Some other factors to consider when thinking about hedges would include how much or little water you want to provide, whether it also has to be deer resistant, whether you are dealing with full sun or shade, and are you high enough up in Kensington that you need to worry about freeze tolerance? It can be significantly colder at the highest parts of Kensington that it isn't quite a Sunset zone 16 in a bad winter, with lows down to 20F a real possibility. I work on lots of gardens in the Berkeley/Oakland/Kensington hills areas, and it may be most useful to see what is working well in your neighborhood, and what appeals to you. You may also need to factor in that neighbors may get riled up if you block their distant views, just as you would if someone blocked your views. It may pay to take a more measured approach to creating privacy without planting a future monster. Personally I find many reasons to consider using clumping bamboos for hedging purposes; with the main reason being they don't need pruning to control size if you select the appropriate species for the height desired, they tend to stay narrow yet can grow tall, and pruning is easier when it simply involved removing old culms rather than ladders and pole saws. On the other hand, most bamboo species prefer a good amount of summer irrigation and are constantly shedding leaves and culm sheaths. The Sunset Western Garden Book Encyclopedia has a good section on screening shrubs, listing the various pros and cons. I would also seriously consider that the fastest growing hedges also tend to be the ones that require the most pruning to control size.

The issues, I see, to having a butcher block insert into a surface are that (1) you are "stuck" with it always being there and (2) it cannot (usually) be moved if it's needed elsewhere. Granted, the second issue is easily taken care of by having multiple cutting boards, but the first is still an issue...at least it would be for me. I like the versatility of being able to do anything on any part of my counters w/o worrying about having to "treat" a portion of them differently or not being able to use a portion of them for some tasks. As to a 36" aisle - that can work if (1) there is no traffic in the aisle (through the kitchen from one room to the next OR passing through the aisle when moving b/w two work zones) and (2) only one person is working in the space (side-by-side at the same counter might be OK with a 36" aisle, but butt-to-butt/working across from each other would be an issue). Cotehele, I have a question about your stools & island height. Your island appears to be lowered, are you using stools for counter-height seating? If so, how are they working out? Is there an issue with room b/w the seat of the stool and the bottom of the island? Is there enough room to sit there w/o the top of a person's legs rubbing up against the bottom of the island frame? Your kitchen looks very nice, btw (I don't know if I've told you that before!)

quick drive-by: WOW! Thank you so much for your responses/ideas/suggestions. I'm not a shopper (other than Lands' End/LLBean), so I really don't know what is available out there. I saw this article on bold rugs where they showed a RH Diamante Flatweave rug which I love but can't afford. So I thought to brainstorm something creative. I will look at other options/stores/ebay, etc. I was also thinking of a non-common size for my narrow/long Dining Room. again THANK YOU. --- I'll need to start another thread on colors. I have a 4-corner colonial home where half of it is grayish-blue/chrome accessories. The DR is in the 3rd corner (office in the 4th). --> Does the DR have follow the grayish blue? I already own gorgeous silk drapes - olive/golden sheen. The room is naked except for the drapes/cherry curtain rods, and medium brown pine wood floor. I have a gorgeous antique large baroque gold rectangle mirror, that I'm thinking of standing on the floor/leaning against a wall. So I'm thinking of staying in the Olive/Golden color scheme. Yes? Amanda

My bath has no fan & I do fine by cracking a window just a bit. Helps that I live alone & have no need to shut the door during a bath or shower. I also like having a floor fan running in the hall just outside the bath. This is really only necessary during the cold, winter months. Any other time, I just open the windows! I guess I just don't want to have to cut into the plaster & make a hole in my brick for a vent.