About 2 years ago, DH got his first "big boy" job and was moving about an hour away. We were newly engaged, but I overestimated my influence in choosing furniture at that stage. While shopping with his parents at an antique store, I found a gorgeous, solid cherry wide plank farm table for only $100! DH is cheap and wasn't mentally prepared to make a purchase that day. I was a student with no money. I wanted it so bad, but didn't want to seem like a spoiled brat in front of his parents. So I let it go. Three days later, he went to an estate sale with his parents. He came back with a old round oak table plus 2 leaves with a stained and yellowed top and 6 matching chairs... for $500!! His dad said it would last forever... blah, blah, practical man talk. But I didn't want THAT to last forever. I cried and cried. Seems so silly now to have gotten so upset, but there is definitely still a twinge of regret there for that beautiful farm table. I will say that DH definitely learned an early lesson about marriage and having a wife :)

Beth, don't worry about being in an apt. I'm a designer & I've owned only 1 house in my life!!! I too have moved so often (30 times) for work (mostly) that I've never had the need. Now that I'm 57 & semi-retired, that's going to change soon, but to be in an apt has MANY advantages. It also has it's cons, but I've never had a real complaint. I've broken a few rules over the years & lost deposits as a result, but it was a small price to pay for painting & upgrading some minor things, which I never asked reimbursement for. In one apt I painted & was supposed to paint back to white when I moved & also painted the cabinets gloss black (they were like yours) & when they inspected it, they told me not to bother to paint it to white cause they felt it looked better like it was...& didn't lose my deposit!!! I don't recommend that, but really, there's only so much they can do to you if you do. However, one thing I strongly recommend that you do is take very detailed pics of every room before you move in with some kind of date authorization. It is true that you will become immune to the negatives once you have all YOUR stuff in place instead of seeing a cold stark empty apt. It's amazing how much it will transform. If your new home is safe & filled with love, what else could you ask for!!! Best of luck & keep us updated!!! ~Jeana

Blfenton, Worry not! There are people who abjure navy blue suits too!! It's okay not to like oak! But, yes, it's probably worth mentioning your dislike if called to critique it. I do that with things I consult on. Sometimes it's something that I know I have a prejudice against, like the colors melon and mint together. I just hate the combination! I know that people love it because they do it all the time, so I bow out and say that if they want to go that direction, they have to make their own judgements. Palimpsest said: I think the equivalent of classic might be whatever goes best with the house. Intriguing. I've always agreed with you about making the kitchen go with the style of the house, but I'm trying to wrap my head around classic. Interesting thought. ... Palimpsest also said: Any house that had the right kind of kitchen to begin with, would probably look okay with a Version of the original, interpreted in whatever is contemporary to the time the kitchen is remodeled. I don't think it needs to be a slavish copy either. Thank-you for this forumulation! That's it! That's what I meant up thread when I described the fantastic, inexpensive kitchen in the tiny Hollywood flip. The kitchen was obviously new, but it was pretty much the kind of look you'd expect to see in that kind of house. Slight change of doorstyle with new cabinets, obviously new style appliances, but the overall look very first half 20th C. and proportioned correctly for the small house. Jilly, I was thinking about the disco jeans. Sexpot cabinets, instead of sexy. Thinking about gold. Into my mind's eye pops something straight out of the '60's: White Provincial cabinets with raise lozenge panels, gold picked trim, and gold mirror marbled with gold veins. Sexpot cabinets, definitely. :) Ghastly, but kind of cool in a space that can carry it off. :)

The soul of my kitchen is reflected in my kitchen and it would aptly be named the rainbow! My cabinets are red (rosewood stain), I have orange accents (amber colored lights, persimmon KA, antique orange plates hanging, copper jello molds), my everyday plates are yellow (think Tuscan), my walls are green, I only have a few blue pieces and only one purple, a hand blown glass vase I picked up at a local shop that sits on my windowsill behind my sink. My favorite color is green and I use it throughout my house, it is basically my "base" color and I use other colors to accent it. My homes overall color scheme is green, blue and brown with each room having a different main color, dining room bright turquoise, living room a light brown, front bath a dark blue, master bed a cream tone, master bath a deep bright green. I also must brag on some accomplishments. Despite this apparently being basically the worst 3 months in my family's health, I still have managed to replace the toilet in the front bath and finally get my new closet painted. Next up is to lay the flooring in the closet so I can start constructing my closet system and replacing the sink and counter in the front bath. I will probably paint or refinish the vanity when the counter is off too. It never ends does it?