We went through the limewash/paint issue too and decided to do the painted brick. Ours is a creamy/greige colors - cream in bright sun, a little more gray/greige in shade. Similar to the house you posted but ours is a bit lighter I think. We had the same issue with our ARB - wanted earth tones and european. I am not a european house person, for the reasons you state - we are pretty casual people with 3 boys and a big loud dog so I was afraid the more european interior would not be for me. Ours is really a georgian house, although we added a few french details like the chimney pots and flared rafter tails. When it was red brick , it was very georgian looking. Now that it is painted, it is less so, although our front porch is still georgian. We are doing copper gutters and darker shutters to give the outside some depth. We used Stoney Ground by Farrow and Ball, mixed by SW though, on the outside. It is a great color - doesn't photograph accurately but lovely in real life. We decided against lime wash for a couple of reasons. One, it can look blotchy. We looked at a Spitzmiller/Norris renovation on Habersham after it was lime washed and it was splotchy looking from the street. Also, it gets very splotchy when your irrigation runs or it rains. We were also a little concerned about the dreaded pink brick look that happens if you lime wash. If we would have lime washed, we would have used a browner brick to counteract that, and we would have done several coats (3 or more) of lime wash for an opaque look. This is a house my builder built of lime washed brick at Sea Island. It is a brown brick (Old Savannah by Cherokee). Here is a link that might be useful: Sea Island house

One of the reasons that white mats are used so frequently is that it does not detract from the photo as does a colored mat. It also allows a more accurate representation of the colors in the picture/photo. That said, I do think there are many shades of white to chose from. I most often select more of a creamy, antique white than the stark pure white that you typically see in the premade mats. I agree, the grey only detracts from the photo. I could possibly see a warm red, matching the red in the fireworks if the white color family doesn't interest you.

Has GW ever asked its forum members to track their food prep/ cook time percentage over a couple of days? I'm like Paula Poundstone on 'Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me' surveys when I see that percentage cited. LOL. Good question. I think it would be a good one to figure out. If something's on my rangetop, I think I'm generally interacting with it, unless it's chili or something similar. As am I, but usually I find the prep time chopping, rinsing, etc takes more time than the actual cook time on top of the cooktop. Of course the exception being a stew or soup, etc. And I never prep next to my sink. Interesting because I've done it both ways and it really depended on my kitchen layout. When I didn't have enough room next to my sink like in my condo, I washed everything and then moved it to prep next to my cooktop. It worked but wasn't ideal. In the kitchen in my first house, I had a traditional L shape with fridge, sink, stove and I prepped right between the stove and the sink. It actually was the ideal layout for me. In our rental in NY, I also prep between sink and stove. In our rental here in FL the sink is literally right next to the stove so there's no room to prep there. There's also no room to prep on the other side of the sink so it means again washing things and then bringing them to the other side of the stove. It's awful. But I'm with the OP. I would not want a sink on an island. So, that makes two of us. And that's perfectly fine but why have even the cooktop in the island?

Really like shirlpp's link to laminate -- some very realistic white marbles, etc. If you add a white tile backsplash and white laminate countertop, you'll have a much, much nicer kitchen. I'd also look for a stainless-look dishwasher panel cover so that appliances (other than refrigerator) are consistent. I'd also look for a stainless, covered garbage can, if it needs to be visible. There's a lot of appliances on the counters -- depending on use and preference, you might want to store them behind doors. I really like the kitchen and dining floors -- are they terra cotta tile? It's hard to see the tall cabinet next to the laundry, but I think I would replace it with a nice furniture style armoire or tall cabinet as a large, decorative but functional accent piece. And as someone who LOVES light fixtures, I'd change the boob lights. All in all, I think your kitchen will look great, and I hope you post the 'after' photos to prove it.