Herculon is a brand name for Polypropylene fabric just like Qiana is a brand name for nylon. From dictionary: frieze 2 (frz) n. In both senses also called frisé. 1. A coarse, shaggy woolen cloth with an uncut nap. 2. A dense, low-pile surface, as in carpeting, resembling such cloth. Here is a link that might be useful: Frieze Defined.

Cottage Living magazine, now defunct, has a lot of photos up on the web. Some of their articles may apply to your situation; I remember seeing some houses featured that had elements of yours, and the makeovers were done in a classic way. They'll have some exterior inspiration photos, while I'm not sure you'll find much exterior stuff at houzz.com, the other site I'd recommend, since it focuses on interiors. And if you want to do anything to your kitchen, browse the kitchens forum here on gardenweb and post some questions. There are some dedicated and talented posters over there that will love to read about your kitchen dreams and get you pointed in the right direction. Looking at your pictures, I think your house is lovely. Being in the great plains, the absence of tall trees in the neighborhood throws me off. Is there anything that gets tall that you can plant on your lot, maybe twin sentinels in your front yard? Ask liriodendron on this forum, he/she might have some good suggestions for trees that are appropriate for your area. I like cottonwoods (I remember seeing a lot when I worked in IA and SD) but I believe they prefer to be along a river. I like that it has substantial windows and roof pitch; so many later ranches had anemic or too strongly horizontal windows and a shallow pitch, for my taste. The red brick and white trim look is classic. Other colors would also complement the brick, but unless you hate the white I'd put painting pretty far down the list. The white gable on the left is begging for something, perhaps a demilune vent like the other gable has, or even a window. But I would be careful to keep it smallish and not too ornate; you want it to blend in with the house and break up that large gable, but not become a focal point in itself. Here is a link that might be useful: Photos from Cottage Living

Ha! I don't dare call my mother to tell her that I have found yet another one, and I NEED TO STOP! I truly have NO place for them, but the challenge and learning experience with each one is just what I love. And, just maybe, I'll learn something that can bring me a few dollars when I retire, although so far, I'd hate to give up any of my 'babies'. When I start tripping over them, it'll be easier to let go. :-) On the Antique form, I got 'Jacobean Revival', and I did find an image that is very close. Now that Mary Ruth has weighed in, I see another Antique Flemish chair (link below) that is also very much like it. This one that, gulp, yes, I am buying for $45, is oak. Bargain? What do you all think? The CL seller bought it to re-do, but has never gotten around to it. She is even including the fabric that she bought to re-do, which I have not seen, but she describes as 'nice, a rich looking tapestry fabric.' A friend who is in Northern Maine until Thursday AM is picking up this chair for me in our state capitol Thursday AM and bringing it to me, as he goes right through Augusta on his trip back south. HAPPY DANCE! Here is a link that might be useful: Antique Flemish Chair

Generally it's built up with layers of drywall. It's a variation of an Art Deco stepped cornice: