natesgram, thanks, I've actually seen that link before, and it's what really pushed me towards painting. It really has a lot of helpful info too. As much as I would love to get new doors (shaker is my favorite!), I'm going with paint for now. The wallpaper...yes, I don't see what's wrong with it either. I took a really close up shot just to show the blue specks, but it really just looks like textured cream colored walls. I would like to know if the suggestions to remove it are because it's ugly/dated or more for resale purposes where painted walls are the preference for most buyers??? alabamanicole, now that I look at it some more, I agree the track lighting needs to go. It should be easy and inexpensive ($100-150?) to change it out. I love the look of bronze, but would it work with my ss appliances and ss cabinet pulls? Or should I get bronze pulls and faucet...CAN you have a bronze faucet and a stainless steel sink? Confusing! Also, thanks for your kitchen idea. The rest of my house is decorated with warm creams, reds, greens. I love organic stuff like wicker, stone, metal, and I love shaker style, country style, and arts-n-crafts style. I really like cream cabinets, but I already have enough cream with the counter, the tile, and the wall. The breakfast bar opens into the dining room, which is has cream furniture and red and green as the accent colors. The kitchen doesn't have to be matchy-matchy with the adjoining rooms, but it should flow colorwise. I'm going for a sleek, simple, yet casual and warm look with bluish/green cabinets. Below are kitchen looks that I love. Some won't work with my sleek cabinets, but it's just to everyone an idea of the look and feel that I hope to achieve... I love the color on this wall...if I ever take down my wallpaper! lol I love the warmth and casualness of cream cabinets. My dream kitchen...if I could start from scratch! :) Here, I love how the bottom cabinets are darker than the top cabs. Cute chandelier, and the island color is gorgeous! Ok, since I also LOVE the idea of two cabinet colors, what if I paint my top cabs cream and my bottom cabs blue/green? I really can't decide between my two colors below, and painting all the cabs either color will be too much cream in the room, or too much blue/green in the the room...no? I'm also open to sage green. If I go with using two colors, what if I paint the storage wall like the storage wall below (where the top and sides would be the blue/green color)?

acm and Beverly, lovely work. How did you manipulate the room? So helpful. I LOVE the feel of the three examples that are mid century. All of the floors are a light in color and not as dark as mine. The current floors make a click clack sound when you walk on them. I would like to change them. Should I try to closely match the current brick color or could I go with a lighter brown/grey color like these. I brought home some coretec floor samples and the calypso oak looks a lot like the middle photo.

I think you can do a gray, as long as it is a warmer tone (more taupe/greige) than a cool gray. I think you need to do that to help tie the siding color in with the stone color. I would vote no on white trim. With your contemporary home I would maybe lean more towards something in the same tone, just darker, as the siding. I would probably also look at pruning or removing the tree/shrub next to the stone. It's overgrown and hiding part of the window. With the recessed door I would look at a brighter color to make it more a focal point. If you're interested in seeing some virtual makeovers with new colors check out my website, Creative Visual Concepts.

Thanks everyone I really appreciate all of your feedback. I like the backsplash but don't love it for the look I'm trying to achieve but my husband picked it and I was trying to see if I could make it work. I think at this point I'm leaning toward running the countertops all the way up for backsplash. As for the question @jck910 to the right is a doorway into the dining room. I have a budget of around $15 - 18K and the vast majority is going to custom cabinets. So The island will be flipped the long part will face the stove and fridge so I will have seating along the two sides (side facing family room and the outside wall). I really wanted to take down the wall into the dining room but its load bearing and I would lose upper cabinets. So the only way to make it work is to flip the kitchen and make the L from the wall that looks into the family room which you don't see in the picture posted. There is a round table and a closet on that side of the wall (I have an 80's quad) and the wall the leads to the outside of the house. Which would mean moving pluming, gas electric and moving the stairs and sliding doors leading to the outside and relocating to the dining room which would be a $50K + project. So the compromise was to keep the current footprint. I know not everyone would agree with the decision and I wish I had the extra cash to do the way I have always envisioned it but it is what it is. I am going to wait on the light fixtures until I decide what I'm doing with the backsplash. But will likely be something simple and a Champaign gold. But yes all lighting will change. The current lights won't go with the new look. I am leaning towards a decretive hood which is why I was keeping the microwave in the same place. If anyone has pictures you think would work for counters I would love to see. I would love to do some light blue glass tile for the backsplash (I know doesn't fit with inspiration) but I don't think I'm brave enough for that. I also cook a lot so I need something that is easy to clean which is another reason to run the countertop all the way up. So thanks again everyone and if you have pictures that you think will help in my quest please share!