Having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year! HELP
I have one large room that is kitchen/dining TV area. My budget is limited since over the last 18
months more than $30,000 has gone into repairing things nobody sees (septic system replacement, dry rot under house, water leaks, rotting subfloors and beams, etc). To say I am depressed is an understatement. I can't replace any furniture, so at this point, I just want to finish off this room. I need help to warm it up to give it a homey, cottage feel. There is an awkward corner that I don't know how to decorate. I would appreciate any advice you can give. Thanks so much.
Comments (40)
PRO4 years agoRelated Discussions
Some very bad no good schmuck roses...
Comments (23)Luanne, did you, perchance, prune less this year, inspired by Gregg? I've been noticing that roses that were pruned very lightly or not at all are in full bloom. In the cemetery, and at home, I don't prune any of roses "hard," but those that got a moderate trim are still thinking about spring, whereas those that barely got shortened, if at all, are busily blooming. I've always thought that roses can either put their efforts into growing canes and leaves, or flowering, in the spring. We have examples of the same cultivar pruned two or three different ways in the cemetery, and there is no doubt that the more the roses were pruned, the less bloom they have right now. Common sense, right? But perhaps it had nothing to do with the pruning, and everything to do with the fact that they learned about the party and are just misbehaving. Things look gorgeous in your garden, and I hope the cemetery doesn't pale in comparison. Luanne and Sue, and other NoCal folks, hope to see you in Sacramento this weekend! Anita...See MoreTo plant or not to plant? Good or bad idea this time of year?
Comments (8)I would hold off on the banana.....tender perennial there. I just planted a Desert Willow and it was an iffy decision. If we have a hard winter with low temps I may lose it. Depends on the tree really, tropicals like banana I would wait until spring. Doc, I don't know where the university area is in Tucson but there are two nurseries there that I like. Mesquite Valley Growers - Speedway and Pantano and Desert Survivors on Starr Pass near I-10. Desert Survivors is run by disabled vets who start lots of native trees, bushes, plants. Mesquite Valley is very upscale. If you want cactus plants you cannot miss with Bach's Cactus Nursery, Thornydale north of Cortaro Farms. HTH....See MoreHorrible year so far can someone help correct it
Comments (4)you dont change pH by splashing around some vinegar ... and you dont use soil in pots .. you use media .. and if something happens after a transplant.. into a pot.. then we assume it transplant shock.. and not start throwing remedies around... until it over comes its shock ... and i dont understand.. upon extending the bed.. and it tested fine.. you threw around minerals????? it seems.. like you have used more additives.. and remedies.. in your short experience .. than i have used in decades ... i wonder if.. on some level.. you arent making this all harder than it needs to be.. by messing with every variable under the sun ... have you ever tried.. just planting something in virgin mother earth.. and watering it???? i learned .. a long time ago.. the harder i tried.. the worse things became.. and i now sum that up by saying: i killed more things with too much love.. than i ever did.. with benign neglect ... but that does NOT include not watering ... i also call that: loving things to death .... ken...See Moregood year/bad year for our wisterias...
Comments (4)I don't find it invasive - because I don't let it be so! First and foremost, I grow it as a 'tree'. That helps in many ways I think - very easy to control its size as it is easier to prune than it would be if you dad to climb around on a tall pergola!; growing it as a tree in a bed - or on a lawn - makes it easier to see and remove root suckers as they arise (rip the sucker off rather than cutting them off when whenever possible as ripping them off the roots can remove the budwood that gives rise to more sucker at the same site on the root....); keeping the size of the plant small seems to help limit the size of the root system the plant wants to grow (in the first 5-7 years I was getting 5-6 root suckers a year; after that point I've been getting maybe one every other year! The rate of suckering on the younger Japanese wisteria has started to slow now too.) The second major thing I do to deal with the potential for invasiveness is to remove every seed pod that develops! Once the leaves drop in the fall, they are easy to see and remove. Keeping the plant small in a tree form also makes it easier to access and remove the pods. My basic approach to growing these can be summed up as prune, prune, prune! You see pruning instructions in various places on the internet. They are usually very picky/detailed re 'cut back to specific places at specific times of year'. Too fussy for me! I cut all the whippy new growth back into the structure/size I want to limit it to. I cut it back weekly (sometimes more than once!) throughout the summer. That seems to promote flowering wood development, often resulting in flowers appearing throughout the summer at a pruned site, abut two weeks after a whippy growth has been pruned back. Every couple of years I do an additional hard prune to reshape and shrink the size a bit more. That, like last year's hard prune, sometimes cuts off enough of the established flowering wood to result in a disappointing spring bloom the following year. I grow Henryi clematis into the Chinese one to provide some additional flowers through the summer. It's a clematis that doesn't need a hard prune so there's little risk of damaging the wisteria flowerbuds that trying to give a hard prune to a group 3 type clematis in spring.would involve!...See More
4 years ago- PRO4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
If the OP would provide pics of the complete space, we'd have a better chance of offering a suggestion.
