One of the appliance folk can probably say with more certainty than I could but the model you chose looks like the Optima I had in my apartment, which was a great, great dw. I have a 10 y.o. Incognito though it dries very well. I've never opened the door. Here's what Miele says about how the drying system works -- it is not heated drying and requires no energy usage. "Most Miele dishwashers employ an advanced drying system that draws room temperature air through a port at the bottom of the appliance. This air is disbursed through special channels around the exterior dishwasher cavity and allows the interior water particles to condense against the walls of the dishwasher. During this process no external air is ever introduced inside of the dishwasher. This provides the most effective and hygienic drying possible." The reason the dishes get dryer on Saniwash is because that water is very hot and, provided the dw is fairly full, the condensation is quite complete. I have Ikea cabinets in the laundry room so I'm aware of precautions with those. Their plinth board in there is starting to peel though the cabinets are doing fine. I would just be aware and make adjustments needed. The DW does come with a front piece that is contiguous with the toe kick in my kitchen but that would depend on which Ikea cabinets are being used and how they are being installed. Crystal looks like a good choice to me.

Traceee--The porcelain does not really read so gray in person; it has a lot of brown, green, and blue in it as well as some gray, and a lot of variation from tile to tile. On the sample board I took a pic of, I would call one tile brownish-green, one bluish tan, one greenish brown, one brownish gray, and one a mix of everything! It does have a slate look, which we like. Your ideas for a pattern are great! I do have some concerns about the room reading dark as we have a lot of trees and don't get a lot of bright sun in the room. The off-white, green, and blue samples are all of my cabinet colors. We are having soapstone with a lot of veining; a burnt copper backsplash (just over the cooktop); and BM Powell Buff walls. We are going somewhat vintage in that it is an 1873 home and the cabinets will have more of an unfitted furniture look. My plans and color scheme are all on the blog as well if you'd like to check them out. ebean--I could still get hex; the issue is that I wanted a matte glaze cream/almond color, and it turns out the supplier I am working with can only get true white, which I don't want. I also don't want unglazed, or to spend $20+ sq ft, and I am in a bit of a time crunch now. So even though I probably could still order exactly what I want from the one place I found it on the internet, I think I am kind of over it now. (Plus the labor charges for laying it with the pattern--astronomical!) As far as cost: both are way cheaper than the hex. The tile will end up more expensive than the cork as it will have a higher labor cost and also grout, etc. Really appreciate all of your thoughts--what a terrific group here! :-)

apologies. I meant I need a need a color to match these and these are the brands I'd like to pick from. sorry. my fault.

These are the pictures of the flooring