I wonder which way you want to face when sitting out on the deck? If you expect to face inward, toward the house, I'd construct permanent benches with backs in place of railings on the two outer sides of the deck -- could be centered on each side with breaks in the corners, or wrap that outer corner of the deck with an L-shaped bench, depending on how you prefer access to the grass. Put flip-top seats on the benches, use the bottom for storage, something like you see on the top deck of a ferry boat. Then as karinl suggested, a medium to large tree some distance off that corner so it doesn't crowd the deck, but would still provide partial shade. Other than that I'd keep it really simple. If you do use pots, get the largest you can find. Dinky pots are clutter and don't support life, big pots are a statement, and plants will actually gorw in them. If you prefer to face outward from the house, get whatever table and chairs suit you for the patio, plus at least two loungers for the deck. If you can't do a partial pergola, two market umbrellas will do the trick. Then plant a vignette garden on the slope on the far side of the swale -- maybe a hummingbird or butterfly garden with a small ornamental tree behind it. In other words, create a view to look at from your deck and patio, the garden equivalent of the aquarium in the dentist's office. Use some plants that will give structure and endure year-round, then fill in with seasonals and annuals.

Hi Positano, no I have the Leland which is very similar in styling, and YES I love it. Very easy to operate. I love my pull down sprayer. I do have the Victorian series in my master bathroom, and I never get tired of looking at it, it has such pretty features. If you do need to buy hardware, try Woodworkers.com I found them the cheapest for what I wanted. I printed out a copy of the price and went to Lowes and they price matched plus 10%. Good luck

There are three things you can buy. Lincrusta costs a fortune -- it's from the 1800s and they use the original machines to make it, and one that printed wainscoting broke down last year and no parts to fix it. It's firm and hard and thick. Anaglypta costs a little less and is thicker than wallpaper but thinner than Lincrusta. These two products have the higher raises and deeper depths to them, Lincrusta having the most depth. The pictures I posted are Lincrusta, to my recollection. This is where I got the pictures I posted above, and there are many more here: http://www.lincrusta.com/ It does tell you how to achieve each technique (the basics at least). >Do you they make embossed wallpaper that is already completed and doesn't need painted? I don't know. If you mean like what I pictured above? No I don't think so. That is Lincrusta and it is hand painted. Drooooool, huh? Yeah, me too. I think it is stunning. I would use it on the lower half of the wall only, so it won't be overwhelming. This treatment is something I've been thinking about doing in my own bathroom, but I haven't done it yet. If you buy the Lincrusta from that site, I'll bet they would be happy to tell you exactly which paint to buy and how to achieve the effect you want BUT they are in England, so what they have there may not be the same as what we have here. If you learn which paint to use, please let me know. Here: http://www.wallpapersplus.com/product15766.html They have my favorite one (the one pictured in this post) ON SALE for only -- are you sitting down? -- $137.50 per roll! LOL Unpasted, of course. I have NO idea how to cut it to go around toilet pipes, as in, does it crumble if you bend it too much, etc? Dunno. I did get the beadboard wallpaper from this company and liked them very much and found the paper easy enough to apply (though you have to be careful not to tear it when it's wet). Perhaps this would work? http://www.grahambrown.com/us/product/17773/Large%20Damask%20Paintable%20Wallpaper I've been thinking on my budget I'd mess around with regular embossed wallpaper and paint and see what I could accomplish. Then again, I AM tempted to go in and measure and see if I could get by with just ONE roll of that Lincrusta. Naughty me. Because that stuff makes me go weak in the knees.

Heidi, I think your home is completely charming. It's friendly like a big warm hug, and your view is to live for. It must make you feel good every time you look out the window. The wonderful thing about small houses is they're easier to clean and cheaper to heat or cool, leaving us more time and money for the important things in life like family, friends, and nature. Your home looks like a wonderful place to relax after a busy day. The quilt looks great hanging over the staircase, and what a great place to put it. One day I was apologizing for my messes to a dear older woman as I saw her in the front door and she said something I've never forgotten. She smiled, patted me gently on the arm and said, "Nothing creative ever comes of a clean house." :D (I'm thinking of framing that.) As for the fan, I think it's just perfect for your home, if that's what you're asking? I love the detail around the top. It reminds me of the antique Tiffany lamps with the camels and palm trees on them, which I always loved. The hammered finish where the arms attach to the blades is very pleasing. I love the color you've selected for the cabinets and it would look great with the tile. It goes with that beautiful leather chair that looks so inviting. Can you stain the cabs or would that need to be paint? Would the edges of the tile be harder to clean or maybe be crumb catchers? I can't feel it in my hand to decide. I would love to see more updated pictures. I'm terrifically color oriented and that green wall is throwing me off.