Sorry I can't help with with your stain choices because I'm in the same situation right now. We're just starting our build and are having wide plank pine floors in the entire house. My kitchen cabinets will be painted cream & glazed with a hickory countertop. I would like the floors to be mid-tone, but not sure how to get there. I just posted yesterday in the building and flooring forum. I'll be watching your post and build for ideas! Good luck!

I am very belatedly returning to this thread, as I turn to the next project in the room. clairebuoyant1, karenseb, wma89, amck2, dilly_ny, caminnc, gsciencechick, debbi branka, louisianapurchase - Thank you for the lovely things you've said, big smile on my face as I reread them:) beachpea3 - Glad you saw this! I would love to have you over to see in person, but please give me a few days notice for a thorough cleaning:) arcy_gw - After having lived with the molding, I agree with you! We'll be redoing this. One of the projects for this spring.

Thanks buehl - I have read those and will re-read *many* more times as I finalize/internalize everything. The specific dimensions will be critical. I like the idea of prepping on the island, with a view of the backyard to my right and visiting/watching people in the family room straight ahead - and now that I'm comfortable with a sink there...it should actually function! I'm also going through my 'wish list' and prioritizing (i.e. the utility cabinet can move out of the kitchen) - I'll report back on actual priorities/appliances/daily workflow walk-through. Huge thank you also for showing me what 25 feet can look like - who knows, perhaps we can do that but I fear it may eat into our backyard too much. nightowl - I adore your kitchen, thank you so much for sharing. I am reading the underhood shelving link you included now - and just added to my wish list. shhh! Do you happen to have pictures of your pantry? And tips for finding such great appliance deals? Impressive work! I am sure I'll have more questions for you as it seems we have similar space, taste and budget! My usage isn't to where you are - yet - but I do envision hosting 40 people like you referenced in the shelving thread once this is all ready! I'm really excited to be ready for that, as well as significantly improve our enjoyment of daily cooking and my occasional marathon baking/freezer meal prepping days. My next step - get a general ballpark # from my contractor on the total reno (including digging out a larger garage & basement under new family room & kitchen space), to move forward with our architect/interior designer on details. Stay tuned for more updates & questions - excited to have you all involved with the planning! My friends & sisters love to help and while their opinion is helpful (especially with pretty things like tiles) - they are definitely not experts on the details that make a kitchen truly function like you all are. Happy to be here, and hope to learn to help others. :)

Adding a wood mantle is a great idea and in regards to bookcases, maybe consider cabinets and open shelving to match mantle. With the other bookcases in room, there is a bit of bookcase overload If you do want something like the look below, make sure the bookcases reach the ceiling and have a trim for a more finished look. Really important as well is how you accessorize shelves and mantle and there is lots of on line help When you reference help with layout, hard to suggest - is there any other location for sectional? In regards to lighting, add lamps to side tables, a floor lamp located where it’s needed and if you don’t need the ceiling fan/light, replace with something that provides good lighting and also place on a dimmer. You can get a lot of ideas by searching Houzz and Pinterest for inspiration, as it is hard to know how much you want to change.