LOL Ya'll are funny. I got so many comments on my bad photo taking I took it off to retake them. So I'll post pics here: I suppose I should have typed between pics....what you're seeing is the master bath :P I took a close up of the glass to show how cool it is :) We had it made for us so no one has glass like it. It's super thick and while in the big pics you see inside the cabs due to use of flash, you really can't see into it (as you see in the glass only pic). It's really just another texture. The room inspiration was my collection of medievil manuscript pages. The "art" is dated between 1350 and 1700. The majority is mid 1400. I love the soft coffe stained tones you get with antique papers. The cabs might appear black, but they're actually a rich chocolate cherry, just like the croc tile. The cabinets are Omega custom. Since they do whatever you ask for, the design was whatever I wanted LOL I went with 27" deep lowers and then it has the little jut out. The cabs have pull out drawers inside for my daily routine. I also have the little pullouts for toothpaste, soap etc., as well as toe kick drawers, tip outs, blah blah...every inch of space is used LOL People always ask about the tub...you can easily get into it by stepping up on the step, sitting down backwards (bumm on deck) and swinging your legs over to drop down into the seat that is inside. We did plan on a bigger step (one that flipped out) and we planned on using grab bars, but really they're not necessary. Frankly the tub (while it calls out for nekkid adults and good wine) is most often occupied by our 3 year old. He loves having water to his neck (he's not left alone in there obviously) and the bubbles that the air jets make. Not to mention that the water is recirculated into a warmer so it never gets cold...again not that I'd know...but given his two hour splash session...I'm guessing it works for him :) Oh and it's NOT dark in the room. The shower has it's own light inside. The room is quite well lit and gets so much sunshine that I took the pictures late at night to get them without too much shine (which made people think the room is dark). We sit on the edge of a lake and have huge windows everywhere so the room is constantly light and bright. Our wall finish was done by an artist to mimic the travertine feel, but not be specific.

I agree with Lavender--open it up. Anyone who buys the house will like the openness. I do not like open plans in large houses, they are not comfortable. You can always create "comfy" delineations of space when it's open.(LL's plans have a lot of these areas I noticed) I think of it this way, pubs when done correctly manage to create areas for conversation, areas for card games and drinking/eating. Yes I admit it pubs are my model for home design...I've been to the most basic old style pubs(original worn floors, original cabinets) that rival many houses I have seen for "warmth". If you leave the walls partially closed it's more trouble and expense for the next owner. I knocked out one tiny (TINY)coat closet in my kitchen entryway and I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE RUBBLE that poured down(from the space above). If you decide not to do a bar, can you somehow place comfortable chairs/small couch facing the kitchen(maybe w/ a sofa table behind the couch). I love the idea of having someone near or in the kitchen while I'm cooking. When we were working on the other rooms we kept moving the furniture around out of the way. Everyone loved to sit in the upholstered chair squished into the corner of the kitchen.

...if I went to see a movie, I would be noticing kitchens. lascatz, I do this all the time these days. I'm driving my hubby crazy! Congratulations on your happy news, spincrazy! Even though you now have a good reason to stick to a time line, try to follow lascatz and marthavila's advice and take a break, even if it's a small one. And it might not hurt to heed my hubby's advice. When I get stuck in a never-ending what-do-I-do quandary, he reminds me that "there comes a time in every project when you need to shoot the engineer and ship the product." ;-) Not that they actually do that (thank goodness since he's an engineer!) but his point is that we can fuss and fuss and fuss with a plan, thinking the perfect answer is just around the corner and we fail to realize that what we might be doing is just revisiting the same issues over and over and not making any progress at all. Besides, perfection isn't possible.

It’s like budgets don’t exist on Houzz. Why, when OP stated many times it was not in the budget to change the floors, nor does she want to, is that suggested multiple times here? If anything, if that was in the budget she’d have opted to change the countertop. There is perfect magical design in fantasy land where money isn’t a factor, then there is doing the best with what you can AFFORD. No shame in that. In fact, it should be applauded when someone doesn’t bankrupt themself to chase a perfectly designed space that will eventually grow stale anyway. Good design isn’t always about coming up with the ideal solution, but the most practical one. OP, I think your slate tile is BEAUTIFUL. What whimsical colorations. And how wonderful your husband installed it. We all makes design choices that turn out differently than expected sometimes and (most of us) learn to work around it. I think the cream backsplash you ordered is a good choice to tone things down. I also enjoy seeing a unique and colorful kitchen.