I enjoy threads like this one. Tough nuts to crack. Some people come to the forum all apologetic and withholding information. Others are fundamentally quite demanding but positive happy hopeful optimistic and unrealistic, so it's just a laugh and a lark. On Tuesday, advertguy2 asked about his kitchen: "... approximately 12' x 12' with one window and I want it to have a functional layout. I would like it to have an island and perhaps a peninsula as well since I couldn't decide which one was better. Can someone please provide me with a layout? It has one window and one door going to the backyard. THANKS!!! " That was right after marcolo wrote: "What is becoming an issue is, as you say, the expectation levels of some of the new posters. They want the max for the minimum. They expect perfect strangers to create buildable drawings and an ideal layout while they themselves cannot be bothered to learn how to post a picture. They don't bother with measured drawings. One fellow had the gall to write a four-sentence paragraph--no drawing, no photos, no links--and demand a layout. I gave him the what for, and he hasn't been seen again. This probably deserves a separate thread, but I haven't figured out how to address the issue without scaring off the innocent." Both of the two people I've quoted are in this thread: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0422251116196.html Sewing your own wedding dress & rebuilding your own transmission Some related threads: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0410083312116.html When context is missing. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg042105021789.html Contextual Beauty___or a Good Fit. Meatball, you rock! Hope you enjoyed advertguy2's self-parody. And welcome to this forum. I'm looking for something nice too. What suggestions do you all have?

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post here. Just to close the loop for this post, here's an update. We ended up choosing santos mahogany, variable planks of 3" and 5" wide, for our kitchen floor. It is browner and redder than the wood floor in the rest of the house. The color variation between the santos mahogany and the oak flooring in the rest of the house doesn't bother us. Although, now the oak flooring looks tired and in need of refinishing to keep up with the new kitchen floor! The santos mahogany floor is sanded and finished on-site with oil-based sealer, 2 coats of Bona Traffic Satin and 1 coat of Traffic Semi gloss. The floor is unstained. When the first two satin coats were put on, the floor looked pinkish and very dull. I almost cried in despair. But GWer kitchenkrazed helped me out and mentioned that to change the sheen, we could put Traffic semi gloss for the third coat. We asked our floor guy to do that. Amazingly, after that last coat, the floor is no longer pink but beautiful warm red brown that we LOVE, and instead of being dull, it has a gentle lustre that looks great! It is hardy with our dog's drool and slobberiness. We have had scratches from dropping a drawer onto it (it was a loud crash!) but other than that, the floor has held up very well since January this year. No scratches from our dog yet... As far as cleaning, it is a cinch! It's wonderful that I don't see black dog hairs as easily as I did on my previous white vinyl floor. Water stains (or drool stains, more accurately) are more visible but easily wiped off with a damp cloth. Dust is hardly noticeable, but maybe because I enjoy cleaning my floor now and do so more often than I did on the old vinyl floor. Lol! Below is the photo of the floor, and the link to our "just finished" kitchen reveal. Here is a link that might be useful: White Kitchen Reveal

I came across this article from Architectural Digest and I think it answers all your questions. Eider White with Repose Gray with Bright White for ceilings and woodwork and Dovetail for the adjoing room. Kitchen has your colors in reverse, but none the less it is truly professional help from a respected publication: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/what-not-to-do-with-monochromatic-paint-and-decor

I perused Saatchi Art, an online marketplace for original art. $500 and under, sized for over a sofa. https://www.saatchiart.com/art/New-Media-Colorful-stylized-horse-002-10-07-17-Limited-Edition-1-of-10/589194/3693341/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Collage-The-dispute/992353/3639555/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Photography-Calla-Limited-Edition-1-of-200/914096/3215835/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Photography-Sunset/338119/1401363/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Beta-Alone/1209702/4845559/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-starlight-night/1183769/4728014/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Cossack-Mamay/1232337/4905054/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Yellow-submarine/1623864/7811346/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-car/1638897/7862598/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-The-summer-2020/1620439/7773548/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Camping-by-the-Billabong/1627887/7803038/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Cats-60/1124830/7660223/view https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Calm/1002731/3692961/view