There's not enough money in the world to make me get rid of the knotty pine that you have! Is the house a Tudor because it looks like it from the inside, which is one of my favorite styles.

You all did a wonderful job and should be proud. I wish I had all those windows in the kitchen like you do. I'm jealous! I have them in the Utility roo so that's okay. lol

Beautiful! Your before kitchen wasn't bad at all but your after is wonderful.

Great improvements!!!

As for your family room, I'm assuming that the sectional is blocking the FP because it's facing a TV. Goodness gracious that TV needs to be over the fireplace so that the sectional can be turned to not block the FP & there can be a view out those great windows!!!

That light wall is very out of place & needs to be darkened. A mid-tone green would be great.

And the rug underneath the table is under-sized.

What I'm not a fan of is inconsistent trim in a home...

~Jeana

Thanks, Carole! Looking really good. I love the lights over your island, and much prefer your new granite over the old. Your hard work is showing.
Dee

I thought the first kitchen pics were the after, but your version is muuuuuch nicer. Love the pendants.

I like the pine! I agree with Jeana that a nice green on the walls in there would be pretty. I do not agree about placing a TV over the fireplace- WAY too high for that since the firebox is already raised. What a job that would be with the wiring. I have to admit, I'm not of fan of TVs over fireplaces anyway. Have you tried the sectional turned so that the back of it is to the wall? You could also separate them so one piece is on each side, but the lack of an arm at the end would probably bug you. Ah well, I'd prefer the view out the windows to a firebox...especially when it's warm outside.

The painting really made a difference in the hallway. pssst, the picture on the bottom isn't straight :) Sorry! I go through life straightening things, even in the stores. I have a problem.

I love the room with the paneling! I agree, a beautiful green would complement the paneling.

The kitchen looks great, too.

TV over the FP is not a problem - they are tilted to the best viewing when installed. No problem with wiring either...done all the time. The guys at Best Buy are very good. A lot of times all the equipment is put in a closet. Very cool set-ups. But, I do acknowledge that this isn't everyone's cup of tea. I didn't used to be a fan either until I realized how much it solves issues in the room & frees up space.

~Jeana

It looks great. You have made lots of progress.

Great job of up-dating your space. What about just painting out the bookcase the same white as the kitchen cabinets. I would leave the walls for now but it does look funny having the bookcase the same knotty pine. Leaving the knotty pine on the walls and ceilings is a "look" but having the "furniture" (i.e. bookcase) the same knotty pine is overkill by bringing the knotty pine into the room instead of leaving it on the walls and ceilings. IMHO.

hmmm, disagree with the height issue for the TV. You're still looking up at it even with the tilt. Mine is on a dresser 35" high and I feel it's just a hair over comfort level. I liked it better on my 31" buffet, but chose storage instead. To each their own, guess I'm a little picky about my neck :)

Wow, beautiful! I remember your original posts and I admit I thought you should paint the paneling, but seeing it now, I think it's nice. I would paint that white wall a warmer color. It does stand out now too much, at least in the pictures.

What did you do with the opening to the upstairs (above the tv in the original pictures)? I remember a lot of discussion about what to do with that.

For the windows I would do stationary panels between each window with long rod(s) across all windows. And then shades of some sort below if you need for privacy.

The original kitchen was nice, but your updates make it special. I really love it.

Your floors are beautiful. What kind of wood are they?

Nice job!

Whether a TV can tilt, have good wiring or not isn't the point.

Why ruin such a beautiful architectural element with a TV of all things?

Part of the joy of having a mantel is decorating it.

Besides, having a TV up that high is not good if they plan on watching it for more than 15 min. at a time. My neck wants a muscle relaxer just thinking about it. lol

I like the white on the walls, but if you change it, don't do green. Everyone does green. (no offense) There's got to be another color besides green. :)

Your home is beautiful, Caroleoh! I especially love your hardwood and your light fixtures in the kitchen! Great job!

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I don't know if you can see it, but the green square between the two windows in the FR is a sample of BM Baby Turtle. That's the color I was thinking about painting that wall. I agree that painting the entertainment unit would breakup the Knotty pine overload! I was thinking about maybe starting off with putting a paintable wallpaper on the back wall of the bookcase and seeing how it looked with that painted first - maybe do the Baby Turtle on the back of the bookcase, and the white on the shelves. I was thinking about painting the trim white, but thought it might look stark with all the paneling.

The fireplace is very tall. I'm 5'4" tall and when I stand on the hearth, I can barely reach the top of the mantle. To put that flower arrangement up there I had to stand on my tippy toes to just reach enough to place it up there. So, to watch TV up there is impossible. The room isn't that large. We struggled with the furniture placement for hours, but with the wall of windows and the builtin, I'm sortof stuck with where things are. I figure you can sit up on the sunroom chairs to admire the fireplace this winter.

I love what you've done in your kitchen and hallway. It looks beautiful. I agree with the others who recommend turning the sofa to face the fireplace and windows. It seems silly to have the furniture positioned to face that wall when the all that great architecture is behind your back. I'd just treat the TV like a side chair and put in the right corner by the fireplace. You could put casters on the stand and center it when you're watching TV. I'm just picturing a party in that room with hors d'oeuvres and candles on the table and a fire blazing in the fireplace where everyone has a view of what's going on. Who wants to sit facing a wall?

Such a lot of progress...you must feel great! Looove your kitchen!! ENJOY!

I also love the artwork over the mantle -- it's perfect for that spot! And I think the Baby Turtle will be fantastic for that wall.

Normally a fan of black counters, but really like the lighter "after" better.
It looks much more 'relaxed' (cozy?) with the dark hardwood floors.
The hardwood made a huge change for the better everywhere.

Like your XL art above the fireplace, too!
Too many times people don't have something that's really big enough on those high walls. :)

Agree w/suggestion to paint the bookcases and leave the knotty pine ceiling.

Baby Turtle isn't bad. Won't that look kind of khaki in most lights? Not really green green?

Beautiful! I was actually just wondering about your new house recently. I really like your kitchen! It's all very, very nice.

Love the kitchen updates, especially the added cabinets and the floor.

I also adore knotty pine so nothing could convince me to paint over it. I agree that the bookcases are overkill, though. If they can be re-stained, matching the dark kitchen floor might be an option in addition to the suggestion to match the cabinets above.

The TV looks very out of place in that room. If you leave it where it is, how about building a TV cabinet?

The hearth is awesome but I feel like the brick detail or color at least needs to be picked up somewhere else.

For window treatments, have you considered cellular blinds? I just don't see drapes along that wall. The fabric of the blinds would add a little softness and absorb some noise without adding any business.

very, very nice!
i think the baby turtle will look very nice in your room- and on my monitor at least, it looks more green than khaki...love the knotty pine.

i agree that the book shelves might look nice painted baby turtle---i would not bring any white trim into the room---if you wanted contrast for the shelves i would go dark-similar to the floors.