Tone and Atmosphere

When you write background and atmosphere how much detail do you give? Do you simply give a general room description such as: She tossed a salad at the kitchen sink, or do you provide a backdrop to give an idea to her personality. She tossed a salad in a crystal bowl then sat it on the glass tile of her counter top before heading to the sub-zero for a bottle of dressing. It doesn't seem like there would be a lot of difference at first until you think about it. The second really tells a lot about who this character is without the author having to 'TELL' the reader she is lives in an upper class home and is either a professional like a doctor, lawyer, or other high-paid executive type, or an entertainer. Other aspects of the story would have to reveal more about what she does to earn the kind of money required for certain luxuries. Or maybe other aspects of the story prove that she does not earn that kind of money and she is house-sitting, or whatever, but it sets a tone for a place, and tells about the characters.