kpink love all of these ideas. I love my sink with a drain board attached...it is a stainless steel sink with garbage disposal bowl in the center...one sink area is deep for large pots...drainboard is best on the left if you can...mine is on the right which is fine, a drain board is indespensible for washing vegetables, dishes...always always in use. Had it since an '80s reno, still my favorite... drawers instead of cabinets are essential too.

kpink @almost retired.... I have a deep single sink in a second home...usually everything is scraped before dishwater goes in...since this house is in a city I try not to put a lot of scraps in the garbage disposal...just the stray pea or blueberry ... I love the single deep sink because a large roasting pan can fit...easy to fill a big pot. like it a lot

pattimay porchdog a good point for a family but with the two of us no worries, plus we always have our cell phones on us! A must have now with our aging hearing, LOL!!

Gillilan Designs Inc. Auto Switches on Doors for Closets, Pantry, Etc. (button on door frame that shuts light off when pushed by door closing or comes on as door opens and releases it).

susanintoronto Lovely home, thanks for sharing.

Roots and Rafters Thank you for this article. I entirely agree with your thesis, but I'd take it one step further and say that the notion of integrity should extend to renovations of historic buildings as well.

Nothing galls me more than to see an authentic Federal or Colonial or Regency or Medieval exterior with an interior that has been knocked all through and "modernized" so that it looks like it belongs in an envelope that is also of modern design.

There is nothing wrong with modernism, per se, if you like it -- but I do believe that there is something wrong with ripping out the heart of a building and putting an alien design concept in its place.

Harrut I love this space. It's "non identikit" home style is totally refreshing and the actuality of personal expression is liberating to see.
We can all copy... But few us can create!

zemonsta11 It's very sad that people would make such ugly comments on someone else's home. Although this house is not representative of my personal style, it is of HERS. I was lucky enough to see this home on a tour last year and felt like I really knew her after going through the house, yard and studio. Not only was she kind enough to allow us into her home, but she had fresh-baked treats for everyone! I'll add that Little Forest Hills residents have signs in their yards that say " Keep Little Forest Hills Funky." The neighborhood is right by a lake, 10 minutes from downtown and those that move there do so BECAUSE its such a unique community!

Chic Frangine Bravo!!!! Love it when owners use salvage material they have sooooo much more soul!!!!!

simps214 The first material of this ideabook is my first countertop choice. Soapstone is a beautiful, veined natural stone without the sealing required by granite, the care required by marble, etc.

But all the countertop choices were well displayed in this article. Great job-I mean Zinc countertops? All the bases seem to have been covered!

Sonja Dunbar I'll still choose laminate - a lot of bang for the buck and holds up well for a long time. My childhood home which we have as a vacation home has laminate counters that were put in in the mid 50's and they still look pretty darned good!

midmodfan Lots of fabulous options! I think it is important to choose a material that complements the style of the house as well as the kitchen - that's what makes these photos so appealing.

One remark to tiled counters: light grout gets dark stains and dark grout gets light stains, it's not easier to maintain. A more 'rubberish' grout or a special sealer might help, though.

We already had a bid for white caesarstone, but our island is a 10 by 4 'landing strip' and so we decided to live in our new house for a while and see what colors/ materials really work best. As an interim solution we chose glossy white laminate with an aluminium edge. It actually looks pretty good, and eventually exchanging it will not cause a financial headache. I just wasn't ready to make an expensive commitment and it was good that I listened to my gut.

Lloyd Architects Great resource--thanks for compiling. We chose a black honed granite for our home remodel several years ago and we're still happy with it. Lots of good options out there!

Gaylord Design LLC Thank you. The ceilings are 11 feet and the windows drop below the ceiling about 22".

kpink what are your countertops? they are just the right color of grey...is it Silestone, if so what name, please?