Lars, I like that color, I'm just a little afraid to do it! Here are my concerns. Thoughts? *Getting the right dark blue--sometimes I feel like you think you have the right color and then when the whole wall is painted, it looks turquoise, or too dark, or... *the white trim--I've never had white trim--only white vinyl windows which replaced white aluminum windows, and also white gutters. The gutters and the old aluminum grew mildew/algae. Will trim also go green with time in a place that sees gray skies up to 8 months a year (no joke) *the dark blue--any concern with oxidation/discoloration (but esp oxidation)? I've thought I'd probably only upgrade to the Aura for a dark color, as the way the guy described the difference between the 2 was how the solids are mixed/suspended between them (at least, that is what my lay-self took from his description).

I really appreciate all your comments and suggestions. In rethinking this, we’ve decided to move the dining room table to the left of the kitchen, ditch the banquette and turn the former dining room into a morning room/library. (I am having trouble giving up my existing house and I was attempting to take many of the rooms we now have and recreate them in this proposed house. Both my husband and the building designer had suggested otherwise but it wasn’t until reading all your comments that I finally realized this just wasn’t going to work. ). I think this arrangement will work really well. Greenfish1234, I love the house pictured in the link you sent. Our proposed house looks very similar, flipped so the garage is on the opposite side, with a shed dormer above. It will then have the master bedroom wing where the garage of your picture is. And there is enough room over the mud room to connect the bonus room with the rest of the upstairs and include a bathroom there. I also think your suggestion about finishing the bonus room later is a good one, and that was our original intent; however, when I tried to fit my husband’s TV into the plan downstairs, it just didn’t work. We compromised by deciding to finish the mud room sooner, rather than later. And if it seems too expensive, we’ll just have it finished to the drywall and flooring and my husband can do the rest later. He’ll be retired at that point, his “shop” will move into the basement and he’d love having a project to work on. My existing furniture will fit there perfectly and it will get the morning sun.

Since our design dilemma has changed since I started this post, I’m going to start a new thread to keep us organized. Hope you both will hop to the new thread so we can continue the conversation! I think you could still continue here, to keep everything in the same place. But if you want to start a new thread, please post the link here for us to follow : ) . You asked what the primary dilemma is. The house is a 1920s horse barn that was renovated in 2017. Made to be open floor plan and owner’s vision was to be “Ralph Lauren” however this home is also ON the water. So it feels a bit like we’re mixing styles that are not...complementary. What we need help with is picking specific pieces of furniture/decor. Aha : ) . When you say "owner's vision", are the owners your friends? Or was this the previous owner? Do your friends have the same vision -- Ralph Lauren on the Water? I know I've sounded like a broken record, but asking questions helps to figure out what your friends need, esp since someone they hired wasn't successful.. So I'll continue to ask, what color is the kitchen island? And is it staying that color? That directly affects the color of all the other furnishings in the room. I think it would be very helpful if you and they start an ideabook in your account with inspiration pictures they love. Things that say "Ralph Lauren" to them, or "Ralph Lauren on the Water". Google the designers Diana and I have mentioned and see if anything in those pictures inspires them. If so, add them to the ideabooks. What specific sectional would you choose for the living area (love the idea of facing the doors for the view!) Facing the doors was an idea I took from what you/they wrote -- "The living area is where couch / chairs should be as the view out the french doors is a beautiful bay" You'll need to post a layout of the house with measurements, including all of the windows and doors and existing/fixed items. But even with that, I will tell you that I'm not a design professional -- just a multitasking farmer -- so I can give you a list of sofas and other pieces that I think fit your friends' aesthetic, but it will be up to someone else to determine *exactly* what fits : ) . And what furniture would you use in the room that currently has the round dining table? It depends what they want to do there. Do they want to use it as a space to read and watch TV? Sew, play games, put together puzzles, go through stamp collecting albums, etc?? And if they want to watch TV, what's the TV situation now -- it's hard for me to tell from the photos. Is it just attached to the wall? BTW, homeowners love the photo you sent from Serena and Lily’s website! I just did what came naturally when you wrote that "They love Serena and Lily furniture" lol. It's literally the first/main picture on the S&L website. This is where they have to start doing homework to get the look they love and want in their own house. Start looking for inspiration pictures of general looks and specific pieces they like. Look at Ralph Lauren pictures, Serena and Lily, the various designers mentioned above. And if the top of their budget is $20,000, I would start looking through Chairish and other similar sources as well. New rugs are fair game. What do they see for rugs? Persian? Natural fibers like jute or seagrass? Dash & Albert style? I would probably go for jute because it's practical and inexpensive and definitely says on the water : ) . I have to do some farm chores but I'll be back!

I like the colors on this Cape Cod house shown below. Your roof is close already. Could put new siding on over the brick I would think? Might want to beef up the roof overhangs just a bit on the dormers, making them a little more substantial? Could install a new door and add sidelights to the front door; don't think there's room for a top light like in sample below. Could paint the bay windows the yellowish color as shown?? Cut back the grass from the house in the front and add some landscaping (bushes, perennials, etc.) Good luck!