Thanks everyone. First let me say that I really appreciate all help -- I can build the cabinets, but that's the only thing I'm confident about. I have little ability to envision things in decorating and designing, and I'm starting to panic that there will be some glaring oversights when it's all done. Here's a link to a previous post about my kitchen, which has sketches of my floor plan and the sink wall I'd like to paint. BTW, because of the feedback I got on that post, we had the stove moved closer to the sink a little. This shortens the distance to the refrigerator. :o) The kitchen doesn't get any direct sun, so I'd like to achieve an open and light feel as much as possible. We put recessed halogens in the ceiling, so it's brighter now. I envision a pale blue, very washed out, like you see on old doors in Italy or southern France. (The kitchen will have more of an English country feel, sort of like a Beatrix Potter illustration slightly gussied up.) This was my inspiration color -- the pale green blue on the cabinet in the background. Here's another blue color I like. They're different -- I haven't decided on an exact color yet. I thought I'd paint the interior of the uppers off-white, the same color as the off-white cabinets. I've been troubled about the marble/maple junction too, but I think it will be all right if they butt up against each other. (The marble will run the whole length of that wall, and the maple will run into it.) What do you think? I'd be happier if the heights were different, but I don't see how I could do that. The sink run will be 36" and the stove height dictates that its surrounding cabinets also be 36". Most problematic here is the transition from marble to wood on the 4" tall backsplash. lyno, thank you for the offer to photoshop! Tomorrow I'll try to find a picture for you to work with.

Is this rental in a market where the renters can afford to be so choosy as to reject a house because the floors don't match? When I last sought out a place to rent, flooring aesthetic wasn't even on my list of concerns, as long as it wasn't carpet (and that was a functional concern). It was stuff like "are there enough bedrooms" and "is the locaction good" and "is there a dishwasher". The wood floor and wood-look vinyl do not look good together, sure, but is it worth tearing up and replacing right now? If that level of detail is indeed crucial in your market, I agree with the slate-look sheet vinyl. In my old apartment, it was all original hardwood (1915 building) except the kitchen and bathrooms, which had sheet vinyl that looked vaguely like travertine. Wasn't the best looking, but was functional and super easy to maintain. Sheet vinyl is great for rentals, and they make some good looking patterns now (like the slate). For whatever reason, I've always been fine with tile/stone-look vinyl and vinyl-look vinyl, but I just don't like the wood-look stuff.

Hi, Joanne-- Ida is right - you've got chair rail in your dining room and picture rail in your living space. These will take on a totally different appearance once all that wallpaper comes down, so I'd eval then, but expertly installed millwork is always worth a second look. Nice touches to have in your space if they work for your vision of it going forward. Is removing your ceiling popcorn in your plan, too? If so you'll be making a big transformation on your painted surfaces all at once - exciting stuff!

Pretty house. Don’t have any input regarding your colors as I am a fan of super white trim with a contrasting body color (although I do love a crisp white house) ...but...regarding the shutters, you could make cardboard samples for them and have someone hold them up to see how close they will be to one another. Whatever you decide about the upper windows, make sure you use hinges and shutter dogs for the shutters (looks like the architect put them on the elevation). With the shutters properly attached with hinges, you will have more space between each shutter than you would have if they were installed in todays typical way by basically pasting them onto the siding next to the window (plus they will look so much better and realistic). I would also consider omitting the shutters on your French doors. They will be HUGE if properly sized and don’t know that it will be a good look on your house.