Greetings Else (and others) ... ... from another south-western Ontario denizen - in my situation, near London, about half way Detroit/Windsor to Toronto/Buffalo. Hope you enjoy your stay: there's a lot of good talk, friendliness, some useful advice and general good feeling (despite some snarkiness from time to time - which one can choose to ignore, if so inclined). And we value folks who have been lurkers adding their ideas and opinions, rather than just sitting and quietly absorbing. As I went into the bank just now, it was starting to "spit" a bit ... when I came out (another story - see my thread) it was raining. But, as I said to someone just going in ... some of us have been "all wet" (or said to be so) for years. ole joyful

Also, I would like for someone to send me some herbs seeds like basil,sage or mints. I'll be unable to trade because I'm too new here to know what's going in this community. I'm mostly looking for shiso, lemon basil or holy basil. Thank you.

I have to admit, I have bought several Hoyas, not because I wanted them but because they were flooded and dying. I just bought my third variegated Hoya heuschkeliana. I know they dont grow well down here, the last one I bought melted into a pile of rot within a week. But I just bought 2 more. I'm an idiot, they will die! Still, I hope to give them a fighting chance! They looked so unhappy! lol

I'm struck by your interest in putting stick-ons on the fireplace and other cosmetic fixes telling us: "don't mind the carpets." As you can see from answers so far, the pros and other Commentors do mind the carpets and the clutter everywhere. You are not seeing what we're seeing, a disorganized space with random pieces like that ladder with stuff hanging off, a perfectly acceptable fireplace with a mantel cluttered with "stuff," depressing curtains, pillows all over the place on the couch, an area rug on top of stained carpeting. To upgrade this space, deal with all the stuff that should never have moved in with you. It's your "stuff" that needs rethinking, not the space itself, which is large and pretty nice. You have big windows, but dark curtains, a nice fireplace with cluttery stuff on it, a light carpet but it's dirty. That's what needs attention. A couple things needs to happen if you truly want a homey living space: --Move everything out of the living room and get the carpeting cleaned. If you can't do that, then don't read anything else on Houzz. Cleanliness and organization is homeiness! --While stuff is out of the room, declutter everything that never should've come into your new home: the duplicates, the things you haven't used in years, things you're saving "just in case," mindless decor items. Get rid of it so you can address storage for the things you really value, use frequently, and need want to keep. Go on YouTube and watch this video for how to declutter a living room: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fHZydAUOJE --You want your husband to have a nice place in the living room to relax, do his hobby, and watch TV. So work on that. Get him a desk with some storage that fits right into the corner to the left of the TV so you don't see his hubby corner when you walk into the living room. Ikea and Wayfair have desks like that and file cabinet/drawers that fit underneath where he can store those boxes you now have piled on the floor. Measure carefully so the desk tucks right into the corner next to the doorway and rolling drawers/file cabinets fit neatly underneath the desk. To the right of the new desk.,get a long, low, storage shelving like below that goes entirely across that wall. It should look something like this and run from the desk you're going to get and right to the window. Match the desk to the storage unit so they look built in. Going forward: rid your possessions of little pointless pieces like that ladder with stuff hanging off it; no other extra pieces but the desk and storage system. That's it. --I know you don't want to spend the money, but you need light curtains for your space. Use JC Penney coupons to buy new white curtains or check out Walmart, Amazon, etc. Get curtains you can push to the side to let in maximum light and view. --You're stuck with the sectional for now. So be it. In the future, do not buy another one. When budget allows, get a comfy sofa nd two comfy armchairs with low backs, low arms, not another manatee sectional. Get rid of all the sofa pillows.. They look messy. Float the couch about a foot away from the wall so as not to look as if it's sticking out the way it is now. --Remove all the doodads on the mantel and look for a couple framed art works to put on it, The fireplace does not need NOT STICKERS but an edited mantel. Resist the urge to add a bunch of meaningless decor items. Your Design Dilemma is actually a clutter and organizing dilemma, which won't cost much to fix. If you move, then you have a hubby/hobby desk and attractive low storage unit to go below the big TV. To sum up: --Move everything out of the living room for a deep clean. --While stuff is out of the room, ruthlessly declutter your possessions after you look at the YouTube on decluttering. --Get a desk with storage that tucks into the left corner and a matching long, low storage unit that runs to the window. (You may need to order two so everything looks built in but you can take with you if you leave the rental at some point.) --Look for some art work to layer on the mantell--two pieces max--and just one or two of your favorite decor items, then chuck the rest.