Mertie, the garden is far from perfect, I just don't usually photograph the parts that aren't! I try not to stress out about the less than perfect parts, knowing that the eye candy gardens in magazines and books have been groomed within an inch of their lives prior to photos being taken. I garden for the joy of seeing beauty and spending time out-of-doors. I also feel blessed to have the advantage of plenty of room to play since I live on an old farm with several garden areas and I'm a bit of a plant nerd, so I read a lot and visit the few good nurseries in the area several times a season along with botanical gardens and arboretums whenever I travel to get ideas. The dark purple shrub is one I learned about here on GW; a ninebark, Physocarpus Coppertina, which is a bit of a suckering monster, but ornamental enough that I give it room. It has nice white late-spring flowers, reddish ornamental seed pods for much of the summer, and the foliage color is nice all growing season. A densely twiggy mound in the winter, and a good bird nesting site during the breeding season. There are a couple of dark-leafed ones like Tiny Wine that stay smaller. Like yours, my arborvitae had some damage last winter from wet, heavy snow, so I may spiral wrap/tie some of them loosely this winter so they are less likely to splay open (thanks for the reminder.) I have deer, but they don't bother my gardens; instead I battle voles. This year I had at least a dozen plants, including a couple of favorites, that died due to having every root eaten and the voles do a number on the dogwoods I have in this bed. I've pulled out two of the original four dogwoods because they died. "foresight years ago" - It's not been that long with this garden, which was planted in the fall of 2009, mostly with very small plants (the evergreens being the exception, as most of them were about 3' tall when planted.) I would say that the bed started being quite ornamental after only a couple of years and if I'd wanted to put in more short-lived plants the first couple of years it would have been even nicer right away. If you are interested in seeing a bit of the process, there's a post in this thread with more photos over time and some description of my design process which was fairly loose. As the saying goes, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." For shrubs, I think the best time should be 3 years ago, or even last year if you put in larger ones, but it's amazing how quickly they fill in. If I had realized how much I love the H. paniculatas, I would have planted a couple more, but now I am out of room in this bed. I'm currently ripping out some plants in another bed so that I have room for another one.

Let's get you some answers.... I'll comment first to get the ball rolling. I like your room. Yes, add another sofa table to the back of the sectional that faces the room (either a twin of what you have, or a longer table) Your end tables are fine, but a little small for your lamps. If you want new end tables, I'd choose rounded ones to mimic the round lamps. However, that will compromise your storage (Is there anything in those baskets? Do you use the baskets? Add some snuggly throw blankets in your colors. A sectional is perfect for TV/movie viewing. I'd like to see a pattern in either a rug OR wall art. You said you have a pool..... Bring that relaxing feel indoors with this Feizy "ocean rug" (Feizy Lorraine collection) It looks like sunlight reflected off water. I've seen this rug in two different blue colors ocean and midnight blue. There is a sea green color: mariner, as well. ocean (pic taken while shopping in store) https://www.livingspaces.com/pdp-96x132-rug-tristen-ocean-82326

Thanks everyone 😊 I really appreciate your feedback! I moved my current rug and added some photos. How’s this? (Please excuse my little photobomber 😂) I love Turkish/oushak style rugs like this one but I think I want to get a different one with different colors (not a fan of the orange in my current rug for some reason). That being said, how is the size of my current rug - should I look for longer or wider? Do y’all think it looks odd leading into living room since it doesn’t align with doorway/doorframe? Thanks!!

I’m jealous of the beautiful space you have. All those windows are great. My suggestion would be to make a dinette area on the wall where the tv is currently. To furnish it I would use an upholstered bench along the wall flanked by two small bookcases. Find a narrow table to use with a couple of side chairs opposite the bench. I would keep the sofa where is is but pull it out from windows by about a foot. Try sliding the chair to opposite end of the sofa so that it faces the windows. Get a beautiful tv cabinet (keep it low) and place it with the tv in the area that the cafe table is currently. The tv will block the window slightly but will will be unobtrusive in that corner. Shades will be a must if you plan to watch tv without glare during the day. Plus will help with cooling the room in summer and make it more comfortable to use that space. I would use small recessed lighting above the dining area. A couple that shine down on table and one the could shine on a pice of artwork above the bench. I’m also a believer in dimmer switches as I like to dim lights at night for mood lighting. I would also use floor lamps to flank the sofa. I would suggest tripod style lamps as they make a great transitional look. Add a rug and you’ll have a wonderful room.