I think the attempt at a colonial look just does not mesh with the organic modern look it also had. I know it was done often as well as with the Spanish look (stucco, beams, etc...), but I just don't care for it. I think you could bring it forward into a more 70s natural look. Keep the ceiling and the slate floor, and try to work in clean elements and curves. Using raised panel doors and those hinges just did not look great when new, so to recreate would be period appropriate, but a mistake. I think a retro modern kitchen and vibe would make the most sense. Like noted above, you can use regular cabs under a curved counter. I could see it looking groovy with vertical grain veneer cabs, some retro color accessories and modern art. You can do an older style in a fresh way. There is no need to be a slave to someone else's vision for it, whether the original owner/architect, or some future buyer. If you added curves to your pix from 15:42 today, that would be quite nice. I am not sure you should whitewash your wood, but it is not a bad option. I would hate to see it get painted though. The workmanship and lines of it are really nice and that would sully it. I don't see too many painted surfaces as working in your house. I can picture grass cloth wallpaper and maybe some white walls. Certainly, you should skip crown molding.... Some funky table lamps in chrome would fit in as would some plants and macrame. I'd try to go for an ahead of its time look from years ago....

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great advice!!!!! I still have so many major things to do here before Monday morning, so forgive me if I don't thank each of you personally. I've now gotten our local, well-known electrician hired and put in touch with the H&A Company manager in charge of our project. Who, yes, will be here on site, he tells me, every other day. Yesterday, I got also got in touch with our local plumber that we know and trust. He's supposed to get in touch with H&A and get back to me today. BTW, this great H&A company would have been happy to hire their own plumber and electricians, but we know our local ones and trust them. Also, those further away in town charge $50-$75 driving time fees to come up here. I also did some more grocery shopping yesterday, as Localeater suggested. I hadn't thought of that on Monday, but it was a very timely suggestion! Planning easy or make-ahead meals ahead of time I also met one of my close girl friends in town for lunch . . . and to cry on her shoulder (LOL). So, today I'm going through each room, writing down what needs to be moved out when work is done in that specific room. We have a collapsible banquet table that I've just decided to use. I plan to set it up in one nearby room that's not being worked on that day. And, it will be a safe place to hold lamps, statues, and stuff in the room or rooms that are being worked on. Kept all together and making it easier to move back into finished rooms. We don't have an attic or even a crawl space, nor do we have a basement. Out here in these mountains, our ground is filled with huge boulders that make it very difficult and expensive to dig up and haul away. I don't know anyone out here who has one. And, no, I'm not leery of the having strange men in here with me. I'd feel safe with this well-known company even if I didn't have my dobie, Knight. It's just the in and out all day long. As much as it would help to have DH here during the day with me, his clinic is over 30 minutes away and his family practice is too busy to leave for hours. As it is, the poor guy even does paperwork through his lunch hour at his desk! As Arapaho mentioned, make sure ahead of time that there will not only be tarps to cover furniture, but ground cloths and daily clean-up before they leave. And, yes, I'm going to call the H&A people today about whether they will be bringing a Port-A-Potty. Thank you! I'm still up in the air about what to do with the dogs. I do NOT want Knight getting friendly with anyone (for future safety reasons), but I will bring them both out to see the workers many times. We have several acres of land so I can walk them close by. Just have to watch out for any rattlers not hibernating yet! We also have a large guest parking area that can accommodate 8 or so cars or small trucks, so my neighbors won't be affected. I have sent out a group email to them all, though, apprising them of what will be happening and for how long. My biggest stress is still the dogs and the amount of work DH is going to have to do this weekend clearing all personal and patient info/documents out of his study. Oakley, I LOVE the idea of your Beware of Dogs sign on the door!!! And, yes, you're right. IF the foreman seems on top of things, I can leave for short times if I make sure he knows. Yaya, thank you for the reminder to roll up my rugs and move them out! Also, snacks and drinks. It would take me almost an hour to run to town and back every morning for donuts, but I might try picking some up Sunday evening as a nice start for them. And, thanks, turn off alarms before they come and on again after they leave!!! CCrunner: good idea about planning ahead some portable projects to do these next two weeks! Eld: funny you should say that about housekeeping help. I drove my husband AND myself crazy when I had help, as I'd always run around cleaning up the night before they came! Morz8: OMG, I'd forgotten about the skylights in every bathroom. They're all frosted, but still, I will definitely plan ahead! UGH!!!! Well, enough sitting for now! It's time to starting moving things and putting plans in motion. Thank you ALL for you ideas, suggestions and comforting. I pride myself on being super organized but this upcoming project really has me rattled, and you're definitely helping! Lynn

Re: computer desk area in the nook ... What about a floating desk? Not this exact one, as you need something bigger, but just an idea of what I mean: https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/latitude-run-burgeo-reversible-floating-desk-w002115883.html It would free up floor space, could go on the wall opposite the closet door, and you’d still have your nice view. It’d be awesome if you could get one custom made, in a natural wood tone. You could also do something like this, going around the corner and under the window. Except unlike this example, your big, bulky items on the wall part, papers and low stuff under window to not block views. And you could add shelves above, if needed. If you’re interested in these sorts of set-ups, search ‘floating desks’. The only issue would be hiding cords somehow, but if you search ‘hiding computer cords’, lots of ideas come up. I think a wood accent wall with your TV would look very cool up there. You have plenty of natural light to do something like this.

Back with a supply question now. Not sure whether to tack it on here or start a new thread, but here goes. 1. Could upgrading upstairs ducts, from two 6” round ducts to four 12”x 6” rectangular ducts, be enough supply increase to make an appreciable difference in cooling levels? Second floor is roughly 830 square feet. 2. Could adding upstairs supply be done mostly through cutting through the downstairs walls and ceiling, with upstairs floor cuts limited to new register location? 3. Any rough ideas on costs? Would adding/replacing 4 upstairs ducts, and adding 2 downstairs ducts, be a $10k job? $20k job? Much more? Any opinions on the above would be very helpful, in terms of knowing whether to pursue this further with local HVAC pros.