As mentioned previously by other smart members here: Get a good book and/or magazine then shop your house top to bottom and corner to corner. Think about ways that you can repurpose what you have then go outside and see what is there. If you lik ethe painted FC look check out the mismixed section at the paint stores or buy a Color To Go jug from Sherwins Williams. Add trim to curtains and/or lampshades. If there isn't a local discount fabric store in your area go on-line. Amazing what an inexpensive yard of trim can do for something. Now I'm more of the modern/ rustic country style and yesterdy I did an engagement party for someone who was into that style. Aside from renting 4 tables and chairs the only decorating expense was $52 for 12 giant white hydrangea stems. The rest came from my attic, basement and garden. Brown and green ribbon from my ever growing collection (one should always have ribbon on hand!). Mason jars used for vases and tea lights. Candelabras w/ hydrangea tied in them. Large manilla package tags stamped w/ a stamp tied onto each candelabra and a few mason jars. Old wooden boxes that we laid white cloth napkins in and put plasticware, paper plates, napkins and cups. We tied more hydrangea onto the handles of some of the boxes. I got a differnt perspective on how to incoporate some of those ideas in my day to day living.

Rjinga, I hope you see this, since it's not moving to the top. I was out of town for the holiday, but I found your posts in my email. Thanks so much for your lovely compliments! The painted top held up well. We sold the house a few months ago, and all the potential buyers thought it was granite! Even many Realtors (who have likely seen plenty of the real thing). I never did redo the poly to smooth out the brush strokes, and never even had to touch it up. My husband and I aren't hard on things, but I did have water, perfume, hairspray, curling irons, etc. on and around the counter with no problems. It wiped clean with a spritz of 409 and a soft cloth. If I ever do it again, I will try the oil poly with a pantyhose applicator, but I definitely recommend this easy technique if you want a faux granite top.

Hello, SweetAnnie, and welcome to the neighborhood. Our footprint on the earth is smaller than some, but we manage to LIVE LARGE. Oh yes, that French kitchen is a classic. I've thought about copper fixtures in the kitchen, and mostly decided to stick with stainless to match the appliances....BUT I do love copper pots. I also found some copper trays which I use for flower pot saucers, or for service boiled crawfish or boiled shrimp and crab. That is the way they do it in south Louisiana, and I like their style. I think I saw a bunch of copper containers in Pottery Barn home cat, and Williams Sonoma cat recently too. Lavender, if you get software for Christmas, please review it for us, so we know if it really works. I have Sweet Home which is free download, unless you wish to donate to them. Haven't figured it out totally, but did "furnish" our Alabama house. I even figured the square footage of that house, as it is now after bringing in the 10 x 10 sun porch and the 5 x 19 closet/bath bumpout, as being nigh on to 1000 square feet. By the time I redo the kitchen and add a wee bit to the master bedroom, another 180 sq feet, we will top out at 1180 feet. Or say 1200. Maximum. This is the floor plan I did with the Sweet Home software. I just upload it here to SHOW AND TELL. I won't describe what it represents on this thread, don't want to hijack Lavender's discussion. This is the two-dimensional plan. This is the three dimensional view

Standard doors are 6" - are you suggesting not to upgrade to 8" ? We felt higher the door height, the easier it is to move furniture and stuff, of-course the width of the door isn't changing. I wouldn't bother with this. How often do you move "furniture and stuff" that's taller than 7'? Extended Lanai: Oh, I thought it'd be a deeper lanai ... I'd be less inclined to pay for a wider lanai. Wider isn't all that useful, and it means more rooms are shaded /have less natural light. Vent Hood/Microwave to Outside - If we don't choose, the smoke will stay indoors - the builder should have included this in the base price but it is what it is. I am really surprised that this isn't standard. I would do the oak riser steps instead of carpet. Yes overpriced but probably better now. Yes, if you don't do the oak risers now, you probably won't be able to do them later ... at all. If they do carpet stairs, they're going to use plywood /paint quality stuff under that carpet; thus, it won't be a matter of pulling up carpet later and staining /painting. It is easy to say walk away and build a custom home, but not everyone can afford to do that, nor does everyone want to go that route (even if they can afford to). True. Tara we all have to make compromises. For ourselves it's been a 2 year journey building our custom home, plus the hours and hours spent researching and finding even the smallest details. So I understand where you're coming from. Yup, no matter your circumstances, you're going to "give" somewhere. For us, we're taking the same route as CP describes above: The place where we're "giving" is time and personal effort.