I lost my gentle, constant companion, my 16yo purrbaby, last week. A friend sent me this-- ROOM IN YOUR HEART Sorrow fills a barren space; you close your eyes and see my face and think of times I made you laugh, the love we shared, the bond we had, the special way I needed you - the friendship shared by just we two. The day's too quiet, the world seems older, the wind blows now a little colder. You gaze into the empty air and look for me, but I'm not there - I'm in heaven and I watch you, and I see the world around you too. I see little souls wearing fur, souls who bark and souls who purr born unwanted and unloved - I see all this and more above - I watch them suffer, I see them cry, I see them lost, I watch them die. I see unwanted thousands born - and when they die, nobody mourns. These little souls wearing fur (Some who bark and some who purr) are castaways who - unlike me - will never know love or security. A few short months they starve and roam, Or caged in shelters - nobody takes home. They're special too (furballs of pleasure), filled with love and each one, a treasure. My pain and suffering came to an end, so don't cry for me, my person, my friend. But think of the living - those souls with fur (some who bark and some who purr) - And though our bond can't be broken apart, make room for another in your home and your heart. --- Caro Schubert-James --- amethyst@nc5.infi.net alt.support.grief.pet-loss www page: Poem

I don't get the no uppers thing. If there's a wall there, I want uppers. Chest to eye level is great storage, right where you want it. Some prefer open shelves, hooks, etc., but the only thing that isn't perfect about my kitchen (entirely made with advice and consent of GW) is not enough uppers (much territory taken by windows, ovens, hood). Don't get me wrong! I wouldn't remove windows or any of the rest, but if I had more wall, I'd want more uppers! The things that I think make my kitchen as close to perfect as possible include wide, but not too wide, aisles, 42-48". More than 54", which I've had in the past, is awful. Well above 40" gives people room to pass while carrying stuff. Also, good natural light and excellent, well positioned artificial light, including color adjusted to sunshiny, indirect light, which can be used to add to daylight without outshining it. Next is layout. I used what I call "the spiral" to organize work zones and storage. It's a conceptual spiral, not a physical one. The center of the spiral is the classic work triangle: fridge/staples > sink/prep > stove > clean up and fridge. One thing I dislike about larger kitchens is that they remove cleanup to a whole different section. That's fine if you have a scullery maid, but I prefer having the cleanup within a few steps of prep and cooking. I also want the spices and the most used staples at point of use, rather than in the pantry, and the same for all bowls, tools, pans and utensils that are used more than once per year. All should be within the core. Dishes, not so much. I do have kitchen dishes, in some of those uppers, in the core, because there's room, but most of them are closer to the dining room. I did that very much on purpose. I get it when people want the dishes by the dishwasher, but when the eating area isn't also next to the dishwasher, you're going to have to carry them sometime, either when you're unloading the DW or when you're setting the table. I prefer the dishes near the table. It's also a lot easier if you need an extra glass or fork not to have to go all the way into the kitchen for it. Which leads to another point: Part of perfect kitchen, which I don't have, would be a bright breakfast room that was out of the kitchen proper, but still part of the kitchen's purview. Not an "eat-in" area, but a separate room, maybe with a pass through. Dish storage, snack/coffee station, etc., could easily be dislocated to there. On the spiral plan, this would be the outside leg. Anyway, the next part of the spiral, after the core, are the secondary function zones. These can be a baking area, wall ovens, snack/coffee/bar, pantry. All the things you want close to the kitchen but not in the middle of where you're working. Again, things used most often towards the core, and less often farther away. After that, come the true storage areas. Dishes and service ware, bulk storage, picnic supplies, barbecue supplies, etc. Things that are kitcheny, but don't need to be in the work area. In my kitchen, the baking area is between the stove and the oven, so the core is an L and the next part turns it into a U. The prep sink can be accessed from the oven side of the island, for baking, and the prep side of the island can be additional baking room, too. I often put cooking racks on my glass cooktop, as well. All of this takes place away from the cleanup, but is only about four strides away. The "umlaut" to the U shape is the pantry, with less immediate storage through several doorways beyond. Within the core, knives, cutters, tools, prep bowls, mixing bowls, colanders and graters are in the prep area. Wraps face the fridge and containers are on the fridge wall. Small appliances are under the ovens and MW (next to the fridge). Towels are in the corner with the containers. The most used oils, wines, flour for sauces, and spice and herb blends are by the stove. The full spice rack is a few steps farther in the baking area. All the baking pans, bowls and tools, as well as baking staples, are in the baking area. All the pots are under the cooktop except for big specialty pots which are in high cabinets (i.e., remote storage, even though it's up rather than out). For me, that's what makes it an ideal kitchen. Everything in the optimum place so I don't have to hike back and forth to cook. I'm fond of nature hikes, not interfering ones. :) Oh, and given the wide aisles and carefully laid out zones, six cooks are as comfortable cooking here as one. Good luck with your house! Keep in mind that limitations are sometimes the sources of inspiration, so don't despair if other considerations give some to you. You're wise to have the kitchen well designed as the basis for the house, but don't let perfection be the enemy of greatness. :)

