We had a similar situation. Whole house has honey pine stained window trim, doors, baseboard moulding etc...then we decided on a glazed white kitchen cabinet perimeter with cherry island. I realized that the windows, french door, slider just had to be white-ish. The honey pine just wouldn't go. SO we just did it...minwax "winter white" stain on the new kitchen windows...kind of a pickled look. We did the same with the baseboard moulding. we put the changeover from winter white to the original honey pine on a corner where it turns...I am the only one who even notices I'm sure..I'll take and send pics if you'd like to see the changeover areas...it's really fine but I understand your hesitation and stress about it!! The winter white is a great alternative to paint if you'll have fresh raw wood to work with...it's a beautiful finish! Good luck!

Thanks to all of you, as you've confirmed what we were leaning toward - the Brussels with the combo of sandstone and limestone colors. Our siding and roofing colors really look different depending on lighting conditions outside. Sometimes the siding looks more grayish and the roofing charcoal, and at other times, the siding appears more beige and the roofing more brown (as in the pictures I posted). I know vinyl siding isn't the most attractive thing, however, it's the most common material here in the midwest, as our weather is very hard on wood, and of course, brick is really expensive. Do you think the limestone color of the Brussels block is too gray for our roofing color, or do you think it blends alright? We will definitely make use of evergreens in the landscaping. They are very much a part of our natural surroundings, and as you all mentioned, our winter lasts many months. If any of you have thoughts as to how to go about selecting plantings to achieve a nice balance of color, that would be great. I read somewhere that a better effect can be achieved by selecting less plant varieties and just planting more of them, so that fewer colors make a bigger impact, rather than planting too many different things in too many different colors. Caroleoh, what a great point about letting the plantings be the color, and not the pavers. You're so right. Saskatchewan girl, while I like the Sierra block color, when all laid together the overall look is quite busy because the blocks are so varigated in color. I'm thinking I like the more natural look of the limestone and sandstone colors. However, if we combine limestone and sandstone, setting everything off with a border of the darker limestone, I think it will look good. I can't wait for this project to get going in May. I will definitely keep you all updated with pictures. Jan

Thanks for all your responses. We looked at it again with older, wiser folks ;) and there were some issues that they pointed out. Issues that we don't want to tackle. Also, I decided that if I would ever do a renovation to an older home, it should be on an older home with some sort of character or charm. There's really no point in dumping money into this particular home. There's no architectural charm whatsoever. One thing that I was "right" about, however, is that renovations in areas such as this can be profitable since the homes range from 250K to over a million. With that being said though, I was NOT looking to profit. I just want to be in a good location in a house that I like. The example given by an agent is if the land alone will sell for 250K - 290K, then the land with a 2300 sf house all updated nicely can sell for well over 400K. Baton Rouge doesn't follow the usual "rules" in certain locations. Another example, sort of, is there's a mid century modern house that I really want (husband doesn't like it) for 525K, but they purchased it 6 months ago for 319K, and haven't done a thing to it. Agent expects it to sell for 375-400K according to comps, but wouldn't be surprised if they got closer to what they are asking due to location. Someone may come along and buy it for what they are asking then drive up the price per square foot in the neighborhood. This seems to be a trend over here. Location really talks since the city is running out of IN CITY property. @ Artichokey, yes we have large life insurance policies on both of us etc etc. My husband is an insurance nut. He gets it on EVERYTHING. It's annoying, really. Also, if anything ever happened to my husband and I needed to go back to work, I could and would. KickyMarcia, we took a tour of the house you posted, but the pool is an issue and there were a lot of things that I would want to update and or change. I'm the problem. I'm too picky. So, we will just wait until the right house comes up. Livewireoak, public schools in Baton Rouge are a mess right now. It's a political debate not suitable for here. But trust me, they're nothing like the schools in Tennessee. Either way, we LOVE the Catholic school they are currently attending. It's a great school, Church, and Community that makes the drive just something I have to do. Hopefully, however, we will find a home soon that gets us closer to the school. In the meantime, NancyinMich, I will check out those coolers. :) Again, thanks for all of your opinions and advice! Take care!

Linda, your home is lovely as is. IMO, if you darken the cabinets in a room without much natural light, it may get claustrophobic. I like the airiness you currently have and if you absolutely must redo the cabinets, could you consider lightening them or going off-white to work with your appliances? But leaving them as is works well since they blend with the lighter toned woods throughout. Try new hardware before stain or paint. It's a relatively inexpensive way to provide fun and oomph! Consider changing the dark valance to either a valance or roman shade in the colors you love -- watery aqua & chocolate wide stripe or print -- but only if you slip-cover the sofa and chairs. A flat, non-shirred valance in aqua banded in chocolate might look fresh. You can then slip-cover the sofa in a less imposing tone and reupholster the chairs in a complementary print. If you stay with the current upholstery, then pull your valance colors from the chairs, rug & marble. I'd opt for the simpler style my3dogs used in her office/sewing room. Stick with a solid and contrasting band so they don't compete with the chairs. Your wall color can then flow from the valance colors. Just remember, one change usually leads to many others as each component impacts the whole. I'd reposition some of the furniture to make the most of what you have. Try putting the lamp and table on the other side of sofa so that the area opens up a bit. Or you could place the table between the chairs and exchange with the smaller lamp, but in any event you still need to get the sofa as far away from the tv wall as it will go so it doesn't seem so squished. The area on the tv wall to the left of the fireplace is calling for a large airy palm or another tall plant. And the TIVO storage is too close to the lovely buffet. A mantle might be nice but you definitely need a large beautiful print over the fireplace in colors and theme that makes YOU feel peaceful and happy. The storage box under the window in the breakfast area is disproportionally small. Can you find or make a console (even a shelf ledge that will fit) even if you need to keep the storage under it? On my monitor your neutral paint looks good from the hall. If you change colors, I wouldn't go darker than the 2nd color on any of the strips. My preference would be #2 on the last strip or #2 on the 2nd photo. Let your upholstery decision and marble tones guide. Please buy a $5 SW sample and put a large swatch up for several days so you can live with it in all light conditions before you decide. Most of all, enjoy the process of finding what brings you and your husband joy in this phase.