decor: NC kitchen selections

that's our new kitchen.

that's me pondering our new kitchen... and bathrooms... and bedrooms.  yes, my posture's askew due to  bearing the burden of decision-making...

and the fear of making a mistake...of regret.

that icky feeling hit me shortly after moving into our nj new construction 2002.  i selected traditional maple cabinets in a natural finish, black granite counters and a natural oak floor.  in no time orangeness oozed from the wood finishes, blinding me with their monotony.  big regrets there.

we changed course when macguyver renovated our dallas kitchen in 2009 and went with off-white painted cabinets with a glazed finish in a traditional style.

for the backsplash, macguyver happened upon ANNE SACKS PENNY TILE ON SALE at a tile showroom.  TO DIE FOR... and worth SCREAMING over.  

TO DIE FOR in person.

so, now what?  though i love the dallas kitchen, i'm ready for something different now... MOD, CLEAN, WHITE, and SIMPLE come to mind.

here is an early layout of our new NC kitchen/dining/living area.

 of course, i've been the "mad pinner" in search of inspiration.

inspiration 1:

nice, eh?  slightly sterile, though, i love the contrast of warm wood with cool whiteness.

inspiration 2:

delicious, don't you think?  a bit too traditional in the details, but, again, warm wood and cool whiteness tickle me happy.

so, here are my our choices so far:

despite the awesomeness of that fancy-dancy olioboard i created ALL BY MY NON-TECHY SELF in only 17 hours,  the hardwood floor finish is still being debated, the granite color on the board is not accurate since it's a greeny-bluish-gray in person and the subway tile backsplash (up to the ceiling, of course!!) is also not firm.

here's a good visual of the tile--though in yellow--in a similar layout sans the upper cabinets.

what are your thoughts on white subway...has it run its course?  it's reasonably priced and won't fight the granite/walnut top counters and busy up my little head.

but then i think about this gorgeous kitchen redo by kelly at eclectically vintage near my old nj stompin' grounds:

do you see that AHHH-mazing mosaic herringbone backsplash in marble?

i could just eat it up...but it's not as reasonable as the subway.

i hate reasonable.

kelly?  anyone?   i'm drowning in decisions... care to toss me a rope?