While I think that the "FAQ" as outlined by swanoir was presented tongue in cheek ('the humus'), many of the subsequent comments and/or links to threads that could/should be included in a FAQ were presented in a more serious tone. And maybe they do make sense as a foundation to a real LD forum FAQ. But I've also sensed something else in these comments that may contribute to the apparent lack of communication between new posters seeking advice and those that regularly frequent this forum and offer it. And that is that the long checklist provided by Miss R must be (or should be) answered in detail before posting. Well, of course not! But it is definitely something worth reviewing and giving some thought to. This checklist, or something very similar, is what most designers utilize when first meeting with a prospective client. It gives them a feeling for what the client wants to do with the property, how they intend to use it, what they hope to get out of it and how much effort (time/$$) are they are intending to put into it. Hopefully, reviewing an outline or checklist such as this could help to refine and focus some of those blank slate questions and even educate those new posters totally unfamiliar with the process the degree of complexity, the number of variables and exactly what is involved in the formulation of a landscape design. Even DIY landscape texts intended for the homeowner with no previous design or landscaping experience offer similar checklists to get one started thinking about the process. Obviously, this is overkill for those questions that are more issue-specific, but I think very appropriate for those that are much broader and far less focused.

Sunnibel, I had incorrectly assumed you were where 90% of the people in the state live, in the DC/Baltimore corridor. I am in Baltimore. If you like doing outdoor activities there is a lot to do in western Maryland and its worth a 2-hour drive if you make it a whole day. Re: varieties, if you are not putting in many trees then my main advice is to make sure you are growing varieties that are suited to the mid-Atlantic. I have discarded at least 50 apple varieties which were not working out in spite of their great descriptions. Once you have narrowed down the choices you can post your list here to get feedback. I recently started writing down my overall favorites, here is the current list: Freyburg Gold Rush Kidds Orange Red Wickson Crab (but, cracks every other year) Nonpareil Rubinette Bonne Hotture Abbondanza Chestnut Crab Golden Russet (American) Hawaii Swayzie Newtown Pippin Pomme Gris Reine des Reinettes Ashmead's Kernel Mother Rusty Coat White Winter Pearmain Golden Nugget Akane (but is highly bug-prone) Maigold Ribston Pippin Myers Royal Limbertwig Pink Lady I am a big fan of russets and big-tasting apples so my favorites are skewed in that direction. The Golden Russet and Ashmeads Kernel have not fruited in my orchard but I have heard enough good things from local growers on them. A few of these guys have only fruited a couple times for me, most I have several years experience with. Scott

Sounds familiar. I am doing a creamy perimeter and cherry island kitchen, as well. The KD recommended for us to go a couple of shades lighter than the island on the floor if I wanted some contrast with the island, and for it to stand out a bit. My problem was that the resulting color did not match up at all with what I have going on in the rest of the first floor, which we did around ten years ago with Mirage prefinished in a light color. I really did not want to restain the floors in those spaces - not only have we already decorated, but the house has 8 foot ceilings in that section and I just thought that going dark on the floors would make the house feel less open and airy. But at some point, I can always restain the floors to match in there if I want. Anyway, I really agonized over this - I considered doing porcelain tile in the kitchen, but really didn't want it in the family room, too, which is part of a wide open floor plan with the kitchen. I thought of doing tile in the kitchen and wood in the family room -and that certainly would have been one possibility. After much angst, I ended up just putting in the darker wood in the kitchen and family room with a transition to the foyer and dining room. And you know what? After all that, the look of the transition turns out not to bother me at all (which is saying something ;) ). Unfortunately the floors are still covered by paper to protect them, so I don't have a photo for you. As fori points out , maybe it would have been different if there was a wider opening than just a doorway, or if the woods clashed, which was not the case. We also ended up going in the same direction with the wood. It turned out we had no choice anyway because the walls weren't completely plumb at one point in the old section. This way, we are running the wood perpendicular to the family room fireplace, which is what I wanted in the first place. At any rate, the way I look at it, I'd rather compromise on a few foot doorway than on an entire space.

You have a gorgeous ceiling and fireplace! They should be the stars of the room. I'm a bit of an audiophile myself, so I understand that sound bars and other all-in-one type speakers are completely unacceptable. And the speakers can't point in a different direction or be shoved smack dab up against the EC. They're too close as it is. Having said that, the problem is that the sheer size of the EC and the darkness of the color force the eye right to it instead of the beautiful features of the room, the ceiling and fireplace. This is one of the many reasons I hate TV and have only recently allowed one into my home. I can't stand it when people spend creativity, time, and money decorating a lovely living room like you have obviously done, and then the whole focal point of the room is the TV! I really like what Beverly did above. Rather than try to hide it, which is impossible and just makes it look even more imposing, she played up its good features, added the green, which is a very nice touch, and made it look like it's supposed to be there. The other iterations make it look out of place, although everything was an improvement over the first pics with that big thing on the top. Beverly took the good things from your inspiration photo and made them work in your room! Now you can play up the fireplace and people can see it, and the ceiling, without being overwhelmed by the EC. Your EC now looks like it was invited and welcomed into the room instead of looking like your DH sneaked it in there in the middle of the night and it is most unwelcome. :-) Hope this is helpful! Sincerely, Debbie