I'm sorry, I'm all over the place here. I had thought about hanging the Romans in the slider higher, but they're inside mount and short as it is. I never thought of running the casing higher *and* adding fabric above the romans to make them look taller. I'll have to see if we have some casing that's long enough to go the 4" higher and redo it. But DH kind of likes the sign in the middle of the 2 pictures so we may just keep that. So, leaving windows aside, let's try to see what we can do with furniture. Later I'll need help with artwork b/c as I said I never hung any in old house and we were there 14 years. Now, I really want the bay to be a focal point, original plan was to build in bookcases on either side and have a small table with 2 caned Victorian chairs in the bay. But reality (living with extended family nearby) hit and we realized we needed more seating so we bought sofa and loveseat (and then ottoman) instead of just a sofa. We put the tree in the bay at Xmas time. I'm thinking eventually I'd like a (shallow) windowseat there flanked by bookcases but that custom work won't happen until we replace the carpet oh, 10 yrs from now. So, DH and I moved the LS *into* the bay with the ottoman in front of it (also moved the Victrola in from the LR where it clashed with dark wood tables). What do you think? With the back almost against the windows, does it make it a focal point almost like a window seat might? Of course, I should have just saved the expense of putting in the single sill now since you can't even see it. Ah well, it will still be there when we get to do the window seat. We tried putting the LS at the kitchen end but it just closed off the room and was hard to get by the table & chairs (another unplanned but necessary purchase since we had at that time been living 3 months with no island countertop, eating off a folding table and folding chairs - it took 6 more months to get countertop and I still have to finish the last barstool).

Warning-grumpy vent/rant ahead! "I don't consider it a priority for me, it's just something I do. It is much easier since the kids are grown and of course the house was not neat when they were in the house." Allison, sorry to pick on you; I noticed the same sentiment from a couple of other folks who have responded in this thread. Frankly, people without kids living at home, IMO, are living in a different universe as far as ease of keeping a home clutter free. I'm a neat and tidy person myself. So is my husband, with one important exception (more on that later). When I lived alone, and after we married but before kids, it was not a huge or impossible task to keep my living area clutter free and serenely tidy. Now, after 19 years and 2 kids and with those 2 both teenagers...forget it. I would like to hear from some folks in this topic who are experiencing life at its 'fullest', ie living with children, pets, a couple of fulltime jobs for the adults in the house, no household help. I want to learn how THOSE folks are living the dream of a house with empty horizontal surfaces :). As for me, I have all the above clutter creators in addition to living in a house built in 1950 with a single (not walk in) closet in each of 3 bedrooms and one (narrow) linen closet in the hall. No other storage. I sort mail and throw it away. I have places for everything. Etc etc etc. My house is also filled with stuff and between the kids and my packrat husband (who loves to bring home stuff OTHER people have thrown away-arrgh) clutter free is not happening. And it won't for a long, long time. Sorry to pick on ya, Allison and the other neatniks. But to make amends, can I ship a couple of teens and maybe a husband to you? That would free up a LOT of clutter around my abode! Ann

Michoumonster - I have 9' ceilings. I did 42" cabinets on one wall which do not meeting the ceiling, and on the other wall I did stacked cabinets which meet the ceiling. I really liked the stacked cabinets. Not only do they provide extra storage, but with them, it meant I didn't need a big molding. My molding is about 3", for both the 42" cabinets and the stacked cabinets that meet the ceiling. My cabinets are semi-custom, and when I discussed the various options with the cabinet guy, I decided against big moldings because (A) they were very expensive, so that stacked cabinets wasn't much of a difference in cost, (B) at that expense, the moldings were using up space but not providing utility, and (C) I found big moldings to be too fussy for my kitchen's decor. These are just MHO's, but I thought I'd give my $.02 (for what it's worth!).

The gap at the vertical seam in the stepped-back cabinet is owing to the fact that there is no end cap "skin" added to the face of the big cabinet to bring it out the 3/16" (flush with the faceframe at the corner) and you/he needs that 3/16" to make the rest of the run come out in proper alignment. Be a sport and get the necessary components for a proper install. The other gaps at the stiles of the vertically stacked uppers is a defect in manufacture; the faceframes were not flushed up properly at assembly. This would be accomplished in the factory by a pass over a jointer or a large belt sander. Casey