Take it from me what CR says about Thermador wall ovens is absolutely true. I have purchased two 30" C series Thermador ovens and am getting ready to replace the one that was existing in the home we purchased last year. Loved the way my Thermador's cooked, baked, and broiled but had to have them repaired. It seems there is insufficient insulation between the oven and the electric control panel and when you use the self clean, over time, it causes the control panel to fail. This is a minimum $1,000 repair. I live in Dallas and there is only ONE company in this area that will service Thermador ovens because Thermador service dept is so difficult to deal with. My regular service company which is efficient and costs are fair told me they stopped servicing Thermador ovens for that reason and three others I tried said the same thing. Both my Thermador ovens needed the control panel replaced within three years of purchasing and the one in our new home could not pass inspection and had to be repaired by the seller before we moved in - yep it was the panel and it cost them $1,200. They didn't cook and it was an older oven. The space we have for the wall oven is 27" and after looking and looking and doing research and reading here and other web sites with independent reviews by actual owners we have chosen the Miele Master Chef Classic Series which has the Novatronic controls which everyone seems to love. This choice was made in part because of the rotisserie feature which we do use quite a bit along with other features we liked and which were well reviewed. It was more expensive but we went with a straight Microwave which suites our needs and we chose the Electrolux Ei27MO45TS microwave which meets all our needs and was well reviewed. Went with the Miele warming drawer because of the match and the fact that it was the same price as most other warming drawers we were considering. We stack our ovens in an unusual way which we really like with the actual wall oven first, then the microwave, and then the warming drawer. It is logical to us because the heaviest items come out of the oven and having it at the top means no stooping and it's easier on the back. We usually only use the warming drawer when we entertain and to reheat leftovers which it does so much better than a microwave. Still trying to decide on which Fridge and Freezer columns to choose but that's another forum

What a great kitchen! The main piece of advice I would offer is this: get rid of excess plastic containers. I had zillions of rubbermaid containers that didn't nest at all. I thought I needed every shape and size out there, so I bought far more than I could ever use. After we renovated our kitchen, I gave myself one drawer for plastic stuff. That's it. Now, it's a big drawer, but I have a family of nine people, so we still need quite a bit. First, I tossed or gave away that which would not nest. I standardized on 8" squares that fit into one another. I bought 6 of these and I've never needed more. All the lids are the same size. I have deep rectangular rubbermaid containers for holding flour and sugar in my baking cabinet. I have round containers for lunch boxes: my husband takes leftovers for lunch every day and reheats them in these lightweight containers that are as sturdy as regular rubbermaid. In this drawer I also store two rubbermaid butter dishes, three nesting funnels, 2 two-quart plastic pitchers, 2 small mixing bowls and 2 large mixing bowls, plus about 12 measuing cups from 4-cup to 1/4-cup in size. The key for my kitchen is that any plastic container we have is in this drawer. So I've gone from cupboards and drawers of plastic containers and measuring supplies to one single drawer. I will add that I have a plastic pasta scoop and larger colander that I store under the prep sink. I never save even the nicest of plastic containers that food might come in. If we ever need more, I can use a storage container from another part of the house, wash it out, then put it back when I'm done (like when I need to bring 60 cupcakes to school). I've also done the same sort of thing for lunch boxe supplies and ingredients. I have a baking center, which is to the right of the oven. My baking center is really just an upper cabinet with wire storage things inside that make it easy to cram a lot of stuff in a 30" wide cabinet. I do store extra baking mixes and flour/sugar in my lazy susan cabinet. I don't have a pantry. All of our health food is in another cabinet, near the blender where we make our protein shakes. I bought white plastic wirer coated shelves at the container store to stack dishes and baking goods in those cupboards. And also these tall, narrow two shelf units that fit under my sinks which sit next to the plumbing. They aren't really deep but just hold the basics in view (stuff tends to migrate to the back of the sink cabinet). I also got rid of excess pots and pans. I figured that if my pots and pans couldn't fit into one base cabinet, that I would have a hard time keeping tabs on those as well. My baking pans and cutting boards store vertically in a cabinet designed to hold tall thin items. You have so much wonderful space. If you can be judicious with how you plan your storage, you will find that you can even keep major seasonal items in your pantries as well, or gift wrap, etc. In fact, it looks like you could even put a desk in one of your pantries. Lucky you!

Lyfia, I thought about your great idea and stood there and sized up the situation. I think that is beyond my meager capabilities and the chair rail would come right in the middle of it. I wish I'd thought of it before I put up the wainscoting, and maybe then I'd have had a fighting chance at it, but not now. Lukkirish, I will, thanks. Here is what keeps haunting me about this job. I have a leftover (from previous home) partial roll of wallpaper here that I adore, that looks fab with the Mucha. It's an arts and crafts pattern. I just keep coming back to wanting to use this paper. [](http://tinypic.com?ref=2woja78) The problem is, I don't have enough of it for the job, even with not going over the bathtub area. I have looked and looked and can't find anything out there like it. So the question is, could I put up narrow margin molding frames on the upper walls and put this paper inside them, then paint the paper's background color on the rest of the wall? Or the lighter beige\-peach featured in the first picture here? Or with the wainscoting would that look too choppy? Here is an example of a framed wallpaper panel: [](http://tinypic.com?ref=vkxae) What if I did it ONLY behind the Mucha and nowhere else in the room? What do you think?

While many different WTs would work, it's most important to determine what your light control and privacy needs are. As it looks like a lot of sunlight is streaming in the DR plus you have two windows to either side of the TV, I think you would benefit from putting in woven blinds that filter the light rather than block it out. If you require total privacy then the woven blinds wouldn't cut it alone. However, you can put a lining if needed and/or pair it with panels, which would be my choice in your situation. Though your windows have varying heights I would hang at the same height and stack them to the sides of the windows so when open, you can enjoy the view outside. For the windows flanking the fireplace, I would just put the panels on the outer side of each window and pull off to that side. If you can get by without the need to open/close the drapes, then you won't need as many panels as you would otherwise and since some of your windows and the slider are quite wide, that would be my first choice. Stationary panels would also work best given I see you have a floor register under at least one of the windows. Though you did not ask about your rooms, I also would suggest adding an area rug in the DR, something darker, so as create a division between the similar wood tones of floor and table. Mine used to be like that before I added a rug and it's a huge improvement. It's hard to tell from your pictures whether it'd be better to move the DR light fixture or the table. I think it might look nice if there is room to move the table to the right and add a low buffet below the window. Perhaps something in a dark or painted wood to add more interest to the area. Lovely home!