Well done! I vote for "no rail" -- it was the visual focal point of the kitchen -- and now the viewer's eye can look up and around! :) A wonderful fast transformation -- love the stools too -- very classy and elegant!

Well, first of all, that platelet count is not that worrisome (or worriesome at all, actually). Most platelet counts result from a machine doing automated tests and do not alert a path review unless that platelet count is indeed what I would call low (less than 50,000)... or dangerously low (less than 25,000). I have even gotten platelet counts back at 15,000 with a comment about clumping platelets that did not warrant an alert. Platelets like to clump and that makes their numbers impossbile to count in automated systems. So those counts wouldn't even be worth mentioning normally and I would not lose sleep over them. You can always have a CBC with platelet count along with a specific path review done if you are still unconvinced. You certainly would not ever see symptoms of bleeding with platelet counts that high... even with counts as low as 20,000 the incidence of bleeding is probably rare, though it could occur more easily with trauma than it would with a normal count. Below that you would probably see problems. If his true count (non-automated) consistently registered below 50,000 to 75,000, then I would persue other diagnostics to see if there is some other disease causing a problem (poisoning, blood parasites, drug reaction, cancer etc.). Lower numbers would be more worrisome and associated with immune diseases, overwhelming infection, inflammation etc. But your dog's counts are no where near these levels. If you still want to follow up on your dog's lab work, an internal medicine specialist is where you would want to go (very commonly available around here, but rare in some areas of the country). Secondly, bladder infections are NOT common in laboradors (or any dogs for that matter at a young age, though they do occur). As a veterianrian for over 26 years now, I think I have seen 2 bladder infections in male lab puppies... one with a ton of bladder stones, too. Female puppies get bladder infections a lot more often (less distance to bladder from the outside world) but still, I would not say it is common, and certainly not more common in labs than other breeds. I asked the vets I worked with (I work at a large hospital in California) and few can think of any lab puppies they have seen with bladder infections (most had never seen a male lab puppy with a bladder infection). But it does happen sometimes (obviously). The diarrhea problems (not spelled diharrhea by the way) have many potential causes, but it sounds like you are on the right tract to having them worked out. They can be very frustrating as there are so many reasons for diarrhea and many require different treatments and not all treatments work. As they mature, most dogs eventually settle down and get over it as long as there is not some glaring problem that has been missed.

Great article and eye candy in that Houzz link, francoise47. I hadn't seen it and thanks for sharing it. Personally, I'm swimming in options but directionless. I had another setback with the layout and might just have to post something a lot less complete than I had hoped it... I'm feeling in over my head layout-wise. Hopefully all this will get things percolating in the brain and help me when the time comes. In the meantime, I am totally enjoying the research and if nothing else, it's a nice distraction... I agree with uroboros5 that comfort is important in a stool. At least in our application, I hope to really use the newfound counter seating in multi-functioning ways. That requires us (and guests) to want to hang out there. girlville, those are great stools. Were you able to sit in them? You'll have to let us know how they are working for you once you have the chance to sit in them and enjoy the new house. WRS - Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful stools. I like that they don't look like they would swivel somehow, but they do. They seem to really act as your color point for the room and the warm dark wood contrasts nicely with your white cabinets. They look so comfortable! Are they? (PS - your floors are amazing)

Thanks :) a2gemini, I'm glad I'm not the only one w/ a DH who thinks papers add to the decor :) When I first met my husband and went over to his house, there were papers everywhere! He even kept old calendar pages that he never looked at stacked up on his dresser because "they were funny." I'm sure his office still looks like that, but I don't go over there!