Lynne, The japanese dolls are simply gorgeous. I really like option #1 and the white dinner plate with your new salad plates. You could consider using a gold/yellow from the salad plate in the placemat if you use the option with the plain white. Maybe even a floral print? Or even red but silk like fabric? It feels like the dishes are so rich and elegant and the red placemat is a little more casual, in the picture. I am sure whichever option you chose, it will look lovely. The new plates are beautiful. Mo

Thanks for all the recent posts! It is heartwarming to see all the thoughtful responses. Raenjapan - The kitchen you posted is a standout for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the unusual color combo. Even if they go w/ cream cabs, it offers some ideas they can use - such as removing the soffet and adding simple crown molding. They are inclined to go with the Ikea apron sink that someone recommended in an above post, and your pic shows how much character that could add to a small space. alywa - Thanks so much for posting your before/after pics! Your cabs are so similar to theirs it offers a real life picture of how they would look painted w/new hardware. I can understand why people love your new kitchen. What an inspiration for someone attempting a redo on a tight budget. Thank you for sharing! divamum - I remember liking Celtic Moon's kitchen, too, though I'm not clear on the details...I'll try searching, too. rosie - Groom2b has weighed in on the plan I proposed. The idea of a baquette is a keeper with everyone, though he and DD would prefer it under the bay window as opposed to in the den area. Like you, I think it will be the most coveted seat! A few people have suggested opening the wall between the kitchen and den. Though it would bring in more natural light, and more floor plan possibilities, there's no other place to move the range and hood. Thanks again, for all your help and suggestions!

I would first get rid of that odd round column by the kitchen(and the one across the room), and replace them with a square post so that it matches the one by the island and on the other side. It looks odd, like the builder couldn't get the square one and so just stuck it there. I like the Spanish Olive, tho it reads very grey on my monitor. But I don't see the Dutch Cocoa as the oomph. A very pink brown, and I think it will just fight with the dark floors and all the dark cabinets in the kitchen. If you love purple, consider doing a very rich purple, perhaps SW Soulmate. Then do a greener olive tone for the kitchen, to offset the wood cabinetry. I would love to see the second pix cropped so that everything to the left of the person in the ski jacket disappears. Then hang that vertical photo above the desk. Bring in some orange accents to the kitchen, which also work well with purple and olive tones. The cropped pix will bring focus to the brasserie and the buildings, and the orange accents will make the art pop from the wall. The area with the chaise, couch and coffeetable seems very crowded together. You ideally should have 14-18 inches between the seating and the table, and you don't appear to have that, at least not between the chaise and the table. I wonder if you would consider trying a rearrangement? I would like to see the couch placed where the chaise is now, with the sofa table behind it. Run the coffeetable parallel to the couch. Then place the chaise at a right angle to that, facing the fireplace and tv, with it's 'back' to the kitchen. Because you are using the chaise there, it shouldn't feel like you are isolating the LR from the kitchen, because the chaise has the low back. Move the low console at the left of the fireplace to the right side, so it doesn't feel crowded in with the couch there. I would love to see the first pix you posted hung where the mirror is now, on the left wall by the fireplace. The mirror doesn't really seem to fit there - it doesn't reflect anything but the opposite corner, and I don't think I see a table or anything below to anchor it. Could it find a new home in your entry or in the DR?

That looks like oak underneath. I think I would paint them graphite, less than a black color but something in sync with your floors, as you are going to have a lot of color/texture going on but less than you have now. Then I would back off and look at this room once the cabinets are painted and see if I could get away with using a bright, bold wall color, pulling something from the floor tiles, which appear to be slate? with maybe some of that coppery color in the flooring?