I'll answer first and then read the other posts. Pretty sure that you don't want to hear this, but I wouldn't be so quick to paint the cabinets and rip out the counters, especially not to get another "creamy white with granite or butcher block" (a look which I love, BTW). Once you've painted, there's no return without lots of work, not to mention how much work it'll be to do a decent paint job. I'd paint the walls (probably off white) and add vinyl floor tiles with a checker pattern or some checks n for starters. You have this cool booth, and I'd play that up. I love, love turquoise and would pick more shades of turquoise in accessories and also in that booth (white and a watery aqua, for example, or add a coral to the mix). Oh, and I'd get different window treatments. Lastly, if you remove that one wall cabinet, could you add a hood? Of course, it depends on what you like and what the rest of your house looks like. More info on the link below. Looks like they actually stripped their white cabinets to get the maples back. Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen remodel

Apologies for the long absence. *sigh* Our desktop crashed, and I may have a bit as well. :) We're still waffling. I'm glad I didn't order anything months ago. The space is mysteriously getting more and more contemporary. Two weeks ago, DH and I wanted Option #2. This week, it's #3. The cabinets turned out so sleek! Definitely, though, I'm thinking pewter or brushed nickel or chrome to go with the appliances and faucet. I think those of you who said it'd be too much going on are right. That poor chandelier is just going to have to stand alone. I bet I'll get used to it with time. Mysterymachine, your post makes me laugh every time I read it! I should give your vote extra influence, with that amazing kitchen you turned out. (Okay, now I feel I need a disclaimer; bc everyone's kitchen is amazing!) Laurie, thanks for the vote! Flowerchild, thanks for the link. Those pulls would be great with the chandelier but a bit heavy with the other kitchen elements. Ok, a couple of OT thoughts. First, now that I'm fully recognizing my split-personality decorating style, I really get how some of you have done this several times. Second.... rats, I need more coffee. Completely forgot. Maybe something about how organic this process has been even though I thought I had a set plan long ago. Amy, np with your question. Thanks for bumping this back up, though I missed it Sunday. (I wanted to respond to the last three posters but hesitate about dragging my issues back up after so long!) We are still getting the Basalt Slate, sometime in the next couple of weeks. Templating is this Friday. Hopefully the counters won't take too long. I know most laminates are in stock, and we got really lucky with the engineered quartz. Our installer happened to have our choice in stock, available, and in the right size! Woo hoo!

Oakleyok, So agree with you on the overabundance of white! White is an easy color to match other decor. Sochi, I was surprised too about the gloss and lacquer coming into the vogue. Earlier this month Awm03 posted a link to Kips Bay Decorator Show 2013 on GW - my thanks to her for it! The interiors on display clearly showcased most of the trends listed in HB. I'm re-posting the link from Awm03 here for everyone's convenience. - Brass? Check. Both in vintage/antique patina and shiny 70's-80's versions; - Bright colors? Check. Althought the bright teal bathroom isn't exactly my cup of tea, it still fascinated me at first. After some thought I conceded that it could make sense to do a small space like a powder room or nook in a bright color to add some "pop" or intrigue to an otherwise restrained house. I like the curtain and rug in the entryway design. They bring an otherwise cramped and dark space alive. The curtain would be a perfect solution for hiding a large storage unit for footwear, umbrellas, bags, dog leashes and coats on hooks or shallow shelves. - English florals? Check. The wallpaper in the lady's writing room is so pretty, it makes me dream about a small weekend cottage decorated in the style! - High gloss, lacquer and polish? Check. My favorite is the dining table with the black lacquer top and MCM-style chairs. It's probably nostalgic because the table reminds me of the 60's Czech-made sideboard and bookcase in my room back home in Moscow. They were topped with black opaque glass, had glossy walnut veneer doors on the fronts and polished oak on the sides edged with thin brass piping. MCM meets Art Deco. - James Mont style furnishings? Check. There are some lacquered pieces that clearly allude to his designs, although they are more restrained in comparison. - Art? Yep, it's definitely present there. :D Bsmith1, You make a valid point about being able to relate to the designs in magazines. My view is that there should be a bit of everything for everyone. I would add to the opinions by Palimpsest, Bronwynsmom and others that the shelter magazines give us a chance to peruse interiors designed by pros. We can't afford the high-ticket items they feature, but we can learn about paint color combinations, textile patterns or mixing and matching different styles The other day I went to a garden tour featuring several million-dollar estates. The proceeds from the tickets went to the local schools. I would never be able to afford the lavish landscaping, but I appreciated a chance to look at the work done by pros. The plant combinations, spacing of features, types of plants for different sun/terrain conditions, use of stone, etc. There was a landscape designer available for questions at one of the properties. Besides, it was a beautiful day for a walk in the gardens! Here is a link that might be useful: Kips Bay Decorator Show House 2013

I forgot to say that Kahn is rather unpopular in Philadelphia, and in the US in general. I am not an uncritical fan of his work, but I like some of it, and for a builder in a rather ugly style, he managed to do it quite beautifully on occasion. He lived less than a block from where I sit, in a 19th c. house, in a neighborhood that was not that great in his lifetime. It was interesting in My Architect how people talked to his son about hating his buildings, Edmund Bacon called him an idiot (or something like that) and yet people in the Institute of Public Administration, at Ahmedabad, India, (1963) got practically teary-eyed talking about their buildings, and his death, decades later. Incidentally I looked at a house which may have been designed by Anne Tyng, one of his baby-mamas (for shorthand)...it was interesting, executed at a time when either technology or money was lacking to meet the design, and out of my budget.