Like your idea of the creamy white with wood accents. I would investigate native California (?) coastal vegetation for a garden that feels "of its place" and requires little or no irrigation. Something like this? (In this location, the ceanothus could actually keep its natural shrub form; less pruning!)

I had over the door hooks in my bathroom years ago and had the same thought - didn't want to put holes in the doors. It caused damage to the door and frame as it rubbed and moved every time the door was opened and closed. I would never use one again.

It's cheaper to buy doors for a closet than a cabinet to go with your vanity. jackowskib's comment is valid - if it's solely for the bathroom, then incorporate into the bathroom. But if it's going to contain sheets and blankets for all the bedrooms it's fine the way it is. I had a linen closet about this size in my previous house and everyone who visited was jealous. If you're like me and you have too many sets of sheets it's invaluable. Not everyone has one.

Instead of accenting the wall with paint, I would accent it with a colorful piece of art or furniture. Perhaps yellow or turquoise.

The baltic blue is beautiful!

I am absolutely floored by the insightful and thoughtful comments. I wish I could respond separately to each person. Thank you so much. I will try to post a clearer picture, but I think this gives me lots of ideas and I can picture it more clearly now.
This will be a weekend home, we will go on Thursdays and come back to the city on Sundays. It is facing the ocean in Nova Scotia, we are directly on the beach. We can see the bridge to Prince Edward Island from our front Terrace area. We are very excited.

I would focus on the lake - not the trailer park. If the view offends you - you could plant more trees - erect higher fences/gates. And btw, in my experience - some of the scariest people live in the best of neighborhoods... You could really be better off with trailer park neighbors.

Wow- lots to think about here! Jan and Diana, thank you for all the pictures!! I need to figure out what I want to do here, which furniture I want to keep, and what I want to add. Maybe best to postpone the reupholstery designer and have the designer who has helped me with the house come back.

Hi homechef59, you might want to check out thrift shops and estate sales. Lots of well-made traditional furniture is being donated because the younger generation would rather buy "cheap Chinese crapola" (as Sophie Wheeler used to say) than their parents' brown furniture.

I will say again—it is not MY choice to have cabinets but the builder does not want to offer that option—
I know that Timberlake cabinetry is available through big box stores and they might offer drawers in base cabs but this builder does not…
And don’t say choose another builder—that is not an option—
I had base cabinetry with doors in my previous house in TX that had custom built pull out shelves and I used those every day—
Yes—opening the door was not as convenient as large drawers but it was WAY better than reaching into a bottom cabinet and taking something off a shelf…

It’s definitely your upbringing and where you live. Not all areas are the same. 50 foot lots are considered large in many cities and in fill is the norm

Thank you all again for the helpful suggestions! After I read the first half of the comments and saw some of the possibilities, I started to get more excited about the room. Do we know what we want? Not really, this is a very low budget fix. More cosmetic than anything.

Jan - I don’t know why things turned sideways so fast, but your first response was SO helpful in me seeing how more colour would help. I went and re-read my own posts and yes, I came across a little wah-wah poor me, but I asked for help in making lemonade out of what I thought were lemons. We are not pros. It took us 12 years to change anything other than taking down the purple floral wallpaper and the frosted glass sliding bathtub doors that were there when we bought the house. We both decided and had a (very) tiny bit of money squirreled away to make some changes. (Was it an unwise decision to buy a house when we couldn’t afford to make changes? I don’t think so.) I think we are not unlike most in Middle America who try to make do with what they have and make little changes along the way because they can’t afford full bathroom renos . We are doing all of the work ourselves so will we make mistakes along the way? Yes.

Thank you to all of the commenters who have helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is so different from what it was (see the attached photo (apparently it was different from what I thought we had, lol! White tile and ) and so I had a moment of buyer’s remorse. I think my husband has done a great - no, FANTASTIC job, I was just beating myself up because of the colour and wasn’t able to see how it might all work in the end so I came here for advice.

The tile is a deep teal.

The cabinet will most likely be stained a light or golden oak.

I included some photos that I found in the big box store’s website showing the tile in other people’s bathrooms.

Thank you again, everyone!

the cypress cabs are fine, it's the glossy finish that needs to be redone.

Coco, let me show you a lot of pictures and a lot of ideas (that really don't cost a lot) to help you bring that boring kitchen up a few notches. (sorry, but it is yawnsville)

I would spend most of that money on painting the walls a diff color (what's there now reads a weird yellowish green that is not flattering)

I'd also remove that 4" granite piece up the back (it's very simple to pry off the wall) and do a nice tile backsplash.

Get rid of the paltry silver knobs and do some nice handles.

Remove the shutters on the windows and do a diff window covering. (the shutters really cut off the light and make the window smaller) Or, don't do any covering.

You have tall ceiling, hang a nice pendant over the sink and replace that pot light.

Get a nice runner/rug for the area in front of the sink.

Different counter stools. (that alone will make a world of difference. and a new light)

So, with all of that (and it's easy to come in under 10K) you should get something like these:

I gave you a black and gold sconce in this one, but you could do a pendant or a semi flush light in place of the recessed light. you have a lot of height so you really need something there to balance it out a bit.

here's the pendant option

another sconce

but, maybe you'd like to bring in the pendant in either the copper shade, or this black/gold one, a rug w/a bit of black or charcoal in it, and a diff counter stool.

in the pic above, I gave you this Artmore 3x10 tile by Ivy Hill. not a bright white.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to upgrade what you have. Start w/the wall color first.

