Given what you're looking for, I'd put a gazebo out in the yard away from the house. Create a path from the screen patio to the gazebo. Gazebos typically have a roof and you could also build a "sundeck" attached to it so you can enjoy the sun or escape it as you wish. Then I'd greatly reduce the grass with large, landscaped beds. I'd personally maintain the view of the water, but try to "frame" it with some tall growers on the sides and low growers against the fence facing the water. Of course, if you don't want to see your neighbor's back yards across the pond, then you'll have to block your view of the water. There are many hedging plants that will quickly provide the privacy you seek. Viburnum grows great in 9a.

We have a fieldstone patio set within our yard, surrounded by trees, annuals, perennials, and a garden bench with pergola that DH made. The side of our garage has two windows that have lovely curtains that are tied back to give it a homey feel (I made them from old sheets). I have a small shed at the back of the garage that looks like a small shingled house. It is painted a buttery cream just like our house. We have a 60" caste alluminum dining set that sits 8, with a striped green and cream umbrella that is off to one side of the patio. Cast iron urns with green spikes and pink, white, and purple annuals flank the doorway leading into the kitchen; varigated ivy spills out of the urns on three sides. Small white and butter colored buckets hang from the picket fence spilling ivy, pink geraniums, and small daisyish flowers. A grapevine wreath hangs at the picket gate below the arbor leading to the yard. An old metal milk can that I painted off white is fitted with a flower pot that sits inside the opening. A spike surrounded by verbena, geraniums, and assorted other annuals and ivies, spills out onto the patio. That being said, my yard is always set up this way. For company I add outdoor furniture consisting of white wicker furniture (two settees, a rocker, and two chairs), and old rustic coffee table that I painted a pale sage green, small iron side tables, adirondack chairs, and sometimes director's chairs for the kids. My tables are dressed with printed cloth napkins that are placed on the diagonal to give some interest to the tables, and with small flower pots filled with sand for the occasional smoker. Candles in hurrican lamps are placed on the tables (nothing matches which makes this charming). An old white peely table with a fold-down leaf in the front and rear acts as a buffet for hors d'oeurves and is covered with vintage 50's tablescloths whith white backgrounds and pale pink and blue flowers or designs (I have one that has ice cream store confections on it that is beautiful). I protect the vintage cloths with a clear plastic tablecloth. I usually place a wood box and bricks under the tablecloths to add height to different parts of the table. There I display fresh daisies or a large enclosed candle or just use it to raise the food to different heights. White wine is set in ice and water in metal buckets covered with soft, foral wallpaper. I hang candles from the top of the pergola, just to the sides of the bench, in old mason and baby food jars so that they twinkle like stars at night. Very cozy. Installed lighting that highlights the various trees and shrubs sets a nice mood too. Outdoor speakers provide the tunes, which are selected based on the crowd, and the type of party. I guess I treat the outside as an extension of our indoor space, and give it the same attention to detail. Don;t know if that's what you were looking for, but that's what I do and it always makes...

DS is almost 14 and one of the most organized people I know. He is now responsible for doing his own laundry and cleaning his room, not just picking it up, and does it without nagging. When we moved into our new house last spring, he asked us if he could pack & set up his things, and did an amazing job of it. He was not born with this ability, nor did it happen overnight. Yes, we know how lucky we are!! We started at toddler age with bins & shelves for his toys. It really helps to have a place for everything. We didn't do the big toy chest--it's the bottomless pit that things tend to get broken in & lost forever. We did daily pickup sessions together, but told him it was ultimately his job. If he didn't pick his toys up by the end of the day, he "lost" them for a period of time, a natural consequence. He also attended a Montessori preschool, which insists on putting one activity away before getting another. When friends come over to play, he knows that either they help him put things away, or he has to afterwards, and I give them a gentle warning of 30 minutes or so before the playdate will end. If our son made a mess, he was expected to clean it up, which was an opportunity to show him how. He then usually wouldn't do it again so he wouldn't have the chore. Occasionally he made mistakes that involved some destruction, and he had to do additional chores and/or lose privileges to correct his mistake. A daily "uniform" helps with the clothing issues. This can be either a school uniform or what you have decided your child can wear, then make it accessible and let your child choose from that. I picked tops & bottoms that I knew were comfy, sturdy, & would all go with each other. Our son loved dressing himself from an early age. One thing that really helped me is what the "Love & Logic" program teaches about expectations & consequences to guide behavior. There are Love & Logic books, tapes, & lectures available at libraries & schools. With L&L, you don't yell, threaten, or negotiate. You do let the child know what is expected, and you do what you said you'd do, NO warnings or second chances. It's hard at first, but gets easier over time, and everyone is much happier & more peaceful. The whole idea is to never do for your child what s/he can do at each age. We're there to teach them life skills and let them practice them.

We have something similar to yours in our basement family room.....only an entire wall and deep as well. We have a center opening like yours for a tv that is not quite as low as yours, and 3 deep drywall shelves on each side. We bought a 40" tv....couldn't fit anything larger and it works fine. For now I have a combination of books, photographs and a few odds and ends sitting among them. Not the ideal situation, but it's not in our main living area (we don't have a tv in the main living area). You could always put deep baskets in the two openings on the right (for blankets, pillows, magazines, etc). I like Robo's idea above.