Don and Snowguy, I only know of one red oak in a neighbour's yard and it has always struggled with dieback. Though, with many plants having been grown from seed, hardiness will vary. I'd be inclined to give such a tree a try and place it within a protected area of my yard. Another challenge is our often cool Alberta summers, we often don't receive the heat units and thus borderline trees just don't properly ripen off before the deep freeze arrives ... then there's our extreme fluctuating winter temps! Snowguy, thank you for telling us about your climate, I can't help but be a bit envious of the lingering color you enjoy! Laurie, your Ohio buckeye is especially beautiful, mine had always turned an unattractive yellow brown color and then immediately dropped it's leaves ... though, just the same, this really is a beautiful and under used tree! I WISH I could find this particular variety. Here is a link that might be useful: Autumn Splendor Ohio buckeye

Here are my Thomasville Maple Pearl cabs. I think it kind of depends on the light in the room...palimpsest's photo definitely leans greyer...mine lean slightly more cream like. I was really worried after I ordered that they were going to be too grey-ish, but I think they're fine. I actually thought the Dove color looked more grey when we were considering their whites. Keep in mind...in progress kitchen!

This year is very similar to last year in terms of there being an abnormally warm October. When we have seasons like this, Fall foliage is not ideal. I am also in NJ (Zone 7) and am currently in peak color (went driving today just to see it in fact), but the colors have not been as stunning as in "normal" years. What I noticed last year too, was the leaves lingered on the trees even after they were nipped by frost. In my area, we have only had a very light frost so far (and many of my tropicals are still outside in fact). A harder frost should cover most areas in several days. And not sure if it's related to Fall color, but it's also been a very, very WET Fall.

I love your rug! There are a couple of different color throw pillows that would go with your rug. I think navy would go nicely with the rug, but like you said, navy doesn’t really add color to your room. There are a couple of other colors that would also go with the rug: orange, red, off white, or white. I’m not really a fan of orange in living spaces as a main pop of color, especially with your beige couch, but it’s all up to you. Red would be a nice pop of color, you just have to be careful that it doesn’t clash with anything. Off white may go well with the rug, but it would not go well with your couch. Like navy, white would not give you a pop of color, and like off white, it would not go well with your couch.