hi, We are having a family reunion this July, and on the first day we've planned a picnic for approximately 200 family members and friends. It will be held on the grounds of my weekend home that was built in 1912. so I decided to create an outside living room and dining room. and I wanted it to blend in with the greenery of the grounds. so what I did, was took old furnishings that I wasn't using or I had stored up and transformed them into outside furniture. for instance, I took an old sofa and had in upholstered in a durable canvass type white fabric that's for outside use. I even skirted the sofa. I then used throw pillows of different patterns but using color schemes of turquoise, apple green and yellow. i covered the chairs in patterns of the same colors. i purchase outside rugs in turquoise and white to set the cocktail table on and the dining table. i covered side chairs in bold coordinating fabrics using the same color scheme.. i painted the side tables and dining table, as well as picnic tables in white....using an oil based paint and sealing it with a clear poly coat. i painted the dining server in turquoise, and the dining chairs in a yellow...it looks amazing, fresh, tropical and timeless. so this is something you can consider for your outside space. Johnna

Time is of the essence. I would agree with the comments already made. I would also suggest the following: leave the grass, as removing it and replacing with something else will take time. Buy two large pots (the largest you can afford) in white to match the windows or black to match the front door for either side of the front door and plant up with sarcococca, daphnes and winter honeysuckle for scent right now, with trailing ivy and tete-a-tete daffodils (which you can buy in flower). Buy an additional pot, slightly smaller and place on what looks like a circular manhole cover. Plant this up with winter/spring bedding - there are lots to choose from, but keep the pot the same colour as the other two - perhaps add pale yellow wallflowers. Add a collection of pots and similar planting - the knack is to keep it simple. Add a window box for the full length of the window and plant again with ivy and tete-a-tete daffodils and pansy 'cool wave mixed' or pansy 'sorbet yellow frost'. For the left hand side of the picture plant a half-standard viburnum to balance the scene and again underplant with daffodils and pale yellow wallflowers. Once Mother's Day is out of the way you can then think about adding (depending on which way the front of the house faces) flowering shrubs such as abelia, hydrangea, roses or philadelphus to sit below the window to allow the scent to waft in to the room, and to link the left hand side to the right hand side. One thing to remember with pots in front gardens is to weigh them down so that they do not disappear overnight. If the small patch of lawn then becomes a nuisance to mow, remove it, cover the area with membrane and add decorative stone. You could start with larger stones towards the back and getting smaller towards the front, with some larger ones dotted in around pots for variety. Always keep the colour scheme simple for a stylish approach to the house - your mum is very lucky.

Thanks guys - we did a lot of experimenting and testing on some old floorboards before deciding on this stuff. The Osmo oil gives a deep and rich finish on old pitch pine that looks very different to varnish - deeper and with more of the grain being brought out. It's more like a beeswax finish from olden times, without the backbreaking labour and maintenance. Interestingly on the new boards (in the top bedroom), it makes far less difference: the new pine just looks yellow and shiny, much as it would if varnished. But the oil should be tougher and lower maintenance. We decided to restore these floors rather than replace as they were actually in remarkably good condition: this house has never had fitted carpets fitted, nor central heating fitted until 2014, and when it was installed it was installed with regard to keeping the floors intact (many systems installed in past decades saw the boards sawn up and hacked about). I wanted look that is obviously original, and can't be mistaken for engineered wood. I did think about a limewashed finish, but bottled it at the last minute and went totally traditional, as I thought less risk of a finish done to a trend that would be hard to reverse.

I agree that the picture on the white wall opposite the fireplace is too small. I think you need several pictures to fill that space. Personally I think the room needs three extra things: Pattern - perhaps you could wallpaper the white wall, or swap the blinds for patterned ones, or add a rug to the area near the fire. Lighting- this room would feel more comfortable if you used lights at eye level or lower. Consider adding table lights and lights under furniture. Personal effects- consider adding things to make the room feel lived in- such as oversized house plants and something decorative on the dining table, family pictures, coffee table books, candles etc