Glad my comments helped although I wish the SS/white option was available now since I need appliances now. It's always puzzled me that it hasn't been more readily (Viking and American Range ranges come in white/SS but that's about it I think). It's not something new - look to the vintage ranges with their white/chrome mix. Classic finishes and yet it would be right at home in today's kitchens. I'm not sure what you mean by matte silver. Aren't some companies already doing this? I think they call it titanium or platinum or something along that line. Or do you mean a brighter, lighter finish than that? I'd like that. Some of the gray tones I've seen are awfully dull and on the dark side, at least to my eye. Then again, I'm not a fan of black appliances. Interesting to read that some people who have SS wish they had white. I don't think SS is a trend but I do think the huge predominance of SS in the market is a trend. I sure hope to see a swing towards more balanced options for us consumers.

Thank you for the courteous response, Annie. I love yellow, so I might give that some consideration. I've always been partial to colors that are bright or soothing. It's a psychological thing with me. Dark colors tend to depress me, so the "dark color" allotment will be limited to my charcoal-ish floors and the black hardware on my white cabinets.

We also have Blue Granite PS. So far, it hasn't seemed too rough. As for the color, ours is still turning bluer. We have had water in the pool for approximately 6 weeks. It started out very green and has slowly been changing to the blue that we were expecting. From what I have heard, the kind of water you use to put in your pool will definitely affect the color also.

"Although I know my DH will have a hissy fit to see this unique type of wood painted." I would too, and probably go right past a hissy into a conniption fit. But, if you absolutely MUST, put two to three coats of clear shellac on and allow it to cure before painting. This will make it SO much easier to strip the paint later on. Still, its sentimental value to your DH as-is is a perfectly valid reason to say no way to painting this particular bed - it makes me grind my teeth to see how often ladies on this and other decorating fora just steamroller right over the feelings and opinions of the males of the household. It's not like curly maple comes along every day, and there are thousands of other beds out there in more generic woods that are perfect for slathering white paint all over. As for the mahogany beds (which are in rather more battered condition, IMO, and thus better candidates for painting although I'd use the shellac trick anyway), you can simply bolt the headboard and footboard onto a standard metal Hollywood frame since the original side rails are unsuitable for use. Cover the ends of the bolts with these traditional bed bolt covers.