You're lookimg at a Mediterranian climate, dry summers and wetter winters. Temperatures do approach freezing but not all that often. They should be able to take short, light freezes, but not sit below freezing point for any length of time. The main worries with them is poor drainage, they're susceptible to root rots. And also over fertilisation. They usually come from nutrient poor soils that drain fast. Too much phosphorus can kill them so any fertiliser used for them should be low in "P". They grow very well in southern Australia because there's a lot of similarity with their native climate. Temperatures there can get below freezing but the days always warm up above. Summers get very hot, usually with low relative humidity.

Since your carpet is beige, I would think the furniture should be at least several shades darker for contrast. There's no reason for all the furniture to be the same color. For instance, you could have black as an accent piece, with the remainder in brown or vice versa.

I thought I posted a final response after we placed the cabinet order, but I'm not seeing it here. Didn't mean to be rude; thanks Deedles and SaraKat for chiming in. I did wind up ordering the cabinets with the Van Dyke Glaze. I really like the glazed look and the cabinet maker does a very "clean" glaze, a small amount in the beading and the seams. I'm deliberately trying to go a little off the beaten path with elements I love, and I've always longed for glazed cabinets. I do hope I don't tire of it quickly! 7 more weeks to go until they arrive....

Thanks, Les, for all your comments and advice. I know I need to calm down. And you're right. I'm not striving for perfection; I want it comfortable and welcoming--but I also don't want to make a mistake that is avoidable. We do have ottoman overload, but we were dealing with a small room with very little wall space, and we wanted to be able to have four people camped out (and horizontal) for family TV viewing. And thus all the ottomans, which all do get used. As for tables, the striped ottoman doubles as a coffee table for drinks, etc. There is a table between the two dragonfly chair, and one next to the leather chair. I'm looking for a small one for the fireplace-end of the couch. We can't have one closer to the blue chairs because I want a walking space there. Lighting is tricky because of where the outlets are located. There is a lamp for the leather chair (not pictured), but the rest of the lighting is in the ceiling. It works so far but maybe we should re-think that, too. I had seen the firenze pillow in person but can't remember why it didn't work. I'm toying with having pillows made from the striped fabric, or the dragonfly fabric because I really would like more blue near the fireplace. Thanks for your comments Hoosier and Busy. I'm thinking the numbers and colors and will decide soon. Thanks again everyone!