when you say a 'few shades creamier' do you mean darker? If you mean than then id say that would look nice and if you plan to keep the chairs then I would go darker than the chairs on the table.The subtle contrasts will look better so you don't have it look like you tried to match it all. Make sure whomever paints the table really really preps it well. Funny, I never heard the term banquette? Do you mean the island? Revere pewter is a very pretty color and does have a slight green to it. I almost did it in my halls but am going to do pale oak, which is a more putty color. Good luck with all

Will there be a TV in the room? It looks like the room breaks down roughly into three 10-ft by 14-ft sections. The dining table and chairs probably would use one of the end sections. I would place the dining table with the long side parallel to window, to break up the long run of space. This would leave a roughly 20-ft by 14-ft are for living. It would be difficult to center seating on the fireplace, as the fireplace would be at one end of the 20-ft by 14-ft area. One possible furniture plan would be to place sofa facing fireplace, with a sofa table or narrow cabinet behind (possibly your dining server). With a 14-ft room depth, there should still be plenty of room to walk behind the sofa. Chairs could then face sofa, flanking the fireplace. Alternatively, chairs could be placed at right angles to fireplace. Note TV not considered in either of these plans. If dining server is not used behind sofa, it could go at opposite end of room to balance some of the dining table weight. You have a really lovely condo, and I hope your existing furniture will fit.

Thanks for the additional input sktn77a and Austin Air. I got into the attic and had a look and have pretty much decided to go with keeping my existing ducts (I didn't find any obvious leaks) and pairing them with a new 3 ton unit for most of the house and the mini-split for master bedroom area (option #3 in my first post). I like the zoned cooling idea, and it brings the handler inside (don't have an option for "centrally" locating it). If my ducts end up being bad, then I can always have them replaced at a late date, and I think I'll still be happier with the 3 ton central/ mini-split equipment than if I bought a single 5 ton. So I made Contractor #3 an offer of $12000 on his $13K estimate to see what would happen. He countered with an interesting option. He will meet my price of $12K but instead of this unit in the original proposal: https://gemaire.com/american-standard-4a7v8036a1000b-platinum-series-3-ton-18-seer-variable-speed-air-conditioner-unit-208-230-1-60-4a7v8036a1000b#tab-description he tracked down this one: https://gemaire.com/american-standard-4a7v0036a1000a-3-ton-20-seer-variable-speed-acculink-air-conditioner-r410a-4a7v0036a1000a#tab-description The replacement option is a few years old (not sure how many) but is still new in the box and would have full factory warranty. The SEER unit is actually higher on the replacement option but almost all of the specs on the two units are exactly the same. But based on conflicting info in the link above, I can't tell if the replacement option is truly Variable speed, two-stage, or single stage. Edit: just to clarify, 4A7V0036 is the model number AS currently used and continues to use for the SEER20 unit, and 4A7V0036 for the SEER 18 unit, so that hasn't changed. The difference is the original quote was for a model number ending in "B" (4A7V8036A1000B) and the cheaper quote is for an "A" (4A7V0036A1000A). But I haven't been able to tell what changed from "A" to "B" units. Saving $1000 is nothing to sneeze at, especially if it is essentially the same unit, but I'm feeling reluctant. Opinions?

Gray IS neutral, as are beige based and off white colors. Why invest in "trends"? Invest in a more timeless color that is not subject to fashions trends. That is sound advice when building a wardrobe or adding elements to your home. Who cares what "NO ONE" wants? The real question is to ask what it is that YOU want? "NO ONE" does not live there....you do. You cannot go wrong with a neutral and non dictating base color. You can always add accent colors. Those should be the trendy colors---the accent colors. They are usually the things that are more easily changed out. This kitchen needs more that just a change of color for the cabinets, though. It is almost a moot point. I agree that painting them is not always a good choice. I had painted some cabinets in my kitchen at one time. Once you opened the cabinet door, you saw that it was really an old cabinet. Unless you are going to go behind the doors and renew that space as well, you might as well not waste your money and time. They almost never look good. I have seen some that do. But, most times it is not a good look. Besides, the finishes on a new cabinet door are finishes that I could never attain from using ordinary paint. And, to get such a resistant and smooth factory finish as what is on my KitchenMaid cabinets would require materials and tools and techniques that are not readily available to me, the DIY person. One advantage for you is that your doors are a slab door and are easier to work with. The two colors that you chose are beautiful. It looks like what ever is on your floor has a gray tone to it.