Thanks, mjsee! Unfortunately the nearest Ikea is over a hundred miles away from us so I'm not exactly sure we'll go that route cabinet-wise. As for the walls, I tend to agree even if my first reaction when I saw this room was "Oh, eff my life, we need to paint this ASAP." It's grown on me and I definitely don't like the idea that once I paint it we can't really go back. I could see one day taking it down and drywalling it (the insulation is non-existent as we're in a warm part of California so I'd put some in at that point), but we're not there yet. Nicole--I love that look, I just don't think it'll work in my space. :\ Stacey--thanks! WRT the living space, it's set up fairly similarly to the scene shown: two green microfiber couches instead of a sectional, a black/glass coffee table, and from Overstock. We have a black/dark brown TV table, a desk hidden behind the TV, and generally dark-colored wood or pine bookshelves dotted around the room. Oh, and a massive cat tree. :) I took the shelves down from the windows. The fans we brought in are amazing--dark wood blades with these Steampunk-like brushed nickel bodies. The rug:

Hi all, So funny to read all the posts! Ok here goes from the bottom up... Natal: I did consider not painting the fireplace and we actually did the walls first to see how it would look. It was too red against the stark walls. We also considered white washing it, but I couldn't remove the soot stains, so in the end we just painted it. Polly: The big rug is Jute from PB. Very soft actually and was inexpensive- a close out. The small runners are cotton from Crate and Barrel. The Paint is Farrow and Ball Pointing on walls and Pale Powder on ceiling. PupWhipped - Originally the sunporch ceiling was also wood colored. I painted it and you can see it in the before picture - it looks good with the pine walls. Also if you look at my newest post on Bermuda you will see a wood room with a vaulted blue ceiling. Good inspiration for you. Newdawn: I love the willow furniture as is and would NOT paint it ever!! I love the bark texture and the interest it adds to the porch. My recommendation is to pick two colors -ie: essex green floor and pale blue ceilings- cover the cushions in one of those colors or a subtle pattern with those colors. The furniture will seem more cohesive and the lines will then be more noticeable in a good way. I think the current fabric is what is distracting your eye not the furniture itself. The tables can be painted shades of those two colors if you want. To everyone else - thanks so much for kind comments. It still has a long way to go but we are so happy we painted it! My hubby really loves it. x-Willow

I'd suggest you delay the decision as long as possible and check-out the door samples and take them home after the major surfaces are complete - lights, flooring, etc... For our kitchen, I originally fell in love with a warm cream mixed with light taupe moldings. In the actual room, chips and larger painted samples looked fine until the actual surfaces, new windows and lighting were installed. The warm cream turned flesh-toned and the light taupe picked up really unattractive darkness with green overtones. I am currently recycling the leftovers of that paint in my office where THE EXACT PAINT appears as pale cream with a little warmth. While its good to know I'm not crazy, even an experienced painter can't quite figure it out.

Hmmm...I have an idea. Never tried before, so please do a sample board. Disclaimer, may fail, too. Ok.... So, since whitewashed knotty pine has a tendency to come out pink, maybe using the opposite of the color wheel to counteract the pink would help. Adding the opposite color into the 1st coat of wash, then a 2nd thicker coat of white wash on top. I use this opposite color application a lot in watercolors to tone colors in my paintings which is similar process in whitewashing. Please note again, it is a concept. Please do a sample board 1st. My process before doing walls for clients.. I get 2-3 sample boards to experiment with to test the products & application before going into doing a whole wall. I highly suggest practicing on samples until application works. Then test it on actual wall, let it all dry. see it in daylight & night lights. Once it passes all the tests to client's liking, then go for it full force in confidence. It's a lot of extra steps & precautions, however a lot less unforseen problems later. Hope that helps. Whatever ends up working, would appreciate seeing. Please post after photos. Good luck!