Hi Houseful!! I think you're farther ahead than I am. Last week they finally poured the gunite, I posted a thread about water curing, as it took them 3 days to finish pouring it all (they hadn't made the forms for the raised bond beam, so took extra time doing this). I've been soaking the pool- poolnerd said to use a soaker hose around the entire bond beam, and it's working, slowly the white calcium stuff has started to leach out meaning things are doing what they should do inside the gunite. I'm now waiting for them to start work on the deck, I'll have to get some photos and show you the concrete, but it's there, they are already over their 90 days per contract, so maybe will finish before Memorial Day but I doubt it. Thanks!!

Why would a dining room be the wrong place for it? Isn't a dining room where families gather, where people share a meal together, share stories together, build memories together? (Well, if the wine keeps flowing, that is!) Because I live in a townhouse, I have limited wall space. But I love displaying pictures of the people I love, and I've never been one to go along with that "public spaces" rule of keeping some spaces neutral. So my photos are everywhere! (Well, not the bathrooms--I know there are some people who put vintage photos in there, but that might be the place that might freak me out!)

My first question is What is your favorite color? You have excellent neutrals that could work with any color. If you love the cool gray green of Farrow and Ball's french gray I say go for that color. That is a color that can compliment many different colors from the gold warm tan drapes to a fire hot red chair or a deep green alligator. Go with what you like and you will be amazed that it works. If you think the Farrow and Ball French Gray is a little too green based you might consider another FB paint called Light also by FB French Gray FB Light by Farrow and Ball I like mixing cool and warm in different venues for drama. Obviously not all the colors but keeping it simple to two basic hues and working with them is ideal. You have one small wall behind your china cabinet that you could paint in a gold tan to match the drapes but the rest of the walls the Blue gray Farrow and ball you are thinking of would be perfect. Here are some combinations of gray blue and tan that look stunning. Living Pod Dining room rescue blog Clear Skies by Benjamin Moore French Gray Farrow and Ball (The color you love) French Gray FB by designer Brooke Gianetti amazing with the soft cream. Other Neutral colors if the farrow and ball is too scary for you to try Fools Gold Benjamin Moore New Penny by Valspar Blonde Benjamin Moore Skylight Farrow and Ball Camel Hair on left and Gustavian Grey Shaker Gray by Benjamin Moore

I love family photos. However, (and this is just me) I get a creepy feeling when they are put in such a prominent spot that for a lot of the time I am in a room, the whole family is staring at me! My beloved SO has LARGE family photos of his whole family on a shelving unit right across from our bed in the bedroom, and it is a small room so the edge of the bed is relatively close to the shelving unit. His whole clan is always staring at me, when I go to bed at night, when I'm changing into my jammies or getting dressed in the morning, and when I wake up. I wouldn't want my clan up there, that's for sure, but different strokes for different folks. He likes seeing them all the time and I am just splitting hairs with that creepy feeling. Better than in the bathroom I guess! My dad has a small photo of my deceased mother in a prominent spot in the living room, and that doesn't bother me, so I guess it depends. I have a mirror in my dining room and hate it because I hate looking at myself while eating. I would love a wall of family in a dining room, but maybe not where they were always staring down at me while eating. A montage of smaller photos that one passes by on the way to the table--wonderful. But really, just some random thoughts. As many have said, there is no one right or wrong way if you like it that's all that matters. Also, there are some frames that you can buy that mix photos with design and sometimes sayings, those would look fab in your room. You could fit a little montage on the right side of the doorway. I almost bought a piece at the local big box that was a clock where you could put a photo in every time slot. I also think that "mixing and matching" photo exhibits in one room is probably a no go too. So for example, putting that clock in our bedroom along with the photos on the shelves might bee too much of a good thing.