I agree with oakleyok regarding the window treatment. Is there anything you can do to completely cover the white that shows along the top and both sides of the windows? Perhaps panels that hang straight down on the ends and a valance that goes across the whole top of the window.

I have considered using a rug, but with the holidays quickly approaching, I will wait until January to think about it. I'm not sure how to coordinate with the rug in the LR since the whole area is an L-shaped LR/DR. I also like the ease of clean-up and the ease of moving the chairs with the felt pads with the bare wood floor.

Epressler - all I did to figure out which hardwood to get was learn which floors were the hardest (on the Janka scale), decide which colors I liked best, and then ask the owner of the hardwood store which brand he loved the best. He said that all the installers LOVE Owens Flooring, and it has a really thick face to it, so it can be re-sanded three times. It was a good choice, because out of 24 boxes, only two smallish pieces were not straight. Anyway, you asked about how many samples I looked at to get the right color - just two. Brazilian cherry has so many colors to it anyway, that the samples you get may be vastly different than what will be in the boxes. It's hard to believe that one type of tree can produce all those colors! But my goal wasn't to match the cabs to the floor - it was just how it happened, because I guess I really love that color of wood! Chitown_remodel - here is a picture of the backsplash without flash, and the mother of pearl tile is made by Olympia. Dianalo - your idea is brilliant. That is EXACTLY what we will do. Now here's a question, if you happen to ever read this (or anyone who has an opinion) - we already have a very pretty mirror above the fireplace in the great room. Should we move that to the mudroom and put a painting above the fireplace, or is it OK to have two mirrors? Msmagoo - I designed the kitchen myself, and I was helped out quite a bit because I used ideas I learned here on the kitchen forum. For instance, we have a cell phone charging drawer. It's nothing fancy, but it wouldn't have occurred to make one - I read about them on this forum. My ceilings are eight feet... and you might get sick if I told you how much we spent. I will say that I got great prices on the appliances and wood floor, and fair prices on other stuff. Here is a link that might be useful: Olympia's Boutique Collection, which includes the Mother of Pearl tile I used

I also like a bit of a wild look, and so knowing this about myself, I put in very strong outlines of hardscape so it would never look too messy. I designed everything myself, but had a wonderful landscape designer help me put it into reality. She really like my design so didn’t change anything about it. There is butternut squash out there now running amok. I love butternut squash. The green babies are fabulous in stir fry. Made Kung Pao Chicken today with one baby butternut plus red peppers from the farmers market.