tbb123! Thanks so much for all your help with getting the layout of this kitchen right. The kitchen is great to live and work in and my husband, the cook, really appreciates the workspace. My only regret is not going with IKEA cabinetry as the semi-custom maker we used ended up being a little...not so high quality. We ended up having a roomate who is quite the chef for the past year so the kitchen got quite a workout. rmtdoug - don't know if you're still around - it was a simplehuman holder from BB&B -something like this: http://www.simplehuman.com/sink-caddy-brushed-stainless-steel Thanks Russ! Emily - I used inspiredLED ultra bright warm flexible strip. It was a bit of a hassle as my electrician didn't know to run low voltage wiring and instead ran big old regular wire...so my advice is to have all the lighting details worked out WELL in advance. The folks at inspiredLED cut the strips to size based on your cabinet plan and supply all the parts you need. I hardwired my system so I could have a wall dimmer. Lighting is still holding up well although we don't use the dimmers really on the undercab, maybe once a year I'll dim them for ambiance during a party. You will need an outlet somewhere the transformer can plug into (they recommend under the sink). Outlets in cabinetry in my province are I guess not allowed by code unless there's an appliance involved so, anyway, I remember there were some objections to my initial desire to have an outlet above the stove. Some of my counters are shiny and I ended up installing the strips to point back at the backsplash to avoid the points of light on the counter effect. inspiredLED explain how to do that.

This is actually interesting timing for this thread. I am in the process of having my house re-sided and new windows/doors put in. I ordered the grids between the glass on the front windows, but they got the order wrong and they came without. In order to keep the project moving, the GC installed the plain windows and ordered new ones wtih the grids. Last Thursday night, the windows were replaced. My neighbors - even those who are anti-grids - all have made a point to tell me how much more finished the house looks with the new windows. One person commented that the windows looked like black holes before the grid and now the windows look balanced with the siding. (See pfmastin's comment above) I've had strangers stop to do the same. From the inside, I really like the windows so much more. The view out the front is not gorgeous, but now when I look at my windows, I have that fuzzy new windows feeling I just didn't get with the plain windows. Granted, true wooden mullioned windows have a ton more character. They also are not a smart upgrade in my neighborhood and would likely have tripled to quadrupled my window budget. They are also hard to clean. I took pictures of the front of the house with the first version of the windows. Maybe just for fun, I'll take some new ones and post here so folks can see the difference if folks are interested.

Thanks for the great suggestions and the good discussion. Teacats, funny you should link that starburst mirror. I have been shopping (and overthinking) starburst mirrors for months. I have several in mind, but I am planning to put it over the fireplace in our dining room. I also like the other suggestions you make. Those are all along the lines of things that I also do. Like I said, I have framed menus of favorite restaurants, blown up photos, had our kids do "original paintings," etc. May be I'm just tired and being lazy at this point, but I was thinking it would just be nice and easy to buy something instead of making it. I have done so many projects in putting our house together, and I guess my bigger philosophical question is--does everything have to be so darn special and personal in order to be worthy of display? I know, I know, that's a personal question, but this forum is full of people like me who obsess about their homes and finding that "perfect" piece of furniture, paint color, art, etc., and for people like that, do you feel like it's ok to just buy something off the shelf? Thermsen, thanks for your thoughts. As we decorate our house, I do wonder, is some of this obsessing bordering on snobbery? Like the PB stuff that oakleyok posted--I actually like that stuff. But, that stuff is mass-produced. May be it's ok bc PB is classier than BB&B. I saw a wooden billboard sign at JCP and liked it, but I hesitated bc it was from JCP. Here it is: http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=166e8cb&deptid=71371&dep=HOME+D%c3%89COR&catid=71784&cat=Wall+D%c3%a9cor&SO=0amp;pcatid=71371&Ne=5+1027+1031+580+1008+8+18+904+949+833&pagesize=1&x5view=1&N=4294953198&cattyp=RLE&Nao=198&PSO=0amp;CmCatId=71371:71784 Ok, thanks for letting me bounce ideas off this forum!

I haven't ever seen that. Replacement windows are meant to replicate the real thing: wood windows with wood mullions. If you were painting real windows, you wouldn't do them two-tone, you'd pick one color. I live in an older neighborhood where folks have done as they've liked over the years with colors. There are plenty of homes with dark beige trim and their windows look like dark beige, not a gray hole. Try driving around a similar neighborhood. Replacement windows are too expensive to not be positive on. If you do go with cashmere, I bet it won't be as dark as you're expecting outside. I just had our trim and shutters painted. Even though I did big sample posters and took them outside beforehand, when the paint is up on the big, big house receiving lots and lots of sunshine, the colors are several shades lighter than they were on the cards.