I'm in the SW 'burbs of Portland. It's nice to see more Portlanders showing up this time around than in an earlier thread asking where people lived! I've lived in a lot of places (WI, IL, PA, FL and England) and I think my design preferences reflect that exposure. However, as other PNWers have already mentioned, I'm also driven to create a light-filled kitchen to counter the gray winter days. I know a few who've redone their kitchens with dark cabinetry and dark granites and I know I'd find that depressing in the winter. My current plan is to have uppers painted the same pale wheat color (more oo-la-la sounding than "beige") as the walls to give a sense of space and lightness, and stained lowers that will better handle dirt, drips and my careless family than painted cabs. The backsplash tiles will match the walls and upper cabs - with accent tiles tucked in in crucial places - and medium-hued honed counters. I love this look and I hope we can pull it off without it looking incongruous in a 90's home in the 'burbs. The other thing that drives my design are the views to my garden from my corner windows (with corner sink). Standing there, I can view my waterfall to my left - and all the birds it brings in - and my large side garden to my right (we have a pie-shaped cul-de-sac lot). No way could I give up my corner windows. I'd miss the views.

A cormorant of some kind ?

Mockingbird ?

Hi catherinet - I think that's what it is given that I was told that an Osprey was fishing close to the wharf. Thanks for id'ing it! Shyamala