Since Ian Barclay occasionally reads/posts to this forum and runs a nursery in WA that specializes in water-wise gardening in the PNW, I think that his perspective is important. He sells Ribes speciosum (http://desertnorthwest.com/catalog/plants_western.html), and here is his take: "Hardy to about 10 F" "It is one of the few drought-deciduous shrubs we can grow in the Northwest." "Although native to central California, IT DOES FINE IN MILDER NORTHWEST GARDENS, occasional leaf drop notwithstanding." (my emphasis) If you have a problem with me SUGGESTING Ribes speciosum for a relatively mild climate like Portland, I can't image what you think of Ian for SELLING the plant to PNW customers. Be sure to express your displeasure the next time that he posts here.

I know you've decided to settle with the palm, and I don't blame you, and I don't want you to feel you have to patiently and politely respond to me - ignore me, I thought I'd post for any lurkers or people who just want to think about this problem as an academic design exercise! I actually think the plant looks pretty good and I'm just exercising my brain here. I too would take away the night stand, and put in a long low dresser that functions as a night stand and also fills most of that wall - a nice 6 or 9 drawer unit would be my choice with a lamp by the bed, a plant or something else in view from the hall. One reason I wouldn't make it a table is that there are getting to be too many legs in sight as you look down the hall. I would also like it to be evident that you're looking into a bedroom and not just a bend in the hall. And just a vertical accent just adds more linearity to the view; my brain wants to add something horizontal. Notwithstanding that, I love the knight - the idea, and the real life interpretation :-) KarinL

Hi tesmith, Those comforter sets are beautiful and look fresh, modern and cozy. As an interior designer I would suggest some color paint for each of options. I personally I preferred the first option because it has more neutral colors and the yellow accent is not too bright. Also, I think that the combination of these colors would be appealing to your 15 year old daughter as she is growing up and pink and purple is typically associated with younger kids. For this comforter I would choose a teal paint for 1 or 2 accent walls such as the Behr - Calipso Blue (HDC-CL-27), the Behr - Heirloom Rose (S130-5) or the Behr - Solitaire (N560-5). Those 3 color paints work very well with the grey and yellow of the comforter. The rest of the walls I would choose the Behr - Fadding Fog (PR-W7) or Behr - Pale Cashemere (PPU2-04) that are neutral colors and look good with most of the color palette. If she prefers the grey and purple comforter, I would select a Behr - Voyage (PPU13-07) or Behr - Cameo Rose (ppu17-15). The second color paint option is very similar to the one in the picture you showed. To make this environment more colorful I would opt for a vibrant accent pillow (yellow, green orange) and adornments/accessories around the bedroom of the same color as the accent pillow you choose. In addition, you may want to consider a neutral color carpet with some accent colors similar to the ones chosen for the accent pillows or comforter. As far as the vinyl decals, I think that is an effective way to make the bedroom more dynamic, and when she outgrows it in the future, they are easy to remove. Bellow I attached some pictures of the Behr webpage (http://www.behr.com/) where you can play with the different color paints and have an idea of how it would look. I recommend having the pictures of the comforters next to you if you decided to do it. Also I attached some ideas of vinyl decals according to the comforters and desires of your 15 year old daughter for her " bright clean happy room with a little bit of color" bedroom. Whichever direction you decided to go, please post pictures so we can see the final result. Good luck! AS Interior Designer Comforter grey-yellow Comforter grey-purple Vinyl Decals

Your draperies are beautiful. Your headboard seems to be a bit on the rustic side, so I am wondering if you're going for a rustic or rustic-modern look overall. I think the night stands are getting a bit lost, but the lamps help brighten up the corners, so maybe you need some lightening up of accessories in the colors you choose on the night stands. I like the bench you posted, but again, I think you need to decide first on a quilt /bedspread color (and shams) and then make a decision on the bench. For the large blank wall, I wouldn't put anything in the floor, just use a large piece of art or sculptural piece. Or use 3 similar, same sized art pieces in alignment.