I just received a corner banquette that I ordered from Ballard Designs during their early November sale - it was someone on this forum who posted the info and it was photos of the beautiful kitchen of GW member Gooster that made me pull the trigger. It's a great piece of furniture, very comfortable and since it's Sunbrella fabric I'm hoping that it will endure my two messy boys.

The kitchen reno is still to happen (we had a brief but scary contractor implosion in the fall so we're waiting till spring to start ripping things apart) but I'll still have a very small, inconveniently located galley kitchen, currently visible in the photo below just below the door opening. Please try to ignore the clutter - that opening will be widened to the wall to give me a 48" walkway (too small, I know, but the best I can manage), and the outside wall of cabinets will extend to just before the banquette. Cabinets will be a medium stained maple, in all likelihood, with either London Grey quartz or honed Virginia Mist granite.

Any thoughts on lighting and paint colors? In terms of paint, I'd like to do a greyish blue (the banquette is technically gray, but it definitely has blue undertones.) I'm also a bit stymied on lighting. Despite the fact that I'm so enamored of chandeliers I'm considering using one in my small living/family room (which is just beyond the galley) I don't really feel it with this area. Maybe some wall sconces? Fwiw, it's a small old house (per my user name, 1900 sqft) and this photo was taken essentially from the front door of the house. Thanks for any suggestions!!