Hi All, Thanks for the ... um ... spirited debate so far. I've been far too busy to respond to each of your messages. I'm very much a part-part-part-time gardener. I've learned a lot from your posts, however. I understand that there are no definitive answers, and every point of view has pros & cons. Part of my problem is that I'm not 100% sure on what I want and when I think I know what I want, I don't have the time or the money to get it done that way. Upon one of your advice, I had a local landscaper deliver a big load of mulch (for free), and started spreading that around a part of the yard. That seems like a good way to keep weeds down w/o using chemicals. I'm not particularly afraid of the chemicals' toxicity -- but all else being equal I'd prefer that fewer chemicals be manufactured and used. I also bought a Hound Dog Cultivator to give it a try, and as someone noted above, it doesn't work all that well on rocky soils like mine. If I could afford it, I'd probably buy a used tiller. But I can't. Nor do I have the space to store it. My 1-car garage is jam-packed. So, my plan right now is to spread mulch to keep weeds down, and once I figure out what to do w/ a particular part of the yard, clear the mulch and plant stuff there. Thanks all, and if you're in/near San Diego, come right over and help me garden! There's a cold six pack and some hot dogs in it for ya.

So hard to decide. I love MP. I have MP. I love LdL too, but for me it seemed too cold and modern. I wanted a modern farmhouse vibe, so I needed more warmth which MP provided. I actually did walnut perimeter cabinets and painted island( a flip flop to your plan) which made it easier I think. The MP looks stellar on the walnut cabinets and on the painted(olive) island cabinetry, but IMO walnut countertop wouldn't look good on walnut cabinets so if I had down a walnut cabinetry island I wouldn't have considered wood there. I think that means I don't like your option 1 with the smaller island with wood cabinets and wood countertop-sorry) My original plan was MP on perimeter and walnut bb on island, but because I also have post and beam structural elements it seemed like too much going on so I simplified and went with a single countertop surface, all MP. I am quite happy with that choice- ecstatic actually. You are trying to make a lot of choices and thinking about alot of scenarios. I can tell you what I would do, but it might be better to figure out which stone you love and then, as Tim Gunn says, "Make it work" even if that means re-jiggering some of your other ideas. If you consider all your elements and potential elements and then figure out what you must have then you will know what to do or at least where to start. Now to add to the confusion, some things that popped into my head: Stainless backsplash behind stove would also look great. Where you have stainless countertop next to oven, you could alternatively do walnut butcherblock with embedded stainless steel heat bars. This would put the walnut on the white cabinetry which I think would look lovely. The island eating area and the eating area behind the sink could be butcherblock and everything else could be stone. Definitely go look at more quartz options to go with the MP. Think about which of the tones in the MP you would want to bring out, there is gray green gold, mine has purple streaks too. Would the Pebble go with the MP?

Hi 713p, Since you are not able to replace the backsplash, an easy fix would be to paint the walls and your cabinets. It's best to pull a color from a hard finish (tile) to paint on the wall so it works cohesively in the room. I would suggest Benajmin Moore's Fieldstone 1558. It is a grey with a slight green/blue undertone for the walls. For the cabinets, Benjamin Moore's Pure White would be the perfect contrasting color. You will be amazed at how it will brighten the room. When using grey on the walls, remember to add pops of color through accessories and wall art as color is what brings grey to life. Hope this helps! -Alisa, The Online Color Consultant

No to white duck, no to silver strand... if your picking colors to coordinate with your curtains, these will not compliment it at all..... a creamy white with yellow tones, or pale taupe or dark wheat for the field color. (i.e. all the walls in main living area that will not be painted a specific shade found within the fabric.) If your heart is set on silver strand then you need to go back to the drawing board for your fabric, but I think you will regret silver strand as I believe most shades of gray are going out of style now... and warmer tones with lots of color in your living spaces are making a comeback... Not crazy ones like from the 80's or dreary ones like the 70's, but I think a resurgence of color tones from the periods within the 1940's to the 1960's when people were not afraid of loving color in their lives. I do like the Dakota Shadow and Spiced Pumpkin, but make sure you have the right color tones for your light bulbs to make sure they give off a cheerful warm feeling. However, one of the greens and yellow tones might be better for the powder room & laundry room... perhaps yellow for the laundry so you're not depressed while doing your laundry and it won't be too dark, and one of the greens for the powder room... use the other 2 colors as accents in the rest of the home... throw pillows, oriental area rug, lamps, throw blanket, etc...By the way, Lowes and Home Depot now have guides in the light bulb department to help you with determining what tone of light you want in each room... . Alabaster trim is fine and relatively neutral. Even a buttercream would be fine for your main walls, (soothing & happy color tone), but if you are willing to be brave, try to find a dark wheat or dried corn husk or dark honey toned paint color (this is the shade of color to look for, not the name of the color.... you may have to visualize that color when you go looking at the color chips to pull the right ones.) Maybe bring a curtain panel with you to hold it up against... I believe those tones/shades would be unexpected and very much appealing to your friends and family, as well as yourself. They are actually a soothing and homey colors... and relatively neutral and definitely earthy! It will play well with all the colors in your fabric.