I like the idea of removing all the plants laying gravel or pavers, I was thinking that would probably be the best way to control the weeds. The fountain needs a new pump but will work just fine once it has one, I was thinking I might wait on that until I get the dirt covered. I'll have to move the fountain out of the way to do that and was wondering if it might be better placed somewhere else? There is an entrance hatch to the underfloor of the house right next to the fountain, it's kind of an eyesore but needs to remain accessible. I was thinking of getting a wrought iron table that would straddle it to make it less obvious. I was also thinking of getting a nice looking rain barrel to put at the end with the gutter. I want to strike a balance between busyness and barrenness, I'd like the fountain to be the focus without it sitting alone on a gray stretch of rock. I'm also wondering about the heights of things, should I look for some of those iron plant stands so that the fountain is not so much taller than everything else? Hostas aren't very well suited to my climate, we have to conserve water so I try to limit my 'heavy drinkers' to things that I can't live without - like veggies and roses. I'm thinking that Spider Plants will do well there, they don't mind the shade and are fine with minimal watering. I have some in a similar spot and they are happy and sending out lots of little babies, so maybe I'll just take some cuttings and see how they do. Thanks for the suggestions, please give more : )

I'd start by looking at the whole house and how you use each room. Then I'd look at what you want to do in your house and how easy/difficult it is to do each activity. It sounds to me as though you have done a lot of work to make the house work for you--you now have a combined gathering space and kitchen, you've made the den into a dining room. What else do you need? If you have small children, the living room could become a playroom. Or homework room. Or hangout for teenagers--their own space, but close enough to kitchen and other places the adults are for some supervision. Do you need a quiet, grown-up space away from the kids? This room could become your own personal retreat from the rest of the family. You could set it up so that you can invite friends over for a cup of tea there, or a game night. The living room could also become a library, if you have a lot of books. Add in bookshelves, a desk and comfy reading chairs. Or it could become rehearsal space for your rock band. Or a hobby and craft space, if you like to quilt or sew or paint or whatever. Or take all the furniture out and make it a yoga studio. Don't think of it as a living room. Think of it as a space where you can do whatever you want to do. This post was edited by camlan on Mon, Mar 3, 14 at 9:04

In addition to accessories, the first thing I would consider if you canâÂÂt/donâÂÂt want to paint the ceiling to bring in more teal, and you are going to hate me for this, is to change the banding on the drapes to teal, or at least add a couple inch band of teal between the red and the print. That will also help the teal pop out of the drapery fabric. I would NOT paint the panels above the fireplace in the teal. What I would do is get a thicker piece for the mantel shelf, and drop it down so that the bottom of it starts at the top line of the tile, and paint it the same color as the rest of the panels (white?) I would then look for three platters or six smaller plates to hang in the panels with teal as the primary color. Or, use two of these on each of the outside panels, hung one over the other, and then a teal vase in the center with some branches and greenery to give some height. teal seashell plates Maybe this vase from Pier1: Teal reactive vase Pier1 will have all the faux and dried grasses, twigs and small floral accents to pull in the colors you want into the vase. If you donâÂÂt like the plates, look at the seashell and starfish/coral wall art pieces on the Pier 1 site - they would work instead of the plates on the two side panels. Please also take a little time to paint all the vents teal to disappear on the wall. They are not decorative items. :-) A taller more vertical mirror over the sideboard, and either one bigger lamp on one side, or a pair of lamps on either side. Consider finding something if you do a single larger lamp, that has a ceramic base. I know this is expensive, but I think it would be stunning there against the teal wall, and picks up the coral pattern in the drapery: coral porcelain temple jar lamp

I was really ready to go. I love to garden and hated that I did not have the space I wanted. It was your typical suburban back and front yard but I love plants, shrubs, bushes. I just longed to have a large space to garden before I was to old to see my dream expand. I found a house with a couple of acres and wished the new owners good luck. What I left was a beautiful manicured landscape with a small flower garden in the front and shade garden in the back. There was little sun on the property so a few dayllies, Spring, Summer Bulbs and sedum, succulents as groundcover. The beautiful shade garden had a few hostas, and other shade plants that bloomed for color. I removed every plant that I loved and replaced with either a smaller plant in the spot, mulch or a small garden decor that I could leave. I found a cute birdbath at the thrift store for 5,00. I spray painted and it looked good where the huge 10 yr old Sage Hosta once was. LOL Back at the thrift store I found a nice arbor painted it and attached the honeysuckle plant and a clematis that I was leaving. I drive past every now and then because I still have friends on the street. The gardens have not changed. It is just the way I left it. Some people just are not plant people.