Once again I so appreciate the compliments on our kitchen from all of you. This kitchen forum is where I learned of our granite, about stacked cabinets.... So I am very grateful. :) We really love the Miele coffee system. We were not huge coffee drinkers but now enjoy a cup or two quite often, it's so simple to use. It's nice to also have quick access hot water for teas, hot chocolate.... Our ceilings are 9' 1 in the kitchen area and 11' 1 in the great room. I really love how the stacked cabinets turned out. Haven't figured what decorations to put in the glass cabinets at the top yet. The cabinets up there are dark but do have lights inside to display stuff. The paint color is if I remember correctly is called Wrightstone by ICI Paints. Any suggestions for lighting to add more bling above the island would be wonderful as well as what to put in the upper glass cabinets. Thanks again.

Great question.. I am looking at the same thing. I used to have real hardwood oak and now with this new place on a slab foundation I need to search for the right floor. I want a matte finish that is oil based with a brown color not too red or gray. These are some that I am looking at. I am waiting for to finalize details with my GC. I have no idea what brand I will use. Here is a link that might help you too https://www.houzz.com/discussions/hardwood-floor-stain-color-dsvw-vd~4967912?n=1 Engineered Hickory 5 Inch, color Sienna and thickness 3/8 Inch. Not sure the brand but if you search hickory it should pop up engineered hardwood from Monarch Plank flooring - CASTELLO Wide plank engineered hardwood flooring in an espresso stain. engineered floors by Kentwood , maple/5'/pioneer This one might be a little too orange Hallmark Silverado Birch "Driftwood" Engineered Wood Plank installed Hallmark Floors High View Historic OaK This one is my favorite.

First of all, that is a *gorgeous* space, I am envious! And thank all that's holy that you rescued it from the dreadful taste of the previous owners--all those different woods and floor, four or five different shades of red, ugh! I love the new flooring, it's beautiful. I think were I in your shoes, I'd first try adding a lot of cool tones to the room(s), to see if I could tone down the warmth of the wood that way--and yes, do you like the countertops & hardware? That would be the first to go for me, if I could possibly swing it; I'm not a fan of granite/quartz anyway, but I especially don't think those tops work for the cool beachy casual sort of look you want. Maybe a white or light gray granite/quartz at least, if you like those materials? Perhaps soapstone or concrete? Or a pale (or bright! That could be fun) solid-color laminate, even; I know a lot of people dislike laminate but I'm fine with it, personally. And some silver or nickel hardware? Of course, you could try re-staining the cabinets rather than painting them. Do you want to DIY this or hire someone? A pro would be able to tell you the best way to tone down the warmth of the wood. None of which means I think it's wrong to paint them. I'm not a big fan of wood cabinets, personally, so if you want to paint I'd be all for it. A cool white or very light gray, maybe? The island in a different color, a darker gray or blue, or even something like a barely-lilac lilac (as in, gray with a hint of lilac; I don't like lilac as a rule but I think in this space it could be interesting, and different from the other grays that are everywhere [including my house, lol, because I have always loved gray] if you're looking for that. Something about that island bothers me, though. I feel like the outside of it is really...unfinished looking. Like it needs some pilasters, or beadboard or planks or tile, even, just...something. Maybe some vertical trim pieces every six inches or so, to mimic the Mission-style doors on the cabinets? It just looks to me like the carpenter was meant to come back to finish it but didn't. And honestly, I'd probably rip out the stair railing(s) and banisters and replace them with square ones, like @Horner Millwork suggested. The contrast between the Mission kitchen with all the right angles and those little round banisters & spindles looks odd to me. Then you can get new ones in whatever paint or finish you want, and I think it will look a lot more modern and sophisticated than those grandma-looking ones on there now (no offense to grandmas!). Maybe even a metal? I don't know what the rest of your furniture looks like, though, so I'm just spitballing that, basically. I hope that helps! Can't wait to see what you decide!

We've seen homeowners out of the house for close to 3 weeks or longer when the odour of the oil based products is 'locked' inside the home. For those of us who are sensitive to odours (migraine sufferers, asthmatics, COPD sufferers, etc) we are unable to sleep in the same house as a 10 day old oil poly floor. For us, the stink is like breathing in ammonia. It constricts our lungs, it causes massive headaches (I lose vision in my left eye), vomiting (often goes with migraine) and a sense of feeling unwell for the entire time the floor takes to cure. These are all KNOWN reactions to HIGH VOC content. Since the OP is in California, the VOC content in the finish *should be lower (than Minwax 550...which means VOC 550g/L) it still means the VOC content is still allowed to be HIGH if the containers of the product are small enough (don't get me going on that little nugget). The top water based products (not the off the shelf stuff nor the 1 part products) are tougher than oil based. Yes the cost is higher but then again the cost of living in a hotel for another 3 weeks is also pricey. Loba 2K Supra AT, for example, is infused with ceramic nanobeads. They are equal in performance to Aluminum Oxide factory finishes. The myth that water based products are inferior only goes as far as the Home Depot parking lot. So long as the professional works with PROFESSIONAL GRADE materials (not Varathane, not Rustoleum, not DuraSeal) then the 2 PART water based products are superior to oil baed. But the caveat of "...so long as the professional works with professional grade materials..." is the ONE AREA where we see concerns. Many "pro's" do not have the education (ie. paid for the Bona or Loba training themselves) to work these high-end products.