I agree with your husband: trust your instincts. Sure, you'll have a couple of missteps, but that's to be expected as none of us are static and many of us upgrade as budget permits -- just part of the process of learning about yourself. Fill your home with what you love, however slowly as you need to create your haven, not ours. That being said, your perfect daylight greige is likely affected by the lightbulbs. Try Reveal and add a dimmer if you don't already have one. Lots of candles as everyone looks fab by candlelight and your DR will be wonderful. Next paint job on your agenda in another room, if you want to save a bit of money, try Pittsburgh Paint Manor Hall. Nearly half the price of Aura, and I like the hand ever so much better. I've used Aura for years since it first came out, but I really like Manor Hall better. As far as your chandie/mirror dilemma, I'd opt for round on one and rectangular on the other. Since you already have the mirror and are open to leafing or painting it, then an easy out is a round chandie. Have you looked at any of the antique crystal chandies on Ebay and considered adding a drum shade? But if you truly think you'll love the rectangular chandelier, I've seen some nice ones of Ebay as well as the selection on Overstock. Finally, rather than wed yourself to a color concept for the back of the cabinets, would you consider paper, fabric or even painted panels that you can change when you want? You can easily find just the right striking print or color rather than struggle with paint. Many of us have bought enough samples to paint a house so that's not a route I'd advise. I'm a fan of practical displays until you have the budget to devote to passion collections so add whatever sparkly crystal stemware and candlesticks and any silver pieces you have to the cabinets for the interim. HTH!

I just can't see a 9x12 in there as that would then mean the carpet going into the walkway to our bedroom. I do have a runner there now if the carpet has any kind of pattern to it on the edges, I think that would look off. Since the DR part is basically 10'8" x 10'8", there would only be a foot on each side of the table with the width with a 8X10. That means the back legs of the china cabinet would be off the rug and the front would be on it. Perhaps the same thing with the buffet on one corner. I found an octagonal one that is 7'9" that I was hoping would work. That seemed to work when I pulled out the chairs and sat back down. I guess because you come from the LR into that narrower part of the room, I think the larger the rug is the more croweded it would look, esp. with all the tile that is showing in the LR. BTW, I love my tile, it doesn't show abit of dirt and is easy to damp mop but just wanted to add a little warmth to the room. Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming. T

To give you the basics... There are three general types of refrigerators: Standard-depth These are generally the least expensive They are around 36" total depth - including refrigerator box, doors, handles, and required air space behind them Widths will generally range from 30" to 36" Counter-depth These are a bit more expensive than standard depth but much less expensive than built-ins They're usually around 31" deep -- The refrigerator box is around 24" deep -- The doors and handles add another 7" or so to the total depth They don't usually need as much air clearance on the sides & back as standard-depth Built-ins These are usually the most expensive refrigerators - often by quite a bit, especially if it's fully integrated They're usually 25" to 27" deep For standard-depth and counter-depth, the refrigerator doors and handles must extend out past the surrounding walls, cabinets, counters, other appliances, etc. This is so the doors can be opened fully for full access to the interior as well as the ability to easily remove drawers and shelves for cleaning. In situations like yours, we usually recommend a 6" to 12" pullout utility or pantry cabinet b/w the wall and the refrigerator (the width depends on how deep the wall is - the shallower it is, the narrower the pullout needs to be). But, I assume you have to work with what you have. Height may be an issue for you as many refrigerators are now around 70" tall with the requirement for extra space above for air clearance. Unfortunately, it appears the alcove for the refrigerator was not well designed so, as someone else pointed out, you may have to remove or modify that cabinet above the alcove. However, that cabinet appears to be a standard 12" deep cabinet and those are pretty useless over refrigerators, so you won't really lose much storage space. One note, based on the what I see of that wall, if you want a more common size refrigerator (36"), you will probably have to: Put the hinge on the least functional side (so the door opens away from the Kitchen and landing space) -or- Get a very deep refrigerator so it opens into the DR doorway -or- Get a narrow refrigerator so you have room for 6" to 9" of filler b/w the wall and refrigerator How wide is the doorway? You might look into widening the DR doorway so the wall in the Kitchen is no deeper than 24" or so - then you could get any refrigerator around 36" wide and not have to worry about not being able to open the door If you go with a smaller refrigerator - including smaller capacity - you may be able to find one that fits. Is there a place for a 2nd refrigerator elsewhere (e.g., basement)?

Hi Julie, We agree with Patricia on this one. A larger light fixture may be a better idea for this space. On that note, perhaps these light fixtures from our sister brand Luxe Light and Home may work: Le Marais (this is a custom 3-tier) Fiammi Lucia (This is a custom 'vertical' version of the fixture) These Luxe fixtures are sold exclusively through the Kravet showrooms so we highly encourage you to visit one near you so you can see the quality and workmanship yourself. We hope this information will help you make a more informed decision on your home needs. Very Best, Tai Truong Elements of Design 3400 Medford Street Los Angeles, CA 90063 tai@lusivedecor.com www.elementsofdesign.com