Oakleyok, So agree with you on the overabundance of white! White is an easy color to match other decor. Sochi, I was surprised too about the gloss and lacquer coming into the vogue. Earlier this month Awm03 posted a link to Kips Bay Decorator Show 2013 on GW - my thanks to her for it! The interiors on display clearly showcased most of the trends listed in HB. I'm re-posting the link from Awm03 here for everyone's convenience. - Brass? Check. Both in vintage/antique patina and shiny 70's-80's versions; - Bright colors? Check. Althought the bright teal bathroom isn't exactly my cup of tea, it still fascinated me at first. After some thought I conceded that it could make sense to do a small space like a powder room or nook in a bright color to add some "pop" or intrigue to an otherwise restrained house. I like the curtain and rug in the entryway design. They bring an otherwise cramped and dark space alive. The curtain would be a perfect solution for hiding a large storage unit for footwear, umbrellas, bags, dog leashes and coats on hooks or shallow shelves. - English florals? Check. The wallpaper in the lady's writing room is so pretty, it makes me dream about a small weekend cottage decorated in the style! - High gloss, lacquer and polish? Check. My favorite is the dining table with the black lacquer top and MCM-style chairs. It's probably nostalgic because the table reminds me of the 60's Czech-made sideboard and bookcase in my room back home in Moscow. They were topped with black opaque glass, had glossy walnut veneer doors on the fronts and polished oak on the sides edged with thin brass piping. MCM meets Art Deco. - James Mont style furnishings? Check. There are some lacquered pieces that clearly allude to his designs, although they are more restrained in comparison. - Art? Yep, it's definitely present there. :D Bsmith1, You make a valid point about being able to relate to the designs in magazines. My view is that there should be a bit of everything for everyone. I would add to the opinions by Palimpsest, Bronwynsmom and others that the shelter magazines give us a chance to peruse interiors designed by pros. We can't afford the high-ticket items they feature, but we can learn about paint color combinations, textile patterns or mixing and matching different styles The other day I went to a garden tour featuring several million-dollar estates. The proceeds from the tickets went to the local schools. I would never be able to afford the lavish landscaping, but I appreciated a chance to look at the work done by pros. The plant combinations, spacing of features, types of plants for different sun/terrain conditions, use of stone, etc. There was a landscape designer available for questions at one of the properties. Besides, it was a beautiful day for a walk in the gardens! Here is a link that might be useful: Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2013

stephanj - yup, DIY projects will certainly test a marriage! ;) Another decision change here: since those two upper cabs over micro/fridge are on the opposite side of the kitchen and separate from my planned white cabs by the sink/window, I think I'm going to have those stained, too. That way, if I decide to do a full white on that accent wall, the stained cabinets may provide some nice contrast...just more thinking out loud. Re: BS, thankfully, we'd be adding only 12 sq ft by extending it to the top. Does that still qualify it as giant? :) Maybe the space just looks larger in the photo. I did my nerd thing last night, actually. :) Know what? It's a necessary step to take, and I promise it'll make you feel much less overwhelmed -- I know I do. Are you getting new cabinets or just reorganizing where things will go? If the former, here's another super, super helpful thread just on the topic of drawers. Scroll down about halfway, til you get to: This was such an eye opener for me, as up to now, I was applying vertical storage concepts only to pizza pans and cookie sheets. I was up and down out of my chair all night, measuring all my glass baking pans, casseroles, etc. Now I have to go weigh items (that I plan on storing in the same drawer) to see if I'll need to upgrade the drawer hardware -- knowing me, I will, just to be on the safe side. And absolutely LOVING this: Can you smell another DIY around the corner?! Because of the current configuration of my island and the way the downdraft ducting and electrical is set up down there, I'm going to end up with a (get this!) space in the left/front that measures 30" high x 24 wide x 12" deep. Goofy/Wasted space (I think) to put a stack of drawers there (each one would have, what, about 10" front-to-back length of usable space?). I wanna hang one of these across the top of the space (so, sitting just under the granite top), and hang my everyday skilles, pots, etc. off here. I wonder if these hooks are on a sliding rail: how cool would THAT be, to accommodate pans/pots of varying heights?!

Denise Marchand cawaps After discussing with my family, I'm afraid sectionals are out. My partner doesn't like them as they remind him of dorm/college housing, and noted that our family/extended doesn't really like to sit side by side and migrates to the chairs. And there's the sleeping on the sofa habit that would immediately go into effect with 2 sectionals. Could I can use sofas/daybed/chairs to create the same L shape? I took our existing furniture and moved it into place to see what Ls would feel like. Here's what I have so far (the brown trunk-like table that makes an L to the sofa in the foreground in picture 1 is serving as another sitting piece): I'm not sure if I have enough space for a banquette + 2 chairs at the bay window. Perhaps just two chairs backed up to the window? The Eames chairs also feel very crowded if I put them where you directed in your layout and feel like they're floating randomly in the middle of the room. I pushed them to the walls. If this could work then I can get two matching chairs for this corner instead of whats there: I think the Eames chairs might need to be relocated to another part of the house. They aren't very "efficient" in terms of footprint or placement in this room. I think the tv might be re located as well, because right now it's too far from either sofa. Perhaps I can put in a large floral tapestry (maybe 6 ft high by 8 ft) against the wall on that long console. As you can see, I'm trying to get a focal point without the tv or a fireplace, for now. If the layout works for us in 2 years down the line, then I'll feel more comfortable spending more money for a fireplace install. We just finished a large remodel a month ago and I've finally cleaned all the drywall dust and anything else that involves ripping a wall immediately is somewhat daunting. I have 2 more layouts that I will post pictures of next.

As a buyer that one cabinet on the window wall would both bug me aesthetically and scream "not enough storage so we crammed cabinets everywhere we could" which makes the space issue super obvious. Yes, it is a small kitchen and storage is going to be a concern, but you want buyers to be thinking 'oh, what a lovey space!' rather than 'but where would I put my X?' when they are looking at it. The space issue is for them to figure out after they buy it if they don't notice before. It also visually closes in the space and makes it feel smaller. If you feel like you must have some kind of storage there I'd go with shallow open shelving - it seems like a nice place for a hot drink station (tea, coffee) potentially, so you could have shelves just deep enough for mugs and canisters of tea/sugar/etc. Somethig like that which provides storage but looks like things are just there because it's nice to have them accessible, not because there is no where else for them to go. (When I've had smaller kitchens I usually get creative with storage in adjacent rooms. Unless they snoop, no one can tell that your nice server cabinet in the dining room has less-used pots and pans or canned goods in it instead of tablecloths and placemats.)