Hi I'm new here and love the banter, it's a little scary as well. As to the 'cliche; Good functional use of a property is never 'cliche. It only becomes this way if you do what everyone else does. You could slap any shed on a property and it will hold all your tools. A shed that is built to complement the home is appealing could be used as a potting area, out door office, or all of these things. A patio can be used for placing lawn chairs or it can be elaborated on with things like water features outdoor furniture with lighting such as found in the home. To keep it interesting a wine cooler can be made handy with cabinets for storage. Seating with overstuffed cusions. Pergolas with overhead lighting and the use of dimmer switches. A bat house on the property will keep the mosquitos at bay for many blocks. (hope the neighbors don't mind.) A kids area does not nessesarly mean a swing set it could be a water slide. By the way I don't have kids but was one once. For me the bottom line is how do you want to use your space and how much of your personaliy do you want to project into this space? How much money and time do you plan on putting into the area? Are you planning on staying there until you die or go to a nursing home? Are you planning on getting a good resale? The kids aren't going to be there forever so the area can always be transformed into something else, maybe a small golfing green for putting practice. Decide how best the area should be used with future plans in place. Your needs change as your life does. Know where and how to place the hardscapes the first one is already there. Be smart where the trees are planted and what thier purpose is. Move on accordingly the rest will fall into place, and it won't be 'cleche because it is yours. By the way loved the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Thanks for letting me add my input. Now don't hurt me!

Looking at close-up pictures of dirt from varying angles is not much help for designing landscape. You need a picture that shows how this area relates to the house. I suggest you back up a little and take a picture that shows the area and some space at all sides of it in a single shot. Also, it will work much better if you post the picture directly in the thread. Here's how...

I have some green grass, after that massive rain the last few days. And two tulips. Rhubarb is up-ish. I'll eat that soon. I might forage after careful study. I just can't shake the NYTimes article years ago about the woman with an odd illness. Finally discovered she had a toxic unwanted visitor in her salad bed. And the theatre actor in Canada that died eating a flower. A very deadly one. Aconitum, (monkshod), was the killer. I have a couple large ones and it gives me a shudder. But gorgeous. Atropa Belladonna i rip out but comes back every year. Right at the edge of the deck where visiting infants waddle. They'll eat anything. The milk sap of common milkweed has a toxic sap that can cause strange reactions and will destroy your cornea if it gets in your eye. I have a 1/2 acre of that but i let it run wild for the butterflies. A friend got very sick eating foraged mushrooms. Just after we attended a seminar and hike. What a downer i am. Just forage carefully, : )

Thanks! I am starting to think the same thing. Put in a double French door with sidelights centered on the wall and get rid of those windows over the radiators. Wide folding doors were my original vision but cost and radiators made me revise that.