Hi Malhgold! I have the exact same reaction everytime I see your kitchen. My heart goes--YES!! I have a sample of the gray imperial trellis you just posted. It has been in my group of favorite fabrics I might use in the new kitchen or maybe the FR, LV or DR. Specific, huh? ;-) All the rooms have gray or grayish (not every room is the same color) walls. The second fabric is fun and energetic! Since I'm assuming that very little of the whole pattern will show when the shades are up, I could see that pattern working. The coral-ish shades pick up those in the family room(?). And could you please tell me about that last pattern? I think the colors might be right for my DD's room. Thanks! Can't wait to see what you decide! And maybe that means you'll be getting closer to an all out kitchen reveal? :-)

First, what is the name of your granite and what colors are your appliances? Try posting photos of your cabinet doors, the backsplash and hopefully your granite slab. The easiest way is to open a photobucket account and upload the photos there in web format. Once loaded onto Photobucket, cut and paste the HTML code into this text box. A more detailed description of posting photos is on the following link. (It also can be found on the New to Kitchens? post.) Here is a link that might be useful: Posting Pictures

colorfast... yes, my next step is to make up a color board. It's been terribly difficult to try and obtain a sample door from my cabinet maker. Though they are scheduled to be finished with the order by next week, I am going to try again and see if I can get something earlier. I did pick my cabinet white by taking color samples with me when I went in to see my granite. Hopefully, my sample tiles will arrive soon and I can get a clearer picture of everything. boxerpups... thank you for your ideas! They are beautiful. I wasn't a big fan of gray walls (one of my friends had suggested it), but then again, I never realized how much undertone can exist and change the effect of a color. I mean, only when I started comparing have I realized that there are blue-ish whites and pinkish whites, etc. I'll have to study those colors you suggested. They are lovely. melaska... I have that same living room saved in my Houzz ideabook and it's the reason I've fallen in love with Shaker Beige! I would love to have my entire 1st floor in that color, minus my kitchen and sunroom. I'm also happy to hear that someone else is considering it with sage green and white. I'd be super interested to see how your space turns out,too! linelle... the BS tiles in the 1st photo is Walker Zanger's Bamboo Mizu line. I had seen a sample in person and confirmed it with the designer. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued. The greens in it are similar to their Celedon color as well as Daltile's Pistachio. I'm hoping to find a tile with lots of variation in its glazing to get the same effect. Heath Ceramics has several colors that are close to both of the photos... since their tiles are all handmade, there can be a lot of variation in the glazing as well. I'm waiting for some samples from them to check it out... no showrooms in this area. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the great ideas everyone! The wainscoting with camouflaged doors is really clever. Yes, my original plan was to drywall it in and put a low credenza or console table with art or photos on the wall. The front door is on the other side of the arch and I really wanted to create a small closet with access from the arch. We only have one very small closet for the entire main floor and it’s not convenient for coats and shoes when you enter the house. The first contractor thought that might disrupt the arch, but I think I’ll get another opinion because it’s not a load bearing wall. Thanks for the great ideas!