Clearly some people don't understand the difference between doing the "right" thing and being self indulgent. There are many times when my behavior reflects the "right" thing as society defines it and not the REAL way I feel. It's certainly quelled my desire to engage in road rage or tell my coworker she dresses like a slut, and I'm probably a better person for it. I'll be the first to admit that societal politeness has saved me from myself many times. And sometimes, much to my inevitable regret, I've lost control over my immediate knee-jerk response. In my opinion it's better to do the thing that will ultimately reflect upon your own character, even if the short term desire is to hurt someone. Letting someone else's bad behavior result in yours might be momentarily gratifying but in the long run, it's weakness. But, that's just my opinion. However, if petulant and bitter behavior is what you're really all about, then I guess some would say that is doing the right thing by being true to yourself. If that's the self you truly are. Only you know who you are or who you would hope to be.

I like your house, I like this room, and I like the sunroom we can see in the picture. Is there an option that is more resiliant to scratches?? Yes, and it's inexpensive. I'd go to Lowe's and get gunmetal colored Novalis wood planks (it's vinyl). They are peel and stick and very easy to lay yourself. It's about $.99 per square foot, as I recall. Another flooring option is to look at "materials" in CL. Keep your eye on it over time and you may be able to snap up some real bargains. If your DH is handy, he should be able to build you a wooden dog crate that doubles as an attractive end table. Or, got a son in woodshop? Or a grown son that has more time than money when it comes to your birthday presents? Or, want to take a woodshop class yourself? You can find a picture online or in a dog supply catalog to copy. Or, so you know someone who could build you one and you have a skill to trade with them? Like sew them drapes or train their dog, or paint their room, or give their kids haircuts or something? Or put an ad in CL that you'd like to do a swap for something you have you no longer want. Or, keep your eyes on CL, as you never know what will turn up. In the meantime, you could drape the crate with an attractive tablecloth, leaving the front open for the dog, and put a table lamp on the top. Couldn't hurt. I'd paint the beams a light pastel color, and the ceiling and walls a darker color, though not necessarily real dark. Please don't paint your fireplace. If you feel it is too dark, go get 3-4 bottles of acrylic paints from Michaels. Put small puddles of each color on a paper plate. Dip a regular kitchen sponge into a little of each of the colors. Then start patting the paint onto your bricks. You may find you just want to lighten the darkest bricks. Keep the paint off the mortar. That paint will not hold up to heat inside the firebox, btw. You know you can also experiment with latex paint that is thinned in water, and just pat it on with a sponge. Keep a damp rag handy to immediately remove anything you don't like. Whatever you do, it helps to have a lot of color and darkness variation. Otherwise, you can leave the brick as is. It looks pretty pleasant the way it is. How about a flat screen TV that mounts above the mantle and is kept hidden when not in use by a painting or fancy doors on a shallow cabinet? Have you looked at our living rooms thread, and our cottage decor thread in our gallery for inspiration pictures? How about at our ceilings thread to see what you can do with your ceiling? (I would *not* take the beams down.) How about at our fireplaces thread for ideas on how to deck out your mantel? Close this thread and click on the "gallery" link at the bottom of the page. Then you can do a search over there. Here is a link that might be useful: Thread about the Novalis planks with pictures

You're right lascatx. People work differently in their kitchens. That tiny 16" space between the ref and range is never used. The wall oven and cooktop will replace the range that is there now. So I'm really just trying to decide whether I want it under the cooktop in the same location as the range is now, or if I want to create a refrigerator/wall oven wall (newly constructed cabinetry/built-in) on the same wall that the fridge and range are now. I would then put the induction cooktop about 3" from the sink. I'm trying not to do a total gut, and the cabinet man said matching the shaker cabinets is doable. We are doing a lot in this house, including the master bath with a steam shower, so I'm trying to prioritize. I can live with the cabinets. I love the shaker style. And I need new appliances more than i need soft close drawers. Really, there are four things I cannot live with: 1. The tiny space between the range and the sink 2. The tiled countertops 3. The 1980 coil top electric range 4. The full size fridge The fireplace is to the right of the doorway, next to the fridge. It gets lost in here, but it's a see through, and it gets used in the other room a lot. Ideally the kitchen should be flipped with the family room adjoining it. I think it would function better. But that'll get done when I win the lottery :) Thanks for your input!

I don't know what current vertical blinds look like today, but if shutter people recommended I would at least consider them for the sliding door. They certainly would solve the problem with the AC ducts and should meet both the needs of privacy and easy open/close. I like your idea of a high hung stationary roman shade for the kitchen window to add color/pattern. You can always add a blind later. I had a window in a previous house that was about the same size as your big sunroom window. It was three separate windows but made together, like yours. It was around 111-113" IIRC. I first installed three separate white faux wood blinds under one valance or headpiece, because using just one big blind would have been too heavy. I hated having to pull up three blinds daily and because of the view, I didn't like having them just open and down. I ended up with a nice quality cellular shade that covered the whole window and was on a continuous loop chain to open and close. I really liked that, though I do prefer the looks of the wood blinds. If you go with faux wood blinds or cellulars in the sunroom, you can always add fabric roman shades or panels at a later date.