In all of those pics I took away your shuttered window and did woven wood.

you could also do a nice roman blind like this, w/a pendant

bring in a little color and design w/a nice roman shade. doesn't have to be this color, just showing you something diff

regardless, that wall color needs to go.

from the tile and the countertop, I'd choose something in the taupe/griege/pale blush, or a darker taupe/charcoal tone.

here are some off whites that fall in the griege/taupe group. I'd use one of the SW white colors for all of your trim/crown molding. The gold I'd look for something that leans a tad on the antique brass/rose-ish side. two diff gold pendants. (don't forget to update the bulbs)

The color of these cabs is what I'd look for on your walls. it should compliment the tile/granite.(and the gold will also compliment the wood)

I gave you 4 tones in the 2nd pic.

Here are some others.

I'd also replace your bulbs with 3500-4000K to get rid of the yellow

another photoshop. Instead of the pendant, you could do a semi-flush mount light similar to this. this has that more antique brass tone rather than bright gld. I gave you a Zebra blind and thought you might want to see how black elements would look.

Instead of the sign over the window, I did a nice wood shelf w/a few decorative items. you have plenty of height for something there.

I like the wood w/the gold accent and the pretty items.

That backsplash tile I gave you in the other pic, could be the 5" cloe tle in gray. white or cream would also look nice

here's the Cream color.

this is a similar tile called the Portmore in a 3x8" in white

This Arizona Tile in Concerto Pearl is also a nice color for your granite. done in a herringbone

Here's the photoshop w/some diff color suggestions

you could bring home a few samples to see what looks best w/your granite. I've seen your granite in person and know that it does have some blush/mauve tones to it.

again, score the caulking on top of the 4" piece, pry away w/putty knife, carefully breaking up the seal

Then just pull away from the wall. easy peasy. smooth down the drywall and you're ready for tile

but first, paint the walls. That current color gives off ghastly hues, especially w/your current lighting.

This is the third front door dilemma in as many days.

Your house is totally neutral--white with a black/gray roof. Any color will work but ask yourself if you want the door to stand out or to blend in? If you want it to stand out, then a bright, highly saturated color would work--red/yellow/orange/blue/green/purple. If you want it to blend in then go with gray, white or black.

Here are the recent discussions on this topic:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6441755/front-door-color-advice

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6440915/benjamin-moore-paint-color-front-door

I would use the cabinet paint budget towards new counter tops and new cabinet hardware. Would not paint the cabinets.

Yes I agree a more streamlines ceiling fan.

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I will be the lone dissenter on ceiling fans in kitchens. Not sure why everyone thinks they're taboo. I have them in two kitchens, and they serve their purpose--moving the air around in a room that can get very stuffy.

Your house is nice enough as is, or with a couple of small improvements, as already suggested. But a wnderful landscape could elevate it to a new level.

My kids are grown, but one of my daughters has a toddler and an almost 1-year old, so I know how her house works. For your house, I would use the downstairs rooms as they are labeled, with the living and dining rooms being primarily "adult" spaces. Use the the family room for the kids, and put a dining table in the nook for "family" (i.e. kids) eating space. The family room will be a mess during the day when the kids are awake, but you can always straighten up after they are in bed. Eventually they won't need to be watched over so much, and you can create a playroom upstairs when they are more independent.

I have one of each in my house, and -- if I were doing a shower today -- I'd go with the pan.

First is your shower a standard size? That is, CAN you have a pan?

If so, go with a pan. It's cheaper to buy and will outlast the tile. You're guaranteed to get a flat base that's engineered to drain well (whereas, with a tile floor, you're at the mercy of your installer's ability).

If you want a tile-floor look, choose a tile-ready pan and get the best of both worlds.

Thank you! I was actually considering doing something low like that.

I use that cabinet to store my 8 year old's toys, so I was thinking taller was better in the end. (I'm in a condo with NO storage).

Good point about the color- that also makes total sense. The TV is not on the wall yet, so I will definitely put it low when/if I find a lower cabinet. Thank you again!!!

ETA another dirty photoshop mockup. Does this look better? It looks weird to me, but I have also been staring at it forever.

We have a similar home (22 sides). I’d suggest a combination shrub and flower bed around the house. Probably not exactly mimicking the roof line and extended a few feet beyond the drip line. We had a local garden shop owner give us recommendations.

Until today, I’d only taken pictures of the yard with high water from hurricanes. We landscaped about 6 years ago and are still discovering what can live in our environment.

Still need to add color with annuals.

I am not sure were you live, but Ilex x Maryland Spreader could be a good choice & you will not need a retaining wall.

I think I’m going to mulch to the edge of the stream bed and then plant throughout, turning the lower part into some type of rain garden.

I find them very uncomfortable, though I do like the look. Throw pillows would instantly end up on the floor in my house. I like to admire them in everyone else's home.

Changing the trim color would help.

matching the window trim with the roof.

and the body color you choose matched all the trim(s) including gutters, downspouts

What is the siding material?

try to neutralize it by a similar tone to the roof color.