OK, your replies are just what I needed to hear to get me more focused... and browsing the FKB and everywhere else I could google a picture. Kelleg, I am attracted to clean lines.... and this has been creeping up on me over the past year or so. We have so much stuff. Old stuff. Antiques, etc. I want a space that is fresh. Although the cabinets are shaker they are a modern shaker...so I can pull it off, I think. The black sink will be history... I'm drooling over the Orca...but not worried about that decision yet. I'm thinking about Labrador Antique or Blue Eyes for the tops...and I really liked RemodelFla's idea of a limestone look porcelain tile, or maybe even grey. How about that? Igloochick...been thinking about your story all weekend...hoping things will work out for you. Off topic, but, Yandi...Jasmine is my bestest girl. She will be 14 in June...we lost her brother (ache, ache) a year ago in January. We also have a Scotty and a cat...so are thinking we wanted hardwood, but will probably do tile...we had it in our last home and loved it. It looked sort of like mud :) I wonder if Labrador Antique and Blue Eyes are considered the same price point? Gotta get up for work tomorrow...so I'd better quit obsessing and get some sleep! I really appreciate your responses...

Are you sure it's just the paint? When you say the neutrals are "boring" with the floors, perhaps wall art, rugs, accessories "etc" could bring it all up a notch? Paint does a lot for a home but it's not going to do it all by itself. The final effect comes from the finishing touches, textures et al. Lighting is also paramount in how a color shows and in creating a certain mood. Lamps are the workhorses...they're one of the most important ingredients in creating an inviting, warm, cozy...and cheerful room. In a good sized room I think at least 4 lamps is about right. Love to see some pix vs shooting in the dark lol. And yes...I'd probably say it's too much green...too many cool colors DO start to wear on most people I think. I had a pale creamy yellow (BM 206...maybe called Golden Straw now?) painted throughout my foyer and hallways in my last home. It was a wonderful color in all light and was adjacent to my Baby Turtle LR and watermelon DR. Very easy color to work with...worked well with the beige stair runner and other tones as well. BTW, this was a north facing foyer so "cheerful" was hard to get...especially on the one "devil wall" as I call them. I originally tried a pale beige but it was just went too taupey and depressing. I just noticed in the day shot the original green I tried in the LR...too blueish at the north end of the room. That's when I found the Turtle...boy, did that help. Pix?

Is this the last element you are choosing? If so, and your budget will survive, then go for it. If it will force other choices due to lack of money, then you may want to rethink it. "Thousands" more is not a minor number. I don't know your financial situation, but only you would know if not getting it or getting it would be a bigger regret. How much do you like your next in line choice? Did you ask if they ever have anything similar that costs less? Have you shopped out other prices? I'd try negotiating the price down some. Explain how much you like it, but that it is just a bit out of reach. You may find the price can be adjusted. You can also try if paying in cash makes any difference. If you have done all your homework and this still is the one, then you can proceed without another thought. We all have our splurges and hopefully those are balanced by money saved here and there. Just see if there is somewhere else you can trim as that is the safest way to justify.

Follow-up in case anyone ever comes back to this thread via a search. I know that I sometimes find an old discussion thread and wonder about the conclusion. The lights are used when we are outside in the evening, such as when the dogs are taking care of business in the courtyard or when we are grilling or sitting around on the deck and want some light. So I would say the use is about half & half for aesthetics and useful light. We want light but not too much light. These are not security lights that are left on overnight. I posted the same question to a neighborhood online group ("Nextdoor"), and once I made it clear that these were not security lights left on overnight (to those concerned about light pollution), 25 degrees was the overwhelming recommendation of the ~12 people that replied. In the end I chose Satco S9410 bulbs: 25 degrees, 2700K, 13 W (50 W eq.) PAR30 LED. I think that they look better, especially since we have dimming capability on all loads and will probably run them ~50-75% capacity, where I think they look best. I attach 1 more photo with Satco 25 degree (S9410) on left and Satco 40 degree (S9415) on right. Dimmer is off (ie, 100%). Both of these bulbs have 1000 lumens. I tried to set exposure on my phone camera to remove most of the hot spots - the remaining hot spots are not there in real life. The full beam spread is now mainly a function of the recessed fixture. However, you can see the narrower main beam area (intensity) on the 25 degree light. Due to circuitry in the lights they run a bit hot at full voltage. Not so hot that I couldn't unscrew them, but hot enough that I had to use fingertips only. Someone else with more sensitive skin would have had to wait a few minutes for the lights to cool before removing them. The temperature does decrease with dimming - which is good for discouraging bugs, and another reason to run them at 50-75% capacity.