I've never heard of circline, and only of xenon in a very different context (if I'm even remembering that right). There's a Lighting forum on GW here and you probably should ask them what to do. I use T5 or T8 full spectrum fluorescents (vs halogen, incandescent or other sometimes suggested ones) as they're known to be the best (and least expensive effective ones) for tropicals - really the only things that should be grown indoors - and you can try various things, but they must be effective, not burn the plants or your house, and be relatively affordable. I'm not sure if you can find small bulbs for the above fluors., however, so post on the other forum for the best advice.

I think you can use the alternating heights just to add interest as well as for function, as long as they are balanced and don't highlight anything that you would rather down play. The stove area is frequently a focal point and even when you don't have different height cabinets, you have a hood that goes to the ceiling. My corner cabinet that is higher is a lighted display cabinet, and the cabinet over the refrigerator is functional. I have low ceilings and in order to put a cabinet over the refrigerator and crown moldings, it had to go the ceiling. Try for restraint and balance and I am sure it will look fine. Sue

Oh thanks so much for the link on the lights, jaybird. I started poking around and GE makes exactly what I was thinking of in an LED version. They are not cheap but I did not expect them to be. AND in poking around I see that they are sold at our local HD for less than I can find them online so I can buy them and try them out and return if they are not what I am looking for. It's obviously been a while since I looked at offerings at our local HD! Your cabinets are so lovely all lit up! I really want the LED because I don't ever want to have to swap these fixtures out and the LEDs should last forever. The piece was not inexpensive to begin with (at least for me, but it was perfect and I've never seen another like it so I went for it!) so I don't want to skimp on the lights. I want to put a really high quality product and I do not want to worry about heat building up in a closed cabinet, especially one made of 100+ year old wood. Oakley, I did not mean I planned to use xmas lights, just that I knew that warm white (in a color temperature sense) LEDs were finally "here" because this is the first year I have seen warm white xmas lights in places like target. I cannot stand the cool blue glow of traditional LEDs and I was kind of hoping that someone had a lead on warm LEDs for my cabinet. Sorry to confuse. I wanted to do a fabric back because that seemed appropriate to the period of the piece. I see a TON of fabric-backed antique vitrines on ebay. I think a mirror might be a little more modern and flashy a look than I am going for (although I believe Allison might have a mirror back in her antique vitrine and it's stunning so I might have to revisit that idea). I already bought some fabric a few years go and here is a mockup: without flash that shows the true colors but is a crappy picture: with flash that reflects differently off the wall and fabric and makes the fabric look lighter but the pic is a bit better: It was just sort of tacked up with blue tape there, it would be taut and neat and I might even get some gimp to frame it with.

Sammie the candle would work in the middle if the table. the base is metal bird bath which was too pretty to put outside. the other end of the room is my lr waiting fir 2 chairs and an area rug - possibly a small fireplace I think a plant of dome kind would soften that end - something with low light. the ideas are glowing My grandmithers dishes I also have these 2 pictures anove matching buffet in fr or this platter if pictures id think about black and white of2 grand daughters