diab123, We went through a very similar decision - we had (and loved) Miele MasterChef Speed Oven, Miele Microwave and Warming Oven. We remodeled and tore out the ancient in-island Chambers electric oven so we needed a 2nd oven (to our beloved speed oven.) We had a hard time justifying the retail price of the Miele over the Electrolux as the Elux is so well liked on GW. And, the MasterChef is even more $ than the Chef model (as you know). However, the dealer (whom we like) had a floor model 30" Chef that we got for an extremely good deal so Miele was the way we went - made it easy. To your questions: Europa and Classic is simply a difference in the handles MasterChef does get you rotisserie MasterChef also gets you Auto Roast which many here like. I believe I read somewhere that the 30" Elux is a little larger than the 30" Mieles All that being said, my DW LOVES the Miele Chef oven: 1) Everything she has made in it has come out wonderfully (I can attest) 2) It (of course) has the wonderful fingerprint resistant stainless which I think is a Miele exclusive and DW LOVES this feature. 3) It matches our other Miele appliances (although not a big deal - now that we have it - it is pretty cool). 4) We did not like (at all) the look of the Elux Wave Touch with the curved handle - this did not seem to bring the "high scale" look we were trying to achieve in our remodel. And, the Miele handles are straight - which means the oven would look different in that manner as well. So, we were limited to the Elux Icon Professional (with a straight handle) at around $2,700. We purchased our (floor model) Miele Chef for less than that so it became a "no brainer" for us. 5) When it is cooking away at 400 degrees it is very quiet and the cabinet sides are not warm at all - the front is also not very warm - can easily touch - it is a high quality unit. DW figured out a little trick since we have the MasterChef speed oven - if DW is uncertain what baking mode to use in the chef oven (this is our first convection oven) she goes to the MasterChef menu on the speed oven and figures it out and then uses that mode in the Chef oven - kinda cool. In our remodel the new oven has been placed on the opposite side of the kitchen from the other Miele appliances so we could have (more easily) lived with another brand oven. However, we are just as happy with the new Miele oven as we are with the Speed Oven. Best of luck - I really think the ELux Icon Professional would be a fantastic oven too - another issue - we could not find an Icon Professional in the entire Denver Metro area that we could even go to look at (I think for the $1,000 difference most people go with the standard ELux oven). Best of luck!

Ditto the comments about sufficient work surfaces. Also am grateful for two sinks. I appreciate the ability to keep visitors outside the work area without banning them entirely. Am glad I've got so many different kinds of ingredients and pans so close at hand--don't have to head to basement for things this time. Workspace is sufficient, so interruptions are not disastrous. Pull-out wooden surfaces give me flexibility. (Our neighbor has had a sudden downturn in health, so in the midst of our Thanksgiving food planning and early assembly, I was able to construct a large lasagne for the neighbor's relatives this afternoon without getting testy or feeling that I was setting behind my own holiday meal.) We now have a coat closet, a front step, welcoming exterior lighting, a shovel-able driveway--all great for guests. Am thrilled to have table leaves, table cloths, china, vases, silver flatware, stemware, trays, and vacuum cleaner close at hand to the dining room. Am glad I got out the checkbook and paid for repair & reupholstery of dining chairs two months ago--no last minute probs. The lower drawers are working out well. Nice to not have those open lower cab doors in my way and don't have to bend over as much. I can see my baking ingredients easier. Having leftovers processing station is already paying off--wraps, containers, plastic bags, etc. Gel mats keep me from quitting too early because of sore feet and legs; I keep going. Quiet insulated niche for our dishwasher has proved to be good--allows me to listen to radio or people even when dishwasher is working. Similarly, am loving the low setting on my range hood--allows me to hear radio or telephone. DH decided to fill our two dehydrators with apple slices yesterday--AARGH! Why couldn't he wait a couple days? But at least the units are in closet and apples aren't in my way. There are sufficient closet shelf space and outlets to allow this and we put vented door on the closet so the closet doesn't overheat. If he comes home with gamebirds tonight, finishing that cleanup won't set me behind either. (But now I have fewer excuses for not being ready when guests come tomorrow.) Love the good lighting. Enjoying the decor. Am thankful that our home equity loan is at abt 3.5 percent still, so we're maximizing our available cash.

I had Pergo laminate flooring installed about 12 years ago in my kitchen and it still looks great! No scratches or dents. Nothing sticks to it. I have dropped items on the floor and no dings or dents. I love my Pergo flooring so much that when I had my kitchen renovated a few years ago, I kept my flooring. Everyone thinks it is oak wood. Clean up is easy with diluted vinegar as recommended by Pergo.

Aha! Okay, here's how I'd do it, if bringing a TV into the dining room doesn't work: First, set up the TV room for the purpose. Perhaps that means moving the coffee table out of the way. Put a spare tray table, if you have one, next to where you'll be seated but out of the way. You can put things like S&P, condiments, pitchers, and maybe even a serving dish there. Things that don't fit on the tray you're eating from. Next, bring in proper eating height and firmness chairs. It's two of you, right? If there are youngsters involved, they can sit wherever, but it'll feel better for you, I think, if you have a proper chair to sit in, rather than the sofa. Just a couple of card chairs in front of the sofa could work. Consider what the best mode of transport may be. It might not be carrying TV trays from the kitchen. Maybe you can "set the table" in the TV room on the trays, but use a serving tray that you feel secure with for carrying the plates of food. Also, consider some game day decorations to make the dinner space feel intentional, rather than like indoor tailgating on a blustery day, where everything is a bother. Lastly, you mentioned paper plates. I'm assuming it's because china seems wrong on a TV tray. When we were kids escaping the adult conversations, we had regular kitchen dishes on our TV trays, with placemats, napkins, and glasses. That might not work well in your home, or it feels precarious. If so, why not treat yourself to some openstock Corelle? Or go kitsch and get some melamine football plates to cute things up? Whatever you'll feel comfortable with under the circumstances. Or, if you need it to be "real" and "pretty", you could get a couple of Polish Pottery C.A. stoneware plates, which I think are at least as durable as Corelle. I'm thinking that if you can make the eat with the TV situation comfortable, it won't matter what you decide to make for dinner. :)