One of the features of a very modern cabinet design is its severity. That means strictness, geometry, and form sometimes trump functionality. That's part of the reason my kitchen isn't more "modern." We had a custom guy build ours and we did a lot of screwy things in configuring our drawers but together we found ways to camouflage it to some extent. Adjacent drawer sets have same drawer fronts. In two spots I wanted a bin at bottom, but the cabs adjacent to bins do not have drawers so the variation is not obvious; one of these has a shorter upper because of the pull-out board, one does not. No one would notice without looking for it because they're not adjacent. Here's the wall where the drawers match exactly. Cabs are "Shaker" and only slightly modern in feel. Ignore the stuff on the countertops if you can. Each of the top drawers is shallow because of the pull-out above it. If you look very hard you will see that on the left-hand wall there is a set of 3 drawers that are all of a different size than any of the ones on the longer wall but the top one has same bottom edge as the top ones on the long wall, which homogenizes them. I will say that if I had it to do over, I'd have put an extra inch into these two shortened upper drawers (in photo) that got stinted because of my pull-out boards. Although I usually don't need the height for my flatware, I've found that things fly up and jam the drawer. I have one silver fork that is awaiting a trip to the doctor because I didn't realize I was bending it when I jammed the drawer. One idea: can you get a double-decker inner drawer within a cabinet or drawer, suspended from the top of inside of cab or riding over the contents of the drawer? I assume you have a custom cab maker but I see these things in catalogs also. And don't forget that you can use aftermarket roll-out shelves inside a cabinet. We put a regular cabinets below each of two drawers that flank our range. Inside the cabs we put roll-outs. This allows us to reconfigure the innerds by re-doing the shelves if we need to and the assymetry within the cabs does not affect the symmetry seen when cabs are closed. We used a nailed-on cleat to keep the roll-out shelf from kicking upward when extended. I have a stock pot in my lower roll-out. I like the roll-outs better than drawers for pots--I can see easier, find things quicker, and only need to open the cabinet door once and the roll-outs can both be extended nearly equally and 3/4 of my stuff is partly visible. If I had two or more drawers to open and shut and open again while searching for a pan or lid it would drive me nuts. But then, I have a lot of pans and I store them and their lids as densely as I can and there is no permanent spot for most of them. I don't have the luxury of multiple drawers with custom spots for each pot and the lids. Remember, it's okay to put some pots elsewhere, if they're still accessible. Stock pots can go into a basement, garage, or pantry. Unless you're cooking for a crowd frequently or you make a big recipe daily, you don't need to let the tail wag the dog. (I've shaken off the idea that when organizing, "like always goes with like." I've broken apart my knives--some are at bread & sandwich & cheese & sausage station by refrig; the chopping knives are in the slit by the chopping station. My utensils are adjacent to the area where they're used, not categorized as being "utensils" generically and dumped into a couple utensil drawers. Same with larder items--they are stored where they are used; coffee by beverage station; cereals near cereal bowls; snacks by beverage station; flour by baking; etc. ) I second the idea of having all the grain on your cabs and drawers run horizontally. This almost immediately homogenizes variations in a mod kitchen. There is a rule, there is discipline.

In my living room I have two natuzzi leather sofa's (red) a conical horn table (very modern) and two 1840's arm chairs, an amoire from about 1830'ish and a radio cabinet from the 1930's. In between the couches is a bible storage box from a quaker church...I'd say it's late 1800's. :) I'd say I have eclectic pretty much nailed :oP They all work because they have similar weight and forms. Most are rectangular or square and somewhat heavy. I balance that weight with the arm chairs, but while they're "light" in feel, they're also rather substantial given their carving and leather seats. All of the surfaces are low fuss wood or leather, which again ties them together. My lighting is modern, in steel, which looks great with the angular mirrors in the amoire. They're all balanced with a juxtoposition of super soft and fluffy sheepskin rugs. I think eclectic is the only way to go...but I'm not very good at following a specific time period so I guess that's why I feel that way heh heh (Maybe I'm too lazy to try that hard). And honestly...i'm going to offend here so forgive me...I hate HIGH Victorian furniture that's all high victorian, nothing else mixed in. Those victorians liked their dark wood and carvings and gad they loved their knicknacks! Oh and lace...don't even get me started. I'd much rather see a sprinkling of victorian in a home mixed with art deco, modern, etc. Just watch your shapes and form and make sure the weight is balanced right, and it will be gorgeous.

