Thanks for the great tips. Yes, it's a good point that 16 won't be sitting at the same time...more like 12 or so. Sadly, I have to go fairly dark due to the cleaning and staining issues. I should have added that I plan to add a large 12 x 15 area rug to break up the dark sofas from the darkish wood. I can't go with medium gray because it will look too "matchy-matchy" with the med. gray stone fireplace. Quick question/concern...I searched for sofas that are made from "Sunbrella" people here suggested and there are only a few and they are outdoor sofas. Mostly, the Sunbrella fabric is pillows. Also, I'll be removing both sofa tables behind the sofas that are there now, so that will give me another~ 4+ feet. But I still plan on putting more narrow sofa tables as I don't want the sofas right up against the walls, so it will be more like an extra 2 feet I'll be gaining. Any other suggestions for a "tough" fabric that won't be torn easily? We've had issues with guests sitting on the sofas, etc., with keys, etc, in their back pockets that tear the fabric or snag it. What are opinions on leather? Vinyl? Also, I'd like to lighten up the room with a cleaner, more modern white (ish) paint, maybe with a touch of gray, )but not with any blue or "pink" in it.) The walls are now painted Sherwin-Williams "Accessible Beige" and the Doors (not seen in the pictures are "Dovetail"...which I LOVE, but is way too dark for the walls. I've already gone down the line of the "Dovetail" paint strip and the lighter colors look kinda "pink-ish" in that room.) Thanks again everyone

The English write a lot of gardening books, which can be frustrating when you live in a climate where their idea of "hardy" covers a lot of plants that can't survive in your climate. What you can look at is structure. The first thing you want in your garden is a rhythm of heights. Here's an example of a garden with a lot of height variance. It's symmetrical, which is probably not what you want, given that your wall isn't. Here's another example of height variance. Again, a pretty formal garden. Gardens with not much color make it easier to focus on form. Then you want to look at color. Once you have a tree or two and how many shrubs, perennials of what sizes and colors, you can start to find plants that fit. So, you can take a photo of a great English garden suited to a climate nothing like your own and turn it into a guide for a garden with native S.A. plants that will thrive in your zone with little care. Here you have curved beds, varying size shrubs, a focus on foliage rather than flowers and probably some plants that would work for you. This could be adapted to your site easily. Put a tree (probably a smaller one) in the corner between the curve and the straight part, pull the bed by the curved part of the wall out and fill in with plants of the right height, put grasses along the straight part of the wall. You also want to consider what look you want: formal/informal, cottage/modern, lush/architectural, etc. Another consideration is views. Adjusting plans so that your garden is framed well in your windows is always nice. For plants that will thrive, go to botanical gardens, look at your neighbors, and look at what's growing in the wild. I find a lot of interesting plants in the wild spaces in my property. The English cultivated a lot of garden plants and the Asians did a bunch, too. That doesn't mean that those of us not in Asia or the UK don't have beautiful plants. The Native movement is just getting started in the US. If you do this, you do want to pay attention to make sure you're not going to stick a weed that will take over everything in your garden. Of course, nursery plants can be weeds, too. I'm assuming you want to have a garden that screens your wall. This is probably something you'll have in any whole yard landscaping plan. Although, if you want shade, you should start with shade trees in your yard.

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The TV cables can be moved. The cost is negligible. Perhaps you can pay for it and have it deducted from your rent. Or maybe the owner will share the cost. I'd like you to consider this arrangement. It highlights the fireplace as the rightful focal point, provides a "foyer" and a conversational grouping. Play around with it and see what you think.