Another great look, love the "bubbles". To post more than one pic in a msg, instead of using the "Link" as you are, copy the HTML code and go back to your msg, put your cursor where you want the pic to be and then on the very top menu bar of your computer, go to "Edit" and then to "Paste" - the code will appear in your msg - go back to your photopage and repeat copying the HTML codes for more pics and do the same in your msg - "Edit" then "Paste" - when you do the "Preview Message" button, you will see your pics.

Riverspots, your points are very good. The materials really do match the area. I'm from the east coast and am always amazed how many stone houses are in Austin. In DC only the expensive homes are stone. I do think the levels 'look' neat, but I trip all the time. I know, that is a personal problem :) I actually fell down the stairs into the eating area and broke two toes when we first moved in. My thinking in eliminating the levels, which may be the most expensive part, was that in addition to me liking it more, it would make the house more appealing to more potential buyers in an older neighborhood ??? Perhaps I'm biased due to my own clutzyness. I definitely don't need the second island so if it isn't the right match for this house, I could put a moveable big table on the wall in between the range and the dinning room for my purposes. I will definitely ponder what you are saying. I do like the big open space but I've been told we need to fill it up because our house seems very cold. Thank you so much for the candid opinion Jsweenc, Yes, the house will still be plenty contemporary, just not artsy funky contemporary. You asked what it is, aside from the contemporary style, that doesn't work for me. I thought it easiest to list the things I hate and definitely want to change, and things that aren't so bad but if I'm changing the other things, it would make sense to consider. Things I hate: I have bad knees so the stone floor is KILLING me. The textured stone is also next to impossible to clean. There is dirt in those crevices left from the day the builders left. The levels. I hate going down two sets of stairs to eat. If I had bar stools, I'd still have to go down one step to eat. I hate having to go down a step and then around the peninsula to clean it and then back up the step to get back into the kitchen. I hate having a double sink w/o being able to fit a big pot on either side. I realize that is a completely personal thing and many people love them. Things that I would live with but in a perfect world would be different: I normally like dark countertops but the way the light is in this house you can see every spec of dust from a mile away. So, I'd love light countertops. I'm sick of our contemporary cabinets but I do appreciate how nice they are and I could definitely live with them even though I'd prefer not to. When going to kitchen from bedroom hallway, it would be nice not having to hug the right wall so I don't have to go down the stairs and then back up the stair. Would love not having the stair from the kitchen to the living room. If I didn't have the other stairs, it probably wouldn't bother me. We live out in the country so the pantry is too small for bulk shopping. The house is ginormous, but there are very few closets, not even a linen closet (strange, I know). The current room behind the kitchen (which will be the new pantry and laundry/utility room) is an office with no windows and a tiny bathroom. The current laundry room is in the main hallway which is visible from the entrance into the house. The peninsula, while big, is on kinda far from the fridge, range, or pantry to make it really useful as a prep area so it's almost wasted space. I'm not sure what is ideal, but I know I would like my working areas to be on one side of the island so I didn't have to always be walking around it. Ideally, I wouldn't have to walk around the island to access the sink/dishwasher. I think we all agree on the fate of the big thingy around the stove ;)

This is still not it, darn!! In my photo the part where the fireplace juts out into the room is the only area that is painted aqua - or maybe a softer robins egg. The large piece in my room is dark- a chocolate brown sofa which if you picture, aqua walls, dark gray mantel, brown sofa - it just doesn't sound great, yet there was something in my picture that pulled it all together. Maybe it was the color of the other walls, fireplace surround, chairs??? I don't know, but as I said, I just can't remember why but it spoke to me, and it wasn't something you would see in anyone else's room (except obviously the one in the pic). It began when I saw a pic similar to the one you posted, with a black mantel. Wanting to do something other than the predictable white mantel, but concerned the black would be "too" much with the brown I considered a darker gray - then I saw the pic and I realized it was doable. "My bad" for losing the darn thing. Over the last few years the mags I have received that I might have torn a page out of are, Family Circle, Womans Day, Good Housekeeping and possibly Southern Living/Accents but I have searched their web sites with no success. I have to put it out of my mind for now, and the FP mantel won't be sprayed in the next few weeks, but I do appreciate everyone's efforts. Lynn fr CT

I much prefer Jillius' 2nd example of seating but honestly, I'm not a huge fan of sitting and eating at the counter as a regular habit. Why not consider just abutting a table against the island like this: [Industrial Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/industrial-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2113) by Chicago Architects & Building Designers Besch Design, Ltd. This would give you the flexibility to pull the table away from the island and turn it to seat 6 when needed. I would do a 60" long table so that the people seated closest to the island don't feel crowded up against it. Your island arrangement looks crowded to me. Here's another table against an island: [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Vancouver Design-Build Firms VictorEric