Thanks for all the positive reviews. Natebear - another GWer gave me the website for the canisters from chefscatalog.com See link below. Now I have to figure out a way to store my tomatoes. Right now they're on the counter. suziqzer - I would love to see your pictures of the fireplaces and the mantels you used. Another room had a wall covering the fireplace. When the contractors were here we had them take the wall down. That brick was never suppose to be exposed but we will probably keep it as is. We may have to clean it up more. Not as pretty and "clean" as other brick walls. I have to figure out a mantel. All the other fireplaces on the 1st floor are marble or another stone (possibly slate - trying to figure that one out since it's painted and I will eventually strip it). I think the stone mantels in our house give a more formal presence and this FP does not have it. dallen11 - tapmaster and soap dispensers really help a lot in the kitchen with food allergies. I can easily wash my hands 10 times while preparing dinner. We're always worried about cross contamination. I have 8+ cutting boards so I never run out plus plenty of knives. Here is a link that might be useful: Fresh Valley Canisters

Thank you all so much! Starpooh - sure! Just let me know what I need to do and when. jen - The floors are bamboo. marti - The bigger window and door were added with the small addition. The original kitchen ended where the prep sink is. Everything past that was added on. breezy - You may have seen photos of our crazy house before but have not connected them back to the kitchen. I included a photo below of the center of our house. The upstairs rooms all overlook a pool on the lower level. vidyaram - Yes, that is the tile company. We used the smaller subway tiles and the pebble blend. The actual colors of our tiles are ivory (subways and pebble mix), sky grey and steel grey. The 'boulders' frame the pool and waterfall:

I can't say that you're getting good advice on the sink issue until you answer another question or two...do you have a "real" master bath with two sinks? And did you cap off the plumbing but leave it accessable in your daughters bath? If you answered yes to both, leave the long counter. You don't have to plan for a family that does not live in your home and two sinks in a one person bathroom is rediculous (I've had it...it's awful). IF you capped off you can advertise it's ready for two sinks when you sell if you want, but don't cut a hole without knowing if it's necessary. If you don't have a real master bath you've probably made a mistake giving it to your daughter and you should plan on making a real one when you move...but again, why do it now? It's an easy fix later. Someone mentioned whispy or gauzie for the window. IMO it's absolutely necessary. If you put in a bamboo shade you've added some texture but it's still a hard texture and your bath is far too high on hard textures and way way low on soft textures and the beach is all about softness. White for your towels and mats...keep it easy and soft (again because it's missing) go fluffy on those mats...fun and fluffy. I wish I had a pic but in my condo appt I went with a color very near your color and loved it. One thing I did to soften the big mirror was to use a bunch of picture frames on the mirror painted in a shabby chic type of white. (does that make sense?) They were all cheap picture frames, but mostly bulky frames, with the pics removed and then I velcroed (double stick velcro in white) the frames to the mirror, with a big one over the sink and the balance scattered around. You'd be amazed how the harsh lines of the wall mirror disapear in the debth of the framed pieces. I am with most in that I don't like the lights, but their placement isn't the issue, it's the harshness of the fixtures themselves...but that's an easy fix if you soften up the rest of the room with texture. Fluffy white mats, towels, white frames on the mirror, a soft breezy gauzy window covering (which could be done over a grass cloth shade if you want more privacy) and some lovely counter accessories (candles and sand, grasses etc) would really make the room sing, and fix all of your issues (IMO) I'd consider doing the gauzy covering by tacking the gauze to a whispy piece of thin beach wood for the curtain rod, and then hot glue sea shells or sand dollars or star fish every five or six inches as if they were holding up the gauze... A collection of antique perfume spritzers would be a lovely accessory to bridge your tween into teen.

Oh, thank you again for all of your kind words. It makes me feel so good all over again. Truly, you are all so nice to share in my happiness with this project. I had so much fun making several trips to Lowes to figure out what we could use. I was so excited when I found the doorbell buttons. Great price and kids always love things to press. I can't wait until I figure out the knobs for the stove. I know my daughter will enjoy turning those, too. Thanks again everyone! This made my day to have fun sharing.