Stay away from Smith and Noble. Stay far, far away. I ordered 6 shades. I paid Smith and Noble to come measure. When the shades arrived, 5 of the 6 were about 1/4 to 1/2 inch too wide for the windows. I asked to return the shades to get my money back. Turns out their "satisfaction guarantee pledge" means that they won't give you your money back, no matter what. They insist on coming back to re-measure, but a) I can't take time off from work again for this, and b) why would I want to run the risk of further screw ups and hassle? Their customer service staff come across as Soviet-style bureaucrats. Evidently, Smith and Noble could care less about disappointing their customers and engendering ill will. I guess my next steps are to file complaints with the BBB and my state's attorney general, as well as dispute the original charge with my credit card company. I'll probably send the shades back to the company's president for good measure. Keep in mind that Smith and Noble's "partner sites" (i.e. sister companies) include Ballard Designs, Grandin Road, Garnet Hill, TravelSmith, Frontgate, and others. You can rest assured that I won't be giving any of them my business in the future either.

Awhile ago I was in an arithmetic mood and did some calculations about corner cabinets. A full circle lazy susan gives you about 20% more storage surface area than a true blind corner (i.e., with the corner blocked off and empty). Lazy susans with the corner cut out give you 5% more, up to maybe 10%, depending on the size of the wedge out. Corner drawers work for full overlay (which a true blind doesn't because the doors/drawers run into each other), but only have a negligibly tiny bit more storage. I'm getting corner drawers because I just don't like lazy susans. The swing out things (there are several kinds) might actually reduce the storage area, from what I can tell without being able to make precise measurements. They not only fill a lot less of the space in a corner than a lazy susan, they also cut down the space available in the cupboard next to the blind corner. My cabinet maker won't touch them! In a place where you have a necessary blind corner there's also the "Arlosmom solution". She put sideways pullouts in the blind area which slide into the adjacent cabinet. Obviously, if you're going to use it a lot you'll want to only store big, easily moved things in front of them. I have two of these corners going into my new kitchen. One upper that has open shelves butting into it, and one next to the laundry sink. My cabinet maker is mounting the pullouts on adjustable shelves so that they can move with the shelves. I figure that up near the ceiling, I will only put the very least used things. Perhaps the lightweight roaster in the actual cupboard, and things like my extra teakettles, which I don't need and don't want to be rid of, in the blind. In the laundry room I'm thinking I'll get baskets for sorting laundry so I won't have piles on the floor, and put them in the cupboard in front of the pull outs, so they'll be really easy to take out for access. I decided against built in sorters (which were on the list for quite awhile) because it worked better for other things, so I really like how this ended up working out.

Okay, I showed all these ideas to the GC and he still likes his too modern metal and glass surface mounted in the dining room thing that I'm not having. :) But I did find out why no kitchen side slider or pocket door. The city said no. And one picks one's battles with the city. They also didn't allow the sink vent pipe under the slab, and made us route it though the cupboads (luckily, it was behind the trash). They passed everything else, however, and fates willing will also pass us on final. Having just read about ... can't remember the OP's handle, and SF's and others' problems with plan check, and I feel much better about giving up my pocket door and getting my permits right away. Rubyfig, that's actually a very good suggestion--but the room isn't big enough. Two steps in from the door and you're at the chairs. It could hang like an arras, more or less flush, but would have to be drawn aside like a curtain. Although... Now that you mention it, if I have to have hardware on the dining room side, I'd much rather have a tapestry rod than a door mechanism. I even have some partially complete canvas hangings I could finish and use. :D Hm... An artcloth opportunity. If I put copper tubing in the sides it would give some heft and framework. It could slide or bend. And I wouldn't have to move the switches. Hm... This version is still really inconvenient, but it has possibilities... I could even do bypass panels, a la Homepro's link, but without the lower track. A narrow panel on the short side. A wide panel that would cover more than the door, and slide rather solidly (maybe a pull too), and a sheer panel in front that could cover just the door, and provide depth over the heavier panel, but just drape over the door when it's open... What an idea!! Turn it into an art project!!!! I'm going to think about this some more... ROTFL! Fori, I love the no-baby-squashing-porthole!! Lynne, that's a great door! Lascatx, thanks for the new link. It's like the old Pella door, huh? It might be possible if it could be recessed. I'll have to check. But the more it settles, the more I'm thinking I like this whole art opportunity idea. It would still be a bit inconvenient and a bother, but it would look good. And I can finish it in my own time and still use the kitchen.

Agree on maintenance. As for the toilet thing - enough room around the toilet - but not TOO MUCH room so that you can install a grab bar if necessary. Toilets that are ADA height at GREAT. And I also prefer ones with smooth sides that are also called 'hidden trap' - they are all smooth and don't have exposed bolts / covers and don't collet dust / crud around the base. Also - way easier to sit down / get up. My new build has 2 bedrooms that connect to the master bath. That could be separate beds if a spouse was a loud sleeper - or also could be used by a caregiver. I am going to have hard surface flooring (mostly a dog decision) but the hardness can be mitigated by having some decent "indoor shoes" (that can also help with things being slippery, etc). I have no steps from garage to house, nor from house to outside. I have 36" wide doors everywhere. We recently installed the metal door frames and it's weird now that that feels SMALL! We will also have the ability to put grab rails anywhere by using 3/4" heavy duty, marine grade plywood behind all our showers. Sheet tiles / large format porcelain / sintered material, etc. and a zero threshold shower. Handheld sprays. A tub with a ledge so you can sit and swing your legs over - but the shower is the key - it will actually hold a bathing chair AND a caregiver. My inlaws had care 24/7 for a few years. They also had a 1620's historic home. While it was their dream ho me, it was sad to see how the usable portion continued to shrink as they could no longer handle the stairs. My parent, OTOH, have a single floor condo, with a garage and a stair lift that is now allowing my Dad to be super mobile while he waits on his knee replacement surgery. It was a Godsend after Mom's hip replacement. (It also works fairly well to send up the groceries...). While their straight stairs are a design no-no, it worked well for the stair lift. I hope the best set of decisions we've made center around very low maintenance materials - metal roofing, concrete exterior, windows that are large, but not super tall, a plinth around the house to facilitate cleaning / spiderweb removal, accessible systems for HVAC, water heating, home automation, etc. Home automation that will work more and more with Alexa, Google home, Siri, etc may come in handy, too. For the kitchen - induction, as well as ovens that the doors open TO THE SIDE with ballbearing slides for the racks to make removing items easier and safer.