No time to read through previous responses so hope this is not too redundant. DD is 3 if it helps you assess these thoughts, and we've been in our new kitchen about 15 months. 1) Cooktop controls back on the counter, not at front of the stove. Ours run sideways from back to front of counter. 2) We haven't felt the need of a learning tower, though I seriously considered buying one of the collapsible ones-- one small stable single stepstool is plenty (DD is tall, but they have to be kind of tall before you want them doing much cooking). She steps up and can reach to stir, pour, etc. 3) Everything stored below the counter is safe for kids to bang around or wear if they must-- pots, colanders, trays, canned goods, silverware, measuring cups, pyrex, pans. Everything dangerous (glassware, cleaning supplies, knives, dish and DW soap, vitamins) is in uppers or pantry (which DD can't access without adult getting her through gate). It was so worth it to design this way. No need for latches and annoying locks on everything. Much lower anxiety level as my only main safety focus is the oven and stovetop. 4) Keep the microwave above the counter-- too dangerous for fire if it's low and you don't notice that it was turned on empty. 5) Lots of ways to store knives besides drawers below counters-- ours are in block in far back corner of counter (furthest from floor) and some will be on magnetic strip one of these days (currently sticking out of random Tupperware near knife block). 6) DD's own plates and cups are below counter for her easy access (and "help" unloading DW, though I usually do it while she's eating at the counter). 7) I was surprised by how young DD was when she was perfectly capable of climbing up and down into her own swivel counter-height stool to sit at the kitchen counter. 8) Great small, wooden Ikea toy kitchen nearby for DD to cook along with me that way, too. 9) We use the kitchen timer on the oven to time things for DD (3 minutes to bedtime! 5 minutes to dinner time!) Occasionally we now have a problem because a) she turns it off at our request but uses the general "off" button instead of the kitchen timer and turns off something that was cooking in the oven or b) she just randomly turns off the kitchen timer that someone was cooking with, and the cook is later surprised to discover that the timer and perhaps oven are off. If you have to have an outlet cover in the side of an island or whatever, they make ones with a slide-aside safety part that is easier to maintain and use than little plastic plugs. Good luck. I have gotten so much joy from cooking with DD-- it is not yet her favorite thing to do, but it's growing on her.

We did start out at Ikea, and the utility of the tool seems great, my issues were more to do with lots of lag. Playing with "floorplanner" now...

Lafonda, are you concerned that EQ can't do what you want? It can - there is a custom layout feature and you can create custom block sizes and plop them wherever you want. I Googled "Quilt design software" and the first dozen or so responses are about EQ, but apparently Quilt Pro is still available. Something called Pattern Jam came up, too. Donna

As far as I know what you refer to is only available for paints. Virtual paint programs allow you to see how a color would look in a well-lit, natural light room, or an exterior view. Most paint manufacturer's have this, and some are easier to use than others. Behr includes a preview of their stains as well as their paints. Just visit their sites.