(Had to scroll back to find the "nude dude". I like 'em.) I'm not a minimalist so all the "stuff" I would find interesting to visit. I'm not a fan of red rooms but so many over stuffed rooms I've seen pictures of are red so maybe that's part of the formula? The massive numbers of pillows on the sofas drive me nuts! I can imagine sitting down (daintily) and having them fall over my shoulders onto the floor, knocking the snifter of cognac out of my hand on the way down. Damage to expensive carpets be damned - I hate to waste cognac!

Let me clarify. I don't know a lot about different styles/architecture, but I would classify my house as American Colonial because of the symmetry, duel chimneys, and columns. However, I have focused in on the small French influences that are evident through out the house. (I WISH I had pictures to show all of you, because it would make it so much easier, but my beautiful digital camera died a couple weeks back. With all the house projects, I haven't gotten around to getting another one.) Im not going for the Provence French style or the French country kitchen. I guess in most cases American French Colonial probably portrayed the French country style. Like I said, I donÂt really know a lot about different types of architecture. So let me try to paint a picture for y'all. The exterior is like a creme-ish color limestone. My house is completely symmetrical (love it) and has a front porch as well as two smaller balconies on each side of the 2nd floor. The balconies are supported by 2 columns each. The doorway is arched. Also, most of the rooms in my house are open with arch ways. There are 4 entrances in my house(garage, main entrance, back door, and side door) The back door and side door are french doors. 6,800 SF. The basic feel of all decorated parts in my house is clean cut but with decorative elements everywhere. I would say simple, but elegant if that makes sense. Instead of purchasing something that screams France, I'm focusing more on the details. For example, in the spare bedroom I painted the walls a neutral crème color, but dressed up the rest of the room with a highly detailed armoire (handed down for generations), layered duck egg blue & a lighter tone of crème fabric for the curtains, ornate picture frames, wood floors, the curtain material is also wrapped around each of the posts on the four-poster bed, splashes of silver where ever it fit, among a couple other things. That may give you a feel for what kind of style I am going for. Right now the kitchen is completely empty. It is a clean slate. The other rooms in my house are either painted or wallpapered with light tones of colors (blue, red, crème, green, purple, and cool grey) and have splashes of darker colors mixed in, except the ½ bathroom that is a dark sapphire blue. All rooms have a little bit of silver, white, black, or gold in them; some rooms have more than others. That is not so for my Kitchen. I want my kitchen to make a statement. I want it to still be clean cut like the rest of the house but I really would like to turn the heat up a little bit. I want my Kitchen to scream "PARIS, FRANCE". Kind of like a stepping into a different world, if that makes sense. Surrealism. I would say more of a French Chateau/Villa feel. My first initial thought was to hire a Interior Designer for just the kitchen, which is always still an option, but if I cut the middle man out of the budget I can get more of what I want! My kitchen is 30x24 and opens via 2 archways into a smaller living room. The smaller living room is just a comfy love seat and a comfy chair with a hidden tv and stereo system. I havenÂt painted that room or done a whole lot to it because of the fact its open to my kitchen. I will probably work on them together, or the kitchen then the living room. So, I guess where I am at right now with the kitchen is all designed out from doing the rest of the house. Okay. I feel like IÂm writing a book. If only I had a camera  they say a picture says a 1,000 words. They were right. Lol. My ideas for the kitchen  comments please: -Incorporate the cream limestone on the exterior of the house and use that as the countertops. (the railing for my stairway also has the limestone incorporated) -Same color stone for floor? -Mainly white cabinets and appliances VS warm rustic color OR mix of both. And how could I achieve that. I have searched for pictures of a combination of the two, but I havenÂt found any. -Diva range  looked into them and have made a final decision!! They offer custom work so I can decide how many cooktops, how much counter space, number of ovens, and how much storage space I want. IÂm still deciding on an Island though. Anyone owning a range island with comments? Pros & cons? The idea of a range island, with extra counterspace and a 2nd sink sounds great to me, but IÂm not sure if there could be any problems with it. -IÂve heard a lot of great things about Bosch dishwashers  and read them on this forum  Does anyone have any suggestions for which type? IÂm always cooking and a big/high performance dishwasher will be the 2nd most important thing in my kitchen. -I spoke with owners of Metallo Arts today and am definatley going through them for my range hood. They offer custom work and are very flexible in helping me with a design. They passed my customer service test. Also, they have oodles of color finishes with silvers/golds in them which I think would go amazing with the rest of my house. (and I agree with everyone who thought that hood was gorgeous!! I havenÂt decided if I will purchase that pattern or finish, but I love all their hoods so either way I am in good hands. -Fridge? I just want it to be huge. I havenÂt even begun looking around for one yet. Suggestions? Any fridge youÂve purchased that you LOVE! -Crowning/cornicing will def. have to be incorporated. My budget is ... big. I have planned all along to spend the most money in the kitchen than in the rest of the house. Now that I'm done with the rest of the house, I still have almost half of the funds I set aside for the whole house project. Its not that money isnÂt a factor, because it is, but I am well prepared for the remodeling. =] SUGGEST AWAY!!! I want to think about all possible options before I truly begin the kitchen.

BP, I think your daughter has classic good taste. :-) I wear different fragrances for different moods or settings. I always wear Tuscany when I will be seeing my daughter as this is the fragrance she associates with me. There are a couple people who associate me with Ciara, so, like Tuscany, I wear Ciara when I'm going to see those people. I wear Chanel #5 when I'm feeling nostalgic and vulnerable. To me the scent is light and not too much of any one note. JenMonkey, I can tell you're a youngster (in comparison to many others at the KT) just by the men's colognes you listed. These colognes will bring back a few memories for the older folk... English Leather. Russian Leather. Old Spice. Polo (a bit newer than the first three). Back in the 80's I swear every guy I encountered wore Polo and my boss at the time, I'm certain, bathed in it. Jodi-

I hear ya D2G, we all have plenty of those missed opportunities in our homes. I know I have tons! It certainly doesn't make your home any less beautiful! However, I would not draw attention to it with a FP screen, except maybe one of those fold over types Flo mentioned-they tend to stand higher. I also wouldn't buy anything else for the mantle. You don't need to match the art, and you have so many lovely things. I would sooner see your beautiful clock and candelabras, though not "perfect," because they are a piece of your story.