Thanks for the responses. The tile is great--the tile grout isn't even in a straight line close to the cabinets:( elleninmaine: it is Saltillo hand made in Saltillo, Mexico--and is sold here in Texas. Mine is the San Felipe shape in Manganese color. Google Rustico Tile--that's who I purchased from and their website says they ship anywhere. I also read on the website they can match tile. In this part of the US, Saltillo is still in style and makes a lot of sense-- especially with the new sealers that last a long time

Busy work day, hence the delay in getting back. Once I get the rest of my stuff put away, I'll add a couple photos. I don't think our contractor has it on his blog yet. @blfenton-I found that 1927 laundry sink on CL. It had the delivery address of the house I got it from still handwritten on the back. The counter next to it is the rest of the marble from our bathroom work. I wash the dog, my hair, paint brushes, laundry and whatever else in it. We used the old laundry hookup water and drainage since we moved laundry to our kitchen. It makes me very happy. I also have the metal legs from the sink and need to come up with something to make out of them.....maybe a coffee table for somewhere out there.... @springoz, I woke up in pain this morning from all that work. Hope you were better off! The bulbs are 1.1 watt LED bulbs so they don't draw much power and they cast a really nice light. I'll be sure to post an evening pic. @outsideplaying, I've been trying to get this done for months. First ran out of product and couldn't find it locally, then ran out of free time for a while. @errant, thanks. It's from Crate and Barrel, the Arbor collection that they don't sell anymore. We have a couple lounge chairs and ottomans as well. Everything has sat covered outside or in the garage for almost four years. It looked awful before I cleaned and treated it. Should have sanded, but that was more than I could commit to! @LynnNm, thanks. I've seen pictures of your space and you win! ;)

Nothing elicits a face palm urge in me quicker than seeing an expensively done kitchen with a cook top on an island and no overhead exhaust fan. Especially if a gas cook top, which I've seen and am amazed it's even code compliant. My reaction (which I keep to myself), in good valley girl talk, would be "like wow, like doesn't anyone here like know what happens when you like cook something there? Do you like ever cook things here that are like smelly, like onions or garlic or spices, or like smoky, like meat? Do you, like, like having those smells and the combustion poisons from the gas flames throughout your like house?" We once went to a open house held by someone we knew on the occasion of the completion of a kitchen remodel. Yes, a gas cook top on an island was there, sans exhaust fan. I asked the lady of the house about it when a quiet moment presented itself - why no exhaust fan? The response was "Our designer found some hanging fixtures she thought would look perfect here when seen when first entering the room. She said there was no way to use the fixtures and also have an overhead exhaust system so she convinced us to stick with these lights instead. Aren't they lovely?"

What exactly is the scope of work? Who is doing the work? Licensed and insure? Type of contractor? Architect or design involved? What material is being used on the remodel? Pictures of the current work? Progress pictures? Inspiration pictures?