That's an amazing tree! Normally, to ID a tree, one should post a close-up of a branch, showing at least one leaf and the arrangement of the leaves on the branch. But since you're pretty sure it's a mulberry, posting a variety of leaf shapes would be a good idea. Either the Trees forum or the Name That Plant forum would be your best bet. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/trees/ http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/namegal/ I like ink's car color idea for the furniture (strong colors, high-gloss, maybe some metallics). If you end up painting a lot of objects to put in the garden, you might want to pick one or two main colors to repeat that would tie everything together. What are the house colors? If you lived near here, I'd steer you to a particular used furniture/junk dealer with a large assortment of old -- and some very unusual -- doors. Whether you use them as doors/gates, canvases on which to paint or stencil, or backgrounds on which to mount other items, doors are relatively large-scale to match your huge tree. If you like birds, consider decorating with birdhouses that fit the style of the garden. For inspiration on whimsical garden decor, browse the photos on the Garden Junk forum (okay, probably not the garden totems). http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/junk/

Jillius: hiya! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the time you put in to pulling together those inspiration photos and the collages/mood boards (what do you call those?) While I'm not going to use Bianco Drift, London Grey is very similar to it in colour so your collages are really helpful for getting me started on visualizing what I want for the backsplash. I really like Faith's kitchen. It feels fresh, airy, contemporary, calm, and has a lovely natural feel to it too. She's got gorgeous marble on the counters and backsplash too. It's going into my favourite kitchens folder! Totally agree about the island - it would have looked so great had she kept it wood; but I gotta give her credit for being brave enough to bring in a pop of colour there. I do like having a warm-looking kitchen but I feel like going too warm leads me towards a more traditional look, which isn't what I'd like. The way Faith pulled it off suits me. Love the analysis you did comparing my Shitake collage to the Saint Paul Craftsman photo. I'm getting a better understanding of colour now. Still very mind boggling but I follow when you all help to spell it out for me! Ha ha... You might be expecting too much from the counter selection SO TRUE! I think that's why it's been so challenging. I realize now that I don't really want the counter to shine. It's the backsplash that I'd prefer to stand out. Many months ago, I wrote in my Sweeby Test: "The perfect backsplash will complement the cabinets and work harmoniously with the cabinets to create one well put together look, like they belong together. And possibly provide a pop of colour or visual interest in one section of it. The perfect countertop will be really easy and unfussy. Low maintenance. Just like backsplash, it will complement the cabinets and help connect and tie everything together" I think London Grey will be the right choice to help pull everything together. I do like the Craftsman colour scheme, but not for this kitchen or house. It is too dark and traditional for my 90s home. I was REALLY drawn to the light aqua subway tiles on the bottom right of that collage and the ones that have different shades ranging from light grey to bluey-grey. That just might be how I get in my pop of colour! I'm surprised that blues and greens can look warm - is it because they contrast well with my oak and the floors? I really want to stay away from orange and yellow tones for this reno simply because I don't want it to end up looking too similar to what I currently have.

Can any color experts out there tell me if SW Moth Wing would be a good choice for the island? Would it give an ample contrast to the SW Dover White. First, I loveDover White. I think it's a pretty white. Some whites are "okay" and some are "pretty" and I think Dover White is pretty, so you could have done a lot worse, IMO. Dover White belongs to the yellow hue family. So, the data validates exactly what you're seeing. If I painted the walls SW Accessible Beige with a PPG Delicate White Trim, would that clash? I'm hoping the paint color I choose will help neutralize the yellow I see. They would not clash. Those three colors go together well - they relate nicely. And it is possible that Accessible will lessen how yellow Dover White looks. Moth Wing doesn't really fit in. It's too close in terms of hue family and chroma to Accessible Beige and I don't care for the relationship on paper or lookin' at the chips. I know Moth Wing and Accessible Beige are on the same strip but that doesn't really mean anything. Color harmony is not built-in guaranteed just because colors are on the same strip. Very often the similar color attributes that land colors on the same strip are the very reasons they don't go together - Accessible Beige and Moth Wing are a good example. If you're not happy with Balanced Beige and don't want to just leave it and see how it works out, then I'd get off that strip of colors and go another color direction.

This is a great post and info, I am glad I came across it! I have Timborana hardwood floors that I've hated for years now. I love the wood grain, but I can't stand the color anymore... yes it's red, and it shows absolutely everything (foot prints, paw prints, hair, etc). I came across this post as I have been looking for a green undertone stain color. I am trying to figure out what to do. Those pieces are the back side of this flooring so it shows the natural color. On the right is the sample done by the flooring guy. This is the color that I really like, not too dark, not too light. This is a sample piece that my flooring guy sanded down and tried 4 different alternatives. I was shocked on how light it turned out. Not sure what the top color is, but I don't like it (too yellow). The second one I think is just the natural finishing coat. The third one has more white mixed with the finishing coat and the bottom one just a little white. I am really debating if I should go with one of those 3 options, there is such a difference in color between boards, I am not sure what it will look like. I am wondering if I should ask him for something a little darker, not sure if something like the picture above could be achieve in any way. Of course Timborana has a lot more wood grain. Any suggestions? and then I have to choose tiles to go beside the wood floor 🙄