grandmaof3..the pictures of the kitchen were from when the previous home owner lived here..I'm attaching some updated pics. Sorry for the confusion. Also, I have always had a hard time arranging the furniture in our living room since it is so oddly shaped! :( We are thinking about getting a wrap around couch and maybe a recliner to make things easier and look better. yayagal, thanks for the link! You hit the nail on the head with earth colors! Exactly what I'm looking for..just hard to choose which ones. lol I've seen a lot of turquoise crosses and turquoise western decor, which I think would compliment the colors well! Would you mind sharing pictures of the family room and dining room? Thanks again!! I hate posting these pics because our house is so bare! lol But I always stop to remind myself that we are only 23 and just starting out! :)

Thank you so much for the information. I enjoyed the browse! Earlier in the day, after work, I went out and bought a quart of Dunn-Edwards Navajo White, which has a green tinge. Now I think I'm warming up to stepping it up a notch after seeing those pictures. Part of my problem is I have the pretty blues and greens in my nearby living room that would look so pretty with some of the yellow/olive like hues of green. But beyond my kitchen (and visible) is a step down area and den that are a green grey, which unfortunately doesn't look great with the maple, otherwise I'd just carry it on up. I wish the yellow that was on the wall worked, but I don't think it looks good with my silestone. I do like how it looks with the maple though. Here is a picture. I'm hoping a darker green might do the trick to work with both areas. I have spent so much $$ on paint samples that it is embarrasing! :-) Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm not an expert but I do live on the coast. IMHO, there's more than one way to accomplish the coastal look and feel and still have it be appropriate. I personally prefer touches of darker furniture and/or accents to add some contrast and grounding to all the 'floatiness' of the typical whites and light blues. As far as espresso furniture goes it seems to be a more recent trend, which may explain why it wasn't common years ago in coastal decor, but I'm definitely seeing it used as an evolving, updated version of coastal decor in the PNW. I personally have an espresso dining table and chairs...I'll be adding short, white slipcovers to the chairs for our 'summer' look, and I think it looks great with white slip-covered sofas and white kitchen in our great room. We have a few other elements that tie in the contrast and it all just works. The photo and link below give at least a rough idea of what some darker elements can do for the coastal look for those who prefer it... From Coastal Living: Here is a link that might be useful: Morgan Harrison Home--5 or 6 photos in all

The blue and green and brown are going...once 2 walls separating kitchen are gone it will all be open. It's gonna be a large space and new color will have to go down hallway too. Not sure what will look best with the carpet, trim and kitchen cabs. Go all one color? Go a darker hue of same color around cabinets/foyer? Do an accent wall? Keep it simple and just paint same color for everything?