As I mentioned earlier you have a very nice kitchen. I know there are comments that dark is out, well grey will also date. White seems to be what everyone is changing to but honestly that will get overdone also. So basically everything will eventually date. If you decide to paint remember down the road they will start to chip. Also comments that there is too much contract between your island and cabinets... That really confuses me because everyone is also doing white uppers and dark lowers.... So what is the difference. As mentioned by some change pendants for more light to see if that makes a difference. Take one small change at a time.

Now that I see how you put the colors together, I will be getting rid of the turquoise accents. I don't like it anymore....lol

Okay, now we're making progress! So turquoise gone. That means throws, pieces in the china cabinet, pottery on the coffee table, etc. The joy and pain of open concept is that everything flows together so it has to be seen as a whole.

Now, given that your permanent pieces (the first five colours) are not going to change --because who needs that aggravation and expense when it's in good repair and looks nice-- what new accent colour are you thinking?

Removed the turquoise. I am thinking maybe softer blues for accents or no color at all. Hmmmm.........

I'm confused because you already have turquoise accent pieces in your house, so you must have loved or liked the color. It's not like this is a color commenters are pushing on you or suggesting from out of the blue. Maybe it's just the blue glass lights that you didn't like?

I noticed that you have added the color blue in your sitting area and family room so you must like that color. The walls right now are reading too green in my opinion so perhaps a creamy warm color to compliment that great island top? The island top is gorgeous and should be seen more with perhaps shorter counter stools or light colored bar stools with a nice blue seat top or pillow. Also would add larger hanging lights like a couple of old bronzy gold lanterns to bring more warmth to the dark wood tones overall.

This is really one big room, and you need to think about a balance of color throughout it. The turquoise blue and brown look good together so you have a great base. But the tiny bits of blue that you have so far are not enough. Decorators sometimes use a color principal commonly referred to as the
"60-30-10 rule." For example, 60 percent of a bathroom or kitchen,
typically the walls, should be one color of a color scheme. The color of
the cabinetry and/or furniture accounts for the 30-percent figure. And
accents and accessories such as plants, artwork and linens make up the
remaining 10 percent.

You don't need 10% in each part of the room, but there should be some balance so all the blue is not in one corner. Some ways to add more blue would be to paint an accent wall, add a rug (dining room, living room or kitchen) or art. So your blue star should go back up on a wall.

Your bar stool or dining room table chairs could be re-covered with blue fabric without much expense. Any wooden item could be painted - any of your wood chairs, or even your table base or island if you want to go big. Or something small like your kitchen blackboard frame.

This is where Houzz is great. A search for blue dining room brought me this photo. See how the blue is confined to the walls, but it is about 10% of the color? More intense colors "count" more heavily towards the 10% than grayed-out pale colors.

When you look at pictures of rooms you like, think about how they bring in and balance the accent color and see what you'd like for your room. This is really the expertise that trained interior designer will bring for you.

The Wow factor that you're looking for involves a more confident application of color, and a balance of color and texture across the combined room. When I redecorated my main floor I let one decorator go when she was just giving me cookie-cutter suggestions. I interviewed a few before I found one who understood color and balance. Her skills were obvious from the portfolio she showed me of work she had done. Very different rooms which were obviously her clients' taste, not hers, but all looked good. She charged by the hour, money well spent.

A small suggestion, but I'd also take the decor items off the top of the corner cabinet in the dining area.

We were typing at the same time. If your color isn't blue then choose another. Or all neutral can work too but needs more attention to texture and balance, or it is just bland.

You're not decorating your kitchen. You're decorating a great room.

If you go "no colour" then I'd switch the lights to a silvery finish to pick-up on the stainless steel and add sparkle. Right now they pick up on the wood, and that doesn't need reinforcement. Choose something the same scale as what Beverly suggested and I'll see about adding it to your pic.

Removed the stuff in the corner cabinet. I am going to have a yard sale now..lol

I think she meant it would look better with items removed from the very top of the corner cabinet, not everything removed from inside as well. You obviously have your own style and likes, but you asked for help and suggestions. It's ultimately up to you to decide to take them or not.

If you still want to move forward in kicking up your decor up a couple of notches cohesively, but you are truly confused on how to do so with all the suggestions and your tendency to keep picking more of the same, I would just then pick an inspiration room to emulate.

