We are lucky to have Woodards Furniture made locally. Top quality maker. I have only seen advertising in magazines like Town and Country, not my price range! They have a terrific sale early in the year, sell seconds, scratched, over-runs, prototype designs. This is GREAT stuff. Most you can't tell why it is in the sale. Got my loveseat this year, very comfortable, really like it. I hit the sale, pick up stuff there. I mostly have enough stuff by now, all metal. I do have cushions for it, but don't leave them out unless we will be gathering outside for eating or visiting. Nothing really matches, but it all goes well together. Some folks use it in the house. Very elegant with many looks.

We have somewhat more of a formal English style with lots of cottage garden plants in the "picket zone" (sorry, not visible in this picture) in the front yard. In our front yard in the small metal gazebo and on a brick pathway, we have black metal wrought iron: For the slate outdoor family room, we wanted something that makes one think of British colonial style: The slate is now done on both sides of the patio, and the outdoor family room furniture is visible out our living room window. This furniture style makes for a nice transition going from the inside to outside room as the living room furniture has a floral (lots of roses and garden colors) pattern on the couch and matching upholstered chair. Our house I call decorated in a "garden style," with English style influences. Oh, and eventually somewhere in the back yard garden/future large scale garden RR area (which I refer to as "traintown") I want to site a teak Lutyens bench. Right now in our children's side yard "secret garden" we have a four pieces of black finish cast iron; a settee bench, two chairs and tea table. I may eventually have a spot in the rose and clematis planted trellised side yard to find a place for a small three-piece bistro set. (This furniture idea is still in the "imagining" phase -- revamping is soon to be in the works.) Maybe wood and metal, or metal and mosaic. The bistro set would be tucked in a L-corner of the house/garage walls at the back edge of the area with three large metal "Monet arches" for roses we have on order from Smith & Hawken. For more pics of our recent landscaping projects done on the front and back yards, check out my Picture Trail: careytearose Here is a link that might be useful: Landscaping Projects 2007 album

I never considered white cabinets for the kitchen in my forever house either because I once owned a home with oak cabinets, painted white, by the prior owners. When it was time for me to sell that house, the housing inspector hired by my buyers rated the kitchen cabinets "substandard" due to the lack of a factory paint job. Ever since that experience, I've been a fan of wood-stained cabinets. I also think a preference for wood-stained cabinets over painted cabinets is a generational thing. My parents (in their 80s) think the only reason to paint wood is because the wood is of such poor quality that it doesn't stain well. Not necessarily true but that's how they think and their home (as well as the homes of all of their friends) is full to brim with stained wood--stained wood doors and moldings, stained paneling in the den and stained wood cabinets on the kitchen and bathrooms--and the end result are dark and dim houses by today's standards. Lots of people, me included, wound up painting the paneling in the den to lighten things up a bit!

Been doing a little research and I guess there are no shortcuts if I want to do this right. Think I may try General Finishes water-based stain and Polyacrylic top coat. Last time I finished the swing was with the Polyacrylic and it seems like that went on fairly easily. Also may order some sanding sticks to try and get into those crevices I couldn't completely sand before I start staining.