fmroberts: You have lovely gardens and outdoor area for entertaining. Thank you for sharing. Almost (but not quite) makes me want to move to Illinois! Here in Bay Area land is VERY expensive so we have to be creative with much smaller spaces. annz: I was looking at those offset umbrellas yesterday as well. Costco is also selling them. Thanks for all the suggestions. I need to think on this some more. DD's window in the one the rectangular one that is in the corner area. She already has wood blinds that work pretty well, though the room does get hot in afternoon. flyingflower: This is what the website said about being "rust proof": ---------------- Each Woodard frame is purified and dipped into a bath of zinc phosphates (rust inhibitors) during our state-of-the-art MetalGuard finishing process. Wrought Iron frames are electrostatically coated, creating a permanent seal that locks out rust. They are also finished with the highest quality powder-coat paint finish for durability and beauty. Woodard continues to hand-craft each piece of wrought iron furniture-a tradition handed down through generations. Combining the heaviest available solid wrought iron stock with the best steel, our individual craftsmen use an anvil and hammer to forge the intricate details found on many Woodard frames. Woodard designers meticulously study each product style with the goal of preserving authentic designs. Fabrics are selected on the basis of quality, coloration, trend, and in some cases, historical significance. Finish choices range from colorations which are current in vogue to those who are traditional and timeless. Design integrity by Woodard is a reality-not a concept. -------------- That plus my friend's personal experience makes me pretty confident. Her family is from Detroit and BIL works there and so multiple members of the family have these sets and no one has had a problem, even in Detriot. He was to have bought 2 sets for us at annual employee sale, but flaked out for some reason. Anyway, even at retail pricing it's comparable with other cast aluminum sets so most likely we'll get one of the sets by Woodard. She did say her mother uses cushions, though she does not, and her chairs are very comfortable and in a sunnier spot than I've planned. I've been to a few afternoon parties at her house when they just had it under a pergola and some chairs were out in the sun--no one complained of the chairs being hot, but an excellent point to consider. If they did, I would just get the cushions, though would prefer not as the set is going under birch trees which keep it fairly shady plus the leaves and little branches fall down in that area and I'd worry it'd mess up the cushions. This is what I am thinking of getting: 54" round table: 6-8 rocker chairs (these are soooo comfortable), in either one of these styles: Briarwood rocker: Windflower rocker: I'm not sure if I'll just get two extra rockers with hopes I can squeeze around the table, if needed, but keep where I have the white chairs in pic. above or a nice comfy bistro style lounging set with cushions for that area under the umbrella. I may just start with a set of table, 6 chairs and decide later if I want more chairs or not. She told me of a store in Campbell and one in Cupertino that carry the brand locally, though I will shop around on internet for best pricing.

I would not add anything that sticks out much into the walkway on that long wall...people's shoulders will whack them going by! And at the risk of horrifying everyone, I see no reason why you shouldn't paint the three walls of your kitchen a different shade from everything else, if you want to. A warm gold-toned tan would give a good backdrop to the things you want to use, and make the kitchen into a space of its own. I would also pull the ledge off the pass-through and add a generous countertop supported by big iron brackets on the family room side where your family and friends could sit while you are in the kitchen, and that you could use as a serving surface or bar. That would solve your no-table problem in a simple way. Since you don't have a window, your big wall is the ideal place for a really big mirror, the size of an actual window, which you could then surround with four prints that suit your style. I agree that you shouldn't clutter things up...you don't have the luxury of a lot of counter space, so you will need to keep your counters pretty clear of things that are only decorative. You can put something nice in the corners, though...Ballard has a group of white urns that are purely decorative, but you might do well at antique shops and fleas, too, and find things you can actually use (these are purely decorative). And I would hang that wonderful plaque on the larger wall over your fridge, so you can get it up higher and see it from the family room. Here is a link that might be useful: Ballard urns

I'm beginning again after having lost my previous post, who knows what I did. Thank you all so much for your kind comments. It always shores up my confidence when you all like what I've done, even when I'm sure in my own mind that it all looks good. d_gw, in one of the "before" pictures you're seeing the summer bedspread which I bought not too long ago, but after some time it got colder and I had to break out the winter quilt. I was too lazy to use the winter shams, however. I painted the yellow silk pillow with blue acrylic and rust colors to make it look less yellow. I'm no artist, but at least it blends in a little more. I'm showing a close-up of the dachshunds, which for some reason have feet that look like flippers. Hubby has no explanation; he's usually much better than that. I'm adding a picture of a beloved dog and cat who have passed on and a duck that's before my time, as were the dachshunds. Notice the "flippers", cannot explain those. Those are not doggie feet! Nellie, my beloved dog who I hope is waiting for me. Casey, my sweet and gentle cat, now long gone. A feathered friend. In all honesty, my husband's best works are oil paintings.

Thanks Tartan- I was hoping you would see this. Yeah, the thing is for the offwhite it's in the reviews that people mention it is more of a gray than a cream... I can't tell. I know originally we felt that off-white was the way to go. The depth on this one, chatham is great (it' s the skinniest one of all the ones I considered). The reviews are outstanding- but the color scares me and the mahogany, looks good. Although my coffee table and end table are wood ( I think fruit wood). The size thing came up because I keep seeing suggestions that the console under the tv should be about 1/4 to 1/3 larger than the TV. The tv on that wall is not really centered on the wall- there is a light switch which I kind of didn't include in the wall. It was the outstanding decorators above, Flo and others who said I should go about 52-55 inches wide. Help me out, the TV is a 50 inch (diagonal) so the width is about 44 or 45 inches. !/3 larger would be 60 inches, 1/4 larger woudl be 55 inches. The Chatham is 52/53 inches. You see why I can't decide anything? I did use tape to see and I will post those pix here. This is 52 inches And here is 60 inches. Do I have the tv stand butting up to the window or leave room like I have done? FWIW, the kitchen is my other next project so while it adjoins the living room and all, who knows what color wood I will have there. (debating wood vs off white. that should take me maybe another year to decide lol). Originally a few said that I shouldn't go for more wood tones, so that keeps me back to the off white. What do you think? I will repost some of the pix of the room that are further upthread. This below is across from the TV wall. other wall with fireplace. So what TV stand belongs in my room that I will be happy with? How's your clairvoyance working??:)