I love light blues, buttercup yellow, soft aqua colors, muted and sandy colors

But the problem is you need to see it all first, before you can truly visualize how it will all work. I don't think anyone here will be able to show you exactly what your room will look like in the end, so I think that's the part where you will not be convinced to go a certain direction without that sort of assurance first. I think that's where hiring a designer will probably help you. Or if you rather not hire someone, just find an inspiration room to emulate.

With silver and glass lights

First of all your kitchen looks great. In my opinion, the wall colour must be changed. The yellowish cream is clashing with the white subway tiles. It's not the right tone. I suggest going with a neutral cream colour or even a light gray.

Here's what I was talking about yesterday. One shows a wall u-wave, the other a drwr u-wave. The wall one has cab coming up to the cross piece on the end panel. The drwr one would add a little counter space above it. But I liked BeverlyFLADeziner's pic where she moved the pantry cupboard all the way to the door frame. I don't know how radical you want to get, but that has the advantage of getting your range away from the corner of the L and almost centered on your island. I did one using Beverly's idea, too, w/ a drwr u-wave betw. range & fridge.

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Moving the pantry to the right would involve moving the electrical as well as the floor heating vent. A big expensive job and I don't think it would give good value for the money spent.

partim, I'd given some thought to that. The vent grate is a return, so I think all you'd need is a vented toe-kick. Re electrical, it could be located in side of pantry, much like is commonly done on ends of islands.

Which color of chairs look better? Just the color, not style...thx

Ooh! The light coloured ones blend with the island and make it one cohesive whole. I think losing the contrast is a good move in this case. If you decide to refinish your existing chairs, I'd use the island colour or a couple shade lighter in the same family.

No contest, the cream colored ones. They blend perfectly w/ island & make area look half again bigger. I do agree w/ earlier contributor who suggested colored cushions for that proverbial "pop of color". W/ lighter chairs, more pop, too.

Add color. You have all neutrals, that is why there is no "wow".

@jennifer....if I change my pendants above my island to silver, I will have to change all my light fixtures to silver. :(

@design intervention....what would you suggest for color on my walls. Do I have to do all my walls or can I just do the one wall in an open concept home?

There is no "have to", especially if the styles of lighting are similar. What you want is for there to be some element of commonality among them.

With a change to silver, all you're doing is switch from matching the cabinets to matching the stainless steel. If your other lighting continues to match the cabinets, where's the problem?

Take EVERYTHING off the top of the cupboards, and change out the hanging lights for something more substantial.

@jennifer....I just find when you added the silver pendants in the picture, it didn't look right with my dining room chandelier.

I would choose a color that speaks to you and go with that as your color. Here are three projects that we recently finished. In each case we took our clients "stone shopping" and told them to fall in love with their counter top first and then we would design around the stone. The stone functions as the inspiration point. Designing in this way produces a very unique kitchen that doesn't look like every other kitchen that you see. It can reflect your taste. If you are going to keep the brown cabinets and the same stone you currently have choose an actual color. not beige or gray or taupe, but an actual color that you like. For instance Sherwin Williams Sun Bleached Ochre. It will give life to the cabinets and warmth to the room. Change the bar stools and pendant lights and it will feel like a brand new space. See this link for pendant

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Filament-Design-Alaniz-1-Light-Brushed-Nickel-Pendant-with-Firre-Saturn-Glass-CLI-TL5003027/203453953

It's hard to know from a picture. If I were unsure, I'd buy a cheap fixture of the right scale and approximate style in a silver finish and hang it up. Don't bother connecting it since it won't be staying. Then I'd use the room as I normally do for the rest of the day. That should give you enough time to know if the finishes clash or not.

Mixing metals is more difficult than adding a colour. Are you sure you don't just want to replace the shades on your existing pendants with some coloured glass ones? Or even white glass ones?

At any rate, I think it's time to try some things in the real world before you get stuck in analysis paralysis. You can always return it!

@Jennifer...I agree that my pendants are too small. I really love the look of the silver, creates elegance in the room, but it will clash with the other fixtures. I am starting to stress out now...lol. My husband thinks I lost my marbles. He is probably right....lol. Thank you for helping me so much. Would love to see your work. :)

It hasn't been said enough here that you have a beautiful room. Don't think that you need to do all kinds of things right away.

