Ok - I'm back, and hoping to pick your brains once again... While at a thrift store this week I stumbled across a sofa for $75 and am seriously thinking of getting it for our new home. I have it on hold now, but am wanting some opinions as to whether you think it is a style that would look well in our new living room (and what is this style of sofa actually called, BTW?), and if so, what type of chairs, rug and draperies would best go with it? My brother is inheriting almost all of my Mom's living room furniture, so, other than a vintage Indian brass coffee table of hers, I will pretty much have a blank palette to start with in that area. The sofa is in almost pristine condition - just a little piping trim on the lower part coming loose, which I'm sure can be re-glued, and a very, very slight fading on the upper rear part of the back cushions, where the sun reached. I am assuming the good condition of the sofa is due to the fact that it apparently had a slipcover on it at some point - which also is in awesome condition and was included in the price of the sofa. The sofa is a greenish-yellow pattern. Here are a couple of pics of the sofa (please excuse the photo quality and that lump of fabric piled on the sofa, which actually is the extra slipcover.) And although this isn't the actual coffee table I might pair with it, it is practically identical: This post was edited by dianelu on Sat, Jun 29, 13 at 23:33

I find it weird to have a courtyard and firepit on the front of the house. That's a backyard feature to enjoy in privacy, not on display to the neighborbood. A it of a zen garden, with some Japanese maples and shrubs would work much better to ground the home than the current unnatural meatballs. Where do visitors park and approach the home? I don't see any clues as to direct someone to gracefully enter the home, unless there is no off street parking and you expect people to park on the street?. That is what the landscaping should create---a sense of direction and welcoming. A fire pit in that sense is actually kind of scary and forbidding! Painting bricks creates a maintenence nightmare, whereas unpainted brick is almost maintenence free. It's also a natural material that looks at home in a wooded setting. Almost Asian inspired, with the cedar and original brick. The painted versions look unnatural and trying too hard to be on top of a current color scheme that will date a heck of a lot faster than the honesty of natural materials in a natural state.

Thank you Dig Doug and Yardvaark! We typically plant impatiens in the window boxes and water daily a.m. and p.m. Not to take advantage of your skills but I would welcome ideas for improving the back side of the house too. I should have posted a better picture and can later today if you want. There is a large picture window to the right of the screen porch and a square brick patio to the left with a brick sidewalk along the garage wall to the driveway. Straight lines, nothing fancy. The large bush on the right side of screen porch is a Japanese lilac. I know it is large but it provides privacy which we like. Thanks again!

Thanks guys! I enjoy reading updates, so I had to do my own. :) I must have been dead to think this was an ugly stone wall! I absolutely LOVE IT! What a dang fool I was! Ugh! We are loving the look! We have purchased 9 metal frames. We plan on selecting 9 of our favs and making gallery above the little table in the entryway. We ordered our new storm windows this week. We went with sandstone ProVia storms. That color will be like the mortar in between the brick. Come spring we will get a new (black) charcoal roof, paint the gables, gutters and downspouts in sandstone as well.