I think raee put her finger on what I found "off" about it. It would pair up very well with a warm wood stained finish, its the white and the dark brown tile that is just a bit jarring to me. Having said that, romy718's photo of the white cabinets/dark backsplash does look lovely, so who can say? Choosing a backsplash is hard, I didn't realize it until we had to pick ours. We brought home several samples of tile, all which looked like they would be perfect for us in the showroom. Until we got them home, under our lighting conditions that is. Then, we found a lot of them were not even close to working for us. Finally, finally, after many trips back and forth, we found the right one. Take your time, no rush to get the backsplash done. Bring home samples, see how they look in your kitchen, with your lighting. But, when you do finally decide, get what you love and don't worry so much about what others think.

patty_cakes, that sounds really pretty. Thanks for the idea! newhomebuilder, I'll see if I can find SL magazine and look at that picture. I like your flat round basket on the ottoman (and the doggie). I used to have a really large basket on my large square ottoman in my previous decor. Maybe I should consider something similar here. demifloyd, I have been having trouble finding larger trays. They don't seem so easy to find, aktillery, beautiful room! Yes, that ottoman and basket looks similar to what I used to have, although my basket wasn't quite as deep and was larger. Maybe I should see how it looks on my current ottoman, although I don't think it will work very well. I'll have to take a picture.

We've had Sharifa Asma for 2-3 years, and while it's not a very heavy bloomer (so far), I love the fragrance so much that I wouldn't want to be without. Funnily enough, in contrast to Jeri's experience, mine has a tidy, upright vase shape. It's an own root from Chamblee's--perhaps that's part of the reason? If definitely wouldn't be a climber for me. Moderate annual pruning has kept it about waist height, unlike many David Austins I have known (I'm looking at YOU Golden Squid--I mean, Graham Thos). We generally get a smattering of blackspot here in the Austin area in our (mostly) no-spray garden; I haven't noticed a pronounced susceptibility or resistance in SA--it certainly hasn't been a problem rose for us. But definitely give it a chance in your garden! It smells heavenly!

I'm not sure if I agree that 3-drawer stacks are more useful than 4-drawer stacks. Mine are all 4-drawer with the bottom drawer being taller. Top drawer is the smallest. The middle two drawers are a bit deeper than the top drawer. The only thing I own that I want to put in a drawer that doesn't fit in one of the deeper bottom drawers is my food processor with the lid on it. It's about a half-inch too tall. Not a problem as I don't use it more than once or twice a week and have another good place for it. I find my 4-drawer stacks super-useful. I would need a lot more storage in my kitchen if I only had 3-drawer stacks. At least one more drawer stack. I'm too lazy to take photos but here's a list to give you some ideas of what can fit well in drawers. Items in the shallow top drawers: Next to sink: washcloths, hand towels, dish towels In baking center: spices, extracts, measuring spoons, cups, whisks, rubber scrapers, and assorted other little gadgets used while baking. Across from DW: eating utensils, serving utensils, chop sticks, soup spoons, iced tea spoons, spreading knives Next to range: pot holders, trivets, cleaner/polish for glass-top cooktop and the little scrubber that comes with it, tongs, and a couple other little gadgets In prep center: lots of different gadgets used during prep like garlic press, can opener, measuring cups/spoons, graters, and more (can't think of them all off-hand); and knives In the 2nd and 3rd drawers (I won't detail placement this time, just randomly listing): plates, cereal/soup bowls, baking gadgets (cookie press, rosette thingie, rolling pin, sifter, 2- and 4-cup measuring cups, digital scale, meat pounder, potato masher, attachments for KA mixer, tortilla warmer, cooling racks, foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, parchment paper, plastic bags, hand mixer, stick blender, stove-top utensils, pie plates, bread pans, seasonings, oils and vinegars (laying down), and more Deeper bottom drawers: glasses, mixing bowls, serving bowls, colanders/strainers, tupperware, casseroles (stacked). Hope this gives you some ideas on what you can put in drawers.