oh mayflowers forgot to say that I like the idea of adding cabinets to back of peninsula area but was also thinking of having two backless bar stools with black leather seats there as well. Will have to think about the wainscoating and now that I look closely the area could use an update and it is scuffed up. the more we look the more we see that needs help with this house Ugh thanks so much Here is the living room, my carpenter is fashioning a pine wood free floating mantle as we speak, it will have oil on it and natural tones. We have sofa facing the fireplace that's a thin cordoroy material in a light blue/green and plan to have an accent chair against the other wall (the staircase wall) with perhaps some type of server or china cabinet over there, dining area is too small for china cabinet but might be able to have a behind the sofa credenza (for more storage) we also plan to have an area rug in front of the sofa. I am looking for a gray one with texture if I can find one. what do you think of those ideas? Right now the dining area has a work table we're using till we find what we want lol

Glad I found this thread. I'm having my kitchen redone almost exactly like WillTV's, though I'm eschewing the black subway tile and having all-white. Yes, it's safe, but I live in a one-bedroom apartment in NYC and don't plan on being there more than three more years, so I want to appeal to myself and as many other people as possible. I personally love the clean look. Thanks, WillTV, for posting pictures -- I'm also going to copy right off of you for your floor!

they sound interesting enough to me, being crackled and having variation. larger size might work..what size you consider? Gray is already considered dated lol. Makes no sense to me personally as all this dated thing is a new concept I'm still struggling with-how a color can be dated? but in terms of what happens in trends etc-it's on its way out, yes. they move into warmer tones. they're still into greiges for now to bridge between things a bit. white is becoming big as a neutral. wood stains are making a big comeback. this update on trends can go on and on but i'm sure you can find thousand threads here discussing it so i'll make it short. if you're really worried-it might be you're simply are not attached to a color enough. which is okay, really. then pick off-white. off white is pretty. Even very much so. I like both off whites and grays(I do have preference for much warmer grays though) so I have off whites and warm grays. And many other colors too since I love them too. I commit by choosing something of course,-but it's fine since commitment, paradoxically, is a road to freedom:) But I admit I was also worrying when choosing..well choosing everything except for stuff like toilets etc. Of course one worries, it's a hassle and an expense and you want to love it in the end. So. Try to worry less. If you can remove "dated" from the equation- great. Go with your heart's desire. If no-then ok, take it into equation and don't do gray. Worry less. You did a great job on everything else, so no reason to think your backsplash won't turn out well either. It will.

With those formal shapes on the floor and shower walls I wouldn't go free form on the niches. I would do 1-inch square glass tiles with some subtle color that references the floor. Or maybe see if you could cut the floor tiles to somehow work in the niches. Follow the lead of your inspiration rooms - you've got stunning floor and wall tiles- let them star and don't give them too much competition. Otherwise it starts to look too busy IMHO. Edited to add another option would be a solid color tile if you could find one matching one of the colors in the floor and a complimentary shape to the shower and floor. Free form circles just doesn't do it for me in your setting.