Style - well that is a good question... I would say it is a modern contemporary urban style home, brick frontage etc... not a victorian style or anything like that. Have solid wood two tone staircase, with dark and natural color maple that stands out prominently when you enter the house. The rest of the house, the Kitchen etc is bit traditional, yet modern finish. Dark solid wood cabinets. I do have 9 foot ceiling but only 9', as that is the maximum that we are allowed to have in our neighborhood. I like to add bit of character and architectural personality to the house, but wasn't sure if wainscotting would in turn make the house look very aged, as we generally see them on older Victorian style homes. Or perhaps I am just mistaken in my limited knowledge about home styling and decor. I see soooo many different styles, which makes it so difficult to choose one because I like them all. So the challenge is to pick one that suits the best. Is it generally better to keep the stains neutral so that the wainscotting trim blend with the wall or will it stand out too much if I make panels that are stained dark. These are the questions that are holding me back from venturing in to this project. Any other comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Love the armless sofa-bench! Try using it in the center as a "cross-linking" piece between the sofa and chairs. That way people can sit on both sides of it, conversing with the sofa people and the chair people. Put the chairs where it is and use the side table from the left of the pic, or the one with flowers, between them. You'll need one huge rug to anchor the space or two smaller, and very similar ones, to put on either side of the blue sofa-bench. The other two side tables are too tall and too short for your seating pieces, so ditch them. Use your coffee table between the sofa and armless sofa (18" away from each of them.) Here's a chart for judging table and lamp heights as you'll need to work on that for balance. Please try this arrangement, and post by commenting and using the Attach Images button to add pix of the update. We'll tweak it on out from there.

This is a great space to work with. Since you have a good length, you can break the terrace into rooms.. with yew to divide the areas, or tall plants with shallow roots. Grow grass in curves and a pathway to lead visitors through the various rooms. Couple of ideas for garden 'rooms': Bamboo with golden stem or black stem as background, with charpai and 'moda' seating with cushions. A light under the foot of the bamboo, looking up will be alluring. Put up a trellis with fragrant climbers like jasmine and seating underneath on a part of the terrace which gets shade in the evening so you and your friends and family can relax. A dry garden with hardy plants like tall grass and Palm tree, pebbles on the ground to create the look. Plant a small flowering tree in one 'room' Add evocative lighting to create the mood in the evenings. As you can see there are many possibilities. Please ensure the ground is well protected from water seepage etc before you start planting. Also ensure the height of the periphery wall is taller for it to be safe for children and adults. Bear in mind the size of the plant, roots, sun and water needs before you choose your plants. Enjoy the creation..!

Hi, There are a number of ways in which the area under a staircase can be utilized. In case of a cramped house or space restrictions, this space can be used for providing storage, services or even a powder room as elaborated below : In case there are no space constraints and all the other areas are taken care of, the space below the stairs can be used for add ons such as a library, study, cellar or a minibar. In case there are any dogs in the house, this area serves as a spacious and compact kennel too : Apart from this, if the space is to be treated solely considering aesthetics, it can be livened up using a bit of indoor landscaping, sculptures and water body : Since, you have a db on the left wall you can use these ideas accordingly so as to not take away from its accessibility and utility. Using wallpaper or tall planters or a painting may prove useful in that case. Hope these ideas help. Do let us know what you decided to choose. All the best! Regards, RnD Atelier Nagpur