I have the French Pink pussy willows, if anyone is interested in that one! I'd be happy to share cuttings, any size you'd like! We planted it as a small shrub growing in about a half gallon container two years ago, and it grows so well here that I prune it about three times each growing season to keep it manageable for the spot it's in. I put it in a small garden space against the east facing wall of a large white garage, and it took off and hasn't stopped growing! The area is not especially moist or wet, but it doesn't seem to mind at all. It's good cover for the birds that come to use the birdbath next to it, and under it I have planted some creeping phlox, oregano, variegated sage, and some pink dianthus... As far as lilacs go, I have three small clumps of the old fashioned lavender/purple variety, name unknown... the buds got hit with a late freeze last year, so they didn't bloom as well as I'd have liked, but they should do better this year. I'd like to get more lilacs for the yard in other colors... pink, white and the yellow... I'd also like to get a deeper purple and the two-toned one I see in catalogs every once in a while... I have no idea as to names of lilacs... I'm just in the learning stages with shrubbery, perennials being the things I work with the most. Last year we added a few different types of hydrangeas, forsythia, amethyst beautyberry, dogwood and the small landscape roses to the gardens... for some reason, the hydrangeas don't seem to like it here, but perhaps they'll do better this year, once they get established. I have learned one thing, though... any type of willow will root here faster than you can point at it, and in the long run, the trees tend to be short lived, 15 years being about the limit. I used willow branches as teepee supports for some pea pods I grew last year, and they rooted and grew while the pea pods were climbing them... now I have to remove all the roots from the garden!

Thanks for remembering holligator--we did struggle. In the end it was, like anything else a series of compromises... We really had to examine our priorities but also I just sat back and watched the family and where everyone gravitates, how we operate...and used that to decide how to use the space. The "Big L" that consists of the kitchen, old dining room, old sunroom is now all opened up. Our biggest questions had to do with where to put the various components within that space--kitchen/dining/breakfast and bar--and we were toying with moving the front living room just to make it more confusing! Add to that the commitment to keep the builtins (thereby HAVING to reserve two corners for that)and there were no perfect solutions. The architect was strongly urging me to let go of my attachment to the builtins, as their elimination did provide many more options for use of space--it's the only thing I think he was way off base on. He was technically correct but totally missing the intangible value of those things. It became a joke between us really--every idea he had I'd be saying"but what about the builtins?" I'm so glad we saved them. Anyhow, I'm rambling. We kept the core of the kitchen in its original spot but once the wall came down we were able to push everything out a little to make that area a bit bigger, add a peninsula...and we went with the table-height bar/breakfast area on the opposite side of the peninsula. If I recall correctly, that idea got mixed reviews here --due to the perceived wasted space behind those seated at the bar and that "dead corner." Due to other savings we were able to actually put a bank of cabinets back there for a drybar, though...so now I'm really happy with that whole space. Window placement-existing and new was also a challenge. We decided to spend on really nice windows for that front "sunroom/dining room" rather than spend money on trying to reconfigure window placement in the rest of the "L" (all the original windows, save one, are set very low--only 25" off the floor--so negate base cabinets there!) and decided to keep a tall hedge that is there shielding the view of the neighbor's wall. I thought the window in the hedge, or staring at her house would look bad in my original posts, but now that we've done it--the tall green of the hedge (about 7-8 feet from the outside of the window) is a very pretty element. I decided to put the big table and dining up front there because it is the most light filled area of the house and we gravitate there for just about everything. By preserving it for that, and not erecting the kitchen there, it shares more light with the existing living room and kitchen/breakfast area. The living room remains small in its original footprint, but we changed the traffic flow a bit and with the wall down it certainly seems bigger, and I'll have a few more, if not many, furniture placement options than I did before. All of this of course is hard to imagine without drawings/pictures. I need to dig out the drawings and post them back up here with some of the final pictures. It really is like a completely different house! Thanks for asking...

Your window treatment sounds wonderful. If my ceiling were level, I'd be using the long rods to put drapes in the corners and middle to pull closed over sheers. The linen I'm considering, I have two panels in the natural that I tried in my master bedroom. They are significantly more substantial than the crinkled voile up now. I think they'll do a better job of filtering light. The spacing between the windows isn't consistently the same, so inside mount, rather than outside, minimizes the imperfections. These photos show the problems. The first is the slider and narrow window on a slightly sloping ceiling. The long wall window frames aren't even the same height. This, at some point in time, had been an exterior open porch. I'm going to do something different to cover the slider--mounting a draw curtain or shade above the trim to even it up with the window. The ceilings slope on each end for roof drainage. The other end of the room, behind the daybed shows the windows are straight, but the trim above isn't. The old board ceiling is charming, so I didn't update it.

How far are you looking to go and spend here? I mean if you want farmhouse it is going to take some serious cash. You won't ever really get that look with that fireplace surround, that woodwork, those lights......the list goes on. What you have now is honey oak builder grade trim, a dated brass fireplace, and very sparse window trimmings and lights. All of this is the antithesis of farmhouse. Also, you have to decide on design vs functionality. That giant TV over your hearth is a wreckingball to any sophisticated look.