I tend to choose mirrors over art. I like the way they play with light in our little cottage and reflect the outside views. I can count art on one hand, but I can't the mirrors! Mustang, your wall reminds me of something we did in our daughter's room. I started with them different finishes, but I ended up painting them all the same shade of white. It bounced the light beautifully. (BTW, I love looking at pics but am scared to death when it comes to sharing. This has always been our "we'll only be here awhile" house, so I've decorated with whatever I can find for pennies instead of what I want. Read: hodgepodge!) In our living room I've actually lost track of how many different mirrors we've used for a little while then moved. That room has great morning light, and I just can't help but fill it with mirrors. This was taken before everything was in the room, but...

I usually have a travelling collection of plants indoors, depending on the season and the available light. I'm into clustering the pots for effect. And maybe one special plant featured by itself. I also have a brandy snifter terrarium. And I put some hooks on the ceiling of the bathroom (lots of humidity there) for my staghorn fern babies in the winter. Have a lot, and rotate them. Change is good for you AND the plants. I just got through moving some big scheffeleras and my ficus benjamina around on our sun porch, and brought in my bromeliads and some Christmas cactus that have a lot of new growth, but are not blooming. You can do lots of greenery, but I would only do one bouquet of flowers in an arrangement. Let it be real, and feature it prominently. You can never have too many live plants.

Hi Erika, First, I love your design ideas and layout. The mix of surfaces is great (definitely not too many) and very similar to what I'd like to do. I do think your sink should be centered under the window, especially if you are concerned about it now you will not be happy when it is installed. We obsessed about this in the design phase of our new kitchen so much that we added a third window to that wall to be able to center our clean-up sink under it. My layout is similar to your's with the long island, although my sink (centered under my 3 windows) would swap places with your range. I have a lowered baking center in the same place as your butcher block area. So instead of moving the placement of your large sink - For your prep sink, have you considered putting it at the other end of your island? It might be nice to have a sink down at that end of your kitchen, for entertaining, serving drinks. I think it would look great down near your hutch as kind of a "bar" sink. I don't see where your fridge is but it's always nice to have a sink close by. And a sink at that end would be great for use as a "prep" sink for washing veggies etc for that extra person (guest or not). That extra person would then not be bumping into anyone near the clean-up or cooking center. Your larger sink (I call mine the clean-up sink) seems close enough to your baking center (which I also have in the exact location) and easy enough to turn around to get that measuring cup of water you need for your recipe or to pop a batter bowl into the sink for washing. At least that is my thinking for what would work for me. And did you also say you have a chef's sink close to the range. Sounds like a lot of sinks in that end of the kitchen, it would be nice to put one at the other end. Just my thought anyway, you need to do what works for you and the way you cook, prep, and entertain. On the mix of surfaces - I loooove it. So many KD and "cabinet people" I talked to told me similar things like "it looks like you couldn't afford it all at once" etc. I told them the point is to make it look like I did not get this brand spanking new kitchen all at once. I want it to look like it has evolved over time. I know that doesn't work for everyone but you need to do what you want, not someone else. I am mixing cabinet colors (painted periphery cabinets, stained cherry island) and also mixing door styles as well. My take is if the island is different (i.e. stained cherry) it might have been from a different time period than my wall and base cabinets around the kitchen periphery. I have seen kitchens like these and they are truly beautiful and very period looking. Hope this is helpful to you. Everyone needs to do what works for them. I can't wait to see your finished photos.

Hire a color consultant. There are SO many things to consider at the new build phase. Colors to stay away from because lighting might not be installed before the builder schedules in painters, etc. Don't hesitate to hire one that works virtually. Despite what many people think, it is possible. I did it for 14 years and the technology has just made it easier to execute. (I'm not doing any consultations at the moment, btw)