I'm probably reiterating other people's lessons, but what the hey. * Don't do anything because someone else told you to, unless you like it for itself. Doesn't matter whether it's your mother, some magazine, one of us ;-) or some highfalutin' $500-an-hour designer with a long string of letters after her name. You're the one who's going to have to live with it, they're not. * Avoid chasing trends unless you throwing money away when the styles inevitably change doesn't bother you. (Teal and peach Southwestern-style couches anyone?) If you are never IN style, you will never be OUT of style. * Shoehorning an over-the-top completely inappropriate style into an incompatibly styled structure can look plain weird. You have to do it carefully and it's best if you're starting with a house that's very bland, a completely blank slate, rather than one that has a distinct style of its own. (I cringe when I see Queen Annes or Craftsman bungalows decorated with ultramodern stuff.) * Learn to listen to the house. Most houses have their own personalities! Subsequent houses are easier to listen to than your first, because you've already got the hang of it. * I do disagree with the assertions of "never settle for 'good enough' when perfect is out there somewhere". Sometimes "inoffensive and gets the job done" IS all something needs to be. Not everything in a room needs to be a movie star, some things need to be supporting actors, extras, and even crew (to stretch the analogy to its limits). I have an old painted pine dresser in my bedroom that I don't adore, but it keeps my clothes off the floor, and it's not UNpleasant to look at. I don't really see any point in driving myself frantic looking (and spending more money for) for the absolute most perfect dresser possible when there are much more important things to make myself crazy over. :-) * However, don't saddle yourself with something you really, really don't like (as opposed to being "okay with") just because it is cheap or free, unless you have no other option. Same goes for inheritances and handmedowns - if they make you actively unhappy, unload them. Your memories are in your heart, not in the stuff, so pass them on to someone else who will love them. If your family lays a guilt trip you about selling or giving away Great-Aunt Gertrude's china cabinet, but none of them will take it, stand your ground. If it means that much to them, they can kick in on the cost of a temperature-controlled storage locker - but I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts they won't cough up. See #1. * Don't steamroller the other inhabitants of the house, because they have to live there too. Your husband may not really care about the specific details of decorating but he may well care quite a bit about being surrounded with masses of flowers and lace and nineteen pillows on every piece of furniture and not a comfortable, snoozable chair to be found, even if it thrills you. If asking the other person what they LIKE doesn't net you any help, try asking what they DON'T like. I usually whittle it down to three options and present them to DH, who almost invariably makes an excellent choice, but if I give him twenty choices he gets overloaded and grumpy. I get Bona hardwood floor cleaner at Ace Hardware. No footprints, tishtoshnm, although I've only ever had matte or satin finish floors - high gloss finishes are more prone to smudging, so you might get footprints from bare feet. BTW, they also make a cleaner for non-wood flooring, including laminate. Murphy's is best for old varnished and oiled finishes, but it doesn't play well with modern polyurethanes and lacquers. Using Murphy's can even void the warranty on some prefinished wood products. (Don't use a spray polish like Pledge on any piece of furniture you may ever want to refinish - the silicones in it can get down into the wood through microscopic fissures in the finish and prevent a good refinishing job later.)

When the TV show Murphy Brown was on the air, I fell in love with the forest green with wood in the scenes that took place in her home (especially towards the end of season one). When we finally bought our first home a few years ago, my husband remembered how often I commented on it and bought Season One of the series for me. Although we do not have that lovely woodwork, much of our interior is painted various shades of green. I'm a landscaper--I feel comfortable surrounded by green.

You did a great job....and great lesson learned to yourself about perfection and expectations. And thanks for sharing your experience with everyone. When are you going to remodel another kitchen? What will you do differently? Sometimes when I get clients that over obsess about selections, I try to refer them to a color specialist interior designer to NOT MAKE their decisions, but to have someone HELP them make their decisions. The small money spent for hourly help on this can be well worth it!!! I once had a client like you...I referred her to a color specialist and they helped her with the paint colors. She was thrilled and said she NEVER would have thought of the color he picked for her walls. Before she hired him, she bought like 10 quarts of paint and made her husband paint cardboard and hang them around the room. I think it just confused her more. Hiring interior design help is like having a personal shopper. My husband can shop for me better than I can for clothes! hahaha. Another job I did, the homeowner wanted white. The brand I carry had a half dozen whites to choose from, but it still wasn't that perfect white that she wanted. She then decided to do a custom color which added 30% to her kitchen. I thought it was crazy. In the end, she didn't love the Sherwin Williams white color she picked. She didn't hate it, but it wasn't exactly the perfect white. Her kitchen was gorgeous....and I hope she let that go and enjoyed it.

Work with a talented KD. Interview many KDs, and it will become clear who the true professionals are. Make all of your decisions beforehand so you can make the tradeoffs (ie, busy countertop OR backsplash?) consciously, before you are backed into a corner by prior decisions. Don't cut corners on the foundational items in favor of "bling." Think of what features you will really need and use rather than being sold on the latest "must haves." i know many on this forum downplay the usefulness of a KD, but ours was the key to making our kitchen everything we wanted. He coordinated the whole process seamlessly with our GC and save for a few surprises (issues that cropped up with the house itself), the reno was completed on time and without major headaches.