from eating the holiday decorations or their mother's flower garden. (Of course, I am very much what they call "free range" parent, so, off my soap box now). Thank you for the generous offer of seeds, but I did in fact buy some (last week?), I wish now I had waited, haha.