The above posters have some great ideas for most nursery owners. With the thought that other nursery owners may be reading, I'd like to pass along some great tips from a nursery recently visited. It is outside the city where land is cheaper...the drive makes a nice outing. When you arrive you can stay in your car and drive on one-way lanes thru blocks of large and small container shrubs, trees, vines, etc. You just exit your car, put the container inside, and continue shopping. You finally exit next to large building where an employee comes to your vehicle (it's grand not to have to haul the plants out again), and totals up your selections...takes your money and away you go! If you want smaller bedding plants, hanging baskets, etc., they are on waist-high tables in large covered sheds near the exit. An employee will bring them to your car if you'd like (and know what you want). They have large display gardens, statuary, fountains, etc. as you enter. The large building at the entry/exit point has all the usual garden needs/wants. I really enjoy my visits...I can drive through, see all the new stuff, (each row of plants is long and narrow...about 3 containers wide, with spacing so you could walk between the rows to select the "perfect" plant if you wanted) or you can select quickly and be on your way. Each row has signs with pertinent info. I know this wouldn't be feasible for many nurseries because of high land cost...but I thought the owner had really good ideas. His employees benefit too because of an automatic watering system and they can drive to where they need to work with the plants. It's a beautiful site...surrounded by woods and just a most pleasurable nursery shopping experience. When you arrive home you still have energy and enthusiasm for planting all those new delights! josh

No, it isn't weird for the walls and flooring to be in the same general color. Although, I would go either lighter or darker on the walls, rather than make them match flooring. It's more interesting looking that way. Your kitchen is really pretty! What colors have you been looking at already and what brand of paint do you like? Answers to these questions can help us to help you with color. Red

Yayyyy, let's form a 12-foot island club, and you can be prez since you'll have two! So nice to meet someone else with a 12-foot island! I have to share with you a photo of my favorite 2-island kitchen. It's from Crown Point: Anyway, it took me foreverrrrrrrrr to decide if I wanted a white island to match my perimeter or a stained one. Seriously, I changed my mind back and forth so many times it really held up the project. The only reason I finally ended up with a stained island is because I could not make up my mind at all, and the stain finish was cheaper, so I let that be the deciding factor. I really would have been happy going either way. Funny thing is all my countertops were installed over a month ago except on my island because I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted! I finally decided last week to put marble on it to match the sink wall. So I think you'll have to decide first what color your island will be and that will help narrow down your countertop material and color choices. I think a wood edge-grain top could be beautiful and a perfect choice for an eating area. Have fun! Erika

Disclaimer: I do not like recessed lights. So disregard my comments if you really want pot lights. What I would probably do is: (1) put a bright, dramatic chandy over your piano; it is the star of a room, so accunate that (accent light), (2) put 2 reading lamps at the ends of your couch (task lights), (3) put torchiere type lights near the corners of the room, not well lit by the other lighting (ambient light). Chandy ideas: This floor lamp has a 150 watt equivalent LED bulb that really lights up the room with pleasant, indirect light.