Jenn Not sure if this was suggested yet, but - I would def consider something in the terra cotta/orange family - honey oak has orange undertones. here's a nice color not sure what the brand/name is http://www.fitzdecarts.com/images/Interiors%20+%20Projects/024.JPG I would paint the crown & base white & chair rail same as wall color unless you are applying beadboard - so as to not break the wall up. ANother nice hue by Devine pain http://blog.devinecolor.com/images/86.jpg This would make the cabinets not stand out & be a focal point rather be a little subdued - See how the wood is blending w/paint color in the "happy family" pic http://cdn-write.demandstudios.com/upload//1000/200/70/5/111275.jpg Link to My3dogs, very talented decorator on GW - don't know if the color works for you application http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg1013001522136.html Find your colors - get sample paints - paint either directly on the wall LARGE 10 x14 or so, near cabinetry in several places - look at it in different lighting/times of day photo it - you'll get lots more help best to you

Thanks so much, catmom, arcy, purrus, nini, and lisa! They did the real estate photos yesterday and after some light staging I think the house looked amazing. We just edited out a few more things from the counter and added some decor items. We brought in a bistro table and stools to take the place of the sideboard that was moved to the great room. I also used the floating shelf I just had made for over the tub and used it for the blank space over the sofa instead. I convinced DH to hang it as part of a compromise in which he did not have to move and rehang the heavy wall clock :) These are just a few cell phone pics but I can't wait to see the professional photos!

I would love to see a lovely "white washed" oak looking vinyl in this space. The teal counter tops should be able to pull together the "wood" tones of the cabinets and the "soft grayish" tones of a white wash. Something like this is an example of what I'm thinking of: https://www.armstrongflooring.com/residential/en-ca/vinyl-flooring/luxury-vinyl-tile/luxe-plank-with-fastak-install/item/A6716.html If you can find the right vinyl plank, you should be able to get this to run throughout the space (including bathrooms, entrances and utility rooms). If you cannot find one that works nicely with the counters, I would suggest you leave the kitchen floor in place (it is the PERFECT match to the counters...you won't find anything better) and replace the carpets with a wood-toned vinyl. Now...just for fun, these homes are often built with "carpet" in mind. That means the subfloor (whatever it is...) if possibly the lowest of the low in terms of quality. That means it is often wavy or as far away from flat as you can get. Again, this is always the case...but it happens so often that you need to ASSUME there is a problem before you rip out the carpet. Once the carpet is gone, you will need to have the flatness and the subfloor SURFACE (the material that is sitting underneath the pad) assessed for vinyl. If you FLOAT the vinyl, then you only need to deal with "flatness". If you GLUE the vinyl then you have to deal with the type of MATERIAL as well. And that's where the headaches begin. Many times there is fibre board or luan sitting under carpet in a trailer (regardless of how well built it is). Both of these materials are "OK" underneath a floating floor, but they often have to come out if you want to glue down. And then the "flatness" has to be dealt with. Vinyl HATES wonky subfloors. And I mean HATES it. The subfloor has to be SMOOTH (vinyl telegraphs things like staples, staple holes, seams, etc. to the surface). And to get fibre board or luan smooth is a nightmare. They don't like "patch" material. Again, this could mean they need to come out and be replaced with something that can handle patch, etc. Please be prepared for some ++prep costs to deal with whatever is underneath that carpet. Whomsoever is doing the work for you will need to WALK INTO your home and pull back the carpet BEFORE they offer a quote. And the quote should include a range for the prep. It should look like $1-$4/sf for subfloor preparation (the range will depend on where you are and how expensive it is to hire local labour).

Well, turns out the lightest stain is duraseal natural. It is light but still turns the sanded red oak into yellow tones.. We used to have these floors the builder put in that matched the cabinets. It was the tone on tone. My husband did not want to go too drastic all the way to the lightest color...so he picked the middle one which is a golden pecan one. I have not slept overnight thinking of these. They are staining the floors as we speak. And I am upstairs just praying to the lord. So he basically picked #3. He said he did not want to go as dark as before but not as light as almost nothing. I am suffering here because we paid big bucks to get this done by a company. Here is a picture of how the floor looked before they stripped it. As you can see...it HAD to be changed....you can see on the left side of the picture how the dogs have torned and scratched the floor