Hi skybird, Thank you for having the summer swap. It was a blast! I haven't read all the posts on part one yet (but I will). I wanted to make sure that I get on the fall swap list. I will be there! My problem right now is transportation. On June 1st.(my 63rd birthday) my son & I were t-boned by a 25 yr.old uninsured girl who ran a red light & hit us with the flatbed dually truck she was driving. All I remember was the impact and seeing my son hanging up above me as we were fliping over onto the passenger side of our truck. We were told later (by a couple of witness's) that our truck rolled onto the top...spun around a couple of times(like a break dancer)and then rolled back over & ended up laying on the drivers side pointed in the opposite direction! They helped my son out but the fireman put a blanket over me & broke out the windshield. Thats how I got out. Thank GOD & his angles! Of course my son's toyota truck was totaled! It gave it's life to save ours! We both have some medical problems but we'll be ok. Thank GOD again! I'll be better by Sept! Please put me on the fall swap list. I will be bringing some type of food not sure what yet tho. I will post my wish list when I read some more on part one. Thanks

Sorry the plan isn't all that clear. Let me see if I can clarify. It's a small prep/bar sink to the immediate right of the fridge. I found in a previous kitchen incarnation that I loved being able to take veggies from the fridge wash 'em, chop em and move 'em right to the stove in one sweep. There will be a 4' run of butcherblock with a built in knife slot just to the right of the prep sink. Haven't picked out the fridge yet, but the plan assumes a counter depth, french door style, with bottom freezer. To the left of the fridge is a smallish 24" wide, 18" deep china type cabinet, with a 24" wide , 12" deep book shelf/wine rack unit next to it. They make the transition into what is now the dining room. It will remain the dining room, but be more multi-purpose, as it also houses my largish roll-top computer desk. And there'll be two stools for seating on the dining room side of the peninsula. As for the dining room table...it's a 40" square table with banquette under the stained glass windows on the opposite "bottom" side of the dining room. The table has MANY leaves, so opens up much bigger on the rare occassions, I need it. It's not a wall on the right side of the rangetop...Don't know what it is...I think just a ghost in the plan! And to the right of the bathroom door is a 24" deep, 24" wide "Pantry" cupboard of sorts. It's designed to have a tallish big space on the bottom for storage of large bags of cat litter and food, with 4 drawers in the middle (since that's the one thing missing in the "scullery" part of the kitchen" and pull out shelves for serving dishes and what-nots on top. I think what you're seeing on the bottom left is the wall oven and microwave. Across the way, it's a range top only...no oven. I like the high BTU gas burners of a Wolf or Viking range top, but an electric oven. And a cheaper way to get it than buying a dual fuel range is the range top and a good quality wall oven. Also...it gives me two separate zones...one for prepping veggies, etc. and rangetop cooking....one for baking, with a big wide counter to roll out dough, etc. and a place for an appliance lift cabinet for my kitchenaid mixer. I'd rather have it in a appliance garage and just pull it out, but I can't figure out a way to make that work...so the appliance lift cab is the next best thing. I'm sure not lifting that heavy sucker out of a bottom cabinet! Hope that helps! And thanks for the encouragement!

Does the rug need to function as a doormat to keep dirty, wet, or snowy shoes off the wood floors or do you live somewhere that has dry, warm weather? If you use that entry as a place where the family takes off their dirty shoes and guests wipe off their shoes, then I would vote for one large rectangular rug directly inside the door and don't skimp on the size. A round rug requires walking on the wood to reach the rug so it wouldn't function well as a doormat.

While I would prefer art or a large curvy mirror over that table, I like what you have, but for all the symmetry and square lines. A rug will soften it some but I think you need some curves. Maybe a small curvy lamp like shown in some of Beth's pics, as well as some rounded large baskets under the table like shown in her pictures. Nothing too structured but a bit organic looking. Or a round stool. Love your chandelier. I'll bet it looks magical at night.