What a beautiful kitchen! I'll bet you're just thrilled with the crisp look you got with the brown paint, huh?

Yes on the white subway tile backsplash if you do one.

On picture frames I think I'd do wood, or white, or gold... no not black.

Hmmm... I'd gallery glass your crested window top, but that's me.

Silver sage and robin's egg blue are not the same color so I'm a bit confused.

You need this for a bit of whimsey (maybe if you write them they can tell you where to get one since they ran out):

{{!gwi}}

Or one of these:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

:)

WOW! I remember your post and it looks amazing. Even with the dark chandelier :)
I think subways would look perfect specially with a darker grout (not white). I think black frames would look fine as long as they were b/w photos on white matting. Blue will look fine but please don't cover that beautiful window.
I'll get back to you on decor, my family is waiting for me. Congratulations!

Check with the experts on the bathroom forum on the grout color. They know grout colors, etc.

I think you can still use black frames, but the matting would have to be white.

Your kitchen is beautiful. Can you take a close up of your trim detail on the cabinets and counter?

Yes on the white subway tile with pale grout to keep the look smooth and cohesive with the counter.

Yes -- on the black framed artworks because you have some black accents in the space. When you hang them -- bring the black iron fruit basket forward -- and onto the end of the island (just an example)

If possible -- paint out the electrical outlet near the bottom of the long wall -- stands out WAY too much against the yummy chocolate walls. And paint out the ones along the counter IF you keep the chocolate paint as the backsplash -- of course -- they'll be hidden against white subway tiles .......

LOVE the idea of adding blue accents. You could even try a darker bamboo shade over the sink .....

Love the light fixtures!!! I'd put the black against brown as I see you have a bit of black in the kitchen. I love the subway tiles, I just tiled the top of an antique chest so I could put it in the lake house bathroom. I used the subway. There's something about them that makes for a cozy comfy feeling. If it were me I'd put in a runner to the right of the countertop chairs which had some black,some blue and some tan in it to pull the colors all together and give some texture to that long expanse. Of course if you have lots of activity in your kitchen that may not be practical. Love the idea of the blue. I think a aqual blue would love beautiful. It looks wonderful just the way it is now!!!!

What a GORGEOUS transformation! YES to the white subway tile and to the black framed pix. Can't wait to see!
PS we have white tile in my boys bath and I MADE them use sand colored grout...it's perfectly fine. :)

Thanks for all your ideas. I am really bad with color, so I must not know what Robin's Egg Blue is!! I definitely need to bring in a blue/GREEN because of the FOREST GREEN stripe in my counter and crown. (it was 1995, and I was pregnant, what more can I say)

Les noted it in my first kitchen post and I think Brutuses was zeroing in on it as well! I was hoping it would disappear completely with the brown!!!!

I was going to paint my Laundry Room (room with door closed in the distance) Mill Springs Blue.. (but it is really a green that ties with the stripe) and pull that color into the kitchen with fabric possibly if I can find it.. I was thinking to my eye, rh silver sage matched/coordinated with the Mills spring blue, and since I can find that EVERYWHERE I might just use that. See Mill Springs Blue link below.

Oh, and here is a photo of the window I would put panels on.. not the one about the sink, since I love that just as is...

Oh, and I have a third pendant. My friend the electician has been dying to rip out that track and hang the pendants where they are supposed to be.. so I didn't but the third adaptor for the track. I think I will move them a litte more towards the overhang, and not so much over the workspace, and they will be 4 inches higher once we put the canopy back on.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mill Springs Blue

I absolutely love the new color. Is there any way you can paint over the forest green on the cabinets and just live with the counters until you can replace them? I think if you introduce more green, you'll only succeed in pulling out and enhancing the rather dated forest green that you'd rather see fade into the background. Robin's egg blue is probably a safe choice as an accent color here, as long as it is truly robin's egg, which is more BLUE-green than GREEN-blue.

I agree, that fabulous window over the sink needs no window treatment, though I also think the other windows look great without window treatments as well. They make the room appear more spacious as they are and are beautiful in their own right. Definitely a case of the "less is more."

Oh, and I am not a fan of black frames on dark brown walls. I would use a simple antique gold frame; nothing too ornate.

I think it looks great and I will second the above- could you paint over the green trim? Not that it's bad, it just forces you to other colors. I think that with it being high up and NOT at eye level, it could work to be painted white (of course I can't see it too well but it looks like if you didn't look for it, you wouldn't see a less than perfect job?)... and I think aqua blue- turquoisish would be jawdropping beautiful.

I think it looks really nice. Good job, not easy being brave!

White subway tiles - I would be afraid that white would make your lower cabs and white cabs seem like one big white wall. Maybe not, but its something that occurred to me and I'm not sure I'd like that.

