I have a double right now (one large, one small) and I use the small one to drip dry anything that doesn't go in the dishwasher. It's convenient, but even so I'm planning to switch to a single large sink in the future. I haven't found any double sinks that I really like, but I will admit I haven't seen a great solution to drip drying pots and pans. I really do use that second sink a lot (even if I towel dry my pots, which I don't usually bother to do, I still have to have a place to put them until I've finished the dishes). Most dishracks I've seen are intended for plates and utensils, which I just put in the dishwasher. If I can find a good dishrack for pots and pans, then I will be very happy with a large single basin sink I think.

My parents' old house had a wonderful oak front staircase that my six siblings and I used to race up and down, taking them two or three at a time, with only a casual hold on the railing. I don't know how we managed to never slip or fall. Now, the timber backstairs were steep, and had narrow treads and were poorly lit. We NEVER ran up or down them, but held tightly to the railing and hoped to heck we managed to stay upright. As an adult, my previous home had carpeted stairs, which I slipped on (wearing socks) and fell down twice, though thankfully I was closer to the bottom than the top. My current home has timber stairs with three narrow stainless steel runners stood on edge and inset horizontally across the front of each tread (this is supposed to help reduce risk of slips). I doubt I will get over the anxiety of taking another tumble, so I never go down them wearing socks, and if barefoot, I hold onto the railing for dear life and take it nice and slow. So far so good.

I have lived in both. I love the hustle and bustle of the city (bus pulling up outside our house now ;) but I like the idea of the county meandering garden and the roar of the cracking wooden fire in winter. It was for this reason we moved to an outer suburb with 2/3 of an acre of land with gum trees and a chook shed (which was bigger than my back yard now ). But we missed the city. The noise the activity, where people were going somewhere and doing stuff. So we moved back. now miss the chooks. lol

Some large books, due to shelf constraints, I have to stack horizontally (or if I have them sat on a coffee table). But I find it annoying from an accessibility viewpoint, like I'm playing book-Jenga when I want one from the lower half of the pile (and worse, putting it back in the same spot). I've no problem with the aesthetics - they just don't trump my annoyance. :)