How do we make this room look better???
5 years ago
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How would you make the outside of our house look better?(pics)
Comments (31)Thank you again for all your help, everyone. These are great ideas! I have a whole different concept now. My computer crashed completely. I'm having so much computer trouble neither one of us can get any new photos in but here's an old one already in the computer. This is one of the terraces which go up at each side of the flat space in the middle. We've since stained the wood a very dark brown, and replanted the terraces with brightly-colored perennials, and ornamental grasses, which are doing well. The concrete has been replaced with a more natural stone-like look. There is about 20 feet of space between the patio floor and the top edge of the rocky slope; that area has woolly thyme groundcover and low perennials with stepping stones. On the right-hand side we have a very large bowl fountain with two Asian-style herons standing in grasses near it (all taken in for the winter now). porkandham, bleigh, teacats: I didn't think of putting colorful plants on the deck that can be seen from the road. I love the notion of railing planters. They'll have to be very well secured because of the wind, but I think this will be an amazing help. And I think one large metal art piece will be just the thing for that empty spot on the wall, teacats. We're both art lovers. It will be fun looking for just the right piece. jterrilyn, we hope we won't need a new roof for another decade or so! lynxe,cyn, lolauren, oakleyoak, teacats -- I hope the second photo helps. I get your point about staggered heights and placement on the slope looking better than a solid mass of one plant. We don't want to plant anything very tall because the view is the major attraction, but we could plant several large shrubs in a natural-looking pattern. We had the slope shot with wildflowers when we first built the house, but for a variety of reasons they didn't make it. We have irrigation to the slope that we're not using now, so we can reinstitute that. annz, you're right. Because of the wind a row of pots won't work. I love the idea of a retaining wall "bench", but the outer edge seems to be holding fine, and now that the flat space is all planted people sitting on the wall would probably step on the plants getting there from the patio. livewire, cyn, judith, we did have a structural engineer and the County okay the deck. That was when it only had 4x4's. We changed it to 6x6's for the aesthetics, and it really should be okay now, I think. The deck is 24x12. jane, what a gorgeous yard! I love it. We can't replicate that here, as the climate just isn't right, but thank you for the gorgeous photos. I had to laugh at the deer going swimming in your pool. Nobody here has pools, so they don't get that upscale experience! suzanne, we have bears and mountain lions here, so we'd rather not make it even easier for them to get to the deck. Bad enough we have racoons climbing the posts all the time. We're just a bit too low for aspens to do well here; we have some in the front yard, and they're not very happy. madeyna, we thought about cross supports earlier, but it would obstruct the view. So, thanks to you all, we've been able to look at this freshly, and here's the plan: We're going to plant a tree above the right-hand terrace (as you look at the house in the photo view) so that it will appear to be at the corner of the house. It won't be where the view will be obstructed much. On the left side we'll do a similar placement with a large evergreen shrub so that the tree and shrub don't "match", but harmonize. We're going to get some substantial planters which will hang on the deck railing and be planted with colorful annuals. On the slope instead of that green blanket of junipers I was imagining we'll plant a more natural landscape with a few large scattered shrubs, using a drip system and leaving the rock as is. This won't be expensive, as we have the irrigation still in place that we used for the wildflowers which didn't make it and can easily convert the spray to drip. We'll either block in the posts to make them more substantial-looking or perhaps plant a climbing vine on one of them for color. Everyone, thank you again! All of this will be doable, not expensive, and will make us happy with the way our back yard looks. And thanks also for your concerns about erosion and the safety of the deck; I think we have that handled, but I very much appreciate your caring enough to point out potential problems. Now I can't wait until spring!...See MoreHow do we make the furniture in our living room look more cohesive?
Comments (13)Thank you for the suggestions everyone-- this is my first time posting on this site. I appreciate the feedback. I didn't post the room because we currently live in an apartment and we don't plan to be here much longer, but I can definitely repost when I get home if that will help! As for the 60% rule suggestion, I am a total newbie and I truly do not know what would look best. Gray might be too sterile, white might be too clinical, and red may be too bold. There is a sage green in the rug that I think is pretty, but obviously none of my other furniture is that color. I feel like we have bungled this badly already....See MoreHow do I make my yellowish sofa look better against the Agreeable Gray
Comments (12)You're the umpteenth person today who's asked for advice without showing the entire room. We don't know what the rest of your furnishings look like, floor color, rugs, furniture, accessories. Need more visual information. .Here's my thread on how to get the most helpful suggestions when you post on Houzz. Good design is holistic, not just a three-foot section of a room. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6067247/design-dilemma-advice-for-first-time-posters Usually the solution to a color incompatibility is to repaint the walls, not replace furniture. Is there a reason you can't repaint to a creamy white that matches your terrific sofa? I don't get why so many people twist themselves into pretzels to stick with gray, gray, gray walls indoors and outdoors even when none of their furnishings goes with gray. Create an Ideabook called "gray and cream living room" and see what pops up. There's a whole thread on "gray living room walls cream sofa on Pinterest." I find the well-designed room below depressing. However, the cream rug, art work, ivory drapes, patterned pillow make it a little dynamic....See MoreHi, We want some ideas on how to make this structure better. TIA.
Comments (16)“I mean, he could make it all handicapped accessible while he’s at it, but how many people would need that?” Um, @colleenoz, lots of folks need…or will need, ADA compliant doorways…way more than you might think. You must be quite young, to think it a rare occurrence. Life hits you when you least expect it. Several bouts of pneumonia, rendered my lungs useless. After a couple of years lugging around an oxygen tank, I finally had a lung transplant in 2017. Initially needed a rolling walker to get around. Wouldn’t have fit through a normal doorway. Fortunately, before moving into this house in 2016, we widened all of the doorways in all four bedrooms, and bathrooms. A couple of months after lung surgery, I had emergency bowel surgery, and was in the hospital for 6 months. Again needed the walker, for longer this time. More recently, in April, I had a knee replacement. Again, the rolling walker was necessary. Even used a wheelchair at the beginning, when going anywhere that required a lot of walking. All of this, after spending my life as an active, very athletic person…a four sport athlete all through school, who also played competitive racquetball, paddleball, and skied. So, scoff if you must…but, you never know what lies ahead....See MoreRelated Professionals
Kearny Furniture & Accessories · North Bergen Furniture & Accessories · Summerville Custom Artists · Struthers Interior Designers & Decorators · Southampton Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Houston Furniture & Accessories · Peachtree City Furniture & Accessories · Reno Furniture & Accessories · Stuart Furniture & Accessories · Beverly Hills Furniture & Accessories · Los Gatos Furniture & Accessories · Lake Forest Park General Contractors · Charleston Interior Designers & Decorators · Houston Furniture & Accessories · Minneapolis Furniture & Accessories- 5 years ago
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