Partim....thanks for the compliment, but I am just not happy with the way it looks right now and am really due for a change. Spring is in the air. :)

Kristen36, these are our pendants. They're Playa by Tech Ltg. They're made of mother-of-pearl, which gives a wonderful luminesence when on. Ours are white. They also make a natural, which is close to color of your island, & a brown, which is close to your cab color. If memory serves, the mount & down wire also come in oil-rubbed bronze, which is close to color of your DR chandelier. We didn't want huge Martha Stewart-esque ones that become visual barriers. I like some you posted as they are open so even though they're big in diameter, they don't block line of sight. Disclaimer: I'm not CKD. We started researching K reno summer '13, meet w/ CKD Oct. '13 & placed 1st order Jan. '14. Been immersed in this for almost 3 yrs.

@Bruce....those are very pretty. I love mother of pearl too. I will check out there website...thx :)

Kristen36, they also have choice of incandescent, halogen or LED bulbs. We went w/ LEDs due to low power consumption & heat. We have them on LED-rated dimmer.

Lots of good ideas. If you stand in the other room the kitchen looks lopsided. All the weight is on the left. Maybe the sliding doors could have drapes and hang them at the same height as cabinets. They could be sheer but a dark color? Add more molding around sliders.

What kind of light is above table on the right something beefier (spelling doesn't look right) would help balance. Clock in the peak would be good just large. It's always easier to look at someone else's room and decorate. I need to put mine on here but I think some would suggest dynamite. Pat

Please don't paint those cabinets. It's hard to unpaint and tedious unless you really hate the cupboards. Do your bathrooms have same color cabinets? Did you want a range hood for accent or do you need to vent the room?

@Pat....bahahaha.....I know what you mean. It is easier to decorate someone else's place, cause you don't have to live there after...lol. Lots of great tips on here though. So many people passionate about decorating. I love it! I've been given the inspiration I needed to get started. :)

@Pat...no I wouldn't paint my cabinets. That is craziness. They are custom with real maple throughout. It is vented outside and yes I would like a range hood, but according to everyone on this site, I can't, since it is not centered in my kitchen. :(

Kristin36, I looked in annals of Library of Congress & couldn't find any rules prohibiting range hood when not centered. :-) I think you could do one as long as it's not real bulky. It could be wood to match cabs or metal. If metal, I can envision one in oil-rubbed bronze to echo your DR chandelier w/ SS strapping to pick-up your appliances.

Hi Kristen,

Just skimmed through and saw pic with cream chairs at the island. Huge difference. I thought it could alter the situation - but I'm amazed. Really changes the entire look, feel and flow of the space. I don't even think you need new lighting now, as I look at this pic. Looks amazing.

But new lighting can be fun. I saw these and thought I'd pass them on to you.

Kristen36, here's URL to Tech Ltg.: http://www.techlighting.com/Products/Fixtures/Low-Voltage-Pendants/Playa-Pendant

As I'm looking at the space with the light chairs and seeing how great it all looks - and how great your lights look, as well - I am thinking that if you 'did' want to still do lights, I don't think that you have to go very big to make the statement. You could do something interesting - along the scale of what you have. (But you certainly can go bigger and bolder, if you want to.) But along the scale of what you have - I think something like this might work.

Lighting is such a personal choice; but I just wanted to offer that additional thought about the size factor - since it has been mentioned quite a bit in comments, etc. - and the ones that I posted earlier are on the larger side.

Your place is really beautiful, Kristen; have fun with all of it.

All the best. :)

I decided to paint my island chairs. I am thinking of painting them the same color as the island, but not the seats. What do you guys think? Or any other suggestions on how to paint them. I want them to tie into my kitchen too.

I am far from unbiased, to say the least, but check out the photo below for what stainless toe kick can add as a transition between similar colored cabinets and floors.

That is really beautiful! Love the entire project!

Find pictures of kitchens with cabinets like yours that you like. Study them. What draws you to them? What do you like? What do you not like? We can give you all the advice, but in the end you have to live with it.

Beverly has given the best advice so far. She is dead on. Listen to her.

Yes if you go with different lights over the bar, you may have to change the one over the dining table. OK. No biggie. Doesn't have to be decided now.

http://www.1800lighting.com/Landmark-Lighting/Chadwick/item.cfm?itemsku=66123%2D1

Here is a link to an interesting light fixture.

BTW, I like the contrast of the dark stools to the light island. Painting them kind of blends them in. Depends on the look you are going for.

Would love to see an update - You've done great so far! Can't wait to see the painted chairs :)