Agree wiuth Barbara and anyone thinking iof putting a paint-loaded brush or roller anywhere near a vintage timber piece of furniture..."it would be a... SIN! Seems the compulsion of the mass renovcators is to paint everything....and its the easiest solution. Don't think happy renovators and DIY-ers have changed much over the years either. I have just finished stripping five coats of enamel from the most beautiful set of silky oak french doors with etched frosted glass...how many SINS there!!! Silky oak is an open grain timber so the last coats had to be done by the funny little man out in his bush shack restoration shed...and Oh what a beautiful job! I am over the moon and do not care what it cost...although it was not a lot compared to what I'd have paid in Sydney. Here a tip for any appreciators...(.if there are any left) of fine timbers. All you need is an old enamel bath tub and gallons of metholated spirits....just give it a bath and save yourself hours of scraping and fumes and burns. SORRY about the deviatiuon but this is my latest Soap Box...don't paint vintage timber! About your problem Wendi, I think, with Barbara, wait until you have your whole dining set and then stain the piece to fit in with the timber in that...( unless you are going to get a white one...( tongue in cheek). I've seen some really nice dining sets with the best of both ...legs and table frame in a (cringe) painted colour and table top in timber...saw a really desirable inlaid table top at my favourite little man's shed last week..the rest was painted and had a drawer for each place....with old metal handles. Legs were on castors.. The chair seats were upholstered...but needed recovering and the frames were metal...could have been an alloy of sorts. The combination of unpainted- stained timber..especially in inlay, with the painted parts, the metal frames and upholstered chairs just fitted together perfectly...so best of both. You migh be lucky enough to find the perfect table with a natural timber top...( and I wish you to find one with an inlaid design featurting timbers of different hues....) then your lovely little cabinet/sideboard might fit perfectly! There are some lovely timber stains around today...timber can be stained any colour...as long as its a transparent dye. A wonderful product is FEZLAC...that's the base and it is a shellac. To this you add the stain -colour you want. I've used it to put designs (fake inlay) on the backs of some really lovely old chairs...imitating the different natural timber hues in real inlay....So above are a few words, tales and suggestions that I hope will inspire you NOT to paint that cabinet.

Floss, there’s nothing wrong with your floor. Be confident it was not a bad decision. Hamptons style will look fantastic in your lovely, character filled home. But sorting your likes and dislikes into what’s consistent with the theme, and what’s not, will help minimise potential mismatches or poor choices. It will also help sort out whether your taste actually aligns more with Hamptons or a more modern style (like your pivot front door, for instance). If it leans to more modern, you may have to compromise on a look that will suit not fight with the architectural style of your home. Then, as others have said, take an overall and consistent approach. Otherwise you risk making changes in one room that wont be fit for purpose when you move on to the next room. The re-work (or re-purchasing of different furniture) could get very expensive, not to mention very stressful on both of you. All the very best with your project. It’s gonna be a top looking home. Don’t forget to share progress and the end result with us. :-)

Hello Linda, Your whole kitchen looks fabulous. and having the frosted door makes perfect sense to me by adding a tad of light into the pantry when you step in for something but do not need to turn on the light in there. Should be more of it. The ambient light at night time is something we need to think about in bathrooms too. especially for the ubiquitous night time wee!! One does not need a full light on or the fan going to wake the rest of the house too. Hence always having window in bathrooms for that middle of the night air and light. Anyway I think your kitchen looks splendid and all you things make it that... Now delight in cooking up some delicious storms!! Enjoy!! Margot

Before choosing any surface, do the finger test, unless you are house clean slave. The finger test is see what marks show with a slightly greasy(hand lotion) fingers. Most blacks show finger marks big time. Same with counter tops. Best test is scatter with bread crumbs, if that disturbs you forget it, otherwise you will be kitchen cleaning all day. The same goes for concealed handles, they quickly get full of crusted much and chip easy. A working kitchen needs to be practical, easy to clean and totally family proof.