rrs626- Your choices are beautiful! I love your granite and backsplash. What a difference from what you first were considering. I love the new backsplash vs the cream that you were thinking about. I can't wait to see it up. As for me, we are moving slow. I have all our walls patched and sanded and the old backsplash is down. I am going to start painting in the next week. We are waiting on countertops for now due to some uncertainty with the economy. Once my husband is a little busier with work, we'll move forward. I'll post some pics of the new paint job because even that little change will help. Hopefully, we'll have the new countertops in the near future. Sorry, I didn't catch your posts earlier. You made some great choices!

There is an easy way. It's very simple, although it may sound complicated at first. I'll give you an example using some assumed measurements for your situation, and you can adjust to what you actually have. You will need a facing board whose width is just a little more than the greatest distance between the bottom of the beam and the ceiling, at whatever point that occurs. Let's say that the distance from the bottom of the beam to the ceiling is 6" at its greatest point (presumably one of the ends). Mark a distance on your board of, say, 6-1/4" from its bottom edge (so that, when you are done cutting, the facing board will give you some wiggle room by hanging down about 1/4" below the bottom of the beam). Then put the board in place so it butts up against the low center point, plumb it horizontal with your level, and fix it in place (2 nails?). Then, get out a drafting compass (you know, those things you use to draw circles on paper). Set the distance between the points of the compass to the distance between the ceiling and the pencil mark you made. In the next step, make sure that the distance you set the compass points to doesn't change as you are working with it. Then, simply run the compass point along the ceiling and the pencil point along the board, from one end to the other. The pencil will mark a line on the board that exactly conforms to any deviations in the ceiling. Take the board down, cut along the marked line with a saber saw, and you're ready to put it in place. If you've been able to follow my instructions, you will have a board that conforms to the irregular ceiling and hangs down about 1/4" lower than the beam at all points. Do the same thing for the other side of the beam. Then nail a third piece across the bottom and it's a wrap! If you have any slight gaps when you're done at the ceiling line, you can put a small piece of trim in place that will hide them. Hope that's clear. The link below (illustration 5) shows how to use a compass to scribe an irregular surface in a different application, but, hopefully, this may help your understanding of the technique. Let me know if you need anything clarified. Here is a link that might be useful: Scribing with a compass

First of all, that is a *gorgeous* space, I am envious! And thank all that's holy that you rescued it from the dreadful taste of the previous owners--all those different woods and floor, four or five different shades of red, ugh! I love the new flooring, it's beautiful. I think were I in your shoes, I'd first try adding a lot of cool tones to the room(s), to see if I could tone down the warmth of the wood that way--and yes, do you like the countertops & hardware? That would be the first to go for me, if I could possibly swing it; I'm not a fan of granite/quartz anyway, but I especially don't think those tops work for the cool beachy casual sort of look you want. Maybe a white or light gray granite/quartz at least, if you like those materials? Perhaps soapstone or concrete? Or a pale (or bright! That could be fun) solid-color laminate, even; I know a lot of people dislike laminate but I'm fine with it, personally. And some silver or nickel hardware? Of course, you could try re-staining the cabinets rather than painting them. Do you want to DIY this or hire someone? A pro would be able to tell you the best way to tone down the warmth of the wood. None of which means I think it's wrong to paint them. I'm not a big fan of wood cabinets, personally, so if you want to paint I'd be all for it. A cool white or very light gray, maybe? The island in a different color, a darker gray or blue, or even something like a barely-lilac lilac (as in, gray with a hint of lilac; I don't like lilac as a rule but I think in this space it could be interesting, and different from the other grays that are everywhere [including my house, lol, because I have always loved gray] if you're looking for that. Something about that island bothers me, though. I feel like the outside of it is really...unfinished looking. Like it needs some pilasters, or beadboard or planks or tile, even, just...something. Maybe some vertical trim pieces every six inches or so, to mimic the Mission-style doors on the cabinets? It just looks to me like the carpenter was meant to come back to finish it but didn't. And honestly, I'd probably rip out the stair railing(s) and banisters and replace them with square ones, like @Horner Millwork suggested. The contrast between the Mission kitchen with all the right angles and those little round banisters & spindles looks odd to me. Then you can get new ones in whatever paint or finish you want, and I think it will look a lot more modern and sophisticated than those grandma-looking ones on there now (no offense to grandmas!). Maybe even a metal? I don't know what the rest of your furniture looks like, though, so I'm just spitballing that, basically. I hope that helps! Can't wait to see what you decide!

How is your floor holding up??? We are thinking about using this brand in our new construction. Tx in advance