Thank you both ... Unfortunatly after looking around, I could only find one small lady palm. BUT I found 2 beautiful bamboo palms. I also picked up some redish anthuriums with look really nice. They are large enough that I can divide them into smaller plants to put in the different corners of the plant box ... It looks SO much nicer now. Thank you for your suggestions! I also couldn't resist a white bird of paradise they had for my sun room. They had a WONDERFUL, BIG orange BOP with about 6 flowers on it for sale too ... unfortunately my gardening budget for the month doesn't allow for a $150 plant :( -Bonnie

DM, I tried everything I could think of to embed your photos here and nothing worked. Sorry. Snapfish doesn't seem to be set up to posted photos on forums. Too bad. Do you have a photobucket account? They are very easy to use and you can even share clickable thumbnails. They seem to have every kind of code you'd need to post anywhere that I've ever wanted to post to. As for you entry. I love the table! That is one gorgeous piece. It seems to have been made for your home. The table runner is awesome too, but it could limit you on art selection. Once you get a large piece of art on the wall I don't think the lack of wall color will matter. This way, as you both want, the features of your home along with the decor, will be the show piece. You won't need color on the walls to "make" the room. As for wall art, what about making your own? I know you don't like to paint walls, but.....? There's so many other ideas for DIY art too. You say you thought about horizontal wood. Why not do it as "art" instead of the whole wall? I just bought a square coffee table for three ninety nine at a local thrift store and if Restore a Finish does it's trick, I might just use the top for art. This picture is really terrible, but it has burled and parquet wood veneer. Check thrift stores for large works or art or mirrors with or with great frames. If you don't like the art just use the frame. My brain is slowing down. I need food. Good luck! It's good to "see" you again.

HI -- I would not do more brass but have a look at Restoration Hardware lighting for ideas . Maybe you would like a hanging star . Restorationhardware.com

Holy cow, I had no idea stair railings were so pricey. Are you changing/ removing the carpet (and either replacing it with more carpet or a runner) because you don't like the current carpeting or is there something wrong with it? Also...niche..okay, so you're cool with quirk and it's a niche, which (to me) screams "I need to house an old, chipped up, vintage-y chalkware statue of an obscure religious figure or a circus animal". But that's just me. Like an infant of Prague would be so cool. Santos figures are great, but...chalkware is pretty darn cool. Chalkware (okay, maybe plaster...) advertising figurine. St. Therese. A really banged up version, verrrrrry neat. St. Therese...in a niche (err, a grotto...). If you don't buy this on Etsy, I will. Or you could put some removable wallpaper inside the niche and add a tuck a puck light up in the top arch of the niche so whatever you put in it is downlit. A soft/matte metallic or seagrass wallpaper would be really neat. or you could paint the back in a really moody version of whatever color your furniture is.