tbb123! Thanks so much for all your help with getting the layout of this kitchen right. The kitchen is great to live and work in and my husband, the cook, really appreciates the workspace. My only regret is not going with IKEA cabinetry as the semi-custom maker we used ended up being a little...not so high quality. We ended up having a roomate who is quite the chef for the past year so the kitchen got quite a workout. rmtdoug - don't know if you're still around - it was a simplehuman holder from BB&B -something like this: http://www.simplehuman.com/sink-caddy-brushed-stainless-steel Thanks Russ! Emily - I used inspiredLED ultra bright warm flexible strip. It was a bit of a hassle as my electrician didn't know to run low voltage wiring and instead ran big old regular wire...so my advice is to have all the lighting details worked out WELL in advance. The folks at inspiredLED cut the strips to size based on your cabinet plan and supply all the parts you need. I hardwired my system so I could have a wall dimmer. Lighting is still holding up well although we don't use the dimmers really on the undercab, maybe once a year I'll dim them for ambiance during a party. You will need an outlet somewhere the transformer can plug into (they recommend under the sink). Outlets in cabinetry in my province are I guess not allowed by code unless there's an appliance involved so, anyway, I remember there were some objections to my initial desire to have an outlet above the stove. Some of my counters are shiny and I ended up installing the strips to point back at the backsplash to avoid the points of light on the counter effect. inspiredLED explain how to do that.

Saw the Pitt displayed at the Boffi showroom in Chicago. The owner/manager of the store said she had one at home and really liked it. It is a head-turner! Looks great! Glad it is working for you. When I was at the Gaggenau showroom, they had a "wok ring" that permitted a wok with a rounded bottom to be used on either an induction or electric cooktop. Maybe someone who didn't have gas could use a creme brulee torch to char things. I read a review on Houzz where the homeowner did not want a natural gas cooktop but wanted a propane cooktop because of the difference in cooking. I'm not much of a cook, and those differences would be lost on me. But I can appreciate that individuals who like to cook want certain features and know how to use them to great advantage with their culinary skills. I'm more of an aesthetics person. I want things to look pretty. I also want them to work well, but no one is going to rave about my cooking no matter what cooktop I'm using sadly.

I am very interested in using Lagos Blue (which, for people who haven't seen it, isn't blue at all!). I have looked on the Caesarstone.com website and can find no technical specifications at all. On the CaesarstoneUS.com website I find technical specifications -- http://www.caesarstoneus.com/downloads/pdf/Technical%20Data%20Manual_FINE.pdf -- but nothing that's specific to one color or another. The ONLY thing I can find about Lagos Blue being different is that (1) if you buy ANY of the Caesarstone in a honed finish, you must sign a certificate that you expect that "metal marks, fingerprints, and other signs of daily living" will be more obvious and require more cleaning and (2) Lagos Blue is the only color where, in addition, to the honed finish certificate, it also has footnoted: "Honed versions of these colors will require more maintenance." With regard to its softness, Lagos Blue has a model number starting with "4" so it's apparently just as hard or soft as any number of other Caesarstone products which they claim to be harder than granite. MOHS hardness (scratch test) is in the range of 6.5 to 7.5, according to the US website. But I cannot find any information that demonstrates that Lagos Blue is more prone to scratching. If it is, I would dearly love to know sooner than later!! If anybody has experience or more information please pass it on. Here is a link that might be useful: Caesarstone US technical specifications document

I had a fire, too. The smoke damage is incredible, no matter where the fire actually happens. I lost 4 pets; I hope you and yours are all safe. I cannot say enough good things about my insurance man and company. How often do you hear that!? But they are fantastic . Sadly, my DH, GC by license and contract was the contractor on the job and he bailed on me in 2007. I've been rebuilding on my own ever since. The good news about poverty is that it's given me a lot of time to think, reorganize, build, replace, and just plan improve (ok, change) my kitchen. My layout pretty much remains the same, but the little things happen. However, in my future, for example, when I can save for soapstone counters, I'll also be taking out the window over my sink and making a counter height one. I'm going to rearrange another whole run of base cabinets to move a trash pull-out next to the stove where I prep. This involves uninstalling 16' of cabs, shifting them, reinstalling them, all underneath the BB countertop I built. That example is to demonstrate why one should take it slowly. I didn't think any ideas would work for me, then prepping and dumping stuff into the waste basket I'd pulled over, I had a brain storm. My suggestion to add to the mix is small but I found important. Wherever you end up installing your outlets, use quad outlets. The 2-plug outlets are outdated in the face of electrical usage of this decade, let alone century. I also put it 220 (the ones with the little, horizontal slit on them?) for a heavier appliance demand. Already I'm wishing I had more outlets by the stove. And I barely cook alone! Oh! And remember you don't need 14000 different outlet boxes along your counters, etc. They make a huge variety of boxes where you can have them all neatly tucked into one box. On one side of my sink I have 2 outlets, a UCL switch, and the switch for the peninsula pendants. The other side is the light over the sink switch, GD, and 2 outlets. All neatly tucked into a box that holds 4 things. They make light switch plates with as many as 12 switches in it, so don't let anyone tell you they're not made. . Along with Ikea, since you guys sound incredibly handy, I'd suggest looking at building your own boxes. You could purchase your own face frames and doors from Barker (doors), or someone like Brian at the Cabinet Joint .com for the package of face frames and doors together. You'd save a TON of money and get exactly what you want. I've taken a bunch of cabinets and knocked the face frames off to replace them with beaded inset, which makes my heart sing. [lol] No kidding! I've also retrofitted base cabinets to take drawers, which makes my life SO MUCH EASIER! So there is my $.02. Hang in there and just realize there's no prize for finishing fast. Finish well.