I also think that oak will look wonderful surrounded by green, more subtle or more deep. Well, wood usually do:) Bluish gray too(Or grayish blue)). And I'm sure several other colors. But I think green is very very nice-it's not too cold a color, not too warm..it's somewhere in the middle there, and is very calming to the eye. But it's extremely personal of course-you need to like being surrounded by green; or any color for that matter. I wouldn't go for black countertop though-unless you really love black AND intend to change your white stove for black or stainless steel one.(talking about your inspirational pics now). Also not a fan of these mosaics-first, these kitchens have all different color scheme going on, including different color flooring; second, mosaics won't go with the warm and cozy cabin look..at least to me, there is something contradicting between rustic and warm-and busy glass mosaics; third, I'm not objective, I'm not a fan of this look and never was, so take my opinion here with a grain of salt:) BTW my current kitchen is light oak and dark granite:) but all the appliances are black(the fridge is stainless steel though), and floor is yellow-beige travertine. It all works together, and looks pretty cozy, but it's not the kitchen of my dreams. I inherited it, so it was fine. Maybe because of that I'm favoring your color scheme more)) It's more quiet, thus easier to work with. I think paint color and maybe glass inserts-on the wall to the right-will do wonders. You can find a backsplash first-and be inspired from it; or you can start with the general feel you're going for-and to arrive to backsplash in the end of your journey so to say:) I agree with practigal in almost everything but the ceiling color: I think the deeper color you take for the walls, the more you need to tint the ceiling that same color. My personal experience in a new home with (mostly) standard ceilings. You have a thin molding though, that might change things. I mean for choosing the paint:) Are you keeping it?

It might be better to add this to the "design dilemma" section rather than the "before and after." You might find you get more feedback that way, since the "before and after" is generally used for completed projects. Good luck with your kitchen!

Under a deck, depending on local code, deck blocks can be used as floating blocks though ideally buried to prevent lateral shifts. In our new contruction we have 18 of them supporing a 56'x16' section of the deck and these are buried/level in the ground. My builder insisted 9 were enough but my physics proved him wrong and I had him install a second set of beams in the center. Physics: The single pin (actually an adjustable nut and bolt for adjusting height) itself supports entire weight above it, the weight is then distributed over base area of the concrete block, then by the soil (in your case concrete floor) below. There's lots more to these calculations but I don't want to bring too much math into what I'm trying to say. What is not apparent from your picture the total live load supported by the single post and how the load is distributed/shared across other posts (if any). # of posts is an easy calculation if you provide length and width of the deck and if it is attached to the house (most likely) with a ledger board plus details on how many posts currently support the deck. Remedy: Let's for a moment assume the deck block and post are adequate and that you are worried about the post movement due to external forces like a seismic event or something. Considering the post and block is already in place, not buried, the next best thing is install anchors to prevent the post from shifting; talk to your builder. Options are long loop anchors, concrete anchors, foundation straps or similar.

If you're not looking to re-do the cabinetry, then you have a lot of freedom to try something new in the way of furniture that can be shopped for and placed anywhere. Most of the commenters here at Houzz would be poised to help you with a kitchen renovation with stationary elements, so if you were looking to re-do flooring, tile, or other more permanent elements, perhaps you could elaborate.