Well, that was a VERY hard decision for me. I just ordered a refurb Gloss Cinnamon Professional 600⢠6-qt. Bowl-Lift Bowl Stand Mixer. I hope I made the right choice! I wanted pretty. But I wanted function, more. I decided if I'm going to CHANGE from my classic 1987 model then I may as well CHANGE. So I opted for a lot more muscle, in case I start to make artisan breads (I have an awesome Zojirushi breadmaker that makes terrific normal breads and my previous 250 watt kitchenaid mixer really wasn't up to kneading much so I never pursued it, plus I never liked the way the "C" hook kneaded, so I wanted to upgrade to a machine with the spiral hook), or use accessories. Then, I decided to go for the soft start, as one of my biggest pet peeves is slopping flour! I can't imagine I'll ever be using this thing for huge batches of things, so I should have way more power and a hefty safety margin on bread kneading for how I'll actually use it. I would like the capacity to fool around with artisan breads, though! I LOVE the grenadine color, but the gloss cinnamon will work just fine too, and while I have a back-in-time vibe to my kitchen, the non-metallic look is actually a bit more appropriate as my vintage vibe is more toward antique than toward mid-century diner/50s where metallic would really resonate.

I just saw this, Itsoi. I left the mustard on there for 24 hours and then cleaned it off. It faded completely after a short time (maybe a couple of days, I can't remember). I never heard about conditioning it, that could be a good idea but we've been pretty harsh on ours for the past 3 months and it's holding up really well, so might do that after a year or if a specific room needs it before. I felt that the oil finish would be easier for me to do touch ups on if I needed to. Still have construction going on but we've been living here for the past 3 months. And we routinely throw balls and toys for our dog down the long runway of the living room/hall and I've yet to see her nails scratch up anything! It's been pretty impervious to our kids dripping water in the kitchen also. I don't know how it will look in 5/10 years but at the moment, I'm still really happy with our choice. It seems like a very low maintenance, easy to clean (doesn't show much dirt/dust!) floor. We paired the Rockwood Claystone with BM OC17 on our walls and like the color combo. If you're leaning towards buying it, just buy 1 box and pop it together somewhere you can look at it for a week or so. I think you'll get a pretty good idea then if you like it or not. And if you like it, you can reuse it, win win! Good luck!

Based on what you have chosen as your style of pool I am guessing that you are going for a resort style, modern space that makes you feel like you have stepped out of a hotel into a private corner by the pools. Love it. The irregular shape of the backyard is actually a very interesting characteristic of your backyard and one you can really play off of. Large planters will be an investment, especially because I am going to suggest adding a modern privacy wall on the left behind the planters to increase privacy and to hide the pattern and the texture of the brick wall which is a bit busy. I would place a series of planters (exactly the same and in odd numbers) with spiky grasses in them. Low maintenance, structural like the cactus but safe for kids. Also a chance to bring in some colour in a clean way, depending on the colour of the grasses. Grasses are easy to take care of and cheap to replace if they die. Planters come in all shapes and sizes and this would work with a narrow long planters just as wel as three or five larger cube shaped planters. The best part is if you provide uplighting to highlight the screens it will be very dramatic at night. Lighting all around your yard to highlight the different elevations and the plantings will extend your house and your views both day and night. Great for entertaining and night time swimming. You can take screens super high or maintain that linear feel by stretching them across your wall to increase privacy. Love the sitting area over the pool. I would consider either building something for shade over head in the same wood as the privacy screens or investing in a shade sail to bring in some colour. Building a structure will continue to introduce vertical lines to the space that will add interest and also increase privacy, shade and usability of that seating.

Thanks to all you review submitters! We're having to replace our 20-year old dual fuel 48" Thermador which since Bosch's acquisition is impossible to repair or maintain. So, dilemma: Won't pay $15k for the high- end ranges (dubious of even their reliability and support) but don't know if the Chinese knockoffs (Forno, Z-Line, . . . ) are gonna suffice. Seem to have high incidences of not everything working out-of-the-box, possible issues with termperature control, and even safety: hot stove fronts and knobs, gas leaks. Don't expect good service, or any at all after a few years, but hope they'd last 5+ years. Also, nobody e.g. (Home Depot, Lowe's) has a floor model to look at, which we like to do when making such an investment. Anyone know where one can be seen in the Sacramento area? Thanks. george.landsburg@gmail.com