My sister just told me that her drapery person buys ecru colored sheets at Walmart to use for linings. It's a cheap way to get a lot of fabric. Yours look wonderful. I had a similar idea recently when I stumbled upon a beautiful paisley tablecloth at TJMaxx. Then I realized: 1) I can't sew and I had no idea if it was possible to do and 2) they wouldn't look right with the rug I had just purchased for that room. Now that I know it's possible, I think I'll buy them and find another room that could use paisley drape panels.

It is amazing that you went with darker colors and yet your kitchen looks lighter and certainly, brighter! The counters are the perfect choice for the age of the house and being period appropriate, but the wall color makes it fresh too. You really got a ton of bang for your buck ;)

If those rectangular/square/rhomboid things aren't plastered on, I'd lose them altogether. Looks like they nailed on some trim and faux painted the inside. Blech, IMO. You could put some non-geometric (I say that because I'm no good at lining up squarish stuff on weird angles) textured paintable wallpaper on that section and paint it the same as the trim, just to add a little interest. Here is a sample pic just to show you what I'm talking about: Someone on here just posted their kitchen redo using the paintable beadboard paper and she said she loved it. Do they like the blue carpeting on the stairs? That could be updated without breaking the bank. Not sure about the fireplace wall... I like the fireplace and the beams and maybe the bookcase the way it is but yeah, that cedar shake detail is kinda 80's Pizzahut or something. I'd probably have to pull off the cedar just to get rid of it. Maybe they could do that and fill the slant in with a simple crown molding? I also might invest in a fireplace screen that fit the opening, too. OTOH, I wish that was all that had to be done in our place, lol. I'm sure you'll get lotsa more ideas.

We picked up the Metal Ocean counters that we ordered last Friday. They look better than I hoped. No matter how big the samples are, they never do the counter justice. You really notice the golden color, which will compliment the cabinets. By the way, I do have lots of Formica and Wilsonart samples if anyone needs. As you may know already, my tile is in and I am very happy. I will go 5 inches with the 1 inch tile, but 3 inches up I am inserting a row of the 5/8 inch tile to make it more interesting. Plus, I couldn't send it back. We just spoke with our contractor and we are tentatively set to start work on the kitchen 8/30. We will be picking up our counters today and trying to find room for them to store. I had a friend come over yesterday and she thinks that the color we used was Calypso Breeze. She even remembers me saying something about Calypso Breeze back six years ago. Since we cannot agree on a green and the off-whites/yellows are too creamy for stainless steel, we are going with the blue Calypso Breeze. It goes with the cabinets and the tile, since anything I picked had to go with the blue since the kitchen borders with the dining and living room space. Speaking of stainless steel, I was hoping someone could give us advice on the shelving whether we should go with 16 gauge or 18 gauge stainless steel shelves. Currently we are looking for two 84" inch stainless steel shelves. I imagine we will be putting our bowls, colanders, electrical gadgets, steamers, and recipe books. We are getting rid of the soffits and updating the light fixtures. This month better roll by quickly. Deni