bmorepanic, You might have Autumn Joy in the wrong place- (too much shade?). Mine never reaches 4 feet high. But, if you wanna keep it where it is, try pinching the new growth when it's about 8-10' high- that might keep it more manageable.(And you can always use a plant ring- I finally broke down and bought several from Lee Valley that are like a grid supported by green plastic covered wires. Put them in place before growth is too high and let plant grow through grid. No more flopping!) And part of growing the right perennial is putting it in the right place- which is why my customers really appreciate my input, and most of my business is either repeat or referral. It's totally blown me away that I seem to care more about my $10 sales, than my suppliers have for many many thousands of $$$. Our windows took 6 months to finally all get installed correctly- we were offered no discount or recompense for the delay and hassles (long story- won't go into it here). Not that I would EVER delay an order by six months, but even if I'm a week or two behind (I sell seeds online), I always include bonus packs. And to carry the Autumn Joy analogy further- in your garden it doesn't work, in mine it looks good 8-10 months of the year- a definite winner. Lots of people love their marble, though I love the look, I KNOW I could not stand the extra care needed and that I would be bothered by marks, stains, etc. So, because it doesn't work for me, doesn't mean it's not an appropriate choice for someone else. BUT, this is where it behooves the supplier to inform the client- it bugs me to no end how much research is required for every single item. It certainly is a Buyer Beware atmosphere out there- some have lucked out in getting really good GCs, but for many, and for those of us DIY, it's a huge ordeal to have to investigate the pros and cons of EVERYTHING. (Sorry for the OT rant- I'm just so tired of all the work) Anyhow, had to go check my favorite shoes- I kid you not- they are called "FUNCTION'by Solidus. Well, I thought that was the name, cuz that's on the sole- but I think that may be their motto. Here's a pic- Have worn them to two weddings- didn't mind the lack of fashion as I danced well into the night at both of them.

For those who are messing with this challenge, I empathize. This is harder than it at first seems. Once you get the color decisions made, you then have to find products to fulfill it. Ain't easy. Many times they are "close matches" at best, close but no cigar. The discussion on the other thread has run toward a discussion of the difference between using color when creating art and using color when decorating a living space. Color variations allow painters to create spacial dimension within the artwork whereas in color applications in interior decorating, the variations in a color that occur because of light's effects through spatial dimension and object orientation can thwart a color scheme. If that all sounds esoteric, I apologize. It's easier to understand intuitively than to explain. This makes me think about the House Beautiful series of features using paintings or photos to make a color scheme--they draw out a color from each of a number of prominent places in the image. I can't seem to find an example of one of these features in the online site, but subscribers will know what I'm talking about. I bet the editors have to mess around a lot before they choose the actual color scheme, arguing about whether a matched-up color sample is a hair too green or too dark or whatever to play nicely in a multiple color palette. Another issue is whether to copy the artwork's proportional emphasis on each color or merely readjust the proportions. In my case, I'm trying to decide about floor color--the best-color-match product I'd actually enjoy having on a real floor is not a dominant color in the art piece. And unless I decide to use painted cabs I have to work in real wood colors also and that creates another emphasis conundrum also.

crl, thanks for the link to the thread I missed. I am so pleased to hear that larger frames are in style. The really narrow ones (15 years ago?) drove me nuts. I felt like I was looking through a slit all the time. ded, I'll have to take the matte frames for a spin. I've often been tempted to buy men's frames to get something larger.

Thanks for the input! I think I'm afraid to commit to permanent placement of things which is why I'm looking at individual bookcases instead of builtins. :) Paint has certainly been considered--especially when I was thinking I could make IKEA work--but aside from yellow walls and a white ceiling, there's no paint to match. I'd rather stick to a wood finish so that in the future I can shuffle the bookcases around...split up the set and stick them in the kids' bedrooms, whatever. I do like those green bookcases though! But I'm looking for something simpler and midcentury-inspired and I'm not sure that would work as well with paint as a traditionally detailed bookcase. I don't think the cherry would darken the room much (maybe all the junk/books inside would, though). I'm looking at unstained cherry which darkens into a medium light orange tone. This is in a low ranch house with 8 ft ceilings and I don't think bookcases can be tall enough to be oppressive in there. But it sounds like dark wood is out!