That's what Fiestware is...thanks holligator! Beautiful collection, especially the pinks and blues. I'm really attracted to the following colours: Turquoise, White (of course), Cinnabar, Scarlet. I've also seen Emile Henry ceramics in person and really really like them. I ended up buying the oil cruet in Poivre (grey, I love grey), I also like the Litchi (pink) and Figure (eggplant purple). They are pricey but I will invest in more over time. I have an oil cruet in Poivre. I want to stick to these accent colours, with the occasional hit of green. Fortunately I have a husband who used to have a pink lamp in his bedrooom when we were dating (purely fluke and a hand-me-down - not out of choice or anything!!) and he doesn't object to girly colours. All the colours I like are in this bouquet of flowers, which by the way, I plan on recreating for my final finished kitchen photos!! It will go on the island or the kitchen table. I don't think it's too girly, as the plums have a unisex feel to them. Also, there's so much neutral in the kitchen that it will temper the girlier colours. I will think about adding more texture, more stuff, but do it naturally. Holligator, i like your ideas on ferns and the coloured glass!!! Catsam, I can't see your image. I really like Brian Gluckstein! He's one who can stick to neutrals and it always looks good. Oruboris - Yes, you're right that everything is too proper and dignified. Rhome - Yes, they are gallon jars I believe. I bought the smallest of the 3 sizes...I didn't want to spend too much. I may consider upgrading one day though. You're right, it's too perfect. Thanks for the encouragement and tips everyone.

bmore, you and my designer think alike. After deciding at the end of the day to create frosted glass shelves on metal supports, I arrived the next day to find a new box, taller and wider taking up most of the space. No appliance garage though. The box is 6" deep with shelves that cantilever out another 6". I had to stand and think about it awhile but I do think this one will work. The shallower box makes the unit less heavy and the shelves are a good depth for everyday dishes, cups, glasses, etc. I don't have a picture to post just yet. Rexroat, are you asking about the corner sink in the blue bathroom? That bathroom doesn't have tile. The walls are concrete but I could see that you might think they are tile. I will have to find out where the sink came from, if that's the one you mean. I didn't mean to post all those photos on Flikr. I'm just learning how to upload from my iPhoto file and I guess I clicked something that uploaded a bunch of pictures indiscriminately. I'll have to go in there and do some editing, LOL! pps7, WOW! What a lovely kitchen. I love the mix of the rough wood shelves with the clean lines of the other materials. I looks like a calm and peaceful space. You must love it! I like how the shelves float on the wall without visible support. I think we would have to rip out dry wall at this point to do that but it's a great look. Thanks everybody for your comments.

Thank you all for weighing in on this decision. I read each and every comment and you gave me a lot to think about! We ended up going to Bargain Outlet tonight to order different countertop. The Soapstone Sequoia tops that we bought ended up not being long enough (Big oops) and they won't work in the final layout that we settled on. When we changed from a range to a cooktop, we could no longer do the cut for the range, and it threw our measurements off. Somehow we missed that little detail until today until we set the counter on the cabinets and realized it was 6" short. : P (Must have been DIY dilirium.) But...we think it might have worked out for the best. We had bought the counters months ago when a local store was going out of business, and then more recently we got the cabinets. Seeing them together showed us that while they could work, they weren't a super match for each other. When we picked up the cabinets, they came with a few small sections of Bella Noche laminate, and they looked great together. Since we were going to have to order counter anyway, we switched directions and ordered Bella Noche instead. We never would have picked it from the little sample cards, but seeing the remnants with our cabinets helped us to know that we'd like it. While we were at Bargain Outlet, we ordered a 30" wide x 18" tall wall cabinet to place under the short wall cabinet in our layout. Our plan is to leave the doors off of it so that I can have a little bit of open shelving, but it will be boxed in along the side of the range hood like many of you suggested. Playing around with the shelf last night made me realize I could have a lot of fun with an open area there to decorate. We also ordered a glass door for the corner upper to help it feel airier over there om the sea of uppers, and it will give us another spot for displaying pretty serving bowls, too. Colors for the oven cabinet, hood and island remain to be determined. I don't really want to paint all of the uppers at this point. We have a busy family that the factory finish will probably handle better than a home paint job. Maybe someday, though! Now I have to see what colors look nice with both the cabinets and the new laminate. Should I keep it simple and do black? (Our fridge is black... and the cabinet doors have black lines along the details of the trim.) There are flecks of dark blue in this laminate too, although it's hard to see in the sample online. Bella Noche:

So, I played around with shelf configurations yesterday. Almost, but not quite, everything I need off the counters on the range side now has a home, and no wood is closer than 30" over the burners. Didn't have the right corbels on hand to tackle the other walls. Had planned to paint the shelves, but I am liking the light wood. Thoughts? On the other side, I think you might be right, Diane. I redid the sketch, trying to imagine how stuff on the stop shelf would change how the room feels. We also plan some kind of light fixture over the sink, which would also alter the equation.