This is an interesting discussion as this is core to my dilema with space planning for my kitchen reno. To be honest, What I would really like is to be able to do is to keep all the main appliances I use on the counter. I have tried the storage in shelves, on super susans, in cabinets in pantry and on the countertop already plugged-in(in a rental with a lot of counter space). The one that worked for me the best was having it on the counter.. I actually used the appliances a lot more and my meals were more creative. What I imagine is an extra-deep counter with an 1' deep appliance garage all along the back with a nice-looking tambour style door that can be rolled up or down - so essentially my kitchen can have a more open working view and a closed view that is clean and nice. I once timed how long it takes if I have to pull out the appliances and set it up - adds 10-15 mins to my prep and another 10-15 to put away. If wishes were horses :) Here is my appliance list (I cook a pretty international cuisine and use all of them on a regular basis) Bread machine - Weekly Coffee Machine - Daily Vitamix - Daily for kefir smoothies small spice grinder - 2-3 times a week for fresh spices as I use whole spices only Immersion blender - weekly Asian blender with multiple jars - 2-3 times a week stone molcajete (mortor/ pestle) - 2-3 times a week mini crockpot - weekly Rice cooker - 2-3 times a week Asian wet grinder - weekly Lalitha

When at school we did 'Domestic Science' which was really just cookery. I can well remember my first lesson was 'rock buns' which certainly lived up to their names. Second lesson was pastry-making. Not easy as I had never cooked at home, only used to being my Mother's skivvy washing up, peeling spuds etc. My brothers did the usual woodwork, tech drawing etc at school. Nowadays little proper 'cookery' or needlework is taught I was expected to make beds, dust, wield the 'hoover' etc and didn't enjoy it. I really think parents should make children 'help' in the house and not sit about being waited on like little Emperors, although this probably goes against the grain of modern parenting where kids must be entertained 24/7. How many of you notice a change in attitudes towards the amount of 'help' men give around the house. When I was a young child (late40's50's) my Grandfather lived with us and did nothing except eat, sit and read the paper and sleep. My Mother claimed when she first 'joined the family' he was unable to get clean clothes out or put stuff to be laundered. His sisters and Mother had waited on him hand and foot and even cleaned his football and cricket boots! Difficult to believe he had been quite a sportsman in his day. He would let the fire go out rather than put a shovel of coal onto it and used to get me (aged 3-4) to make phone calls on his behalf . . . My father was able to cook 'basic' meals and was good at noticing what needed dusting/cleaning and would drive my Mother mad by telling her about the wives of friends, all paragons of virtue, who were up every day at dawn polishing, cooking vast meals, cleaning the oven every week . . . and apparently telling everyone about it. My DH is able to cook and makes excellent bread but is less interested in cleaning and is the world's most untidy person who never throws anything away. My older son and s-in-law are very domesticated and can do as much, if not more than their wives, from child-care to ironing.

@User—I really love the counters. They are pretty bulletproof compared to what i have had before. I will say that the swirlier, cloudier Taj Mahal quartzite is harder to find than the more linear slabs that seem to be prevalent. My original slabs were the more linear ones. it turned out to become problematic with an L and island setup in terms of laying out the slabs. A fortunate turn of events occurred when the cabinet manufacturer made my island a few inches wider than they should have been. So i needed to choose new slabs and when i went back to the stoneyard, they had some of the cloudier ones. i grabbed them. Luckily, the stoneyard works closely with my fabricator, so they agreed to pick them up and swap them out. So bottom line is that if you want the cloudier slabs, you may need to be patient and look around at several yards.

The only things I made this year left the house without pictures (I am really bad about that) -- oversized linen throws with heirloom stitching details. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who were always doing some kind of needleworking or crafting, so it's always nice to see what others are doing. I am a dabbler, doing a little of a lot of things and not a lot of any. I've done needlepoint, cross stitch, crochet, needlepoint, pottery and ceramics (considered buying a kiln), mosaics, sewing, bag making, and quilting projects.