kitokeefe, Yes, all Varde cabinets have adjustable legs, at least, according to their website that says: "- Adjustable legs; stands steady on uneven surfaces." David, I had never heard of OSB and it would have never occurred to me to search for it, thanks for the info! However, nowhere on the IKEA site it says that they use OSB. They do say it is either Particleboard or Fiberboard. I am not sure what the difference is. According to Wikipedia, "particle board usually refers to low-density fiberboard". Angie, Yes, you are right, it is not plywood but ACTUAL wood, which is even better: "Main parts: Solid birch, Clear amino resin lacquer" You could tell just by looking at the pix that it is not a particle board. Rosie, Yes, I live in - hot and humid - Sough-East. And yes, I am going to use IKEA planner or another software to draw the kitchen plan - after I finish my taxes (I won't be seen much on GW till Tuesday, LOL). BTW, for anyone interested, I have found a picture of a very contemporary free-standing kitchen in a 1880 house with elaborate wood work all around. So, I guess the answer is that it CAN be done! Here is a link that might be useful: The Freestanding Kitchen

soooo .. if i understand.. you dont really mind the front facade ... its more the sides that are bothering you ... thats where the monotone is.. to your eye ... i guess i dont know why you would not just change the sides??? but boy.. looking at the side .. i have no clue where i would go with those vertical lines .... and that tiny window... yikes ... but i still like the front as it is ... part of your side problem.. could be accomplished with trellises.. and introducing a vertical element to your foundation plantings ... that is part of the problem... the vast unbroken wall ... leading you to one vast unbroken color.. whatever it may be ... and i am still flustered by the vertical rather than horizontal siding.. whats that all about.. lol ... just playing devils advocate.. and adding variables for you to consider.. outside the box you are standing in .. props for hunting the area to scope out other paint schemes... its always nice to see it done wrong... lol ... ken

LV, I bet you didn't plan on getting an education in architectural styles when you asked your question did you :) Anyway, in response to your question. It sounds like you have a specific style that you like and I do not think the stone around the door is going to achieve the look you are going for. I think I would stick with the other option that you listed at the end of your post: I'm also considering dropping the stone here to shorter wainscot height (same as garage and elsewhere), and doing siding above that and around the door, so that the white craftsman door trim would be siding instead of stone. Here's an example I found that achieves the look you described in the text above: http://luxurydecor.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/220817187959365876.jpg I would keep the rock at the same level as the rest of the house. I think you'll end up with a far better look. Here's an example I found of a house with both trim and rock around the door. http://www.livingandlearningwithluisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Craftsman-Cottage-Home-Exterior-1024x681.jpg It's not a craftsman door like your's but at least it may give you some idea of the look of rock and trim around the door way. In the end it really comes down to what you like. We are building as well and if you are like us you've been pinning ideas for at least a couple of years. As new options come up I am having to ask myself "will this change the look of our house in such a way that it no longer has the aspects that drew us to it to begin with" I hope I've been some help. Best of luck.

Paint the white downspouts a dark colour so they disappear against the stone. For the street-side view, perhaps some wider trim around the window. It would be good to plant something between the shrubs. Something else to look at besides the expanse of stone. If it's too late to plant decent-size shrubs, I think tall grasses would look great. Very MCM. Larger exterior lights are always attractive and relatively budget-friendly. This is not an unattractive house - the stone gives it a cool masculine vibe. But some of the design choices (e.g. siding colour) don't bring out its best. ( LOL shutters??) Thankfully these are relatively easy to undo. The burgundy colour in your stone would look great with navy or slighty lighter blue, for example in an accent colour to spray paint the chair on your porch. Or for the doors. It's a classic colour combination in men's clothing. like this https://www.theberkshirehouse.com/articles/black-houses https://downleahslane.com/dark-exterior-ideas-to-revolutionize-your-house/ https://www.beneathmyheart.net/2020/07/trend-alert-dark-home-exteriors/