Thank you all for your feedback & good ideas...I appreciate....what fun! purplemoon...the hammered alum. server was a buy on a day trip many yrs ago with good women friends...got it at an antique store...but it's been stored in kitchen cupboards most of the time! Cleaning over these winter days...and thought I don't have to put "food" in it...I can decorate! Ummm...must be some influence flowing thru the air towards Iowa! sorie & DiningD...I love that winter farm print also...and those sheep called to me at a specialty store shopping day...thank U...sorie, your dog must be beautiful! And all of you, who suggested some "red" by coffee set...thank U, too...I am working on that...tried some picks I had here at home, but they looked quite Christmas-y...so I am on the look out for smaller faux berries or rose petals. luckygal & homergal...happy to hear about your buttons! they are such a pleasure to have just sitting around! I buy them at GS's & estate sales ...the jar I bought empty at a GS. I have a winter project to do yet with buttons...a cream colored pitcher & 300-400 white buttons, diff sizes..you Silconed II glue them to it...and at the neck of the pitcher, add white floral or acquarium pebbles..I saw this in a book from lib...looks ery pretty! Took me all summer & fall until I found a "pitcher" I could use for the right price! LOL! LOL! Yup, Luvs & LuckyG...I've had to :re-fill" that goblet with Kisses already! And, Jane, no food for baby doll...cause then she'd look at me like I'd HAVE to FEED her! But one of Luv's fax cookies would look cute on her tray! froufrou...I will try the baby's breath...& silk petals..thank U. I do love this buffet! It makes my dining area so much smaller & a bit tighter for the person seated on that side...but it is worth it...a lovely treasure! :-) OA...and I love using birds, thanks OA! jaybird...Thank U...tried a faux snowy pine branch on centerpc...but the needles very long & looked too big...I'll experiment some more. I did add a 4th red votive last night...found one after Christmas clearance at PierI. Last note...it is "sunny" here again...very cold...but I will be happy to send this snowy weather to anyone who wants some! Jeanne S.

I bought a house with a lot of fake brick in the kitchen, dining room and bath. In just a few months, most of it is gone. Basically, keep it away from the stove and don't use it as a backslash. I had to rip down the stuff the POs put in b/c it was covered in grease and uncleanable. Be careful you don't turn your room into a dark cave. In the end I only kept the bricks by the eating area. For me, the only paint color that worked was using something the same color as the mortar. So, pick your mortar carefully.

If we had a wider picture of the whole space we would be able to make better suggestions. How big is the space? What are the finishes in the rest of the kitchen - appliances, floors, etc. Even though you are looking for something for that small space, you have to decorate so it works with the whole kitchen.

Don't really like that bookshelf/stand there. Too much clutter in the area. Remove that, lower the picture that is between the doors and put a floor plant in the larger corner :)