JudyG – Happy Birthday!! Tras – I had that exact issue with where to transition colors, because my house is open concept. The kitchen & dinette are a pale teal .. but they’re open to the great room & foyer, which are peach. I paid the color expert at the paint store for a consultation, and we talked about how far towards the blue I really wanted, I could go in the kitchen/dinette .. leaving a medium green ceramic backsplash, and where to transition colors. We also talked about light & warm colors to replace the dark colors in the main bathroom & finished basement. It was worth the $125, and I didn’t have to wade thru 100 conflicting comments on Houzz! Darzy – I so agree with you, about the scope of fixes some posters recommend. If I asked how well a fabric I was considering for the couch went with other furniture already in that room, I wouldn’t appreciate people telling me to paint the walls, change the windows, replace the flooring, and change the stone on the fireplace! Another subject for us OLLDs to chat about – Consumer Reports magazine/website – are they really unbiased & even handed? Do they have a bias against high-end manufacturers or products?

Refer to your fridge specs before you close anything in. Fair Trading laws in this country have obsoleted warranties. There is now a sliding scale of reasonable expectation on consumer items which means manufacturers will rely on their tech specs more than ever. Check what minimum clearance your fridge officially needs on the sides and above the machine for ventilation before doing anything. Get your lighting working for you. Choose a 'warm white' lamp - not daylight or cool white. Cool whites kill off the warmer hues and makes things appear cold. Change, add or move your lighting to have two small gimbled ceiling lights wash down the face of the joinery instead of one bright light focussed on the fridge. Lighting can make a poor space look great or a great space look poor.

In my early twenties I designed kitchens for my mother and two aunts (Uncle built them and they worked), but when it came to designing my own - had to fit a constrained space and no possibility of extension - I chewed my lips for ages - like Nicole, I drew and measured ad infinitum, and used graph book walls, views etc. I did one extra thing - which I think worked - I listed all that I wanted to store, and tried to analyse how I liked working in the kitchen. Some things I had to settle for because of space (such as a smaller dishwasher) but most of it has worked. We have a corner pantry, which I (and the cat, husband a bit larger) can walk into, but have not put small appliances in there - they sit in a large drawer beneath the main working bench, which also works well. It all looks good to me Nicole and thinking carefully about needs and how things work in advance usually results in something you'll be happy with. Good luck!

Hi Will, we have the Taurus and certainly love the look. We installed it late winter last year so it’s only recently that we have really put it through its paces. We have a huge open plan area to heat and this does do the job but needs a constant supply of hardwood to keep it effective. i am a bit disappointed at how quickly it burns through the timber even when turned down. it is absolutely cold by next morning and does not provide warmth overnight. it also billows smoke whenever the door is opened though this eventually lessens as the heat builds and the timber burns more efficiently. The firebox is quite shallow and it’s a challenge at times to stoke the timber safely as on occasions the coals and logs teeter on the front edge and it’s easy for them to fall out. We crafted a steel lip to sit in front as a prevention. And lastly it’s disappointing that no matter how much we try we always end up with blackening on the glass which requires daily cleaning. i’m guessing this is related to the abundance of smoke that seems to remain accumulated when lighting the fire and getting it going over the first hour. And yes, our firewood is excellent quality and dry but i can’t help thinking there needs to be a redesign to allow the smoke to travel up the flu rather than remain in the firebox.