Good for you, mrs tlc! I bet next time you will be able to enjoy your party as much as your lucky guests obviously did. jkom52 wrote, "Why would you want to be Martha Stewart?" Excellent point -- but it made me think of something else, too. Martha Stewart's parties probably have plenty of little glitches, too. EVERYONE'S do. What makes people great hosts is their attitude, not their flawlessness. The "Marthas" we all know don't have only guests who clean their plates, robotic pets that never need to "go," or perpetual propane tanks. What they DO have is a gracious "oh-so-what" attitude when little things go awry, so that nothing short of having to call an ambulance or the cops ruins their parties. Anything smaller just bounces like a rubber dart off of their giant-size hospitality. We have all heard the stories of Julia Child and the uncarvable pig and Jackie Kennedy (or Mrs. Astor, or anyone else who turns up as the star in this urban legend) unflappably asking the maid to bring in "the other turkey." I cheerfully confess that there have MANY "disasters," sometimes at our very best parties and holidays, many of which our guests never realized. And you don't have to be born that way -- indeed, no one is. Ask your local "Marthas" -- I bet they will tell you that they were complete wrecks the first few times they entertained. Anyone can become a great host. Here are some of the things the regulars on this forum have shared as the way to do it: 1) Keep the focus on your guests, not on yourself. (This should probably be numbers 1- 10, as all the others seem to flow from it.) Lindac is the expert at expressing this one. You are not being graded. Your guests are not there either to critique your imperfections or to applaud your skills; they are there to have a nice time. What will help them do that? 2) Don't bite off more than you can chew. Some people try to serve 75 people ten untried complicated recipes without any help preparing or cleaning up. How could things NOT go wrong? But even worse, it makes the hosts frazzled and distracted and therefore unable to follow rule #1. A burnt dish or a broken glass never ruined a party. A stressed out host always will. 3) BE NICE. Even if a guest brings an uninvited guest of her own, your spouse forgot to pick up the dessert, or no one eats your specialty, LET IT GO (you can deal with your spouse later!). Do not embarrass your other guests or throw cold water on your own party by chastising or arguing. Even if you are 100% right, hospitality comes first. 4) I suppose this is also a natural corollary of all the others, too -- roll with the punches. When something doesn't go as you'd planned or hoped -- and something always will -- keep smiling and don't let it throw you or take over the event. Your guests are going to take their cue from you to behave as if it is a big deal or not; therefore, you have the power to make it NOT a big deal. So use it! Can you imagine the guests of someone following all those rules NOT having a great time?

Wow. It's like each room started with a reasonable idea and then took it half again too far. The foyer would probably look pretty nice with just the marble floor and no mirrors. The kitchen would probably look nice if you removed the chrome ceiling, scrubbed the fingerprints off the cabinets (really? no one did this before taking real estate pictures?), and picked a non-glossy countertop. If you halved the amount of marble in that bathroom, it would be fabulous. Apparently there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps if the person who designed these rooms had practiced a little self restraint and varied materials within each room, these rooms could have been a success. Let this be a lesson to all of us: restrain yourself when you feel the need to carpet an entire room (floor, ceiling, walls, and furniture).

Shirley - IT's never JUST a GAME! lol. J/K...The world series consists of 7 games. Best out of wins the whole kit and caboodle. Cubs did not have a good showing last night...stinky Indians. OH WELL...here's to the next 4! Annie - I just visited California for the 1st time ever last May and I loved it. I wish I'd had so much more time. It was a whirlwind. I had to go to San Francisco on business but managed to see the ocean, the bay, the GG bridge, Alcatraz, The Giant Redwoods, the Bay Bridge, The Fisherman's Wharf, the Sea Lions on Pier 39, China Town, and Coit Tower all while we were there! I had such a lovely time. Cannot wait to visit again! Now only 4 states left for me to see!

