^ Ikea boxes ARE very flimsy. They changed their cabinet system completely in 2015 & the new SEKTION system is not a good long term investment. I know firsthand, because I designed & installed almost 100 Ikea kitchens with their old AKURUM line. When the new line came out, I couldn't risk my business reputation on it, so I dropped them. Look for full 3/4" panel construction on the cabinet boxes. Don't go with solid wood anything: solid wood and plywood both will warp and crack veneers over time. Particle board has been bashed for a long time, and undeservingly so. There are different grades of particle board that tolerate vertical stresses (the most important stress in cabinet construction) almost identically as well as plywood but for much less cost. You want a commercial grade, denser compression particle board. If it doesn't say commercial grade, or AWI, it's not what you want. Particle board is also the greener choice, since it comes from 100% wood waste. Hope that helps.

Thanks Mark and I think you are right! I wish I could go buy everything from the previous picture you posted and make that my living room. Unfortunately Christine was right and I need to stick with the furniture I have, for now. And I absolutely loved the ivory rug, but I had too many colors similar to each other, cream, ivory, tan and white, for it to flow properly. And it definitely didn't work with the patterned chair. I will see if it works now. I'll add an art piece and table lamps and I think I'll be done! Thanks for all the input everyone. My husband and I bought a traditional home but our style is modern, it's hard to combine the too properly. Now if I can only convince him to paint the stair railing black and white before the babies born ;)

It's a shame that someone killed those two beautiful trees with improper pruning techniques / tree topping. If you plant any more trees, be sure to hire an ISA certified arborist that actually climbs up in the trees and knows how to thin out the branches rather than amputating them in the middle of the branch as was done to these trees. Do your research; the ISA arborists are harder to find. Most tree services do an unethical pruning that permanently maimed the tree, puts it into shock and then requires them to come back every year or so to trim the weak shoots that sprout from the middle of boughs. A proper pruning by a good arborist who makes the cuts himself will save you money - you'll only have to re-prune every 5-7 years. Cutting a bough in the middle creates an open wound the tree can't cover over, leaving it completely vulnerable to pests and disease. A real shame. Trees are our only protection against air pollution and are natural swamp coolers - and they keep temperatures down locally. http://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/WhyToppingHurts.pdf

Things that get names in my life usually get them as a result of some sort of conflict they create. Apartments (The Hut, Bunker, etc.) and cars (Mudred, Pissy McGibbins, Morton Horsepipes, etc.) have gotten that distinction. Thus far, our house has been a dream, so no name. Same with our car... which has been a source of disappointment for us. A bit of a mixed blessing. No trouble; but no name to give these well loved possessions that little dose of character we so treasure.