Nice to know you made it safely Meerkittie and sorry to hear you had to leave your babies behind :(I know it is always a lot of work to settle down in a new city. Montreal is always more or less green in the summer, this one though is extraordinarily green with all the rain we are having. for some one who comes from a dry climate, all the greenery is very beautiful. For us Montrealers it is nice but the majority would appreciate having a bit of a more traditional summer with more sun. We have a few garden centers and nurseries around the city. If you have a car, it will be easier to get there I will try to gather a few of them and post them in a few days. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to check a farmer's market in the Plateau around Marianne St. Apparently the farmers are there every Sunday morning until the month of October. Maybe , they carry plants as well. You could also check Marché Jean-Talon. They usually carry plants and flowers. Also Atwater Market and Marché de l'Ouest in the West Island. In any event, let us know if we could help in any way. We will be glad. P.S. I hate to admit that I have carried a few cuttings of quite a variety of plants in my suitcase from overseas and I have lost very few of them. I still have a geranium that I brought from Seville 25 years ago! Pssssst.!

I am thinking of using Doussie Wood for my new hardwood floors. This is my first time putting in hardwood so I welcome any advice possible. I have a 1300 sq ft condo, with tons of natural light everywhere. It will go in the two bedrooms, the living room, and hallways, and entry way. Does anybody have any experience with Doussie wood or know any Domestic Alternatives that have a similar grain and color. thanks!

I might keep the TV in the built-in, with an apartment-scale sofa (also called a studio sofa) facing it. Such a sofa is usually about 72 inches long. Then I'd float two chairs in front of the built in (if this can be done without blocking the view of the TV). This would leave room for a drop-leaf or expandable table at the other end of the room; for it, choose two chairs with arms that you can pull into the LR seating arrangement when you need them. It might be possible to use the dining table as a sofa table when it's not expanded. If you want to keep the feel as open as possible, don't use end tables with the sofa - if you need lamps either for reading, pharmacy lamps take up almost no physical or visual space. Here is a link that might be useful: Possible chair for facing the sofa

I think a cozied-up great room and master bedroom CAN be okay ... or it can be BAD. I say the devil is in the details. Thoughts ... and I realize I'm echoing parts of other people's posts above: - If you're placing the headboard against a wall shared with an entertainment center, you're almost certainly making a mistake. On the other hand, if the headboard is on the far side of the room and the "edge" of the great room is a pathway, you're probably okay. I mean, consider these two quick diagrams; one is clearly less of a noise issue than the other:- If you're saying this concept is okay for you because you're a couple and mainly keep the same hours ... I say you're walking on thin ice. Your life can change; maybe you'll house a grandchild or a sibling (even just temporarily). Maybe you'll sell the house, and this won't suit the new buyer. Don't count on your current lifestyle (which may change) supporting a questionable design decision. - When you're talking about whether to bunch-up your bedrooms or whether to separate them, don't forget natural light. If you separate your bedrooms (at least in a one-story house), you're almost certainly condemning yourself to a closed up living room without enough windows. Since you're likely to be awake in your living room /great room /whatever you call it ... and asleep in your bedroom ... do think about how your bedroom placement affects light. - I have no problem with a master bedroom opening off the kitchen ... preferably with a bit of a hallway (to increase privacy). Such a placement usually means the master is close to the garage entrance, and isn't it convenient to come home and be able to go straight to your room to put away your shoes /etc.? - Depending upon your stage of life, consider placing those bedrooms in such a way that your secondary bedrooms can be "closed off" from the rest of the house. Once you're an empty nester, you'll like not paying for those rooms to be heated /cooled.