Ikea's not that strange now, I suppose, but when the Burbank store opened some years ago it was really different and amusing to tour. You come in one door and a line on the floor leads you into the living room area, then continues wandering you through the departments of the various rooms (their thoughtfully provided pencil, measuring tape, and shopping list in hand), including kitchen and bath, all of which have lots of smaller items well as furniture for those rooms. Even if it wasn't really my style, the unsually good design quality (at that time) for the extremely low prices had my head swinging constantly. The line cruises a couple of times by a cafeteria, where people are sitting talking about which counter or sofa or type of closet system while they eat (fairly quietly if they took advantage of the nursery provided near the front door). Once purchases are decided on on this floor, the line leads you downstairs, or whereever, past towels, scales, mirrors, flowers, patio furniture, office supplies, pots and pans, etc, etc, etc, etc, then through a warehouse where you can pull a bunch of the smaller boxes you've got on your list, then to the checkout stands, which are surrounded by tables of yet more loose merchandise like cute ice molds and so on. Also some food items. Off at the end is the waiting area and counter where one picks up large purchases and asks for help schlepping them out the door and into the car. Back then, a couple of friends had just divorced and had been shopping for weeks trying to get their new lives together, when a stroll through Ikea would have been so much more efficient and economical instead. Instant apartment. Although virtually everything's in that modern-European style range, there are a whole bunch of choices of sizes and colors and so on within that style. Back in those days, absolutely nothing even began to compare for the range of choice, the good design, the interchangeable customizable design systems, and the decent construction quality (high-quality low-end furniture) for the very low price. That was the big wow. Cheaper than Sears but looked like something you might see in a glossy magazine. Competitors took note, of course, and are competing now, but Ikea's still in a class of its own for what it offers.

Just wanted to comment on paint finishes in general since there seems to be a fair amount of confusion. For Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, you can always go to the TDS sheet for any paint and it will give you the amount of sheen as a % at a certain angle. This is much more accurate than the store sample display. The amount of sheen varies between brands and different lines within each brand. For example, Benjamin Moore "eggshell" in their contractor grade of "Ultra Spec 500", is lower than in their designer grade of Regal or Aura. Also, less scrubbable and harder to "touch up". To make it more confusing, their newer paint - Scuff X - (which I really like) is part of their Ultra Spec line! I believe SW paint has their TDS sheets posted on line as well. I have never used SW paint, but read many comments that SW sheens are lower compared to Benjamin Moore and others. This is most likely due to "lower solids". % of solids is also listed on the TDS, so easy to compare. If your builder lets you pick the exact paint, always go for the best quality paint. The labor is the most expensive part, and should be the same regardless. Cheap paint isn't cheap when it doesn't last.