They always say do groups of plants for bigger impact in groups of 3, 5 or 7. Personally, I would try and combine the groups so that you have different types of foliage together (i.e. try and keep the liatris further from the daylilies so you keep the spikey foliage apart, maybe putting the gladiolus between the two groups would be best and try and get your groups into triangles.....So something like this, with A = Daylily, B = Liatris and C = Gladiolus. A A B B A C B C C

I would agree that matching the cabinets to the dining room would be too much. Wood that is all the same just blends in the background. Your cherry will look more lovely if the kitchen is something different and vice-versa. Different wood tones together is normal - especially because these will never be "touching" (I think you have to be more careful to make sure floors and cabinets don't clash.) If I were you I would go to the cabinet place and forget about the dining room. Open your mind - consider all they have in natural or stained wood - and pick something you think is beautiful and go from there. If you want something lighter, consider maple natural or with light stain. Cherry is always beautiful, but a little more expensive, but try natural or other tone that you just love. And oak gets a bad rap but with the right door style and finish, the grain can be striking. Good luck.

For everyone that helped me figure out what to do, or was interested...here is the sofa, with the cushions. YAY! And yes, the hanging stained glass artwork (which was a separate thread) has been returned home. <laugh> Now, I will be working on some french chairs I have hanging around. ;)

Kayleigh - yes, refinishing them is going to take a while to do a good job that you're happy with for years. I'm a little concerned about the filled holes for the centered pulls, I've not tried filling holes and gel staining but from reading around wood working sites on the net, some fillers (even if they say they are stainable) do not stain to the same color as the surrounding wood. Do some research and ask when purchasing your products for the project so you can get the best, most blendable look possible. If you only want your cabs a shade or three darker (and the clear finish over the wood is in very good shape), I had good luck using gel stain as a toner of sorts, I applied it like a wax to a console table and tall bookcase, rubbed it on sections and then buffed it off with a clean cloth. Even though it is like a transparent paint, it also has staining properties, it stained the clear coat on my pieces just enough to tone down the orangey in one and darken up a too-light finish on the other. Just something else to add to your considerations.