Mondoct -- I love your vanity. I've spent hours and hours looking for something close to what's spinning in my noodle and yours comes closest. I love how the crown molding seems to run down the wall and blends with the cabinets, almost like they're the same piece of wood spreading all over the bathroom. We're having a vanity built that should look similar to this, but not so much detail in the moldings. We're going for more of a modern country look. Anyway, we just purchased a slab of reclaimed Myrtle to be used for our countertop. Almost of the contractors we've met with have cringed when I've said we're using wood for the countertop, but we're confident it will work. Wondering what you're used on your teak. Teak is as water resistant a wood as possible, but what did you finish it with? I keep hearing that Waterlox is one of the best products to use so we're planning on applying multiple coats to our Myrtle. Kudos again on a beautiful vanity and bathroom. Here are 2 of the inspiration photos we started with.

I'm sort of a lurker here - we're working on the new kitchen plans right now, so I'm just reading about your kitchens. I did a kitchen 5+ years ago with the help of this forum. So here's my two cents on marble countertops. I have always wanted a period kitchen with marble counters.I was talked out of it last time for re-sale issues. This time I'm going for it. I don't like shiny, so I will probably start with it honed. At the beginning of April, we went to Venice and Milan for a week. That trip sealed my marble decision. All you have to do is walk through the churches, up and down the stairs, the sidewalks,touch the railings, the counters in the cafes- all marble, and all white marble. The stuff is, frankly, bulletproof. And more beautiful with all the age and "love" on it than anything I've ever seen. More than 500 years can't be all wrong!

Of course you are overwhelmed-10 choices is too many! Can you do a bit of a gut check: what do you envision in your space? (I like what sparklekitty wrote above.) RE: color... 1) Can you post the tiles you are hoping to match? If they are white/off white, which slabs are closest to your particular white? 2) On my monitor--It looks like there are 2 slabs out of the 10 that have more warmth/taupe/gold tones to them (option 7 & 10--maybe they're even labeled different Calacatta d'oro or Calacatta Gold?) I'm wondering if you can eliminate them if you prefer more crisp gray/black and white of the other 8 slabs? (Those 2 taupe toned slabs are actually my favorite, but are they yours?) I'm thinking 2 of these things are not like the other... RE: how to choose what piece for where Can your fabricator meet you at the stoneyard to help show you how they could layout pieces on the slabs you like? There are only certain ways they'll be able to cut the stone to get you all the pieces you need. (This was very helpful to me.) Right now you are looking at slabs, which have little to do with the final look you'll have from the smaller pieces you will see in your home. I'd prioritize which portion of which slab you like for your island (or your bath, if that is more important to you.) But just think about that one thing first. Then, do you like the pieces that remain for your other counters? I took some blue painters tape to the stoneyard to make my own (very primitive) "templates" on the slab it was easier to stand back and "see" my counters that way. Miscellaneous: Large areas of pure white with no veins will show etches the worst. Veining helps disguise etches. I would try to put the most veining on your kitchen island which would see the heaviest use. When I was shopping for our marble, I could find slabs with the tones I wanted OR the vein pattern/movement, but not both. Is one more important to you?

Thank you for responding and your advice. I think you are right. The carpenter is very talented at what he does: custom cabinets, staircases, beams, building and rehabbing all manner of furniture, custom doors, great trim work, etc; but he is not a wood floor installer. I'm not hiring a GC for this project. So in order to get the timing right, tell me if this is the right sequence: carpenter demos the carpet, railings, balustrades, post, etc, and gets really accurate measurements of what's there now. Makes and installs the wood treads, risers, landings, and removes the wood that is currently going around the edges of the top landing. When he's done with all that I'll have the woodfloor installer do their work. Then the carpenter will come back and finish the posts, railing and balustrades, and some trim work. Then painters come to paint and stain everything. The carpenter is pretty flexible, so I don't think he will mind having a break in the project for the wood floor people to come. And we've worked together very well before, so I don't think he will be insulted that I feel more comfortable hiring a dedicated wood floor installer. Detail question: For the 2 steps going up from the landing to the gameroom, should the carpeter do these steps before the woodfloor person comes or after? I was thinking after, so that the wood floor runs all the way to that step and the riser sits on top of that. Thanks again for responding; this is very helpful.