Most of the time stiffness is due to laundry detergent build up or hard water conditions. It can also occur with lack of breeze. Laundry flapping in the wind is less stiff due to the fabric constantly moving. I live in a hard water area and still hang my clothes outside. I do not mind the stiffness, even in my towels and have not found the stiff towels to be less absorbent. In fact, I read somewhere, can't remember where, that still fabric is actually good for your skin as it exfoliates there in by keeping your skin healthier. Besides most stiffness goes away with wear and/or use. As for the smell of the clothing line dried, it has been my experience that unless you use a heavily perfumed detergent, the fresh air pretty much removes any scent. Now if you live in an area where the air stinks, then you may end up with that smell on your clothes. I had a prob with that a while back due to a near by resturant and all their greasy smelling cooking. My clothes were smelling like old hamburgers. Thank God they moved their business else where and I have had no further problems. Detergent build up and using fabric softner can make your clothes smell nasty too depending on what you are using, aka ingredients in them. Type of fabric can have a factor as to scent too. On a final note regarding odor in lined dried fabrics, many people are so use to the smell they get from detergents or their driers, which actually alters the smell of clothes even washed in perfume free detergents, that they have absolutely no idea what actual fresh clothing smells like. Clothes washed in a scent free detergent and then put in the drier smell different from those that are lined dried. Once you learn what an actual outdoor fresh smell is, the rest is a piece of cake.

Thanks alot, I appreciate everyone's kind comments. Mrs. Marv.. No we didn't add the same round tile to the medallion, it's a different type of trim piece. It's the same as it was. squirrel...Yes, adding the sealant was part of the plan, but I didn't realize that it would make such a difference. I was very happy that it did. I didn't like the look much at all before the sealant was applied. I had to wait a few days to add the sealant so during that time is when I was really worried about what I had done. Ms. rose.. The granite on the counter top is st. cecelia and on the island is brazillian black. I'm not really sure of the official name. Oceann..The gold accents ae to coordinate with the rest of the room. Attached is a picture of our MULTI-PURPOSE Room

I'll chime in as a fan of contemporary myself, and a not-so-much fan of country. Your kitchen definitely has a country look to it for reasons already posted. The natural color oak cabs unfortunately don't fall into any description of contemporary, but I would expect touching the cabs to be off the table. If you need canisters for practical reasons (e.g. storage), then consider stainless steel. I got a nice set from Costco for not much money, and Crate & Barrel also have nice ones. Your family room has a contemporary look to it (with the exception of the table lamp). If you look at the elements there in comparison to your kitchen, what you see are solid colors, clean lines, and a lack of nicknacks. Look at the window treatments in particular. Solid color valence, and solid color drapes. Also look at the artwork over the fireplace. Dramatic dark frame that matches the color of the fireplace below, complementary colors in the matting, and a repeating dark brown mat towards the inside. So ask yourself, "how do I bring these design themes to my kitchen?" Well, replace the window treatment with a solid color. I would recommend a dramatic color that matches some other elements in the room such as your counters. Vertical pleating such as you have now is more country. No pleating (like your window valence in the family room) or horizontal pleating (like in roman shades) are more contemporary. Although roman shades always have a summer beach house feel for me, but that's probably just me. For the stuff on top of the cabinets, you should replace them with repeating items in solid or repeating colors. For example you could use a dozen clear/colored art glass plates that again match the counters. The key here is to use multiples of the same item in the same or similar colors, whereas currently you have a mix of disparate items (plate, jug, basket, bottle, etc). Anyway you get the idea - repeating elements, repeating colors, simple lines, no clutter. Those things say "contemporary" to me. Good luck and I hope that helps a little.

Mom of seven here. We farm which means everyone has two full wardrobes of everything: Farm and Town. I have some quick ideas for you, no time to be diplomatic sorry. You need to purge. Dozens of hats are not necessary for six people. Choose two each: one light weight beanie and one really warm toque. Ditto mittens/gloves: one lighter weight for dashing to the grocery store, one heavy pair for skiing etc. Each person's stuff will fit in one basket. No one needs more than one pair of Crocs or flip flops. Those can go on a shoe rack by the door. Put a towel hook over the closet door, that's where everyone can store their towel. Colour coding avoids fights: Payton can't say that Blake stole her towel if hers is yellow and his is green. Bathing suits can be stored where they change. Check out the rental area at your local ski hill. Recreate that storage situation with one set of boots and skis for each. You mentioned that this kind of equipment is stored outside but: I see ski boots! Where you have a hanging rod, instead install a pullout clothes drying rack. Put one over the laundry sink too. The white organizer looks disfunctional in that it seems stuff can tumble out easily and it's too hard to see what's at the bottom of each bin. A basket or drawer on a bench is best in my experience, those cube organizers are ok too but then they have to pull a drawer out and hold it while they search. Instead I would put a deep bench or two under the hooks and set baskets on it. A coffee table actually works well for this. Put boot trays in front of it to catch drips. The hooks are too high for anyone under twelve to reach independently. Lower them for the kids. Add shelves above them. Having said that, I don't see any toddler stuff here. Time for peeps to get responsible.