How gorgeous those light shades are! Neat project!!!!!! It may take several of us to answer your question. The things I do have knowledge of is "sheet moss". In the craft section of Walmart where the silk (fake) flowers are, they have sheet moss in a bag. You soak it before you work with it. I have also seen quantity boxes of sheet moss on Ebay. Some folks have recommended putting a baby diaper in the bottom of your planter to regulate moisture for the plants. I'm wondering if a key ring (or similar metal loop) can be used on the outside of the planter. Put Wire ( smallest gage wire in the electrical dept) from the key ring and through the little glass hole and attach to the chain on the inside of the planter. Chandilear prisms (Ebay) could be hung on the exterior key rings (loop). You do not show the type of chain that you bought so I can only tell you how I would have done mine. I would have bought real loop chain (per foot which comes on a roll). It would need to be a somewhat small size, which comes in different sizes and colors. You can hook anything to chain and the hardware department is full of hooks that would attach to chain easily. Some of the other people here have worked with beads and such. And maybe someone has done the project that you speak of. Good luck. We will all want to see the finished project!!!!!

How fun to see all the comments and eye candy. Thanks for the conversation on this, it really is something I go back and forth about. @FoozerX - I appreciate hearing from someone who really doesn't like the split. Thanks for your honesty - and for chiming in. @pawa - I'm worried about the gray-dark brown-white thing for more reasons than you know. I've NEVER liked gray and have always leaned to the warmer tones but I find I am really being influenced by the current gray trend. I can't decide if that is because the current grays are more earthy/muddy/warm/zen or if I am just that suggestible afterall... That being said, the dark lowers/light uppers really does seem practical - and easier to keep looking clean. I'm all about that! LOL @palimpsest and jterrilynn - How interesting to learn that this isn't a new phenomonenon, but rather one that is just rarely done. It really does seem to work to ground the kitchen and lighten up the upper half... @MichelleDT - What a great island that is in your inspiration pic. Your kitchen sounds great. I am totally a fan of chunky floating shelves, too. I can't wait to see your kitchen come to life, hope you share lots of pics. @sas95 - There is sooo much to like about your kitchen, including the uppers and lowers working so well together but being different colors. I have always loved that backplash - and those windows are great. @deedles - Those brown doors on white boxes in that picture is not something I would think of, either. While I'm iffy about it, what surprised me is that I didn't despise it. There are other pics that show better how they relate to the island color, but again, not really seeing it for me. If you think of that GW kitchen, please do chime in with it. @rosie - It's a good point about the need to harmonize counter/tile to make something like this work. I just don't see color really working well with it, necessarily. I think the counter would contrast with the lowers and flow more with the uppers, but the backsplash would then need to work with that whole thing to keep it working. I have that backsplash window to work with on the long wall, and remain stumped about how to work with tile PERIOD on the other wall... @chiefy76 - Thanks for the pics. Neat to see all the different ways this can work. My partner isn't sold on this idea, either. Which I find interesting, given I first came up with it as a compromise point between us. @marcolo - Are you saying you think it works as long as there isn't a lot of contrast or that brown/white doesn't work? I often hear the case made to go black/white or brown/cream, so I'm not sure if that's what you are talking about. A lot of the pics posted here by myself and others do show high contrast. Are you saying none of those work or seem intentional? @nap101 - It's interesting to hear you talk about darker lowers to ground the soapstone, and going light above. I don't think I've seen that application and I keep being drawn to light counters on dark lowers/white uppers. If you find pics, please post them. You do make a good point about how dark counters work on white cabinets and soapstone/black granites tend to be the strongest example of that. While I like the look, I've had chocolate brown counters on white cabinets for the past 13 years and am ready for something different. @loves2cook4six - You definitely have the 2-tone thing going and I've been lurking on your BS thread to see what you come up with there. How is that going? You and others show an interesting reverse of what I was thinking with the lighter lowers and darker tones in the uppers. I wouldn't have thought that could work but it seems to! @francoise47 - Egads, that picture really shows how the uppers can fade away into the walls, doesn't it? I love that... but you make such a good point about whether it is too much for the house. If it is too much for your house, it is definitely too much for this little 50's ranch stretching towards 1,000 SF. Hm...but then I look at bossanova's carriage house kitchen and it seems like it really works there without being too much? Same with the little IKEA kitchen with the beam... It's confusing to me, I admit. Thanks so much for sharing your own reasoning process and feedback from a honest friend! (Those are worth gold) @secondhalf - So glad this thread is helping you find clarity! I'm not clear what my house is really suited for, except for simple. lol @sis2two - See, you are making jterrilynn's point! How fun is that? Mixing it up a decade later. Please do share plenty of pics. @jterrilynn - What a neat kitchen. I love that it is shaped so uniquely - and those tall ceilings are great. Love that light fixture! And, the portrait of your FIL is wonderful. You clearly have talent! I like how the lighting fixture plays off the color of the lowers and brings a bit of it upwards. Hm...I was thinking silvery fixtures but this gives pause if I decide to go this direction. I'm going to keep this in the "maybe" pile and when it comes time to put some ideaboards together, I'll likely do at least one with 2 tones. In the meantime, we'll see if this thread has continued eye candy to provide! Thanks again, everyone.

What a nice room to work with. Love the wall color and all the windows. I think your choices are great - what color carpet/rug will you choose? Is it to go over the existing carpet or do you have wood underneath? Is there room on the sides of the fireplace windows for draperies without covering too much of the windows, or would you hang only on one side? The blinds look like a great choice, too. The painting would work, but my own choice, since it's a room used by children, would be to make it colorful and more fun.

Actually the light I had posted is a new style of LED light - it does not require any large recessed lighting can so it is much easier to install - you just need room for the small junction box and to have the ability to snake lines through the ceiling. If you don't want to do that - the flush mounts everyone is posting for you are great!!! You could do one of those in the center and then add the recessed in the soffit above the sink....