My unstained fir mantel went orange over time & was forced to decorate around it. Should I stain it to match floor? Also looking for fabric ideas for sectional. Buying taupe curtains (as seen on left near mantel) & walls are tan, (SW 2206). The art & coffee table will be replaced too.(8' ceilings)

It's all down to personal preference isn't it? You could try finishing the coffee table in a taupe and then tie in the sofas to match, but stain the top and the fireplace to match the floor. Throw in a little turquoise, always works well with browns and taupes. Or you could go the whole hog and finish everything to match for a more blended, calm look. Makes the whole room look lighter. If you choose to paint the top of the coffee table, i'd recommend having a piece of glass cut to cover the painted surface, or maybe laquering it / varnishing, over the top of the paint for added durablility. Have you ever thought about swapping the two sofas over? Then you could relax against the arms facing the fireplace.

We've had a section of our garden landscaped - staggered over several years as couldn't afford to do it all at once! The bit left over is currently a wasteland where the kids dig and was originally going to be lawn, but I've enjoyed gardening so much since we started that I'd rather put it to better use. There's also a really high drop where the wall is as we levelled a slope to get it flat, which really needs a low hedge or something along it for safety. It's a bit of a strange shape and established last year that veg growing in a triangular bed didn't work brilliantly! Does anyone have any inspired ideas for how to lay out this section with some low beds or sections divided by paths. I'd ideally try and plant some fruit bushes and would, have some veg and cut flower beds and maybe something to add a bit of height somewhere too. Excuse my rough drawing. Any advice much appreciated :-)

Swyft is a good quality brand - i believe you can get free material samples on their website. The other company that I would recommend is Camerich - their products are great, and very comfortable! https://camerich.co.uk/range/sofas/notting/three-seat-sofa/