I had just recently heard of it and thought that it may be fun to read. I need something lighter after some of the Game of Thrones books but, I was not sure that it is the type of book I want to purchase. I looked in the library and for the first book there are 8 copies in circulation and 251 holds. I did not even bother to add myself to the hold list so may break down and purchase the first book to see if I enjoy it.

Not sure how dark you want. But do check out Gray Owl and also Nimbus. (not Nimbus Gray). Baltic gray was another winner in the last house. Didn't work in this one. I needed to pick one color when we built. As you know, lighting and the room's exposure really makes a difference. For us the Gray Owl worked in every room. It' light, but you can see the contrast with the woodwork. Here's the dining room, before we painted in Velvet Cloak.

You obviously thought long and hard and really got it just the way you needed. Considering that I started planning the remodel 7 1/2 yrs before we started, yeah, you could say I thought long and hard. ;-) It was hard to wait but on the other hand, since the plan evolved over time, it was definitely worth waiting for. I wasn't going to include a pull-out cutting board - I hated going to use it and finding it filthy because DH and DS2 had forgotten to clean it - but DH and DS2 raised a ruckus when I told them my decision. So I added one back in. But then I took my sweet, sweet time treating it with food grade mineral oil - and they knew I'd raise holy hell if they used it before I treated it - so they got into the habit of using the plastic cutting boards that I can throw in the DW. Yay! So all the fuss about the cutting board and it's yet to be used. =) DH wasn't so sure about dishes in drawers at first but he warmed to the idea during the planning stages. He loves having them here now, as does DS2 (who, at 5'11" is the tallest in the family). In fact, DH will show people that we keep the dishes in a drawer. I love it but I knew I would. So, no, it wasn't hard to get used to my dishes in a drawer in the least.

Rick jewel tones would work well - a deep plum, navy, cool tones would work best. This room has a very clean crisp look to it - unfortunately they didn't update the inexpensive oak vanity box - the side of that is a melamine (not actual wood - a picture) I'd remove the TP dispensor, install a 1/4" Oak panel and sand and paint the whole thing - White would help eliminate the tile grout line around the base, a darker gray would give you more contrast. If the rest of the house looks as clean and crisp as this room - I'd say you bought a nice updated home.