I was wondering about your counters, not the color so much but what IS the strip thing in it? What are your counters made of? If this is some sort of sandwiched in material that can't be painted then I would think you are "stuck" with the green right?

I'm not personally (who cares!) a fan of the blue you are thinking about but it would technically look nice with the brown, I don't think it goes with the outside greenery though or the forest green stripe.
If it were me, I would bring in the gold color from down the hall instead in a material that also has some forest green and maybe some rust, a plaid or floral for the window treatments. Then do some placemats, dishes, table runners, table top treatments, chair pads (not all of them!), with the forest green and maybe some more of the window treatment fabric to tie together.
I think that would work better with the lush greenery you see outside.

Frames - Several options. If you did the matting right with the black frames your pictures might appear to "float" on the wall. Which could be sort of cool, a slightly more modern look, personal taste in whether you like that or not. You could keep the black frame which essentially disappears, and mat with white, then a skinny black and then white - so the black mat then becomes the black frame, now highlighted. Or you could try to match frames to your lighting hardware (is that oil rubbed bronze?) but you might run into the same problem of it being too muted against the brown.
Or, you have some stainless steel things, you could complete that by painting your wrought item wall hanger things and basket stainless steel with spray paint and go with silver frames. Really, you could quite a lot here. I think white frames would be a bit much for me but I think one or two large substantial wood painted white frames might work, just not a lot of little pictures in thin white frames.
Even if you stopped now it looks nice. Keep everyone updated!

P.S. If privacy is an issue with those windows, I really liked my solar shades, you can hide them with a valence. And they come in something similar to a goldish color.

I was thinking of curtain panels like this one from Restoration Hardware....

Is this color too green?

I can paint the crown, but not the corian counter...the stripe was actually a way to have a thicker edge.. it hides the seam...

I will try to find fabric at Hobby Lobby to do it myself...someone here turned me on to 'Nesting Place' and I would love to try out her mistreatments!!
http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration Hardware Curtains

wow, I love that fabric. I just posted the Nesting Place blog yesterday I think on another thread; I love the way she mixes fabrics. maybe that is something you can do on the chair pads, for example, that will tie in the green. Just a bit of it might help.

Someone posted Nesting Place regarding Skirted Tables, and whether they were out of style! Maybe that was you decorpas! It was a few weeks ago.

Oh, and thanks to whoever posted "A Cottage Industry" too, (I think it was in the framed letter thread) I spent a huge amount of time on that site in the last few days..

Besides my addiction to this site, now I have two more addictions...

Only problem is I am still reading more about doing stuff, than actually doing the stuff!

Love the chocolate brown paint, what color is it? I would change out the table cloth for another color...its too white.

The color is Clinton Brown HC - 67.. and I promise I am not making a political statement!

I will be honest, at times I see a slight purple tint, in a certain light..

The tablecloth was on because of a party.. but that is my problem! What color should I pick!!!!!

Thanks

Well, shoot! I can't believe not a one of you liked the fancy expensive French toasters. I thought they were adorable. Guess I shouldn't post stuff like that any more if nobody likes it.

I LOVED the toasters.. esp the first one since it was aqua!! Keep posting (and the galleries too!)

I am SO not an expert, but I'll put in my two cents.

I LOVE the transformation! The contrast between the walls and cabinets is yummy...and somewhat serious looking with the current accents. I like oceanna's toaster suggestions to lighten the mood. Stick in a fun color choice on your counters or table and it will surely bring a smile to your face (and your guests').

I love the windows as is. It doesn't look like you have an immediate privacy issue and, unless the sunshine is too intense, it has a lovely light and view. For me, curtains and drapes serve a purpose. I don't put them on windows unless I need to screen views or light.
Although your choice of robin's egg blue/tiffany blue with chocolate is still being used in decor, I think it has become somewhat predictable. Also, it isn't going to tie in your green stripe. It looks more hunter green. I would paint the cabinet stripe to match the rest of them and either paint or ignore the countertop stripe. I painted my laminate counters, so it IS an option for someone willing to take on the job.

You should try out some accent colors before you commit. Have you thought about a chartreuse (yellow-green or lime-green)? Go crazy and try pinks, oranges, or fuschia. I think the yellow-green would be a stand-out!

Is turquoise being used a lot? That would be my "blue" option if you're still craving that combo.

Great accent color suggestions, alex9179! Another suggestion would be to use a collection of various blue & white porcelain pieces, say a collection of plates on a wall along with other blue & white pieces here and there. A blue & white vase or large bowl on the table filled with medium-dark pink flowers would be pretty. I love that color combo with chocolate brown.

FWIW, I read on another home decor web site that chocolate brown WT's are a preferred color choice in a room with choc. brown walls. BUT, as always, to each his own!