I've definitely had some surprises with the plants this year. The Rose of Sharon are pretty limp, with sparse and drooping foliage and about half the blossom they would normally have. One of the hibiscus is sadly wilted, as is one of the hydrangeas, in spite of trying to keep them watered. I suspect I may have a gopher lurking under the mulch. Two other hydrangeas (you can see one of them in the upper right in this photo) seem to be fine, and another hibiscus is taking the situation much more in stride. The peonies don't seem to mind it a bit. They are full and lush. The little malva fastigata (to the left in this photo) are all still alive, but have quit blooming. The small ones out in the sun are struggling, and I don't know if I'll be able to save the perennial gypsophilla or not. The young spiderwort that are in the shade appear to be fine, but the parent that's out in the sun is a disaster. Too ugly to even photograph. The little Buddleia Bicolor is all but dead, along with the annual dahlias and acorn squash. Even the lemon cucumbers are sparse, wilted and really struggling. The annual portulaca and purslane appear to be just fine. The big patch of monarda has quit blooming and was not very showy this year. I only got a brief burst of bloom and then it was gone, but it's still alive. The new perovskia "Longin' appears to be okay, as is the white sage, and the hosta in the shade are the biggest surprise. They seem to be taking it in stride, right along with the Virginia creeper and morning glory that I keep trying to control around them. Even the azaleas that are in the shade seem to be handling it pretty well. The coreopsis seems fine, but is in serious need of deadheading. The big bearded iris are trucking right along, which is no surprise, and all the daffodils, narcissus, and Dutch iris were fine, but I tried putting in some crocosmia and they promptly all turned brown and shriveled before blooming. I'll try moving them if I can whack my way down into the clay soil, and hope for better luck next year. I think this is going to be a very educational year, all around. I was seriously impressed with the drought tolerant things that cactusgarden has put in, and will need to rethink my own garden for next year if this is going to continue. Pat

Item #4, with the fancy brass pull, looks more like something called a "half commode" to me. The glass knob is almost certainly a later replacement, since it's a rather disastrous combination with the large brass pull on the drawer. A chamber pot would have been kept in the lower section with the door for use in the bedroom at night. Remember, many homes did not have indoor plumbing until the 1920s, and in cities it was not uncommon for several apartments to share a single toilet! (Chair-type commodes are much less common, possibly because they were less efficient uses of space.) In many commodes this cabinet section would have been lined for cleanliness with tin, enameled metal, or even marble in very fancy ones, but often they were just painted or varnished. As a comparison for overall shape, here is another half commode: They do indeed make excellent nightstands, and you'll often find them labeled as such in antique shops and on eBay. Sometimes people will retrofit a shelf inside the cabinet section to make it a more useful space. A full or double commode, also sometimes called a washstand, generally looks like one of these two pieces: FWIW, these are what I know as a gentlemen's dresser:

Alas, no photos of the paint-washing technique...I moved away from the house without having taken any. I've added a link to a wall that looks almost exactly like it, however. This one is a little grayer than what you'd get with your wall color as the base, but it gives a good idea. But - now that I've seen the whole room, I think you should bite the bullet, frame out the wall around the brick, sheetrock it (or panel it in the beadboard), add a whole mantelpiece in keeping with your cabinetry, paint it to match, and cover the brick hearth with slate or bluestone slabs. Here's an example of a mantelpiece: http://www.mantelsdirect.com/fairfield.html Until you can do that, I'd recommend whitewashing the brick, dulling the metal surround, and leaving the mantel as is. In any case, I'd also reframe the picture with a mat that's twice as wide and weighted at the bottom, and a dull/antique gold frame. It's a lovely room, and I think you have established a style that is a step up from the simplicity of your fireplace. Continuing it will snap the whole place into focus. Here is a link that might be useful: Whitewashed brick

Good points, all! I agree, the price is too high for anyone who can sew a straight seam. I, at least, can do that much. Great idea abut finding a good price online, Bodica. Thanks! Your idea about using velcro is a good one, too, Threegrad! That stuff is a godsend to people like me who love to design, but hate to sew. ROFLMAO Carole! But, you make a good point about trying to sew that stuff. I still have nightmares about sewing a chenille pillow for my DD! Squirrelheaven: thank you :~) Good point about obscuring the view with netting. Hmmmmm Jen, I've always wondered what it would be like sleeping with mosquito netting on beds. I hadn't even considered air circulation! My walled garden can get pretty hot during the summer. This is something I really need to think about. Thanks for mentioning it. Polly & Cooperbailey, yikes . . . those mosquitos sound horrid! I feel for you both. I don't get bitten very often when we're vacationing in Michigan, but my DH and kids get big welts from them. Well, again, thanks for all your thoughts on this thing. You've given me a lot to think about. If I do decide to try one, I'll be making my own. I'm too frugal to spend that much for one myself. Lynn