Gail, What can you get. We have a water garden with three koi and with the drought last summer I had a really hard time keeping the algae down. I wa told I needed lots more plants as we only have 4 little ones lol. I would like to find things hardy in our zone but still appealing to the eye or fragrant. Has to be safe for the fish and the cheaper the better as we are on a tight budget. I know I'm asking for the moon but anyhelp would be great. Thank you in advance, Tamara

You asked: I hate it. The bottom one looks like someone took a traditional, wicker sofa and wrapped it in leather. Those very formal, old fashioned arms, and bun feet, don't go with the eclectic, casual style of the upholstery. The shape of the red sofas is much more appropriate, but it would be better in all leather. Leather is great with kids so long as they don't have sharp things in their pockets and can be trusted not to poke pencils into it. It cleans up with water and saddle soap. But it does stick to bare skin, and can get hot. It's nature's vinyl. Which is why they combine it with fabric. Bad move. Either be fabric or be leather. The weight and texture are too different and they rarely come out looking great, especially after some living happens. The red bench is cool! Less imposing than a sofa table (console), but with a lot of the same function. And it's folky and funky. My Aunt had the two sofas flanking the fireplace in her living room. It's a great conversation grouping, but not so much for TV watching. For that, especially for the kids who probably look at the screen more, you want a straight on view. You can do a big square, though. An L of couch and settee or second couch or loveseat, and a couple of small easy chairs that are easy to get around on the opposite side. You have your red chairs. I'm not sure if they're too big to allow people to walk by easily if you close up the square, but even so, you can always pull them over for company, and keep them by the piano for family time with running kids. Re Larry, have your other family members sit tested him? I totally agree about the shape. It's very tired. But that LOVE thing is important. Your family room couch should feel Ahhh to sit on. I'm sure it'll still be there though. Maybe you can find a similarly comfy couch in a more classic shape that will give you more breadth of possibilities. Comfort comes first, but it can be done with a little more style than poor Larry. ;-)

@homeinteriorswithease- update, I have purchased a new chair. I need a second opinion. It feels too small. The tending chairs are lower and I thought I would like it bc it swivels. But seeing it in the space I am worried it looks too small. What do you think? I wanted to get a smaller chair first to determine what width of nightstands I could get (24,26 or 30 wide).

I advise you forget about all the extras—art, shelves, dining table. You need to start with the bones of a room. Where are the doors and windows? How large is the room? What shape does it have? Starting with your bedroom, measure each wall of the room and write down the number. Draw a rough outline of the room and put the measurements on it to help keep them straight. How far is a door (to closet, bath, etc.) from a corner and which way does the door open. How wide is each door? Main doors and closet doors open into a room and determine where you cannot put furniture by their swing. When you have measured all these things you need to create a floor plan. You can print graph paper (aka quadrille paper) from HERE. I like the 1/4-inch. If you need a larger grid just trim off the edge of a second page and tape it to the first so the grid is uninterrupted. Draw out your measurements so that 1 foot equals 1 inch (4 squares) on paper. Every square equals 3 inches, but you don't have to worry if the drawing is a little off. Draw in the doors and how they swing open. Next, measure the length and depth of furniture you want to put in this room. On another sheet of graph paper draw the outlines of your furniture, including the TV, to the same 1 foot equals 1 inch scale. Label each piece and cut them out. Now you can move these around the floor plan to see how they fit. You need a minimum of 36 inches for pathways between the main door and the bath and closet doors; 42 inches is better. Will you have enough room to stand beside the bed and open a dresser drawer? Only after deciding where furniture can/must go can you move on to decorating. Do this for every room you are having trouble with. In fact, before you buy an L-shaped sofa make sure it will fit without causing trouble moving around it. Here are some rule-of-thumb guidelines for decorating: Part 1 Part 2 However, the rules for art don't apply to TV placement. The middle of the TV screen should be level with your eyes when you are seated where you will watch. This is a guideline. It's OK for it to be a little high, but you don't want to put strain on your neck either.