Thanks Don for letting me know which photos are your favorites. I know it's all in the eye of the beholder, but I like hearing other people's opinions. Photo #5 is Abiqua Drinking Gourd. I'm not that much into cupped hosta, but I think this hosta is special. Your black and white photo is beautiful! I, like Jo, am wondering which hosta that is. It is definitely a great choice for black and white photography. Thanks for adding your photo---and please do include more if you have them. Thank you for adding that you are a fan also. I appreciate that.

Bonnie, here is my recipe: Black and White Cookies 1 cup unsalted butter 1 3/4 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt FROSTING: 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/3 cup boiling water 1 (1 ounce) square bittersweet chocolate, chopped Directions 1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter 2 baking sheets. 2-In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the milk, vanilla, and lemon extract. Combine cake flour and all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually blend into the creamed mixture. Drop tablespoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. 3-Bake until edges begin to brown, about 11 to 15 minutes. Cool completely. 4-Place confectioners sugar in large bowl. Mix in boiling water one tablespoon at a time until mixture is thick and spreadable. (Add more than the indicated amount if you need to). 5-Transfer half of the frosting to the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir in the chocolate. Warm mixture, stirring frequently, until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat. 6-With a brush, coat half the cookie with chocolate frosting and the other half with the white frosting. Set on waxed paper until frosting hardens.

Thanks guys, that's definitely food for thought. Willtv, I like how clean that looks. We were thinking about having some kind of accent strip running lengthwise, but your backsplash works nicely and your kitchen is very similar to ours in terms of colour scheme. Babbaca, we do have stainless steel appliances and have been considering having that accent strip be some kind of glass tile. The ones that are mostly black look nice in those kitchens, but I'm not sure that they would work in ours as we're trying to keep things bright. But thanks for sharing the pictures, they do look lovely. I'll post some pictures of the kitchen so far tomorrow if I get some time.

Thanks very much for these ideas. I'm still wondering about something in the off-white/OC range. I have read a million posts and Pins on whites...what I'm stuck on is how they will look in eastern light that is very, very green through the tree canopy. I know from experience now that grey undertones turn to a not-so-pleasant mushroomy color when washed with green light. Beyond those airy photos, I'm imagining something geometric and angular (greek key, or diamonds) on the floor -- could be charcoal and white/cream, or a sisal. One large photo of something architectural (a plant, a bridge) on the wall opposite the gallery wall, over my desk, and a small mirror in a chunky frame on the modern louvered credenza. Love to find a deco-ish light fixture. Any suggestions for a white that would highlight an overall look like that?