Wow, I'm amazed by all the helpful ideas and comments! It took me a while today just to process everything - thank you, everyone, so much! I went to the local nursery today and bought some morning glory seeds to run up the front posts. Roobear - I LOVE the drawing you did!! And I love the look of those front posts; they are definitely going on the "wish" list if we can fit them in the budget, maybe for next summer. For now, we're going with some vines. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that picture; it really made me see the possibilities! Did I mention I LOVE it?! I'll either do a trellis around the meter box, or possibly get a nice tree to plant on the other side of the walk to hide it from the street, as rosie suggested. We dug down around the concrete walk tonight, and it goes down several inches...too far to break up with just a sledgehammer - we tried. So, instead of going through the expense and hassle of moving the walk, I think we'll just have to leave it. I'm also going to get a tree of some kind to place on the opposite side of the house (left side when facing from the street), and expand the front garden out and circle around it. Hopefully that will give some dimension to the front. I also love the red door in roobear's pic. I would not have chosen red if I hadn't seen that visual; it's nice how it makes the door a focal point. Thank you all again - in two days you gave me more ideas here than I've come up with in a year. I'll try to post some pics once we put things together!

I confess I have not looked at the poster links.... But from the titles, and your existing blues, I am guessing that you are talking about cycladic style, like what you see in the islands. The hallmarks of this look, which is predicated on the extraordinarily beautiful Mediterranean light, and the historic poverty and simplicity of life on these islands, are a series of clear sky/sea blues, almost blindingly white limewashed stone/stucco walls, light diaphanous cottons, rustic woven textiles in blue and white or red and yellow, (some black, a little green in tones more olive than bright) terra cotta that is more golden than red, and rough natural wood. The look is always handmade. It is a life based on the sea, and sunlight, and simple local sources for everything from food to pottery. This book will give you a good idea of what I am talking about...you can look into it a bit on the Amazon site and decide if it would help to guide you. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Greek-Style-book-Suzanne-Slesin/dp/0500235260 For a good dose of modern interpretations of this style, wander around in this site and look at the various accommodations (these are luxury hotel rooms in Santorini and others...). http://www.ikies.com/ Could you explain what you mean by "country apple" for your kitchen. I'd be careful about mistaking "theme" for "style," and putting decorations and accessories ahead of underlying design choices.

I agree with Penny's comments. I personally like dark colors for the walls as it looks really rich, so maybe pick the darkest color around your tub tile. The white of the tub, towels, etc will lighten it up. I can't see the sink, so may have to adjust your backsplash tile....

We'd love to have an interior designer on speed dial before deciding exactly where and how to hang that new wall art we bought on a whim so we don't make any major mistakes. But until we win the lottery, we'll have to settle for trusting our gut—and taking plenty of interior design tips where we can get them. We've compiled some secrets straight from the pros to help you with all your decorating needs.