are nuts fruit??? .. i have actually wondered about that ... with trees in general [though fruit nuts do weird things] ... we do NOT remove any of the canopy for a year or two.. to allow root growth .. think of every leaf as a food making machine.. to process the sun and nutrients.. to grow the roots.. to grow a good tree... until your trees are 'fully established' ... i would hesitate to cut off half of the leaves ... which is what you are suggesting by removing one leader ... now.. i think the root of your problem .. is based on whether you are looking for a pretty lawn tree for shade ... which is usually single leaders and straight.. and trimmed to height ... as compared to pure nut production.. wherein .. shape and form would NOT be a priority ... as i drive by orchards.. i am truly amazed what the fruit peeps do to their trees.. for production .. and i would never have anything in my garden.. that looked like such ... so define your goal for the 'look' of the plant.. and you will have a better idea of where to go with pruning in a year or two ... ken PS: personally .. i would go for single leader at the end of NEXT year ... by which time they would be in ground two full seasons ...

Style and age would be a lot easier to tell with -close up photos, especially of hardware and the sides of the drawers -better lit photos -photo with drawers in and doors closed -picture of the top to see if a "top half" is indeed missing As it is I can vaguely see the inside of the door looks like it might be oak and that's about it.

suzienj - I vote for the cream and cherry island. I guess that's a good thing at this point, since I'm building the same exact color cabinets as in your inspiration and sample photos as we speak! I almost went with maple or cherry (actually would have gone a bit more contemporary if I had gone that route) but came to realize how much more comfortable I felt with this palette. In hindsight, I think I could never get enthusiastic about some of the stains, especially the ones with orange undertones -many of them clash with my coloring! Also, the cream and chestnut go better with the design and furnishings in the rest of my home. As far as wear and tear, I think the island is what would get the brunt of the rough treatment with kids as they grow, and that is in the stain. We are doing beadboard under the counter, in part for that very reason. Our cabinets are locally built custom - the KD says that they've been doing this for many years and that the newer techniques and materials are quite good and that their finish does not chip. If worst came to worst(I asked) they could repair. I'm curious about your inspiration photo. What is the granite that is shown there? Is is the same one that you are doing? Also - our family room is open to the kitchen and is on a slab. We're trying to make a wood floor work, but I'm not sure it's going to. In that case, I'll be interested to hear what tile you end up choosing. I agree that a medium golden tone, perhaps a travertine or porcelain tile look alike would go great. Good luck with your choice!

Sorry to disagree with Pat: I also think putting both pots in front of the window is a shock. I would have left them between the windows where you had them to begin with. That corner was too dark for jades. They like lots of light and will grow much better in front of the window. Unless they were in very dark conditions for a while and are moved suddenly into very sunny spot (I do not believe that is possible in winter, in Michigan), there should be no problem. Moving plants into strong sunlight from indoors could cause sunburn, and plants should be acclimatized. I believe Steven meant moving the plants from place to place - like from a store, where it sat for a while, to a house...Some plants will respond by dropping many leaves when location is changed (ficus Benjamina is known for doing that). Personally, I do not have that experience with jades. And I move them around a lot.