A - Options with marble backsplash with white backsplash with some other backsplash B - Designs #1 (no island, one continuous counter) #2 (island, one tall cabinet at very end) #3 (island, two tall cabinets (one on each side of window)) something else C - Aesthetics make the cabinets in the dining room look just like regular kitchen cabinets make the cabinets in the dining room look more like they belong in a dining room, despite being used for kitchen things something else Last but not least: D - Countertop black with white veins solid black some other dark option light grey dark grey something else Hi...what an exciting time for you and congrats on your adorable house... :) I highlighted my own preferences....but they are MY preferences...why?: I adore carrara marble hands down. I think white tile would be rather industrial looking. In fact, I would do carrara on the island if it's in the budget (and you don't mind the inevitable wear) I have always loved the idea of "extending" the cabinet run into the dining area. You don't have to keep kitchen stuff in it. It will fill up with "good" dishes, games, wrapping paper, tableclothes....all of the things we need on the daily. Plus you can NEVER have too much cupboard space. Also, I like to work at an island. My back isn't facing everyone else... I would have a soapstone counter. Once again I love it, but also if you love the carrara, I think the marbled counter would be too much of a opposite, negative look. Good luck on this. The examples you've shown are just lovely...

Happy Monday! Thank you SO MUCH for all the thoughtful comments and pics!! We ordered a cat condo; it will be placed on the wall where the money tree was located. The tree has already been moved to the left of the fireplace. It does well in our family room as it likes indirect sun. Also, we trimmed our cat's claws and she didn't mind it a bit! I was more nervous than she was haha!! Thank you, ingrid and shari, for that recommendation. The right words at the right time can make all the difference :-) Anglo, I do like seagrass rugs and maybe now we can consider looped rugs after all. Beverly - your suggested layout would def be my preference, and we did try to make it work. But the z-chairs - which we really like and I couldn't find any swivel chairs that I liked as much - kept getting moved around for better tv viewing. And since the tv over the fireplace was most functional for us, we had to find a furniture arrangement to accommodate it. The interrelationship of all these factors has me spinning in circles! As I find items that are appropriately sized, I would greatly appreciate your assistance in making them all work together. Susan and havingfun - I love love love the rugs and bird/owl/gingko pillows you've posted and am hoping we can create a layered cohesive look. Initially I started this process by looking for a rug, but now I'm thinking I'll look for the artwork and design around that. l agree with everyone who posted about finding art that resonates. The three prints currently hanging are special to me - they depict Inferno, Purgatory & Paradise as imagined by Salvador Dali in his watercolor series of Dante's Inferno. We saw the collection on our honeymoon, and my husband gave me the first print (Inferno hehe) on our first wedding anniversary. We've going to move these prints to the master bedroom. If you have any suggestions for reasonably priced interesting artwork sites, please share! Thank you! mjlb - I'm going to try to get a better pic of the chairs' true color. Also, fyi that the hardwood floors are going to be refinished with a medium brown stain. Thank you for all your suggestions. Thanks, everyone, for all your great feedback. I so appreciate it!! I tend to tackle home projects in a piecemeal fashion, then get stuck because I don't really know what I'm working towards. Thanks again! :-)

When you retell the story of how they came to be yours, it seems that you had more of an option to reject them than you originally related. I suggest that you exercise that option. I had one such sofa for many years that was bequeathed to me via my parents who got it from some antique dealer. It was a real old one with horsehair in the cushions. I even paid to have it reupholstered. I always hated it and finally got rid of it. I tell my kids to just tell me when they don't want something. Actually, I am extremely mindful of passing anything down to them. They have their own stuff. If they want it, they can have it when I am gone. I'll bet that even Queen Ann, herself, would not like these overly ornate and supremely uncomfortable seats. I'll bet that even she would get rid of it and have what she wanted. LOL!! Have the inlaws gone on to a more modern style while leaving their old one for you? That might make some sense if you are just starting off in life, but you seem to indicate that you are not still standing on the starting line. You are not going to get where you want to go via their aesthetics. And, as others have advised, don't build it in.

Lucas, you have some decent furniture to work with. I think you need some fine tweaking, color and some art work for the walls. Or some wood shelves and a bit of life via plants. (that half dead corn plant doesn't count! lol) here's an arrangement w/your desk under the window. your walls need some extra help. for example, look at this soft sage/gray wall color. would look nice w/your wood furniture, chair and your rug. Here's how to position the desk under the window. I like this w/floating wood shelves over the desk. if you move the desk back to the other wall, try a new wall color maybe an accent wall, Or something a bit more masculine, try BM Kendall Charcoal. bring in some other wood shelves (can you DIY? go to the lumbyard and get some walnut boards. cut to size. float them w/lag bolts or grab some brackets of some sort) I like the dark wall color w/a soft white for the other walls. have you seen the DIY wood shelves w/the iron pipe fittings? you could easily make up something like that for the walls. another layout floating the desk in the center. chair in the corner, bookcase on the one wall. can you install a semi flush mount light in the center? How about some artwork or photographs? your walls are very empty. you have anything w/a bit of color? I think if you did that one wall in a dark color like the green or this black, maybe hung some pendants like this, did a cabinet in one corner w/a nice plant on top, it would look nice. perhaps this type of set up. you can do some simple DIY bookcases. look at Ikea BillyBookcase hack. (see links below) you could easily copy these shelves. even on a smaller/thinner level, painted dark like this, would look perfect in your office. center light, rug, wall decor. maybe a glass door?? https://www.southernrevivals.com/office-makeover-reveal-ikea-hack-built-billy-bookcases/