silvergirl426--the kitchen is 14' x 14'. I toyed with adding more cabs, changing the layout, but nothing else felt better than was already there. I'm sure the layout gurus on this forum might have done differently, but it really functions well for me. I hate to feel crowded and cramped, so the open wall (where the dog bowls are), creates a feeling of space that feels very comfortable for me. oasisowner--my DH originally wanted bright blue countertops (!), but I talked him out of it and went neutral. I think we're both happy with the results, especially since the shelving is green. carp123--great minds think alike! I have been trying to figure out what to do above the fridge, if anything. I love wicker/rattan baskets, just trying to figure out what to put in them...I like everything to have a real function! momo7-thanks! It was a leap of faith, but I so love the Hawthorne..no regrets! AnnaA--yes, freeing! And I know just where everything is and what I have. I still have a lot of empty space in the drawers..just waiting to find the right organizers. mc15--ah, the hood...kind of a long story. It didn't exactly work out how I wanted. It originally hung down lower. It is a deep hood (24"), which I chose when we were going to put in a 10' wide window. But the window was too expensive, so we went to 9', but I forgot that the hood would no longer fit inside the window, enabling it to be pushed back further on the ceiling. So it is flush with the cabinet depth, which I love for capturing all of the steam/smoke. But when installed at the highest recommended height, it was too low for DH, who is 6' 2". So we had our contractor raise it to 76" high. It actually does work fine, it's just so loud now! But I'm having the contractor back to see if there's anything he can do about the loudness...it wasn't this loud when it was lower. I'm sure if we had bought a higher-end hood, it wouldn't be an issue. So, if no one in your family is tall, it would probably work at a normal height. We might go ahead in the future and have our contractor build something different for us...we'll see how it works going forward. gr8day--thanks for your kind words! CEFreeman--I bought the chairs (Restoration Hardware) shortly after moving in. Not sure if they actually go with the kitchen, but I absolutely love them, too. And I spent way too much money shipping them to us, so they're staying! I tell myself they coordinate well with the trees out the windows. ;) Thanks again, everyone!

I have had better luck gluing rattan with woodworker's glue (Elmer's or Titebond). Hot glue is normally a low-adhesion glue unless you are talking about the PUR glues. I have also found that most finishes do not stick well to caning as it has a hard glossy surface. Polyurethane would be my last choice as it has relatively poor adhesion.

Arch, MacDonald has so many tartans (it’s a big clan) you can have every color there is! My grandfather was a Fletcher so I use that as well. Plus I really love the Ancient Mackenzie, but it’s hard to find. Tvq1, I like black, but the dresser is black, the couch is black and the kitchen cabinets will be black (one big open space) so I was trying for some color. As to the gauntlet grey I wanted dark, so it worked for me. I really wanted to paint the cabin black but hubby said no! This was our compromise. I painted my old house mindful grey, which is the same strip just a few shades lighter. Here’s a pic of the house in mindful grey with black fox shutters. It’s a pretty grey.

If the base of the couch is also black (hard to tell from the photo), I think they work very well together.