squirell - Thank you! Thank You! I really appreciate it, sorry I wasn't able to come back to it until now. To answer your question on sitting in the bed. No we don't. I can't even think of one instance when we have. I really like a few of them. We'll never have pillows on the bed though like that although it looks nice they'd never be on the bed, but always on the floor (speaking from experience), however if we have a headboard I could plop up the current pillows. I like this one as the height seems right for those and I like the panel height in this one (but not sure about the shades or a valance with it as I lean towards simpler and non-formal looks) Would this as shown be too much with a headboard? The wall height is 9' and I'm looking at 95-96" drapes if I go that route. It would leave a 1' gap which I think will be perfect once we finally add trim to windows and crown molding. No shutters as I only like them with trim. Though everything looks odd to me on windows without trim. We choose between those and the 2" wood blinds initially and decided we wanted to be able to fully open without having shutters that swung out over the bed or in the traffic path on the other window. We are getting a bed eventually just on a budget at the moment. The one I managed to fit in there is the current choice, though I think my scale is off when I did it. The inspiration pics also have pics with just the flat part on top of the windows. In the ones I posted the dining area has that. JCPenney has some tab tops on sale now so I guess I could get those and return if I don't like it in person when hung. However if I then needed to go the shade route - will that mean I need to move the rod down as they will be slightly higher than the one shown above. I'd like to try to avoid too much stuff. Does the shades work with a headboard?

Whether you go with white or dark cabinets (personally, I prefer the dark, even with white appliances) is your choice. However, keep in mind that if your cabinets are in good shape, they will outlive your appliances. You're not enamored of white cabinets, do you want to commit yourself to them "forever"? Unless you plan to redo your kitchen when the appliances die, you will have a similar decision to make when you need new appliances...and they won't die all at once, so you'll be re-committing to the color over and over again. If the cabinets are in good shape and painting is intended to be your only redo of them in the foreseeable future, then paint them the color you want, not to match your appliances. As Rosie mentioned, you can paint the appliances if they really bother you (using, I think, appliance or auto paint or a paint meant for metal). The bottom line is this: If the cabinets are not going to be replaced when your appliances die, paint them to please you, not the appliances. Then, for your appliances....(1) patiently wait for them to die and replace them with black or stainless, (2) sell them on Craigslist and then buy new, or (3) paint them now. I would wait b/f I decided what to do w/the appliances until you've painted your cabinets...then make the decision based on how you think they look! (If it were me and I didn't like them, I would probably go with option (2) or (3).) (If your cabinets are in only fair or poor condition, then you may be replacing them sooner than you think/plan! So, if you're willing to live with white for a couple of years, then it might not be so bad. Oh, and if they are in only fair or poor condition, don't put an expensive countertop on them now...it would be a waste of money b/c existing countertops very, very rarely fit new cabinets...even w/the same layout...and if you end up replacing cabinets, I recommend looking closely at your layout and changing it to be more functional if it's not ideal now.) Good luck!

i agree that the hutch takes away the lightness that the open shelves gave. i wonder if it would help if i put glass on all 4 sides? though it would still be a lone cabinet on that wall..maybe have to think about something less permanent, like a mirror or something.. annsch, unfortunately, there is no way to move the range now, especially since the hood has already been stuccoed in place. i think the venting was a bit difficult because the roof framing was very tight too, so i guess i will just have to make do.

I have wood on wood, and I love it. My kitchen looks a lot like the picture of Suzanne's old kitchen that she posted above. SO much,for a split second, I thought it was my kitchen :) . I think it is really important to make the kitchen in the style of the house. My house is a contemporary post and beam, it was built in the late '80's. When we bought the house it had white painted shaker cabinets and black granite countertops. I hated it. It felt so cold in my warm sun filled house. Fortunately the cabinets were chipping, the drawers started falling apart and I was able to convince my husband to spend money for a redo. We planned and saved for years, we changed floor plan, we did a lot of the work ourselves, I think I lived with subfloors only for 2 years. When we finally were ready to get cabinets we went with a local cabinet maker recommended by a friend who is a kitchen designer. I told him I wanted cabinets with grain, and I wanted them in the color of the dark knots in the beams that run through our home. The floors are natural ash and pick up the lighter golder tones in the beams. The cabinets could have NO red tones. The beams have enough. When he installed the cabinets, John(the craftsman) admitted he thought I was a bit cuckoo, but once it all came together he said it was his favorite kitchen ever and over the next few years he would often bring prospective customers by to see it. Its years now and our kitchen is still a place of joy for me.