BEIGE! You DO need help! First, redefine your view. You don't have a boring kitchen. You have a neutral backdrop to launch your decorating project. So tell us a little about what you like, some non-decor things you're attracted to, what environment you live in (some ideas that might work well in a cabin in the mountains would look odd in a little ranch in the desert). What things do you have in the house that you LOVE? That's always a good place to start. Being tasteful can be really confining. At this point, 3 things that don't match look odd. 23 things that don't match look "eclectic"!

Thanks to all for shaking my brain loose, It's been detailed to death in the past couple of months. But reading through it all, I ended up with an idea that is workable and low-cost. Open shelving - the cats, the ubiquitous dust, and the expense of getting the shelves correctly hung make it a no-go. What you don't see behind the cabinets is the support stuff they had to install to keep them on the wall. Workmen who can do adobe stuff don't come cheap. The cabinets are deceptively cheap-looking, mostly because the POs were not TKO or even decor sensitive, but they are custom-built plywood with self-closing 3-way adjustable hinges, drawers are plywood. Solidly built, just boring. AnnaC54 - Moldings are easy and cheap. I might do "sombraje" panels (closely spaced twigs) on the fronts of some cabinets elsewhere in the house. The materials are free for the gathering along the river. Sombraje looks like this -- can be natural color or stained or dyed with RIT. http://www.watersongfurniture.com/images/spirit-portal-2.jpg dianalo stencils or stamps? oh yes! A faux tile painted (stamped or stenciled) backsplash would be interesting, using the current blah cream as the grout color and the classic cobalt, rust, creamy yellow and deep green colors of traditional azulejos for the tile bodies. http://www.myrustica.com/media/00/a207919135d5f403d2af0f_m.jpg That could overwhelm the countertops, which are a namby-pamby french blue/pale rust/cream swirly thing that is nowhere near what real slate looks like. Maybe something like this, which would blend better, with shades of rust and greyed blue as the primary solid colors and/or patterned tiles in less intense colors. http://www.mexicantiles.com/artman2/uploads/1/kitchen-backsplash-talavera-angeles-mexican-tile.jpg marti8a - Oh wow, you nailed it (pun intended) ... if I'm going to have boxes hanging on my walls, I might as well have BOXES on the walls! Take the place back to its mining town days, when the wooden boxes things were shipped in were as useful as the contents. Add fake board grooves to the doors with my router or with a chisel, paint or stain to get the mixed old wood look, add molding, and stencil or paste reproduction labels onto a few of them. Paint the face frames to set off the "boxes" and the tiles. +++++++++++++ As for the rest of the house, the walls are white, the carpet (over who knows what, probably oak strip flooring, maybe local planks) is elderly pinky-beige plush which will stay there until we're ready to tackle floors, the curtains are cream and the woodwork is pale coffee-cream. So none of the undertones match at all. But the location is great, the layout is very convenient and the price was really good. Patience and paint is mostly what it needs. The thermal properties of adobe, especially when the interior walls are adobe like thses, is everything you have heard of. When it stabilizes at a temperature, it's hard to move it. I had to use the furnace a few nights, but it's been off since early March.

Hmmm...I see what everyone's saying about a more substantial table. I think my kitchen can "take it", but I was envisioning more of a less is more type of table hence the choice I pointed out. I also don't want the thicker pedestal because I have this pet peeve from growing up, we had a glass dining table with a thickish pedestal and I'm a legs-crossed kind of eater, and I hated that my legs would bump as I was propping them up. So I want the pedestal to be as minimal as possible. Positano - I expecially love your choice. And Kelleg, very good thought as I was all set to get the harvest table. But it just felt a tad too casual for the room and the chairs. And again, I can just see myself banging my toes on those thick pedestal legs. A couple of reasons - So as not to block the view through the window which RMkitchen pointed out, not to block the view between the kitchen and adjoining family room, and because I just generally want the eating area to be a daintier/less obtrusive space. That's why we're doing a 48" round and only 4 chairs. We don't plan on having more than 2 kids, and when we entertain small or medium sized groups we'll either do a sit-down dinner in the dining room, or appetizer type stuff that we can munch on around the island. I see us mainly doing a lot of informal entertaining, and for more family gatherings we'd definitely do it in the dining room. So...I'm intrigued by tulip table idea. Rm brought it up, and someone else in another post who I can't remember. This one has a black marble top with a brushed chrome base, I like the base but would do a different top: This one is the standard white tulip table which I actually happen to love. Do you think they would work with the chairs?

Congratulations! That is one awesome house. With a few special touches to make it yours, it will be the special place for all of you to call HOME. Can't wait to see what decisions you make going forward. And sorry, I thought you all had been living in it for a while. Makes this really exciting to see going forward! Congratulations again! :D