Folks, This may be one of those situations where images on a website cannot do justice to the physical tone of being in the room. I recognize that looking at the pictures on the website make all of my choices look like a motley collection of clowns. And then there is my sweeby mission statement about "cool" kitchens that I still stand by. To explain this in the context of my kitchen, let me share how it feels to be in the kitchen. Our home is in northern California near San Francisco which is quite a bit different from general image of sunny LA or San Diego. It is said that Mark Twain once said that "the coldest winter I have ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". The marine influence here means that it is common to have 70 to 75 degrees in middle of summer. When the east coast was broiling this summer, we had 68-72 degree days. Then there is my house which is adobe.. This means the super thick bricks have to warm up first before the air inside the house begins to warm up.. It is usually a good 10 degrees cooler inside than outside. We in fact put in heated floors just for this reason. Then there is quality of light.. The banquette on the end of the galley is east facing but quite heavily shaded and the light is filtered and cool. The side of the galley with the doors and windows that opens to the courtyard is south facing but has a very deep eaves (around 7 ft) so the light here is very filtered as well. The only bright light source is the two new skylights. It is hard to show the quality of light with photos taken with my iPad. Then my "clown" choices... If I use light colors in the room, they do not actually lighten the room.. They just seem pale and flat. But stronger, brighter colors almost seem to glow and IMHO do not look garish or loud but rather brighten the space. If look at colors used in regions of the world where brick and clay is used for construction, they also use stronger hues and multiple colors..like encaustic moorish tiles and bright colorful Mexican kitchens.. I feel that if the stage is cleared for one prima donna clown (a la the hood) and the rest sort of disappears in a forgettable background chorus.. the. end resut is very lopsided. Having a few strong elements I think balances and makes the end result better.. The trick here is whether they are harmonious or competing. I am striving for harmony but with stronger colors.. I know color is a very very personal choice and I am not defending my choices but rather I felt I should contribute to this dialogue on color in the context of my darker kitchen with very filtered light. Many of the lovely kitchens here are blessed with lovely counter height windows and bright sunlight.. But a kitchen like mine is different and brighter colors may be an appropriate palette.. Anyways.. Just want to share my thinking ..

Well, dang. I meant to post this on the kitchen forum.

Yes Slate is ugly, very uneven and very cold in basement so we will just cover it up with wall to wall carpet. The room is 14x24 so long and skinny. We haven’t bought any furniture yet. Waiting until after contractor takes out the board on wall and retry walls/ paints, puts in 2 six panel doors, puts in recessed lights, new fixtures, and a faux rock wall. faux rock wall used on a lot of tv shoes like extreme home makeover, man cave etc. Will attach photo of sample wall in same material

HI there, one of the key "exercises" we do with clients is look at the home's style, region and your lifestyle. First, you typically want to have a kitchen that "matches" the style of your home (Traditional? Modern?). Then, you want to have what the wine growers call a sense of "terroir", that is, the area in which you live (desert? mountain?). You want to have a space that fits into the vernacular, as we designers say. If you have a unique architectural or historic home, you want to have respect for that and express its style, if at least for resale value. For example, if you have a 60s Eichler home (very valued now) you might want to consider recreating that style of kitchen to ensure good saleability. Last but not least, look at your lifestyle: are you casual or formal people? Do you entertain often? Are there kids? These criteria, and more, will help you at least narrow down your choices. Elimination of what you DON'T want is a great step forward! All best!