Thank you to everyone for all the thoughtful replies! I agree that I shouldn't feel pressured just because there is a sale and normally, I'm not impulsive at all when buying furniture (which drives my husband crazy because I take forever to make decisions!) However, I've never purchased furniture from Ethan Allen before and my understanding is that it rarely goes on sale. With the state of economy, perhaps that is changing. Some of you suggested that I get a quote on a custom piece like this in a painted finish. I did have a number of an Amish carpenter and contacted him today about this so we'll see what happens! I'll keep you posted. Thank you so much to everyone! I appreciate your advice and if anyone has any additional input, I'd love to hear your opinons! This is a great website and I hope to start visitng more often again!

I am always either far behind or far ahead of the "colors of the year"! I have some black accents in the house (the black wood legs on my 2 club chairs, a black sofa table that is probably gonna be relegated soon to the finished basement, the black surround on the fireplace that was there when I bought the house, black-wood and black-metal picture frames), but the rest of the house is lighter: brushed aluminum and stainless colored furniture, including the TV table, which I had re-powder coated from black (!), the dining room table and chairs, the ceiling fans. And some maple (a TV armoire, a console table in the MBR). I looked into getting some end tables refinished from a denim blue (don't ask!) to maple, but the furniture refinisher just shook his head and said they'd always have a blue cast. Bummer. I just wish retailers would not forget the nice maple finishes when they sell the espresso stuff! (Some of the light alternatives, to me, look ugly. West Elm has a natural finish it calls "blonde," but I think it's way off. But contrast IS nice to see. Check out the dark Parsons-type DR table paired with the very light chairs on the West Elm website I just figure "real" blonde will come back soon, affordably. But by then I'll probably be searching high and low for the espresso! Love the one you're with, I guess!

As noted lighting and use matter-you can do lighting with wood shelves, just not pucks, need to be strip light on the sides of cabinets. It's the most common interior lighting I use. "...I wouldn't pay for mahogany though." Once at the level of a cabinet where that is available as an option the upcharge should not be significant. With the brand I carry that offers mahogany it is zero upcharge. Nothing matches the grain/look if you're at all particular. Veneer interiors are an upcharge but then so are glass shelves.

It looks like you have beautiful wood doors, door trim and beams. Don't know what you have around the windows (not pictured). Looks like the stairs could use a bit of TLC. If I were you I would not be in a hurry to paint or refinish the wood. First year in the home should be figuring out what works, doesn't work, how the home functions and where to sink your money. Prime your walls - live with them for a bit and decide if you really want white walls. I know all the pictures on the internet today are white rooms, but they also have studio lighting. Not all homes look good with all white walls. White needs lots of light to really shine. Often a light neutral color looks better than white if you don't have giant windows, skylights or other great lighting. My last home had between 6 and 16 linear feet of windows in each room - natural daylight galore and I had white walls. My current home has more normal sized windows in most rooms and I am painting the walls that were white to something more appropriate for the amount of light. The white just isn't pretty with out sufficient light. With the walls all primed you can look at flooring and paint and make a better decision on what works best in your new home.