GoRavens.... 1. Ab.so.lute.ly! love the stones shown on the MotW website. I'm more partial to the cooler palate but both are examples are spectacular. 2. The stone on CL, I like it also, but unless you can use the greater majority of the slab in one piece (because of the way the colors 'zone') then I think you will have a slightly minimized wow factor. 3. I've looked at similar stones but for an accent wall in a walk-in shower. I know....huge overkill...and way out of my budget. But a girl can dream right? 4. For me, the stone screams contemporary so as such, I would want to see it in a more contemporary/modern/euro sort of kitchen design. 5. I would like to see it be a focal point piece for use on an island or as a backsplash behind the cooktop, making sure it was beautifully lit regardless of the location. So there is my 2.5-cents worth of feedback. Pepper ~ Granite installed yesterday. :-)

We have a double island kitchen with both island counter surfaces at 38" high. We also have a cleanup/scullery area with a farmhouse clean up sink that is part of the kitchen that also has the counter at 38". The separate side run of cabinets with the refrigerator and microwave is the standard 36" high in consideration of children and really short people. This area functions as a breakfast and sandwich area. My old house that I moved into 25 years ago had custom cabinets at 38" high b/c the prior owners were both so tall. Back then it was the only house available in our market and although I was appalled at what I thought was the way too high counters I just decided to live with it. Over the years I learned to love it and even had a cutting board in constant use that added another inch and half to that height. This is why the new house has the higher counters. One thing to consider is body proportions---leg and arm length vs. torso---in deciding proper counter height. Actual top of the head height doesn't tell the real story. Also, especially since I'm older now and my knees and feet not as resilient as in prior years, I wear a chef type clog whenever I'm prepping and cooking for an extended time. That definitely gives me an additional couple of inches of height. Finally, I am 5'5" maybe but everyone else in my family, DH and the children who all turned out tall, really appreciated the higher counters. HTH

drbeanie - I'll have to look into some comfortable platforms! I do have some platform Teva's :) buehl - My stone will be Caesarstone Raven which is I think 3/4" thick. The counter guy said I do need the plywood. I asked if a slightly thinner piece of plywood could work and he said yes, but then he would have to reduce the overhang on the edge from 1.5" to 1.25" so that it would not interfere with the cabinet doors/drawers. My GC also came out today and said that there was nothing he could do with the cabinets (everything - the bases, cabs, and plywood were all the required height). In the end, I decided to keep as is. And I think it will be okay. favaunt - Not silly gooses ... sounds like a great idea. Donaleen also posted something on ergonomics that was a good reference. Thanks for your encouraging words. I am feeling a bit better about things now. Thank you all for your comments, advice, feedback!!

We absolutely love our RNB. Had it for a couple of years, and it works so much better than any other stove I've ever used. Definitely recommended. I jokingly told my dealer, he should drop all other product lines, as they clearly are inferior compared to Bluestar. Before the remodel, we only had space for a 30" model. I'd love a bigger stove, but even after the remodel we wouldn't have space for 48". And I can't really justify replacing our perfectly good 30" with a brand new 36". But I'm sure, you'll love your 48" model. Dual ovens sounds so nice to have. When we bought our stove, the Platinum series didn't even exist yet. So, we didn't have much of a choice. If I had to buy now, I'm not quite sure, which one I'd pick. The improvements between RCS and RNB are very obvious. But the value proposition for the Platinum feels less clear. In principle, it is a superior product. But from reading reviews, it sounds as if the current design doesn't fully realize the potential of these improvements just yet. The grill/griddle sounds awesome, but then I read reviews and most people are a little disappointed by it's overall usability. The oven burner seems a mixed bag too; although that might be limited to earlier designs which suffered from some growing pains initially. But given how much I love my current oven, I don't really see much of a need to change anything. On the other hand, the little bit of extra BTU would be very welcome. After cooking on a high BTU stove, I never want to go back. It changes everything about how you cook. So, yes, I'd love to upgrade my existing RNB to even more powerful burners, if only there was a way to buy a retrofit kit. And the rest of my concerns are not so much to say that there is anything wrong with the Platinum series. It's mostly a reflection of Bluestar having set the bar so high that my expectations are now unrealistically high of what I'd love to see in their top-of-the-line offering. In other words, I'm jealous of your new stove. You'll love it. Please report back, after you have had a chance to use it for a bit.