"So I should line it with plastic (are bin bags okay to use?" Copper (Cu) itself is very toxic at levels above the minuscule levels plants need for normal growth, to the poison is in the dose. You should use your copper vessel as a cache pot, and nest the pot the plant will actually be growing in inside the copper vessel. The pot you grow in needs to have a drain hole, and since the salts that will be flushed out of the grow medium when you water should never have a pathway by which they can make way back into the grow medium, you should water over the sink, and wait for the pot to stop draining before you return it to its home in the copper vessel. If you like, put a collection saucer in the bottom of the copper pot to protect it, but don't allow the actual pot the plant grows in to sit in the effluent that exits the drain hole. "Should I put drainage in?" Your pot needs a drain hole, and, if you're talking about creating some sort of drainage layer with gravel, packing peanuts, or other coarse material(s), you'll soon discover it's counterproductive. The idea is sterling, but the reality is something altogether different. The pots below are full of grow medium. The shaded area labeled PWT (perched water table) represents excess water that comes as an inherent part of all commercially prepared grow media based on large fractions of fine particles (peat, coir, compost, composted forest products, sand, various meals (like cottonseed meal, feather meal, etc), sand, topsoil. Use the middle image below as an aid to visualize what happens when you use a drainage layer - it simply moves the excess water to a position immediately above the drainage layer. "I've read polystyrene is good; then topsoil, then plant, cover with more soil and press down soil, then water. Is that correct?" No. Topsoil might have a place in some grow media where weight to prevent blow-over is essential, but by and large all topsoil does is destroy drainage and aeration. What works in the garden (insofar as the soil is concerned) is extremely difficult to grow in when put into service for container culture. It holds much too much water, much too little air, and after a fer waterings will be extremely compacted. When I plant in an organic-based medium like this, I make sure the medium is moist but still fluffy, then fill the pot until it's appropriately full. I always correct root problems, especially root congestion, even if the plants are in cell packs. Often, I simply rip the bottom half of the roots off, then work my fingers up into the center of the root mass before I set the plant on top of the soil with the roots spreading away from the stem. Then, I add a bit of grow medium and make sure all the roots are covered and there are no air pockets in the root zone. Finally, I WATER the plant in and avoid compressing the medium. If the plant seems to want to flop over, I figure out a way to secure it just long enough to ensure it's stable. Al

More explanation. This is probably 40% of the collection. I'm noticing how the phone camera homogenizes the color and detail. Many, if not most of the copper is hammered, but you cannot tell from the photo. Also, the pieces were in various states of high polish, but you cannot tell that from the photo, either. The photo was taken after Thanksgiving, 2009, and five days of a varying population of 10-14 house guests. One of those pans is from Denmark and lined in silver. Only one DS and I are allowed to use it--it requires great attention to heat adjustment, as you might imagine. Many of the pans are BIA Cordon Bleu, Mauviel, Bourgeat, various Villedieu-les-Poeles manufacture pieces. The jam pot was used yearly when we lived in California, at the end of strawberry season, for jam-making. (The rest of the year was spent cleaning up sticky counters we discovered.) I carted many of the pieces back from when I lived abroad and the customs folks considered them used, so didn't charge me, which was a relief, especially with respect to the stockpots, which aren't visible in the photo.

Yellow can be so pretty and it can be ugly. Its really hard to get the right shade. My previous kitchen had yellow that I loved loved loved WHERE THE SUN WOULD SHINE. In the part of the kitchen with no direct light - it looked GOLD :( I don't know the color you're considering, but I would just make sure its just a hint of yellow, not too much. Yellow and pink are 2 colors that (to me anyway) seem like the walls are reflecting or bouncing off each other. A little goes a long way. Especially with artificial lighting.

Beautiful and so functional! Love the warmth of the copper, countertops, and floor against the coolness of the marble and stainless. You obviously labored long and hard to get the details right (ceiling, columns, cab feet, bumpouts, islands). You did the same in the PR: vessel sink, farm house pump faucet, open shelves, and beautiful paint. I don't have a big kitchen either and am always looking for ideas to pack in more function. Glad to hear you love your 2-in-1 oven. I'm planning to use that, too. What stains did you use on your beautiful floor and countertops (brand and color, please)? We have stained trim throughout the house and your colors (both floor and countertop) look like they would blend well with our trim color. TIA! Enjoy your wonderful kitchen and PR! Thank you so much, and I hope you'll take the time to put your kitchen in the FKB!