Hi Olga- Your room looks good so far, keep going! I like the TV where it is. I agree with you that the corner does not have enough room for the television. I would move the sofa forward from the stair railing, and buy a console table the same color as your TV stand to put behind that sofa. You can put a lamp on that table to use for task lighting for reading. When you can afford it, I would replace that white curlicue metal, along the stairs, it does nothing for your room. In the meanwhile, paint it a dark flat (not shiny) color (such as a matte dark gray) with a paint that is suitable for painting metal. Rust-Oleum makes appropriate products. You can get a second sofa and place it in front of the window. Your curtains are nice, but look skimpy. You need many more curtain panels, even if you never close them. This gives the look of ample-ness which says "there is more than enough," it's the same concept of having lots of food available for serving when you entertain, more than you know the guests will eat. There is probably a better way to describe it than the word ample-ness, a word that doesn't even exist, (the decorating experts here can tell you the correct word and concept, please do folks!) The curtain rods need to be mounted to the side of the windows.I can't tell where they are hung. Please reference this to check on appropriate curtain hanging and check yours. https://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/2011/05/03/the-right-way-to-hang-curtains-and-drapes/ https://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/2012/07/15/hanging-valances-curtains-and-drapes-on-different-kinds-of-windows/ (You don't want inches and inches of curtains dragging on the floor, that is not about ample-ness. That was about preventing drafts in the old days which is not a concern now. But you don't want them inches above the floor either like slacks you wear when you are going clamming or pedal-pusher pants (for you ladies from yesteryear.) If you need more seating than 2 sofas, then you can get two chairs in addition to the two sofas, and place them facing the window with a side table in between the two chairs. After you purchase your sofas and chairs, are you going to purchase an area rug? More throw pillows? I would stay away from leather sofas. Are you keeping your current sofa or getting a new one? You can can two new sofas in fabric which I think is a smashing idea. You do need a coffee table, and you can get a coffee table or a large ottoman and put a tray on it for serving. If you get a coffee table, a think a brown wood table would be lovely and give the room some warmth and get away from the blackness and grayness. Some great chairs that are comfortable are club chairs in any fabric you like or spool chairs (also called spindle chair), and you can get a smaller ottoman for one of the chairs and skip the large ottoman. These are made and sold by many manufacturers at several price points in any material you like.. I most strongly recommend that you do not buy a sofa or chair from an online vendor, but that you sit in it, and also your significant other. If he is taller, bigger, he has different requirements for comfort, and if the chair is where he will be primarily be sitting, that is where he should feel comfortable. If he wants a brown leather chair to feel like a man, then so be it. Spool chair Kentia palm Club chairs https://www.bassettfurniture.com/leather-club-chairs.asp Here are some of basset's leather chairs, although I think any of their chairs can be made in leather or whatever fabric you like with matching ottomans. Their chairs can also come as swivel gliders, a very important feature so you can see the television without having to bend and move the chair! Are you color averse? Your room looks a bit pale. I suggest more color than just the plant, although the plant is a great start, and in the corner where the plant is, I suggest a much taller one, such as a tall kentia palm that is at least 6 feet , taller if possible, and if it needs more height you can put it on a stand. Have you thought about an area rug? Maybe after you pick out your sofas and chairs you can think about an area rug. After you get an area rug, you can get some throw pillows with some color that pick up on the colors in the area rug. As you can tell from my posts on Houzz, I favor handmade Oriental carpets, but if you prefer a more modern manufactured rug, you can do that too. I think it was very smart of you to have a rounded side table by the sofa and if you get a square cocktail table, more round end tables is a great idea! By the way the teeny tiny one table shown in the photo with the leather chair is absolutely ridiculously small, and an accident waiting to happen with either the glass getting knocked over, or the whole table getting knocked over, at least in my house! I love, love your starburst mirror! In the location where it is, do you use it to check yourself as you walk out the door? If not, why not move it to a better place? You can put it on one of the walls of the dining room so it can reflect your beautiful table setting, the lights of the candles, the flowers, and your beautiful guests in their finery. It also gives a curved counterpoint to all the squared things in the dining area. In place of the where you have the starburst mirror now, put some artwork. You may want to wait until you decide what colors accents you want before you spend a lot of money on art. It doesn't make sense to waste money on a place holder. Another thing, although you didn't ask, and since it hasn't stopped me yet :) after you buy your furniture, keep your eyes peeled for an affordable light fixture for your entryway. The one you have is dated and doesn't do anything for your lovely home. You can do much better and your taste is lovely. There are sales all the time, and people refurnish. Some cities have stores that sell Designer's Bloopers, see if your city or surrounding area has a place like that. Also check out consignment shops. Just don't go too trendy. You are off to a great start. Good luck!