Such a lovely, lovely room, the trim is wonderful; so well kept it looks brand new. Though I like the subtle texture, as others have suggested, I agree that a light wash would enhance the details of your wainscott. Don't know that I'd paint it copper or a similar metalic color, I think that in a room like that the wainscott was supposed to look like anaglypta paper, which was supposed to imitate fine plasterwork. In case anyone else is interested in a similar treatment for their walls, sheet metal wainscottis still being made by the F.W. Norman Corporation in Nevada, Missouri. They also produce ceiling panels, siding, roofing, cornices, moldings, and neat-o decorative ornaments in zinc and copper, all made right here in the U.S.A. (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in them, other than the fact that I'd one day like to give them large amounts of *my* money - I have a substantial wish list complied from their catalogs - VBG) Here is a link that might be useful: W.F. Norman Corp

Please rethink a combination of yellow and dark brown, especially with white. There's only one thing I can think about when I see that color combination and it's definitely NOT something I'd want to see in a kitchen (and it's a VERY popular exterior color combination around here, ugh). Very high contrast can be tough to work with. Try getting your colors a bit closer together in value - since you're going for a white on your cabinets and a pale yellow wall (BTW, BM Rich Cream is a very popular light yellow, although it doesn't look very yellow on the chip it goes quite yellow on the wall; BM Windham Cream is a nice soft yellow that has absolutely NO business being called cream), think about lightening up the color of the trim and wainscot to a midtone at the darkest. If you drop down to a semigloss on the wainscot and trim the "bashed-up-ness" ;-) should not show as glaringly with lighter colors as they do with a high-gloss finish; with such a reflective surface the light "catches" in the dings. It doesn't need to match the other rooms, and trim in a color-color is quite period appropriate for the 1880s - the Victorians were MAD for color. It's just not seen that much nowadays because white/off-white trim is more "in". What about a just-slightly-lighter-than-midtone green that picks up the soapstone's green for the trim/wainscot (a somewhat clearer green than the muddy tealish green that's there now)? Say third or fourth down on a BM strip? Green and yellow is a lovely pairing and will be cheerful and happy with the white. We have the same orangy old pine boards in our ca.1900 "Victorian Lite" (a very plain millworker's cottage, makes your farmhouse look elaborate!), although ours are random-width and mostly nicely wide, and it goes swimmingly with almost any green. I'm having a very hard time resisting using green in every room. :-) Blue is a color to consider, too, since it also goes marvelously with yellow and white. Classic combination. There's a gorgeous upscaled-old-fashioned kitchen in the kitchens thread in the Gallery area of this forum decorated in yellow and slate blue (photo #9). #22 uses a pale, pale yellow on the walls with white trim and a pale blue on the cabinet, there's no reason why you couldn't have the cabs white and the trim blue, especially if the kitchen is bright (IME light colors work best in bright rooms, they tend to go drab in darker ones). It's impossible to tell because these pictures were taken at night! :-) #25 is a great example of the green/yellow/white combination in a traditional country kitchen setting. Just wondering - won't it be a bit crowded up by the ceiling with the plate shelf AND crown molding? I'm puzzled. Love your island, the t&g doors, the transom... beautiful.

I am far from a color expert, but here's what I think. Does the granite have a gold/caramel color in it? If so, I would choose a color similar to your dining room color, maybe lighter or a slightly different shade, and pick up the caramel in the granite that is similar to the dining room colors. The dining room color you have really works with the light and table color. If there is no light brown/caramel in the granite, and it is more taupey-gray, then I have no idea what color to choose. The rug you have in the dining room, at least on my monitor, has the taupey-gray color in it, and I would like to see a rug with more rust colors and red-browns in it. I made a huge mistake and got carpet on the taupe side for my whole house about 10 years ago, and I am just now realizing that it doesn't go with all the wood with orange/red tones in my house. So, I'm a color dork!

I totally get you...I have a family member that wants access to all the things in his house that he may need to fix, whether it's once in a lifetime, or once a week. People like this have very definite (stubborn?) ideas that won't change. I think wainscoting/beadboard would be your best bet as you really don't want to have to look at an access panel that won't fit the room... Yes...do it on all walls. Sometimes it's easier to go with the flow. Give your hubs the idea and let him do it. Not understanding the toilet issue as plumbing isn't above the toilet...