Well, I can only tell you why I bought him which if you read previous posts on this rose may have influenced you into the purchase. First of all, he's a Tea, the most successful class of rose in my garden in that BS is not a problem. Others reported that he stayed about 5x5 and fairly round, making him a medium Tea rose not one of the 8' monsters. I loved the variable colors of his flowers (yellow, pink, peach) rather than the so typical pale pink. I was trying to add variety to the garden. I have no great expectations for fragrance since fragrance in my garden is generally mild to none what with the extended heat of summer, but a few do surprise me. Mine is in the ground but just a teeny baby, making slow progress but showing new growth now. At worst case Teas are reliable rebloomers here, and now that I've realized that I must feed them in summer they're also well-foliated. :)) I don't have the choices of classes that you have, so I can't tell you that you made the right choice. Are you Zone 7a or 7b? You might give him a hot sheltered spot either way. Teas will take all the heat you can give them - and then some. And won't need spraying. All the best to you. Sherry

Would def not switch the rooms for reasons stated above. Would use a round table in that space, I think, or a rectangular one positioned horizontally as you propose, fairly close to the proposed pass through to the kitchen. I would also make that an arched pass thru and a little larger if possible. The obvious problem with the fireplace is that it curves far into the room and takes up more than its fair share of floor square footage. With the table placement as you describe you might get a few chairs in front of the fireplace, but even that may look awkward. I think I would open up the room as much as possible to the FR using an ibeam and not columns, which would only further visually confuse the room. Then I would look for, or have made, a curved bench to sit a foot or so from the hearth. Depending on your decorating style, this could be a fabulous brass fireplace fender with leather cushions, or a simple upholstered bench. Both would be low and of course people would sit on it facing the room, making the FP more of a backdrop. Anything else is going to be tricky in terms of furniture placement, as the radius of the hearth will dictate having sofa and chairs far enough away from the heat source to look odd. The layout looks interesting, but complicated. If there is a good interior designer in your area I would consider hiring him or her just to help you sort out furniture placement. And I would consult,the person before your GC makes any structural changes. Good luck with your project!

I think when you are struggling with something, you should listen to that because for me it usually means that I'm not feeling it. And as I look at that rug I, too, am struggling with what I'd pair with it and it's because I don't like that rug. More specifically, I don't like the colors in that rug, so it's difficult to find something to go with it because that would just be using more colors I don't like. But if you say you like that rug and that's what you're going to use, then ..... I would not put up any drapery panels in that space because of the bay window. But if that's what you're going to do, then I would use a solid drapery panel in a light color that coordinates with your wall paint color. If you let the panels blend in with the walls (instead of contrasting loudly against them with a dark color like blue) it will make the space seem larger. Then I would remove the bench seat in the bay window. I think bench seats are for kitchens, not dining rooms. But if you're going to keep that, then I would pick out either a floral or a small geometric pattern for the cushion on the bench seat. And then I would upgrade the dining chairs to upholstery in a light neutral color that has a soft pattern.

@Beverly- agreed. We have been setting it up with a sofa floating in the middle (pointing down on the drawing), roughly just above where you drew a line, and making the lower half of the diagram our living room; while using the top half as an alternative walkway option. All of the doors in the room go to separate rooms, except the two on the top left, which go into the kitchen (lower of the top left doors) and dining room (upper of the left doors)- rooms which are connected to each other, so potentially the door on the upper top left could be closed off. However, I prefer not to, as it gives a more open feel with windows next to the door in both the living room and adjacent room. It's a jigsaw puzzle!