rebunky I just now saw your pics. I love the picture that you had saved for awhile. My island cabinets are very similar to the blue in that picture :) It's been scrunch time and I've spent the last two days going nuts trying to figure out my counters! I think I've come to a decision for the island counter top. I've decided like the look of ceaserstone more than granite and love the Bianco Drift. I think it will be a really good match for the blue island. I need to go and get a physical sample though to make sure the two do really go well together. Here it is: As for the perimeter... I don't know yet. Maybe I'll stick to the same.

Lovely kitchen! I agree with others those bar stools aren't working though. Since the dining room table will be close by the island, I might do something different in color to set them off. What about a molded Eames-style chair in a bright color? I don't particularly care for the color below, but they come in a host of colors, and you can get ones that swivel: Depending on what color your back splash is, I think this peacock blue color would work well in your space: I have the chair version of these in white as our dining room table chairs and have two young kids are the are easy to wipe down and worry-free.

Thank you again Lori! I actually answered this last comment of yours with a longer reply but then edited it to correct a hanging parenthesis. Poof! I did everything all right, but the whole thing disappeared anyway. My laptop is in need of a tune up and it's getting a bit glitchy! I wanted you to know I deeply appreciate your thoughtful replies though, so I'm re-writing it (and the boiled down version, here, is more brief--so that's better). Replying to you helped me to ferret out my own thinking process and formulate a plan. I learned something by asking you about the gloss (that it tends to dissipate over time) but I agree...I don't really like "glossy" on the exterior. (And even if it dissipates, there would be areas which could be seen but would be a little more protected from weather and those would stay glossy.) I've realized, without rationalization nor denial, that the difference is only slight in color. I know myself very well: My brain is wired to first and foremost see discrepancies. It sees discrepancies as severely different at first. Yes, it tends to make me a discriminating (okay, "very picky") person (LOL) but over time my brain adjusts and I see more factually how much of a differential really exists. (Being able to see discrepancies so clearly makes me good at analyzing things, so it has its helpful uses!) Knowing this about myself, I placed the samples at a spot in my home which I walk past multiple times per hour so I'd see the samples suddenly and without thinking about them first. Thinking about other things as I went about my day, my eyes landed on the samples without anticipation of seeing them, and my brain told me they are the same color. This happened 3 times. Only upon closer, conscious glances did my brain say, "Oh, those are slightly different." So, perhaps I could live with the color and, as you say, move on! :) I appreciate the comments and, folks, please keep 'em coming if you have something helpful to add. There may be a new idea out there that can re-shape my thinking and help me to distill my best solution. On Monday, I'm going to call and ask some questions: 1. Can the gutter company provide the COLOR of the High Gloss White in a low gloss finish? 2. If not, can the gutter company factory-paint with my paint selections from Benjamin Moore's Aura line, perhaps with an additive to harden the paint? ...and also... 3. Can we identify places on my home where downspouts cross over the body of the house, if any, and have the gutter company paint those pieces of the gutter system a second color, to match the body of the house? Thank you Lori and everybody. I really appreciate your time!

“ I would have to rethink the black over the bottom windows . . . “. Why? I guess if you wanted the black to be gone, reshingle the roof-ette on the right to match the regular roof, and paint that black trim piece (is that what it is?) on the left to match the body of the house.