Sounds like some form of landscape fabric to me and as others have stated, been there, done that, and wouldn't do it again. In a blackberry plot I might do it because of their growth nature, but in a perennial bed no. There is a belief that landscape fabric will permanently prevent weeds from spreading, but a couple of years ago at my parent's place we removed a whole section - about 30 feet in diameter. It was the most difficult thing a few workers and I had ever done. She had unknowingly planted a suckering shrub which started coming up through the fabric after few years. When we removed the fabric we saw the extent of the root system of this monster under the fabric and needed a backhoe to get it out! In essence, the fabric hid the growing problem underneath for about 10 years... If the fabric had not been there, the problem would have been noted much earlier and would have been dealt with much easier. My practice of mulching with organics to feed the soil which in turns feeds the plants was confirmed as being a good practice. :O) In the gardens, I mulch with mostly a combo of shredded leaves and UCGs - Used Coffee Grounds... For paths, I use sheets of newspaper topped with wood chips from a sawmill up the road. You can see one path behind the raised gardens it in the following photo.

chuckling,.. Michael, lately I seem to get the bus situation on a regular basis, with no regard for actually being a car. I'm sure that here in Alberta that is where the truck limo came from. answering the REAL question: no you have not achieved fuzei. Fuzei is in actuality a specific air of 'fresh breath/breeze of mountain', that is, go to the highest mountain, where the air is the purist, crispest cleanest, most envigorating that you have ever felt, combine this with a deep ancient forest earthiness, that connects the souls of your feet in a sense of completeness,... now perhaps we are getting close to the sense of fuzei. --however, I am trying to use its concept as a working design tool. You would need to ponder what your definition of 'tranquility' is. I actually read your needed 'air of fuzei', as '+happy thoughts+balanced immediately'. comments on the rest: - your viewing platform is the key. It should be a rustic outside teahouse (chaso) that has the stream running through it, with a finished interior to the barefoot standard. It would be surrounded by woodland. -This would likely be the elevated part of the garden, with the waterfall emerging from directly outside one wall to the inside 'flow through' area. This outside area would be defined by the sense of deep woodland, large leaves, high humidity, cool, etc. that would eventually when built answer 'fuzei'. The inner patterns would be attuned to your cultural taste. I would suggest that the entering waterfall area be natural (so) with stone (perhaps with an inset basin, and within a foot or two after the basin, transition to become highly finished (shin), the (perhaps offset) kneeling stone being the transition device. After this point the stream would be of high finish, and by using several right angles or reversals (Okinawan pattern) would slow the water. - At 39% or 61% of the length of the teahouse, the right angles will again transition through gyo to so, using both manmade finished items and natural stone, which has one internal 2" waterfall of stones tuned in the mid and low range. At the edge of the teahouse, the stream would emerge off center with another slight waterfall of 3". -Koi would be able to swim into the teahouse and back out to the pond. Alternatively part (39%) of the inside floor of the teahouse could be cut inwards, under the roof, as a 'bay', docking area, with sitting boat stones doubling as walkout stones. The stream would run directly into this 'bay'. Details for the stream are numerous, not mentioned here for simplicity. -The inner workings of the teahouse: I would suggest that the shape be a large square, or if no limits exist on budget, an elongated 8 sided teahouse. This would be to accommodate the inside stream, the outside area, and provide the high level of acoustics that fulfill the separation of outside and inside. The inner roof panels, the angles should be adjustable, lowerable for control, when entertaining. The construction of course goes back to your cultural patterns (childhood = 3 generations). These roof panels or side panels that are part of the design of the walls would also direct cool air or retain heat when the sunken hearth is in use. Once you've built this much, or something more attuned to your taste, and feel a sudden need for an intaking refreshing breath of purity and air, that is invigorating to deeply inhale, physically releasing to exhale, you are getting close to a feeling of fuzei. ______ An alternative would also be to use different heights inside the teahouse. Highly controversial at first thought, yet practical & suitable if designed well, using outer perimeters as 'levels to the inside'. This would create a 'boathouse + teahouse' combination. The definitive social order of 'approach' would need to be well addressed in the design and building phase. small refinements along the way: your 'enclosure/perimeter' would be the Douglas Fir forest, the 'device' by which you bring the pattern of that forest into the garden, is shakkei. -if separation is wished from the house then use the stroll garden to do so. -any elevation except what is gained from pond excavation is not really needed, unless more of the up/down plane of motion will help you separate from the 'outside'. -that would be the time to call the trucks with soil, I would first call the backhoe. fuzei has more connection with human perception ( & scientific reality) of the sensory experience of space, its enclosure and our response to it, specifically in regard to 'how good it makes us feel'. At one level of the art of placement (fusui/fengshui), this overlaps in that 'if fuzei exists, then everything must be in its right place'. Beyond this, in my experience so far, no other relationship exists. edzard

Cove molding is a variety of crown molding with a concave profile. I don't find that it makes the ceiling look higher; some experts say that by drawing attention to the ceiling, the ceiling may in fact look lower. To counteract that, paint the ceiling a lighter colour than the walls. Crown molding does make for a smoother transition and is characteristically used in more expensive traditional homes. Or in homes that are aspiring to a traditional look. Plaster Cove Moulding Handpainted Detail on Plaster Moulding Crown mouldings are made of polyurethane and other foams, wood, pre-caster plaster and cast-in place plaster. Here is a link that might be useful: Balmer Architectural Mouldings

I can't recommend any books but if you have those tools I'd suggest you buy a stick of crown. cut 2-2' sections, take them to the miter saw, place the top of the crown DOWN and cut one in the middle at 45 degrees left, cut the other at 45 degrees right. You will end up with a set of inside and outside corners "Testers" mark them for your reference. See how they fit at you corners, you will find most are not true 90s and that's where beginners run into problems. Also mitered corners are relatively easy, it gets much more complicated when you have to make coped corners as that takes real experience. So I suggest you play with some material and see if you really want to take this task on, crown molding can be very frustrating. There's also lots to think about relative to scarfing, how and where your miter/copes will open due to movement. The alignment of the profiles (can vary within a batch. And lastly the size the bigger it is the harder it is. remember putty and paint make up for what the carpenter aint ;)