Are you guys familiar with Mimosa borealis? Its a native mimosa. It comes up easily from seed and is very pretty in bloom. If I had the space I'd want that. I grew up around Mimosa trees and judging by the way they all performed in my neighborhood most had a short life span (ornamentally speaking) because they got ugly after several years, eventually it seemed the tree would start declining and they got cut down one after another and replaced with a better tree. The smell is heavenly. They were introduced to the US in 1745 and have been planted ever since so whatever invasive environmental damage they might be accused of, the toothpaste is long since out of the tube since its naturalized itself everywhere. I don't like seeing invasive trees along the roadsides myself and the topic often results in some strong statements on forums. I see Mimosa in the wild but I don't fall apart over it. I'll risk possibly offending someone and ask: has anyone noticed the thick forests of Callery Pear trees coming up around the city in the wild in ever widening forests? Its disconcerting to say the least. The dense growth of those trees growing close together allows no sunlight in, the obvious rapid escape and aggressive naturalizing into the surrounding countryside is worrisome. A grove of bamboo coming up among a mess of red cedar and hackberry trees where it was once grassland was something I saw the other day and it was not an attractive result. I absolutely hate seeing either running bamboo or Callery Pear Trees and wish neither had been introduced here, especially the Callery Pears. On the other hand.... An invasive tree that I love the looks of is Salt Cedar. I mean, I really wish I could have one for that unreal soft color and texture. I can just imagine a nativists reaction especially since I have a mostly native landscape because I am drawn to that but still..... There is one on Paseo in a sidewalk area and it is just gorgeous. As kids we used to use the wood for fishing poles, they grew along the Salt Fork River. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MIBO2

@artemis, I did not love the Liberty at first since the patterns are oh so limited, but that was based on looking at the pictures on line. But once they are in your hand, they just feel so nice. @Kendrah, I am not trying to steer you away from European or American brands, but I would say that if you find a nice set that is manufactured in South Korea, you might be surprised at the quality. They have producing quality stainless for many, many years. Many of the mid-century patterns are gorgeous. If you have antique shops or resale stores in your area, you could at least hold the pieces in your hand. Lastly, if you get a vintage set off of Ebay or in a local shop and any pieces are missing, you could possibly find missing ones on Replacements.com (albeit expensive).

Beautiful, gorgeous kitchen. It must be wonderful to work in. I would have to pinch myself every day. Since this is a walkway to the dining room, if you don't need additional storage, I love the idea of a bold and interesting gallery wall rather than closing it in with more cabinets. Of course if you actually need more storage, shallow cabinets or shelves would be fine also. I guess I would try putting some shallow boxes on the wall to see how it feels before putting something permanent in place.

No. "floating" shelves require enough anchorage to keep heavy shelves and the loads on the shelves from sagging front to back. Typically they are mounted with long screws into a minimum 2x4 studs (3.5" depth). Plywood might be OK with enough screws. The vertical load is not the concern, but the leveraged "pull" away from the wall. I wouldn't anchor into drywall or into the typical 1x pocket door frame. Pocket door frames for 2x6 walls don't change your anchorage space. I do like BTs suggestion. Or frame a 2x4 wall over the shelf side of the pocket door, effectively a 2x8 wall with the pocket offset away from the shelves.