Wow what a beautiful kitchen! I love the granite, the hood, and the windows flanking the stovetop. Can you explain how you got such a great deal on the hood? I'm so glad I stumbled across this post because I'm looking to use the exact same Aspen light from Circa Lighting for our master bedroom! We're going for a craftsman feel and the iron finish would work well with the iron handles on our dresser. My only concern is that there is no diffuser on the bottom which might might be too bright when we're laying in bed. The light isn't over the bed but centered off the end of the of the bed a few feet away. What is the wattage of the lights you have in there for those pictures? Do you think that fixture would work well in a bedroom?

Francoise47 - I know what you mean about the white but at this point I feel like I'm going to leave it be and then when/if I paint again, it'll probably be gray just to keep it all consistent. I just can't find the right place to add white anywhere else - no matter how hard I try to imagine a good place. I think it would look even stranger. I might eventually add something lighter to the ceiling, we'll see. I do love the speakers, thanks! Mitchdesj - thanks - that's probably what I'll do (eventually paint the ceiling white or something lighter). Or, because the upper cabs are near the window, their being gray isn't as dark as that wall of gray is so it'll probably be fine if I go back to gray there eventually - fresh and happy as the white looks. I just keep adding white where I can and that helps (white bowl on island for example). Thanks! Bmorepanic - you nailed it, I think. I'll leave 'em white for a while just cause I'm taking that badly-needed break now that the guys are finally gone, and if I do any more painting in the future it'll most likely be to make the uppers the gray again. It just looks more balanced and consistent and period-appropriate, yada yada. But it doesn't look *bad* for now at all - especially to those who aren't looking at it the way we all do here! ;) Thanks! Liriodendron - wow - thanks for that uplifting, positive juju feedback! :) I'm keeping them white for now and I see what you mean. That's such a nice way of looking at it! I had a huge Easter brunch that we do with our neighbors every year and the little changes resulted in some big compliments that day. Everyone seemed to notice the changes and loved them (not sure if it was adding more white or adding polished nickel hardware or giving our kitchen island a makeover or what but people were so great about the kitchen that day. Loved having the in-ceiling speakers in there too, for the party. SO glad I did that! Thanks again. Athomeinva - thanks for your honest opinion! I had it all white for soooo long (and then had just those lowers gray as you said, for what felt like so long) that I really felt i needed something new. I agree that nothing cheers up that kitchen better than some white but I just can't go back to all that white after how long it took to get where I finally am. I also agree that it would balance things out better that way than this way, hence my original post. There's happy snappy white then there's sultry sophisticated gray and the gray's working fine...but if anything the white that is there is a bit odd now so might go back to gray eventually. When it's all gray, it's interesting how much the white marble, the white sink, the white hood/stove and the white light shades POP though - so that'll be something anyway. I"ve always been a white kitchen girl - I'm right there with you in spirit - but it's just been too many years of having a white kichen, you know? As for the 80's colonial look, I know what you mean sort of but not really...I remember in the 80's a bunch of ridiculous ducks and lots of blue in kitchens but I don't remember this so much. I remember people painted the insides of their cab door panels different colors from the frames. That I remember! What I have going on (and what admittedly is the current trend which I'll probably tire of pretty quickly) is the imitation of woodwork being unpainted, with lighter walls, only it's painted darker, with lighter walls. That's very craftsman (and possibly also victorian, I'm not sure). There was a resurgence I think during the 40's or 50's too, wasn't there? Anyway, blah blah, sorry. I like to hear myself talk. Blech! ;) Thanks! hlove - have always considered a light blue ceiling. Not sure if adding a third color might not be a bit too much for this kitchen though, but I've thought a lot about doing just that and i'll still keep it in mind, thanks! Thanks for understanding the narcissism comment, too! ;) Linelle - thank you! Duly noted! I hear you - it's been a tough transition, having all that darkness. But I'm just too tired by it all to redo that much. Maybe later! That kitchen's pretty dark no matter what. But yeah there's no denying it's a lot darker looking that when it was all white! Jessicaml - thanks - I totally agree about your contrast-throws-us-off comment re. the white cabs being the only white. I think both your thoughts make a lot of sense. Either all gray, or all white except for the lowers which could stay the gray (as I had it)! So for now, I just wait and see how I feel and then at some point in the future I can re-paint either a little, or a lot! Re. the comment about renovation addiction, I agree with you that I don't think I have it like some people have it. I deal with the kitchen for a while, then let it go cause I don't have the time or money to deal with it, then I pick it up again every so often...never doing so because I'm fussing over something that can never be right but rather cause it never got done in the first place! E.g. the window was painted with just white primer for the longest time and it's only after I finally painted it that things became clearer re. the whole picture. I just couldn't tell till I got that far. Truth be told, I really like to get things done and then be done with it. This kitchen's been going on forever and a day - it's been pretty ridiculous! But I do like updating in little ways every so often e.g. with new kitchen towels or art or what have you! Anyway, thanks for the reassuring comment (that I'm not losing my marbles - haha)!

I think that kitchen looks really sharp! I love so many things about it - the tile to the ceiling (ok - the tiled range hood is weird), the built-in look of the cabinets, those light fixtures!!! Don't worry about being too trendy or not - do what you love. Kitchens get update every 15-20 years anyway.... I LOVE hollysprings' suggestion of the welder's table or something else cool for the island - something open underneath would look utilitarian and visually open up the space a bit too (depending on how big your kitchen is, a black island can just end up feeling like 10lbs of crap in a 5lb sack - very heavy and imposing). Maybe a compromise? [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Jamestown Architects & Building Designers Ellen McKenna Design

Is there a clear division between your kitchen woodwork and the other rooms? My kitchen addition is "outside" the original footprint, with a 9' ceiling and the old house has an 8' ceiling. Because I had a "line of demarcation" between the new kitchen and the room it opens to, my kitchen crown molding is painted the same color as the cabinets. BUT--my crown molding is attached to the cabinets, not separate.