Just to give you a bit of background.... They have the nickname Phal type Dens. because the main species used most in breeding them is Dendrobium Phalaenopsis which is growing in my glasshouse right now. Temperature at 16:00 is 26C, humidity 70%. Not a problem, had it for ages and never misted it. The plant has 7 canes with the 6 newest ones having all their leaves and the oldest one being leafless. The only problem in growing it is when it blooms in late autumn i have to make sure that it doesn't get cold and wet otherwise the plant will drop buds. Some years i get a reasonable flowering, other years not so good, I only keep it because it is a bit of a challenge. It is because Dendrobium phalaenopsis is not tolerant of any cold and wet conditions that hybridisers have used many other Dendrobium species in their breeding programs so Dendobium Salaya Fancy should be easy to grow in zone 10. Just heed what Alberta says and you should be fine.

I bought some 99 c storage boxes at Home Depot - I can put 3 to 5 plant pots. I put a couple of small bricks inside the box so the orchids are sitting on top of the brick inside the box. i fill the box with an inch of water to increase humidity. the 2 bricks keep the pots above the water line. It is my first year i started gardening. Anyway it is southern exposure but the sun is high in the sky and filtered by the fire escapes above my window. also the tree filters the light. may have to give away one of my two bananas musa kru because they are growing fast and will no be able probably to keep everything inside in the winter although it is a shame because they provide shade from the direct sun. will supplement with some 23 W CFL bulbs. wonder if in the fall / winter will have more direct light in my window when the leaves of the tree outside fall and the sun will be lower on the horizon. anyway would direct sun damage the leaves of these dendrobiums [are these phal type?]?

I really am thankful for everyone's comments and I'm trying not to feel too overwhelmed. For me the kitchen remodel seems easy compared to this stuff! I'm taking your advice and slowing down a bit because I don't want to make a costly mistake. karen.iz: With such a large, out of scale sectional in the room now, I admit I'll need to double check going with the 97" sofa. Especially since we don't have end tables or ottomans in the space today. Luckily we get to check out the exact sofa for comfort in person in a few weeks when the sample gets back to the only store that carries the line within a 2 hour's drive. I'll also tape out the sofa and end tables on the floor before we decide to order. hollysprings: I really appreciate the built-in may not maximize the layout opportunities of the room, but its location works for us. Plus DH reminded me that he doesn't like sitting with his back to the door which is another reason for its placement. I truly appreciate everyone's comment that the built-in needs some work, but I'm going to take advice from joanie30's, camlan's and others and leave the built-in alone for now. Come back to it when other elements of the room are done and decide what needs to change. camlan: Chairs on casters is a great idea. I was sitting in the den last night and I completely forgot about needing floor space for our 2 large dogs to hang out. Plus I think less furniture is better for this room and for the transitional style we prefer. So I'm leaning towards only one chair in the room on casters. To your point, I can put a second comfy chair on casters in the entry way or LR so we could easily pull it into the den when we need it. Problem solved! 90% of the time it's only DH and I in the room so we really don't need 2 chairs. Also, we'll have ottomans in the space that will provide additional short-term seating. I like your idea of a shelving unit on the other side of the FP to balance the window. I like that idea because it gives us display space for family pictures. joanie30, andee: You really hit the head on the nail about the TV so thanks for articulating it so clearly. I've decided against dark walls and leaning towards sticking with the colors on the paint strip. Once I find a rug and the exact fabric for the sofa, we'll decide which color works best. On the layout front: If we go with one chair, where would you put it? I like the idea of a shelving unit on the other side of the FP to balance the window and for display. What would you then do with the storage chest? Here's an inspiration shot from houzz. Should I be looking for a unit like this? I like that it's open on the sides and back so it doesn't look so heavy, but will this be too modern next to our very traditional FP? [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modified-telluride-by-candlelight-homes-traditional-family-room-salt-lake-city-phvw-vp~384294) [traditional family room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2107) by salt lake city general contractor Candlelight Homes So what do you all think of these chairs? They're all from MGBW so I can get them in our inspiration fabric. Am I even close? Chair 1- My favorite but does it look too much like the sofa? Chair 2- Close second favorite Chair 3- I like it but it seems "short" for the room

Darlene, I learned these dens like to be tortured. The one in the photo still had leaves in November. That bothered me. So I moved it to the hottest part of the yard and made sure it got not a drop of water. When they predicted rain, I brought it in. The weather did not cool down until January. I left it out as the temps dropped into the low 40's. All the leaves yellowed and finally dropped. It was still in the hottest, sunniest part of the yard. If I were growing this in NY, I would keep it out until the temps dropped and I would not water at all. If you have a deck or patio, bring it in and out until the day temps get too cold. I have a smaller division which did not flower this year. It is making new growths but no flowers. I babied it more than the one in the photo. It didn't flower. Next year I will torture it to get flowers. Jane