JS - our posts crossed! Yes - most of these are too modern for what I'm trying to achieve, although quite nice and give me an idea of what the look is. I currently have 4" x 4" tile, with a mosaic floor - black, white and lilac of all things. I have another thread here with pictures - the thread title has the words "1915 Craftsman" in it and it's still rather high up on the thread list I think. It's quite something lol. It's quite vintage, but falling apart terribly and I don't think we can salvage much of any of it. The tub is an old beauty, but has already been painted over at least once (it too is now black). It may be worth saving since neither of us are really bath people, and it's deep and pretty large it seems (we've never used it - there are "issues" underneath it which we don't trust, even though they were repaired when our kitchen ceiling was open). We could have it refinished again, but it may not be worth the cost in comparison to purchasing a new tub. The tile, well - like I said, originally we thought we would be able to make use of it but now I'm considering just donating it to Habitat for Humanity. Had it been in good condition, I would have lived with it for the kitsch factor, but since it's now gone too far into disrepair - there's no point in salvaging it. I would like, white subway tile, mixed with some marble. A hex floor would be my first choice, possibly black and white. We had to re-do our shower prior to moving in - it was totally not usable (in fact, it was leaking into the kitchen). We did white subway tiles inside it with a black and white hex floor. I love the way it looks, but the shower is really kind of on the small side, although functional. I'm of two minds about this. To save money - I could live with it. But, of course, I'd prefer a roomier space. I don't need a glass shower - in fact, it may not be such a good thing for us because we're both lazy and I really don't see either of us grabbing a squeegee after each shower to wipe it off. It would be great, however, to be able to figure out a way not to have to use a shower curtain. I really am beginning to dislike those a lot. If I left it, carrying the subway tile through the rest of the room is preferable. I had already purchased a new toilet; a Toto - don't remember which one it is but it's got an old world look to it. Ideally, I want pedestal sinks. Or, if it has to be one sink (haven't gotten around to a floor plan yet), than a large vanity with good storage in it. Counter, I'm leaning to Ceasarstone in a light color, marble-like, since I have it for my kitchen counter and am very pleased with it thus far. It's battle-proof, which I value in a material. My BF, is really messy, forgetful and not good a wiping up after himself at times and I need a material for the counter which can easily be cleaned and won't stain. I love marble, but I don't quite think it feels "Craftsman", unless I use it in small doses. Currently, my tub is under a window, the shower across the room. The sink, across from the tub next to the linen closet. Ideally, I'd like to move the tub to where the sink is currently, and put the sink(s) under the window. There's enough room for the sinks in that position, but I'm not sure yet if I can do a shower AND tub on the other side of the room; it may have to be a traditional tub/shower instead. Toilet has to stay put - way too much money to move that - the stack runs into the kitchen, and I've already had too many issues with that whole thing and spent several thousand dollars fixing it for that position :( I think I'm going to try and get over to the designer that did my kitchen - just have to find time for us to measure the space up correctly. He knows me really well, and is quite patient with me since he knows I usually come in with a lot of my own ideas (I work in architecture). I just like doing a lot of pre-planning, as most of us here do, before I walk in the door so I can avoid taking up too much of his time:D

Our kitchen is certainly not traditional and we do not have any white in it, but we do have very dark wood floors and chocolate stained cabinets. They are very similar stains and the difference is only noticeable in bright natural light. It's not a look I see very often, almost never actually, but it was the only floor color we liked for the whole house and the stain for the cabinets was also the only one we liked of our options. We did not exactly have a vision in mind when we began (we're young, first-timers), and maybe we would make different decisions now, but we like our kitchen... except for still being unable to decide on granite a year later. It sounds like you have a vision and a very nice one, so I am all for the espresso/white combination on espresso floors. I think a lot of people immediately shake their heads at dark floors with dark cabinets, especially when the stains are very similar, because it's not that commonplace, so it's hard to find an instance of it done right, and fear that the kitchen will on the whole be too dark. Without a layout it is of course hard to comment on where the white cabinets should be placed, but what I might suggest is placing the white cabinets in the area(s) that don't get as much natural light from windows and such. This will keep your espresso cabinets nearer the pools of natural light and your kitchen looking brighter overall. Good luck; I think it will look beautiful.

ctnewbie- I have the magazine you are talking about and I love the kitchen you mention. I've saved it as an inspiration picture, too. (I also like the green island on the cover and the copper sink on page 44). I'd call the cabinets medium rather than dark; I've seen much darker cherry cabinets. And, with the soapstone, it has the best of both worlds. I believe it falls in the "timeless category" pretty well except for maybe the largest slate tiles (of the various sizes) for the backsplash. I like the tiles and DH says "less grout". I figure if you're not designing your kitchen for resale, use what you like. I've seen lots of white kitchens here that I really like a lot, but I prefer wood for myself. But I do believe that white is timeless.

Ninabarrowdesigns- We have 10' ceilings. We've been in our house for about 7 months, and I still can't believe how high up those top shelves in the upper cabinets are! Just a single not-stacked 42" cabinet works out just fine for us. We have a wetbar around the corner from our kitchen, and it has a soffit over the 42" cabinets. I like how it looks for the small area, but I'm very glad we didn't do any soffits in the kitchen. Good luck!