lynnski, you've given me a great idea. Our kitchen, dining area, and LR are essentially one big room except for the pantry wall that separates the kitchen from the LR. If you look at the third pic from the top you'll see a little bookcase built into my cabs where I keep cookbooks. This end of the cabs faces, and is only a few feet from, the dining area. I've thought those cookbooks don't look right; DH says they look "junky." Anyway, I put the biggest Chinese horse in there all by himself, with the blue Chinese box you see in the cookbook photo underneath him, with only one very low shelf. He looks great, and carries on the living room feeling into the dining area. Only questions I have are that there's not much contrast between him and the oak bookcase, and also it might look a little stark. I'll post a pic on a new thread when I can get one. I'm thinking the cookbooks (I keep them neatly) will transfer their "junkiness" to the top of the cabs if I put them there, and they're also not tall enough. Don't think we can afford to put an extra row of cabs up there though. Thanks for your ideas. The Chinese horse looks very much at home. summiebee, you're right about the view. I wanted the house to have as little demarcation between the inside and outside as possible, with a glass wall. Didn't turn out that way -- builder convinced us that with our high winds we'd never be comfortable -- but he also put the windows higher than we wanted, and one expense we're going to undertake is to find a way to make the view windows bigger. They're 8x5 now, but we're going to put in non-operating glass doors or something instead. Thanks again, all.

If you and your hubby aren't DIYers and you have a large, busy family life, gel-staining your cabs may be more of a challenge than you anticipate. Sweat equity is a great way to improve one's home with little money but even a project billed as easy may not be easy for people who don't DIY. Hubby and I are DIYers but even so, every project takes us longer than we think it will. If you decide to take this on, get sample doors and test your technique first before tackling your kitchen. Love nosoccermom's idea of replacing a few door panels with glass. Have you considered quartz counters? I think Ceasarstone Pebble (medium gray) or Raven (charcoal) would look good (I see gray in your tiles but it could be how it looks on my monitor and not the case IRL). Caesarstone Raven up close [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco General Contractors Mascheroni Construction Caesarstone Raven with oak cabinets [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by West Linn Interior Designers & Decorators Julia Williams, ASID Caesarstone Pebble up close [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) Caesarstone Concrete (very similar to Pebble) on IKEA Adel Medium Brown, which has has reddish/orange undertones. [Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by Rockwall Design-Build Firms Modern Craft Construction, LLC It sounds as though the floor's maintenance is primarily focused on trying to keep the polished look. Instead of polishing the floors, can they remove the sheen - hone them - and seal them? Wear and tear should be less noticeable on a non-shiny surface. Honed surfaces are generally more prone to staining than polished but since the tiles aren't uniform in nature, stains will probably blend in. Good luck!

The latest issue, the backsplash. Can it stay? I received a sample of the door and drawer fronts in the style and color I ended up ordering, and I had the paint color and sheen matched so that I can start painting the old maple boxes to accommodate the replacement door and drawer fronts. (As you know, the new wall unit will be ordered prepainted from the factory.) Anyhow, the new issue is whether the backsplash can stay. I have to fix a few grout areas that cracked and replace two tiles, but I'm inclined to keep it. It's the carrara-like subway 2"x4" tiles from Lowes, which are not expensive ($10 per square foot), but the labor will be more than I want to spend. Let me know if you think it has to go. I've included below pictures of the peninsula boxes, which I've painted already and the new door as well as pictures of the door with the backsplash and counter so that you can see the contrast. Keep in mind that my wall color will be Benjamin Moore Mount Saint Ann in Aura's kitchen/bath paint (a special scrubbable, moisture and mildew resistant matte paint)--the same paint I used in my bathroom above: Also keep in mind that I'm replacing the range with a Dacor Dr30DNG, which I just bought, and likely replacing the over the range microwave/vent with a standard pro style hood like this: Here are the new paint/cabinet photos:

I found it, I found it, I found it! Searched "granite, anyone?" on google, and there it was. I can't figure out how to get the pic from there to here, though. We have a freestanding range so there's no way to put something fancy behind the range, and this suits me perfectly. If anyone wants to see it, it's in a pic in the Home Galleries called Red Granite, anyone? The granite is Red Dragon. It's posted by krislrob. Thanks, all, for your help.