AWESOME! Y'all all have gorgeous buffets and they are truly giving me great ideas!!! THANK YOU! I'd been thinking of having my upper glass cabs go right down to the little countertop and just having them recessed back slightly, maybe sitting atop some shallow drawers so that you could open the glass doors without moving whatever it is you want to put up in them, but most of you have more room between the uppers and lowers, and maybe that is the way to go. Although I want the uppers to be glass, it is nice to have a landing area and a bit more display space. I also was thinking of having mine with a wood countertop, but most of you have granite or some other hard stone material. Do you prefer it? Also pondering wine storage...for bottles to be consumed in the near future obviously. They would need to be up high since we have 3 kids seven and under, but I suppose that would be doable too.... THANK YOU again, and any more photos and ideas would be welcome! There are just so many options!!!

Don't write off fabric just yet. You could use microsuede, Crypton, or any of the newer indoor/outdoor fabrics available now. My DD chucked a whole bowl of tomato soup on one of my pale blue microsuede chairs and I swear it cleaned up perfectly. I think softer lines, and fabric, would bring some balance to the angularity of your room. I love the artwork and might think about pulling some color from the painting next to the stairs into said fabric. I know and love your kitchen from the KB. Nice to see you over here. looking forward to seeing more! :-)

Les, Oh! Thanks for the clarification. My son is an anthropology major and he wants to be an archeologist. He has been interested in Asian culture since he was a kid. About a month after starting school, he came home one weekend and told me about an international exchange program he was thinking about applying to in China. While I was excited for him, I really thought it was a whim. But he applied, got an early acceptance and the rest is history. It is a really great program for him as he will be studying the language and Asian history. He will also have an opportunity to visit other parts of China. It is a great experience for his field. His next stop for Junior Year, Japan! He took Japanese his freshman year and did really well so he is not intimitated at all with the language issue. This is 10x harder than when he left for college. I really thought was ready but I am having a really difficult time and this is only the 1st day. I think I hijacked my own thread!!

I vote for the pink ones but also feel the runner is not necessary. I would think a crystal teardrop chandelier would look lovely in that room and tie in with the look of the lamps and furniture. Please forgive me if you mind my mentioning this but the wall hanging with the wine bottle etc. is more of a French bistro look and doesn't seem to go with the elegance of the remainder of your furnishings. I would also try to bring up the green of your area rug into some paintings on the wall. Some landscapes in gold frames would look lovely. I hope you don't mind these extraneous comments. Ingrid