It's possible that where the seating is positioned currently would be better suited for the dining table since there is a light fixture centered on the area from above.
Denise Wolff thanked BeverlyFLADeziner - 4 years ago
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4 years ago- PRO4 years ago
4 years agoI can totally understand where you're coming from. The house my parents and I purchased had a lot to be done and ate up quite a bit of funds. So I had to get creative and look for ways to decorate on a limited budget. And by limited, my family of 4 is on one income in one of the largest metro areas in the US. So my budget was either free, or cheap, or anything I would value savings of AT LEAST 50% of the original price. Hard at first, but it can be done my dear! I'm happy to show you the before so you can see how far I've come with limited funds and a creative mind courtesy of pinterest inspiration.
First, scout facebook marketplace for deals. Decor is one of the main things people sell on there. I've also purchased almost all my furniture from Offerup at 60% - 90% off the original price. Just be sure to do your due diligence to make sure you're really getting a deal.
For homey decor, definitely shop at Hobby Lobby or Home Goods/Marshalls. I had never heard of Hobby Lobby until a coworker of mine told me about it. The vast majority of my kitchen decor came from there when they have rotating department sales of 50% off. Below is a pic for reference.
Kitchen: artificial plants (Marshalls and Hobby Lobby), sink pedestal (HL), kitchen towels (HL), island decor, (HL and Marshalls), pantry top decor (HL), cheese dome (used for pastries - Marshalls and coffee sign HL), storage unit between both pantries (offer up for $35!), and the biggest and by far greatest savings, the kitchen island in leathered granite Bianco Antico. Purchased for only $300 on Offerup.
Dining Room: wrought iron wall decor (amazon and Walmart), deer (costco), chair pillow (HL)
Living room: Dresser used as storage and entertainment stand (offerup - retails at over $2k, purchased used for $200. No damage whatsoever, the well off sellers were buying a new set), plant holder (diy myself)
Denise Wolff thanked Lynn- 4 years ago
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PRO4 years ago- 4 years ago
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4 years ago- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
I like very much reading everyone's thoughts, but if it's so dark, I don't think a console should be about as wide as the sofa - not in a small room - if longer console, Idk if people place a lamp to side of tv, even if light would be good there - in corner? Width: 12.5 inches Height: 31 inches
https://www.houzz.com/products/hourglass-table-lamp-mercury-glass-finish-beige-shade-prvw-vr~115846976Denise Wolff thanked everdebz - 4 years agoDenise Wolff thanked everdebz
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I like the color of your furniture, which is a happy color. If you combine that green with warm white, blush, or very light blue paint instead of the dull gray, your room could look transformed. It's a very easy, inexpensive fix. These examples combine your green with blue:
Bruce Avenue Residence · More Info
Hawkins Island · More InfoHere is green with pink:
HGTV Showhouse · More InfoOr add some darker greens in accessories and use warm white or beige walls:
Anne Hepfer Designs Inc. · More InfoAll of them look warmer, cozier, and happier than the gray walls.
Denise Wolff thanked calidesign - 4 years ago
How's it going today? ...know what -- leafy rug could be repeated with this type but hung on the wall...?
https://www.houzz.com/products/large-wooden-decorative-tray-i-2-piece-set-prvw-vr~53249898
Denise Wolff thanked everdebz - 4 years ago
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