Kate, Love the idea you are working with there, but I think you might find everything is planted too close together. By the 3rd year, they are all going to be growing into and on top of each other--especially those 3 Knock Outs. They can get quite large. As for the pillar, if you want it there, I'd recommend Eden climber (pink and white)or Viking Queen (pink). If you keep wrapping and tying them around the pillar with some regularity, they won't take up a lot of room--but they may use up a lot of the space in that particular bed by their third year. A purple clematis would look good with either one. Note: Your clematis will have some trouble clinging to that pillar (at least mine does). The tubing is a bit wide. What my clematis do is climb up the rose that is wrapped around the pillar. I think you have 3 choices for that bed. 1) Plant 3 Knock Outs and that is it. 2) Plant climbing rose/clematis pillar and maybe a couple smaller low-growing roses or other plants only. 3)PLant Julia Child, Caramel Antike and Lucille Ball, plus maybe 1 or 2 more similar to them only. In your eagerness, I think you are trying to do too many things at once in a somewhat limited area. Decide which one combination you want and move the others somewhere else. Three KOs there by the street would be very showy for the neighbors and anyone passing by, but I have a weakness for pillar roses, so . . . . By the way, the climbing roses I mentioned have pretty good disease resistance. Decision, decisions, decisions. Good luck. LOL Kate

I'm sorry, but I'm really not loving the clean-up sink wall. If you're of typical adult height, it seems very out of proportion. Of course, if you're much shorter than average, practical considerations might outweigh design there, but to me, it looks like the whole bank of uppers should just be raised up to the ceiling (or 8' if your ceiling's sloped), leaving either an open space, a 'window' or a full backsplash wall. Other than that, I think liberal use of an accent color could do wonders for your space. My personal favorite is a rich vibrant red, but for your space, a deep golden yellow might bring out the blue in the granite and the warm tones in your beautiful cherry. I wouldn't bother changing the knobs because I think that will actually work against 'feminizing' the space. You'd be replacing a light brushed nickel tone with a darker ORB -- you wouldn't even see the flower pattern until you get way up close. The materials Hubby chose tend to the 'dramatic' -- hard, shiny, high-contrast. So to feminize, typical things like soft, hazy, lacey or frilly just wouldn't play nicely. Think of a 'masculine-looking actress' -- say, Angie Harmon or Angelica Huston? -- dressed in pastels with lace and ruffles. Yuck! But something bold, clean-lined, flashy even -- Possibly large cut crystal pieces, art glass, brightly-colored ceramics in sleek shapes?

You might be talking more about the spacing itself but... Don't hire a handyman...posterboard or newspaper is your friend! Measure and cut out all your sizes, use painters tape to move them around until you get them just how you want it. Mark your pencil hole right on the paper and hammer through. You can even push the nail through just enough to make a slight dent in the wall and then remove the paper to add the nail if you want. I make mock ups of everything. My walls would look like swiss cheese if I didn't!

Hi there. This was a really hard one for me to comment on because I have such an opposite kitchen with light cabinets. I think you need to choose your direction. Your kitchen can be a contemporary or traditional kitchen depending on a few choices. What is the dominant style in the rest of your house? Your kitchen should reflect your general style If you like contemporary style, then you already have a lot of the elements but need a few focal points. Your kitchen is almost identical to my friends kitchen except that her husband chose smaller metal tiles (And yes-her husband chose everything too. It must be a man gene that likes this particular combination). Their kitchen was really stunning when it all came together. They had several large pieces of art with stark white walls. One of the pieces of art was a huge painting in blue with koi. The other art were 3 pieces of 3 foot long ceramic bars hung vertically on the wall. They did not try to fill the space with lots of little things but instead used very large pieces that were a focal point of the kitchen. You could also go a more traditional route but will likely need to change your backsplash to have it really meld. A glass tile backsplash would be really pretty and might still be okay with the husband? How about a lighted pot rack over the island with baskets, pots and herbs hanging? (see below) Fabric around the windows, baskets on the ledge, chandelier shades, cushion fabric, new knobs, rugs etc would add more visual interest. I think your kitchen has a lot of potential, you just need to make it yours! I am really glad my husband could care less about decorating.