Wow thanks everyone. You guys are the greatest. This thread is helping me alot. Lukki - what was so helpful with the photoshop is that it made me see colors I normally would not have even thought of which is really cool (wenge and kona for example)so I feel like it has opened up more possiblities for me..thank you - I love seeing those. Finally we got a SW store in my city! So this morning I went and almost cleared out their swatches and I will browse through those this afternoon as I am so used to only having BM colors to choose from (which I do love). Ajsmama : (I'm an "AJSMAMA" too to my 5 year old son AJ :) The Antique Jade is nice and I like the way your dining set (similiar color to mine) really pops agnaist the color. I love it..looks so nice. Another new thought process thanks to this thread is I am wondering what a light color would look like? I normally paint mid-tones through my home (LR Decatur Buff, Hallway BM Dijon, kitchen BM Ginger Root,) so this would be new but looking at the color Kona it is nice.

Marti- We went through that too. Thought about every possible potential use of the space and got discouraged by people who insisted we needed to have an island or nothing at all. I understand the sentiment, but different things work for different people. I mentioned it took us a year to go through the layout/design phase, right? We considered everything. I am going to try to attach a copy of an ideabook from houzz where I collected some photos to help me decide what to do with the beam/bar area. I liked some of the photos and disliked others, but kept them all to help me think it through... I have some other pictures, not on houzz that I will try to attach separately. Here is a link that might be useful: Houzz ideabook

Family friendly options that aren't dark: -Microfiber has the reputation of being easy to clean. -You could get a slipcover sofa. These are easy to find at places like Potter Barn and Crate and Barrel and don't look schlumpy like an aftermarket slipcover (although it's generally a more casual look that a regular sofa). -You could get something with patterned upholstery that would camouflage stains a bit.

I can' imagine why a wood door warranty would be voided because of the size of the roof overhang. Who told you that? If it true, why would you be considering that door company? If you are concerned about weather protection, there are PVC, aluminum and fiberglass clad wood French doors available. Who told you swinging French door tend to leak? Compared to what? ... Sliding doors? Are you on the ocean or in a hurricane zone? What brand of door are you considering? This sounds like the same misinformation issue you're having with the warranty. I've put multiple French doors in a row with two steps down to a narrow walkway immediately outside of the doors with no roof overhang. If the view is important, casement windows are not a good option. For a horizontal view you should have wide windows. You could save a lot of money with a row of 4 large double-hung windows. If you have an architect involved, why aren't you getting better information?