If you like them, that's what matters as far as the lines...and I think it's interesting that your sofa arm and dining chair back, both angle out in the same way. Therefore, you must be attracted to that look. The quality of furniture is harder to tell, unless you get underneath and look at how it's constructed. Does it have good quality fasteners, or just glued? Are there reinforcing pieces on the chair legs, or are they solid enough not to need them? Is the sofa hand-tied, how good is the quality of the foam/cushion? These are things that a furniture salesperson should be able to show you and explain to you....yes, I did this for a brief time. LOL If you still aren't sure about these things, go to a store that sells Ethan Allen or Thomasville furniture...and look at the way the furniture is constructed. Go ahead and ask one of the salespeople to explain it to you. If these pieces are out of your price range, at least you'll learn more about furniture and maybe see one splurge piece that you'd like to add, later. While I do have an armoire at Ethan Allen I've been looking at for years, all of my favorite pieces came from antique stores and thrift shops. They've all held up beautifully and are very well constructed...otherwise, they wouldn't have made it to the antique store :) As for colors, styles, design, etc. as someone said earlier, stick with neutral colors on the big pieces and keep your color on accessories. Unless you have a really tall ceiling, it's easier to paint the walls, then reupholster furniture. Color is a fun way to define your style, but you'll probably be happier with a neutral sofa, or a couple of fun slipcovers!

I wasn't trying to be offensive, and I hope no one took my comments as deliberate attempt to hurt anyone's feelings. I was very careful (I thought) to explain why I believe the things I mentioned were trendy; mainly, they are used *everywhere*, and saturation has always been the signal for change. (Ornate ORB is lovely, but in some places, it is inappropriate, no matter how popular it is) There's also the case to be made that so much of what we've seen in building styles has depended on easy credit being available to the homeowner/homebuilder. It was nothing to add a few thousand to a loan for hoopdy upgrades suggested by the builder. (You could always refinance in a couple of years when the value of your home went up.) But now that bubble has burst, and credit has become as tight as bark on a tree, it's not hard to see that alot of those 'builder's extras' go the way of the dinosaur. As for the subway tile, I was also very clear that I was stating my *opinion* of it's use in a home, based on my past experience with the material. I shouldn't have said anything, as it didn't fit the thread. Y'all enjoy it in your kitchens, I just won't look. ;^)

It is always so fascinating to see what the norm is in other regions. Where I'm at, white trim is standard. Doesn't seem to matter the style. We've walked through traditional, craftsman, etc. but they all have white trim. As for white kitchen cabinets, we installed new kitchen cabinets in our current home roughly 7 years ago now. I have to say it is the BEST part of my house! My kitchen looks so bright and up to date. Other than a little chipping here and there, they've held up superbly. No yellowing. They ARE hard to do touch-up paint (at least in my experience). I've found so far those little chips are best just left alone. When we redid our kitchen, it took several tries to find a designer/contractor who weren't morally opposed at that time lol. PS - I have beige walls and I LOVE how it looks! I incorporate color in rugs, curtains, accessories - but I just love the white cabinets next to the warm beige. It's like coffee in a cup lol.

Oh. I didn't mean to sound all gloomy etc. Not at all. It didn't feel like that then. First, I was little..it doesn't bother you to share the amenities with eight or nine other people, when you're a kid. The lightness of the being is pretty bearable when you're young. At least it should be. Also, it was seventies, eighties..relatively calm time. Actually, I was convinced we were all lucky, fortunate, and whatnot. I thought I had a very sweet life. Which was true to big extent-no war, no hunger, no major misery.. Would be daydreaming how I help other kids from around the world..that weren't as lucky as us to be born in our amazing country. I wanted to share with them clothes and food and blah blah So when years passed and things started to change and I set my feet in some of these other countries-then I understood my crappy clothes wouldn't do most of these kids any favors..)) Now I need to remind myself the same things-nothing is given. We just get lucky sometimes. May these times be kind to us in the future..