Hi Appledeco, I remember the previous discussion well. We were discussing your planting plans/wishes for a brick patio with planters. It seems like Randy and I, and maybe some others as well (my memory isn't THAT good that I'd remember who all participated in that thread without going back and rereading it) were concerned about how hot that patio would get in our summer heat, so we had a few suggestions and ideas. Is that the one? Hardy Bananas are a cinch. As long as you put them in a good soil mix (one that is rich in manure, humus and compost because they are heavy feeders) and keep them well-watered, they'll grow like nobody's business. Also, depending on how well your fence either does or does not block the wind, you may have trouble keeping them from blowing over, so be sure to use a nice, broad (wide) pot and the heavier the better, so it won't be as likely to tip over. I think either ornamental sweet potato or purple heart would be fine. I have grown orn. sweet potato in the same pot as tall tropicals and they co-existed just fine. I haven't tried it with purple heart, but I'd expect they'd co-exist all right. You probably won't know until you try it. I'm not as confident about the hosta/yucca combination. Yuccas do best in drier, leaner soil, and lower rainfall as well, although some of them can handle periodic significant rainfall depending on the soil they're in. Hostas do best in rich, moist soil and have a much higher moisture and shade requirement. Personally, I wouldn't put the two of them together because they have such different needs. Having said that, it is your landscape and you can do whatever you want, so don't let me talk you out of it if your heart is set on trying it. Remember, though that yucca is a desert/dry plains type plant and hosta is a forest understory type plant so they just aren't that compatible. I grow Black Magic EEs and they do NOT get a lot of water because I'm in a fairly dry part of Oklahoma, so I think they'll do fine for you. Just be sure you put them in good soil (sandy loam, compost-enriched soil, etc.) that drains well yet also retains moisture well. You shouldn't have to water daily unless you find they are just roasting in your location. I only water mine once or twice a week even in the absolute driest weather. Let me think about a dark purple grass and see if I can come up with one. Off the top of my head, I can't think of one that is cold-hardy. If you aren't opposed to using an annual (and I know you'd rather have a perennial, or you'd just go with purple fountain grass), there's a couple of ornamental millets that are gorgeous. The variegated one is "Jester" (about 40" tall) and the solid-colored one is "Purple Majesty" and it is just slightly taller--maybe 4' to 5' tall. Both are easy to raise from seed and you can find seed of them (and photos of them) at Park Seed (www.parkseed.com) and at many other online retailers as well. You also can find them in nurseries and garden centers in the spring. And, I've linked the previous thread in case anyone wants to go back and read it. Now, I'm going to put on my thinking cap and try to figure out an ornamental grass that would be purple to purple-ish. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: The Previous Thread

Antiquesiluver - I used some tricks for the staining and floor laying. I didn't really stain the pine. After the dirt and paint was removed, and the old crusty varnish scraped off, it was the color you see on most of the board area. It got a scuff sanding and a light "whoosh" of stain to even out the color. (like a henna rinse for a redhead, not a dye job on a blonde) You can minimize "grabbing" on pine by wiping it with mineral spirits and then the stain while it's still wet. 1 - Ignore color names, and run stain tests on the new flooring, comparing with the old floor by laying the samples on the old stuff and seeing what blends. Sand and stain just like you will for the real floor. Doesn't have to match, just blend shades and have the same undertones. For oak, it's shades of golden and reddish brown. 2 - Pick three colors that are close to a match with the existing boards. Match the darkest, medium and lightest shades. For this floor, it's Minwax Golden Mahogany, Light Cherry, and Birch. 3 - Sand and stain the individual boards before installation. About 20% darkest, 20% lightest, the rest the middle shade. This mimics the natural variability on an old floor, where different boards have reacted differently to light. I shoved several pieces together and sanded and stained them as a group, then took them apart for install. I had to plane down the strip of new oak next to the pine because it was a teensy bit higher than the pine, just enough to be annoying. The trick is to plane a taper into the top of the new board so the height change is spread across the new board, edge to edge. It's a ramp, but on a tiny scale. The trick with the toilet stack's hole is to have a long strip running across the front and back of the hole: lay the boards so you have no seams within a foot or so of the hole. Those boards start at the tub and end well past the door opening. =============== Enduring ... Clean it and RENT IT! We have a roommate arriving Friday, a grad student. All the student is looking for is clean and functional. The vanity (to the right in the pics, under the window opposite the tub) is one of those oak things with molded plastic sink/top, which we might paint or do the cheap gel-stain trick on later this year. It's in great condition, but butt-ugly and not as functional as we'd like. Long term plan is - because this is a bathroom that needs storage and counter space - to build a wall-to-wall single-sink vanity under the window with shelves and shallow drawers. The overall house is, despite the adobe walls, a very plain Craftsman bungalow, so we're sticking to that woodworking style with NM trimmings and colors. New Mexico Territorial Style ... I've always liked it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_architecture Here is a link that might be useful: [New Mexico Territorial Style[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/new-mexico-territorial-style-phbr0lbl-bl~l_43230)

Juliehc, it sounds like you're cooking. I like the cozy sound of saturated gray, but a white ceiling sounds both rather harshly contrasting and as if the white will set it off as not belonging with what's below it. That's a cousin to the problem illustrated in those initial pictures of a room that Hhireno so accurately described as decorated for a lower flat ceiling, with the rest just sort of...up there. A lighter neutral paint on the ceiling that was dark enough to blend calmly into the walls, or more accurately walls into ceiling as the eye travels up, would help make the ceiling part of the room. (I like beige with gray and wonder if that would be a place for it.) I was also struck by Hhireno's comments about the effect of furniture shapes in the pictures Palimpsest posted. This isn't the only way to decorate high volumes, but it certainly works exquisitely in those pictures. Allied with that is my own observation that in every one of those designs, which are meant to celebrate their wonderful high spaces and make them look their best (rather than "deal with" or ignore them as problems), is that dark, contrasting colors are kept low, while the rest of their volumes soar with little interruption to their lightness. Julie's going warmer and richer with grays and beiges, with a very different feeling in mind, but I feel sure there're lessons in there anyway.

palimpsest, I'm not 100% sure I understand the L-shape with uppers. There are window pretty much right up to the existing uppers, so there's no way to turn the corner with uppers without changing the windows (one of my few absolutely nots). Also, do you think having a partial lower "L" would be a turn off if we ever had to sell? If there was no bin table there, it might look sort of odd. Our architect wanted to run a bar/shallow cabs all along that back wall, but I was a sucker and had to have the bin table :) mvjc, I've considered that for the fridge/cabs around the range, but two questions: doesn't that get rid of my pantry without giving me any storage in return? Also, that range is cast iron and gets and stays HOT. I'm a little afraid of running cabinets right up to it and/or putting the fridge next to it; does that seem like a problem? Sort of a variation on mvjc, I had considered turning and moving the fridge where the pantry is and having a period-style built-in pass-through cabinet put in the wall behind the fridge, which would mean extra storage in the kitchen. The cabinet would also serve as a buffet in the dining room. That would require some extra electrical work, but the electrician will be here for other things anyway. However, it would be sort of a small pass through cabinet compared to others I've seen (30" or so). Would that look funny?