I almost forgot to update this thread. Reference picture are from my last post. This one is the same as the last sephia picture above. close-up Same as above but I stood on the other side. This one is the same as 6th sephia picture. This one is the same as the 1st or 3rd sephia picture. Looks like I should widen this bed 1 or 2 more ft. different angles Same as 2nd sephia picture. This one is same as 7th picture which is the west bed. This bed is the same as 5th picture. More pics here Early June 2009 Mid June 2009 July 2009 I'll do my best to create an August Garden Update. :) Oh, I will be creating more beds hopefully early October or maybe next year. :P

It's a nice looking bed, but you have it pretty well filled up with shrubs. Unless you keep them pruned back pretty drastically, I'd imagine the bed is rather full when the Ligustrum and Euonymous leaf out. The Junipers at the edge of the patio really prevent you from doing much around them, again, unless you prune them back quite a bit. I'd take a drastic approach, and I'm assuming you have yard space. I'd move the Junipers, and all but one of the Privet. Leave the Burning Bushes, because they're at the back. Now you have an open bed, with a few backbone shrubs to play off of. You could replace the Junipers with low-growing carpet Junipers to soften some of the patio edge, and use small grasses and Hostas between them for contrast. As you work back into the bed, increase the height of the plants, and use the Euonymous as a backdrop, by planning contrasting fall colors in front of their dramatic red fall foliage. A couple of moderate height columnar grasses, like Calamagrostis x acutiflora ('Karl Foerster,' 'Overdam' or 'Avalanche'(the second 2 are variegated)). They'll bloom in summer, but hold their inflorescenses through the fall, and really stand out against the Burning Bushes. Once you open the area up by removing a lot of the shrubs, you'll have many more options.

After looking at your pics and your nice window casings, how about painting the maple white to match? I think it would look very, very nice and is not much more work than staining, but you would have to mask off the house to spray. Regarding adding a glaze, I have done exactly what you are contemplating in a former rental we had. It had white-washed oak cabinets that were also turning a pinkish color. We used a cafe brown all over the cabinets (oak has quite a bit of grain) then did it again over the seams only on the raised panels with a dark brown. We finished it off with a water-based poly (it has a bit of a blue hue when dried). It looked very nice when done, I'm sorry I don't have pictures, but we have since sold the rental. Like any painting job the job was prepwork (sanding, sanding, and masking).

I knew I was forgetting to tell you something! Thank you. The fridge is going to be a french door style. The ones we're look at have a total depth of about 45" when the doors are open 90 degrees, so that will be tight, but doable. We checked the oven door and dishwasher door clearances as well. Tight, but doable. The "island" is essentially a separate table that my DH will build. It's not going to be attached and will be completely movable. In fact it'll probably end up smaller then we have drawn up (3'x3') and/or have built in drop down leaves. it's going to be compatible with the kitchen table which he will also build so that they can combined into one larger table for hosting family dinners. We don't do a lot of entertaining, mostly because there's currently no where to seat everyone. We have no dining room and our living room is so small we only have seating for 5 people comfortably, 6+ is a REAL squeeze. We'd like to be able to have at least our extended family (total 6 people) over for dinner once and a while and allow everyone to be in the same room. We currently have a round drop leaf for 4 people (and there's no way to open the leaves and fit anyone around the table in our existing kitchen, it also has a center leaf that can be added). We're going to continue using that after the kitchen is done while DH builds the other items. Since there is no storage in the island other then maybe a lower shelf (the intention is to have a place to put things when you're at the fridge and as a separate prep area) we're not losing out by not having it in the kitchen right away. I hope that clarifies things. I know it'll still be tight, and once the wall is out and the new cabinets are in we're going to re-evaluate the island/table situation so we are flexible on that. Thanks for the input!