I don't think the third picture (slightly lighter finish on beams) will look dated. Your ceiling is not flat, so it's going to be hard to ignore. I'd play it up and make a statement, as long as it doesn't overwhelm your space. I prefer the larger spaces in between beams and the ceiling finish (stucco?) in the third picture. The first picture would not look very French country, IMHO. Have fun with the space and if you've always loved French country (I have) I don't think you'll get tired of it...so it won't seem dated to you. Just stay with classic details and don't over do...as they say on the kitchen forum, one to three roosters, not ten :)

Hi Roulie, I was looking at the beautiful blue kitchens in your thread about painting your cabs, and went looking for this thread for more pictures and info about your kitchen. (I would try the SW Naval from Deb's island on one of your trial boards, it just rocks!) I have an opinion about the hole in your counter. I love the idea of using stainless, and if the Jenn-aire that was removed is the griddle next to the big Garland, I would suggest that you have someone come and fabricate a stainless steel cover that simply butts up to the range and covers the whole counter top surface, front overhang and all, for the length of counter top hole in the wood. That will give you a bulletproof landing spot for messy cooking. YOU may not need it, but you have at least one young person, and a messy spill on your butcher block with a stainless steel insert in the hole in the wood will be a lot harder to clean up than on a seamless sheet of steel. Have the fabricator match the finish as much as possible to that of the Garland, and it may not seem so much like another added texture in the room. It also occurred to me, looking at the photo, that there does not seem to be a range hood. Is that a problem for you, or do you not put a lot of grease into the air when you cook? A metal fabricator could fashion one to fit below that cabinet, and you could put the guts in the cab. Just something to think about if you have someone out to see about the hole in the counter. I went looking for your thread about your butcher block counter refinishing. The problem with wood near your sink area made me think of old porcelain 1920s to 1930s sinks as a solution. In my first search result I saw the one linked below, and it fit the one in my mind's eye perfectly. Something like this will better protect that beautiful refinished counter of yours. It prevents any more deterioration where the wood meets the back splash, as well, and does not go very far up the wall. Check out the link below. I think I am interested in your project because it reminds me of my own. I refinished a used bead board kitchen almost three years ago.I have an island top that is 25 years old sitting in my garage that is very similar to your butcher block. I did not use it when I bought it with my Green Demolition kitchen. I refinished my beaded-board oak cabinets from GD by hand sanding and re-staining them with a creamy oil-based stain that my local Sherwin Williams mixed up for me. I could not get a "pickled" stain in water-base. My routed-out lines were far closer together than yours, but you have a LOT of cabs to do, too. If I had to do it again, I think I might paint. I do not have tons of wood grain around like you do, and really like the grain peeking through, so staining was a good choice for me at the time. My problem was in getting the stain to stick to end grain. All my rounded edges exposed me to end grain, but I did not realize that this was my problem at the time. Stain did not stick well on the perimeter of all of my 34 doors and 20 drawers, and I have a rubbed-through look in places. I also have a few pieces that are a different color. Don't know if it was a stirring problem, a real color difference in the first stain can, or what. By the time I was done, I just did not want to know! Part of my problem is that I have asthma and had to wear terrible face masks to keep the VOCs out of my lungs. I had to work outside because of the fumes, too. In the steamy heat of the summer of 2010, I had little patience for problems and just let the color differences get by me. I just wanted it DONE. If you can paint with latex, it is a lot less bother and mess than what I went through! Oil-based stains are still the most common with wood. Here is a picture of my doors before I refinished them. If you want to see my kitchen (minus the missing cab door that we found in the carpenter's shop 6 months after I finished staining everything else), you can go to my website and see it at www.pbase.com/nancyb/image/127230055 Here is Here is a link that might be useful:

I think that is a partner's desk in the middle of the room in Frances Elkins' house. The room appears to be divided in rough thirds. I do notice a lot of arrangements that would not be common today, including a secondary bedside table and sometimes a chair right at the bedside. See the third photo Chijim posted, and you will see the second table with phone and TV. I think the side chairs were actually pulled in for the photo, but I have seen the table-oriented-lengthwise to the bed a lot in midcentury rooms...particularly McMillen, Inc. rooms.

I read and understand that I've no idea about seventies. Probably because our seventies were your fifties and sixties.. So I associate seventies with mid century modern. That's why I like it actually-reminds me of childhood. eighties-yes, I already remember some shift..but probably toward eighties? I never saw colored fixtures until I came here..so to me this is like, wow, cool. Our current house was built either 68 or 70. It's a ranch. A Spanish ranch. I really love it. Even though I struggled with having standard ceilings in most of the house..that's because our standard ceilings were minimum a foot higher than standard ceilings here..and we lived with even higher ceilings, older houses, built pre-war etc. So that part was really new to me. Luckily previous homeowners put some skylights in. And we also put one in our addition. Totally changes your perception of height. And I also painted the ceilings the color of the walls, each room..or rather the proportion of the color that would look like it's the color of the wall. Makes it less ..white lid effect. Less oppressing. Also added layered lighting everywhere, including central lights-although many advise against it since it accentuates ceiling is low? Well I didn't find it being true, at all. You have focal point, instead of just staring at the ceiling..it breaks it..takes your attention off the height. Some things are strange or I dislike regardless the decade..say we were choosing bathroom fixtures etc and saw a stainless steel toilet, for 800 or so I think? in one of the stores It's an exact copy of what they used to have in prisons. I couldn't believe my eyes. I still laugh when I think of that toilet..really? But probably someone who doesn't have other cultural associations finds it cool? If it's being manufactured? And costs 800 bucks, at that? As for depressing colors..it's very personal, really. And cultural too I guess, to some degree. Every color has a potential to be happy or sad..some have bigger potential to alternate between both, like yellow. It's like, in some countries black is associated with mourning. And in others, white is. I heard a story somewhere about a cruise ship from here that went to Far East..maybe China, but I'm not sure? Most of the passengers happily wore white-very summer-y color..and then they boarded..and then locals looked at them in a very very strange way..they didn't understand why so many people are dressed like they're going to a funeral, but have such wide smiles..:)