Tammy I noticed your Herend right away! Wow you have a lot! I found mine for $3.00 at Goodwill- its in perfect, unused condition! I had to google it- I didnt know Herend made anything without the blue herringbone pattern. I haven't had a chance to find a way to display it. Other than sending it to you:) any ideas? I love the detail of the birds. I will have to wait for the end of college tuition before I add to it. I had no idea there were plates! and thanks for the compliment. It is all antique Limoges from both of our families. I love limoges china.

@oldbat2be: too funny, don't you know that I was obsessed with both of those tiles during my kitchen and FR remodel. The circles were too large and I decided to just go with the marble in the kitchen -- then for the FR fireplace I decided to go with a painted surround and using another tile from Ken Mason. I do love them both, and forgot that they came in that orangish color (the same color I think AnnieD was encourage). One issue -- that wall is like 9x15 -- that's over $10K in tile (gulp) at the pricing that I recall. I also looked at wall paper and some other wall materials. .

That is a beautiful piece of cabinetry. It is quarter-sawn oak, which is very different from flat sawn oak. Flat sawn oak is busy and has characteristic cathedrals in the wood. You have a mix of both quarter-sawn (the part with the rays and flecks) and rift (the part that is perfectly smooth without any cathedrals) This piece makes a very strong and proud statement and doesn't need chicken wire, as it would compromise the curved wood on the doors. If you wanted to jazz it up a bit, you could replace the glass in the doors with German or French antique glass. I would not paint it or use gel-stain... strip it with furniture stripper and stain it with an oil based stain, like Minwax to match the other furniture in the room.... The deeper rich stain will enhance the beauty of the wood. It's a unique piece. Do a google search and read about quarter-sawn oak. If you decide to strip and stain it, and need some support or advise you can email me...I'll be happy to walk you through all the steps to get a professional finish on the piece. It's more work than just going over it with a gel stain or painting it, however it will be well worth it to preserve that gorgeous wood. The deeper tone stain on the piece will look much richer and better than it did when it was brand new. Joann I did a quick search here is a tit-bit for ya. The Quartersawing Method The Quartersawing Method places these rays on the face of the board, revealing the distinctive stripe or 'ray fleck' running across the grain that is the signature of quartersawn oak. According to Gustav Stickley "The quartersawing method of cutting...renders quartersawn oak structurally stronger, also finer in grain, and, as shown before, less liable to warp and check than when sawn in any other way." Quartersawing fell out of favor in the first half of this century because it yields less lumber per tree and takes more labor than plainsawing. Because almost all oak furniture today is plainsawn, we associate the quartersawn figure with prized period pieces. Therefore, this unique figure is an important ingredient in accurately recreating the look of turn-of-the-century furniture. Plainsawn Lumber Plainsawn Lumber is used in most oak furniture today. Here boards are sawn from around the perimeter of the log so the growth rings are essentially parallel with the surface. The Âray fleck appears only on the edges of the boards, if at all. Plain sawing produces many wide, clear boards with a pronounced 'cathedral' figure mixed with straighter grain. Plainsawn oak has a coarser, more textural look that draws attention away from the lines of the piece toward the surface itself. This textural quality tends to give furniture a more rustic or Âcountry look, whereas the quartersawn figure is more refined and shows off the rectilinear lines of Prairie and Arts & Crafts furniture more clearly.

I agree the best placement is the wall with the blue artwork and high windows. You could incorporate the windows into the mill work of whatever built-in style you decide to go with. If you want to have a shallow counter area and not just tower cabinets and shelving, I highly recommend going with some sort of granite or stone on the counter area (like in first inspiration pic) if you will use it as a buffet area to serve food or beverages from. Painted wood will not hold us as well, for food service. Do you plan to keep that same table? I think you should move it forward more, so it's centered in front of the wall with the bookcase, leaving a clear path from the doorway.You may also consider relocating the bookcase to another spot in your home once you add the built-ins. The walls will look too closed in with furnishings on both walls. If you look at both of your inspiration photos, the built-ins are the only 'furniture' aside from the dining table, in the room which makes the space look larger and more open.