TNKCFAN aka Jerry--glad you like the floor. In answer to the question do I love them or hate them? Yes. I do. That is I am loving them and hating them at the same time. I am absolutely in love with the finish, texture and grain. I am in shock and trying to cope with the color(s). All the men who have seen this floor have fallen in love with it. I am getting used to it, but it's nothing like what I expected. The price is right, it's well under $8. sf. and I am happy with the quality. However, if you consider this flooring, don't trust the sample, and be sure to inspect your product thoroughly before accepting so you aren't surprise by what you get. What the photos don't show, are all the pieces that were too wild for me. The color range of this floor goes from the blonde like maple to brown like walnut. On the sample everything was sort of like a med. oak. I actually halted the install, halfway through because we were pulling out more wood that we were putting down. Not sure where to go from here, but other than the crazy stuff we didn't put down, it's not that bad. In case you're interested the floor is from the Carlton Montecito Collection by Virginia Hardwoods. Here is a link that might be useful: Montecito Natural Hickory

There is a lot of natural light in the room and also plenty of artificial light available for night. The almost all of the family room wall to the left (West) of the fireplace wall (North) is glass. It is about 8 feet of fixed pane floor to almost ceiling and 4 feet of sliding door. Also, we will be adding a lot of painted surface. Currently, the part of the walls not covered by the rock fireplace are covered with pickled redwood. We will be taking that out and painting the walls so the East wall and the area around the TV and above the fireplace will be painted. I have trouble seeing painted cabinets there. Also, it is the room is the main play area for our grandchildren who are here frequently. One purpose of the storage in the cabinets is to give a place for their toys. I think wood will hold up better there. Breezy, we have a sketch of the area, but it's too big for our scanner. I'll try to make a smaller one and post it later. You have the general idea correct. The North wall is a bit over 17 feet. Left to right it will have (tall cabinet means 92" high and low cabinet means 30" high - the measurements below are widths): 42" tall cabinet - holds left speaker 24" tall cabinet - middle holds components and media computer 66" low cabinet - flat panel wall mounted above 48" fireplace 24" tall cabinet - holds right speaker The width of the left hand cabinet will be adjusted to fill the space available after the fireplace is framed in.

Hi - sorry for the delayed response, we went away for the weekend. Hated to leave my new kitchen, but the kids deserved some sort of a summer after dealing with the remodel. My "Yawn" title is tounge in cheek, I figured you are all tired of all the cream cabinet/soapstone kitchens - but of course each one *is* unique, and I love seeing each and every one of them. Sundownr - I don't know if I had a comment on that light fixture or not, but my brother & his then girlfriend gave that to me as a wedding present. It came from a foo-foo artisan place in Cambridge, MA. It was high style for the times (88) :-) Rubyfig, the towel bar is a find from the bath department of Marshalls (but I saw the same ones at TJ Max and home goods). It's 18", and I think I paid $10 :-) Which is WAY less than the $140 for the Fusion Sonoma one that matches my soap dispenser. Here are some pictures for you: From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation From Lynne's Kitchen Renovation Hi Kristin - yes, I love the hardwood except for the big scratch that they left in it :-( And, I am really sorry to say, I've got a buckle in front of the fridge! That's another post. I can't wait to see pictures of your kitchen with the backsplash - I decided to forego one in my kitchen, partly a budget decision, partly due to the size, etc., I am trying to keep it simple. Brutuses - actually, that's the Electrolux French door, but same difference about the ice, I'm sure. I don't have to worry about a dog (until my brother brings his to visit), but I'll keep that in mind! Penny, the cabinets *are* cream - and the biscotti is definitely on the yellow side of the creams, but the KD brought the biscotti and the other one (linen?) to my house, and I realized that it was almost an exact match for the paint I had done in our adjacent office and paneling. I love it, but I'm glad it's so easy to clean, because you do see every drip (although, maybe not every fingerprint, because I noticed them on the close up pictures of the hardware, but not before then :-) Thanks to all for the compliments - I do love it, and I think it will really improve our quality of life. It's easier to work in, excellent to entertain, and is easier to clean up. It will take a little getting used to it, but I'm finding it's coming a lot quicker than I thought it would, which is a good sign, right? Please feel free to ask any questions - I'm happy to help in anyway, I got so much help from this forum, I want to give back. Lynne

I bought quarter sawn red oak cabinets for my previous kitchen and although the doors were quartersawn, the interior faces of the cabinets were regular red oak veneer. That's the way they were manufactured. Since the doors were full overlay, the parts of the cabinets that were not quartersawn were never really visible and I had "furniture" sides so those were also quartersawn. However, red oak and white oak are different species, with the white oak tending more towards browner tones. If I were you I would buy a sample door and see how the color match goes with your current boxes. Or you can buy an unfinished door and see if you can play with stain to match the color. You might be able to find a stain close to your current cabinets in tone that will be good with the honey oak. .