I have always had fabric sofas then about 6 years ago I bought a slipcovered sofa from Arhaus. I thought it was a good investment because I could have new covers made and when we decided to have kids I figured I could wash the covers. Well.....a few years later we had twins, then had our third before the twins turned 2 and by that time I was fed up with the maintenance of the fabric. So, one day I was so frustrated at the constant cleaning, I went to the furniture store and bought a leather sofa and loveseat. They look fabulous and for the first year I loved how easy it was to clean them and the worry free attitude I could have with 3 toddlers. Now I have had them for about 2.5 years and I am counting the days until I can have a cozy, fabric sofa again. I still have the Arhaus sofa, but it is too large to move into our current space, so it sits in the kids playroom in the basement (figures, right?). My husband has relented that I could buy a new fabric sofa, but everytime I look at them, all I can think about is the spilled milk, dropped food that got snuck into the family room, runny noses that got wiped on the seat cushions.....so, I leave the store longing for a fabric sofa but appreciating the leather and the fact it always looks good, no matter what. As a matter of fact, my SIL thought the leather was such a good idea after seeing mine and also having 3 small children, she bought the exact same set. We feel the same way about leather and fabric. Function won out over personal preference. BTW, I have leather on carpet and plan to add a nice area rug to help add some color the room.

Thanks Becky - I have Paint too, never thought of using that (though my hand isn't too steady). I hope mom2reese dones't mind, here's a pic that has a good expanse of EC on red oak, which is what my rail and newels are. I don't think I'd try it on the pine risers. Maybe I should either leave them Honey, or paint them the wall color if paint won't be constant maintenance. I'd like to leave the treads golden oak to tie in with my DR furniture - I think that looks good with the cherry floor. http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c113/mom2reese2/dining5.jpg I'm still looking for 6" pieces of rail that were left over - can't find them in burn barrel in yard or trash box in basement, so maybe cousin took them (? for what?) or DH threw them in regular trash (gone already). I wanted to try the stain on the same pieces of railing rather than some other scraps of oak I have to make sure the color was accurate. But if I can't find them I'll take some pieces of crown we have left so you can see the color and maybe capture it. Can't do anything about risers since I only have white pine scraps, no yellow pine in house except for the stairs. I can't believe you got those chairs for $20 each! I took my mom last week to town an hour away to see a pair of green ones that were $150, but they had been snagged a bit by dog's nails and cushions weren't comfy. Hers are OK structurally, one cushion could be replaced, but they *really* need to be reuphostered (dirty, worn, 20 yr old cigarette burn in one seat cover) and she's afraid it would cost too much. Of course, now she's talking about going to Macy's to buy a pair - I can see *that* costing $1000 the pair! I guess I could find fabric at Walmart and try to do it, but welting on arms and backs seems too hard. My aunt could easily make new cushions for seats.

Really nice room. Looks comfortable and inviting. Good choice w/new sofas. Like the fireplace as is ... but less clutter could improve the look of it. Not sure what the picture is above the piano. If it is a family photograph, reframe it and the family photo on the mantel with the same frames and put both above the piano. Really like your coffee table. One day it will be a valuable antique if you don't booger it up. So, for the coffee table, consider taking the table to a glass company and having a dark gray tinted thick glass top created for it -- no refinish for the table necessary. (Alternately, cover everything but the top and paint the top only -- perhaps black or else the same white as your cabinets.) Do the same for your current end table as you do for the coffee table. If you're going to add a second end table, since matching the existing one would likely prove difficult, consider a totally different look -- perhaps a wood 2-drawer filing cabinet? http://realsolidoak.com/office.html

The fact that your renderings include a cat is adorable. I love the cadet grey all over. You could bring in some brightness by playing with color and reflective/shiny surfaces in the backsplash, appliances, and accessories. I notice your inspiration photo has shiny stainless appliances, lime green placemats and blue glass. These are good ways to give lightness to a grey space. Orange, Yellow, red, and lavender are also good colors to brighten up grey (choose one or two or don't choose and just let your favorite bright colors find their way into the space in whatever amount feels natural over time). The glass door uppers you are planning on will be awesome for bouncing light around the room. Can the insides be painted with a white wash like the soft white cabinets? That could be nice, though it isn't necessary. I'd definitely put lights inside of those cabinets. I notice that you don't have a backsplash tile on your rendering. Might just be the render, but it's worth mentioning that with a messy teenager cooking, some kind of backsplash will be your friend. Glass tile is expensive so without knowing your budget I won't suggest it for the whole backsplash, but you could do a small feature wall of glass tile behind the oven to bounce the light around on that side of the room. It could be the same color as your backsplash, a grey like your cabinets, or a completely different color. Whichever way you go on color, the finish of glass will be a nice contrast to the finish of grey stained wood. Large format tiles seem to be in fashion, so if that's your jam, good news! They make large format glass tiles! Or, you could go the opposite direction and do a 2-3" glass lantern or hex to really stand out. Whatever you do for backsplash, I would not do a matte finish. Same with your countertops. It will make the whole room look too flat. Another thing I don't see in your renderings, but I do see in your inspiration is light. Every counter surface and every walkway needs some amount of direct lighting and you need good light diffusion so that you can see into your cabinets well. You may already have this figured out and just not showing in the rendering - just wanted to be sure it was mentioned (it may also be making your renderings look darker than the reality will).