Here's picture of the chairs angled. I like it better this way. What do you think? Should I lower the picture any? I can't believe how different that looks from real life to these pics. *I'm standing crooked. The picture is straight with the light. I agree the plates aren't as dark as the picture. Does it help to see my hutch? It may not really make a difference but I have a lot of white and cream dishes in there. Also, I like the Gwbr's mock up but after measuring the bottom part of the hutch would stick out into the door and even though it looks like you can move the table over in the first few pics I posted, it would go into the walkway too much. Honestly, I think the cabinets being diagonal on the other side of the room helps to balance the hutch out. I'm not sure what I think about the narrow table under the picture. It might be too crowded once people are sitting there. There's 3' from the wall to the side of the table.

Unfortunately, krycek, everyone can't afford real shutters. It would be great if that were the case but those days are gone, really. Maybe in some parts of the country they're still used. But eliminating all shutters just because they're only decorative and lay flat on the house wouldn't make for a pretty landscape, imo. All homes do not look good that way. Nor does that particular style appeal to everyone. That is a good point on what type of shutters the poster has. Panels laid flat on the house would probably look too flat if done in the same color as the house. Louvers might work better because they're so textured. But without the added dimension of the old-fashioned shutters, like in the examples, it might be best to do a tone on tone rather than the exact or a barely different color. You can still create a beautiful, restrained palette. It also makes a big difference in the outcome whether or not you have the moldings and architectural features or details to make the facade interesting without the use of more pronounced or saturated color. The landscaping, too, can impact the effect. Enhancing your stonework this way is a great idea that could create a very charming and unique property.

If you click on the yellow lettering in this post, you will see lots of kitchens with open shelving. I think they look fantastic. Here is a link that might be useful: Open Shelves

Cute solid home! I’d remove shutters permanently. Stain the concrete window ledges the same alabaster as the brick. To me the window trim and alabaster are so close that I’d leave it. The big question is how to tie in the new dark wood stained door. I don’t have a program that would allow me to show you that. So if it were me, I’d try to find something dark that I could put that stain on, and literally wrap it around the columns on your porch. Just one column would be enough. Step back, and take a look! If you don’t like the dark, then personally I’d leave it the same as the white trim on windows.