Are we related? I LOVE the Ether chandelier and it was my first choice for the entry (double-height) light -- I'd misread the price. Ha ha ha on me! And then I found the tumbleweed chandelier (Sunlight Chandelier by Trans Globe Lighting) and I realized once again that everything happens for a reason! (Meaning, I found a fixture I like a lot with a price which allows me to sleep at night, but that doesn't mean I don't still have thoughts about it. Although, I'm now dreaming of the Tord Boontje Blossom Chandelier -- yowza! Wow, those fixtures you linked are terrific. You have some eye! I am definitely coming to you when I need help. The big square fixture is by Knikerboker Lighting, from Archisesto, which is a firm run by our very own giacomo_it! It's the Qubo 55cm and I love it love it love it. Here it is in our dining room: We only have two of the Louis Ghost chairs as well, and you can't see them in this photo: they're flanking the mizuya (which we use as a buffet, on the far right). I got them from eBay for significantly less than DWR. Yippee! We have four typical Louix XVI wood chairs from Ethan Allen and then two Varenne Opera Chairs from Casa-Midy at the heads. I love those chairs .... Our table is also big and heavy, so I totally know what you mean about the Ghost chairs not being weighty enough. The wall against which the mizuya and Ghost chairs are is mirrored, so I esp. love having the Ghost chairs there. My children (four and two) also like sitting in "The Glass Chairs," and their little female friends get a big kick out of them as well! (I think it's something princess-y, but since I have sons that's a topic which has totally passed me by!) (This is my kitchen. See what I mean about traditional?)

Here's well known woodworking writer Bob Flexner on sheen. You can find lots of his finishing tips at TheFinishingStore.com click on newsletters, or search Flexner on the site. Just so you know, I do some web work for TFS. Finishing Tip by Bob Flexner: How Sheen Works The sheen of a finish is measured as the reflectivity of the dried film ��" that is, the sharpness of an image reflected in the surface. Sheens vary from high gloss to very flat. The contrast between gloss and satin sheens is shown in the accompanying picture.gloss-and-satin-sheens.jpg Finishes are supplied in various sheens, determined by how much flatting agent, which is usually silica, is added. These are usually identified with names such as gloss, semi-gloss, satin, matte, eggshell and flat. The names reflect the manufacturerâÂÂs interpretation and are often chosen for marketing purposes, so the actual sheens you get can vary noticeably among brands. A more exact, and better, method of identification uses a numbering system from gloss (90 sheen) to flat (10 sheen). Some manufacturers, especially those targeting the professional market, use this system. You can create your own customized sheen by mixing two sheens of a given finish type together, or by letting the flatting agent in one container settle, then pour off the top half into another container and mix the two parts. To see what you have, you have to apply at least two coats. After sanding the first coat smooth, apply the second and let it dry. This will give you the accurate sheen. The final sheen is established by the sheen of the last coat applied, not by an accumulation of sheens of all coats. So you can change the sheen on any surface simply by applying another coat with the desired sheen. Sheen can also be achieved by rubbing the last coat with abrasives. The last abrasive used will establish the sheen, so you could go from satin to gloss, then back to satin and back to gloss. Once you begin rubbing with abrasives, the flatting-agent-created sheen of the finish youâÂÂre rubbing is no longer a factor. Satin can be rubbed to gloss, and gloss can be rubbed to satin. The downside of a rubbed sheen is that it shows scratches more easily than a sheen created with flatting agents. Any light abrasion running across the ridges of the rubbed scratches flattens them and appears as a shallow scratch.