Silhouette shades cover the window for privacy. It's a little more formal than the other rooms, showing mahogany Queen Anne tables surrounding the sofa, and two taupe upholstered wing back chairs flanked by a grandfather clock. Fluted moldings and niches make a great dimensional architectural statement. The lovely backdrop for the living room is the luscious, flowering patio, which can also be viewed and is accessible from the kitchen and family room through sliding glass doors. Some of the thriving patio plants that circle the outdoor Jacuzzi are tuberose, begonias, date palms, holly ferns, azaleas, philodendron, crotons and hibiscus, to name a few.
Peace lilies balance each side of the rocked waterfall.
Adding even more color are hanging baskets of impatiens. These beautiful, resplendent plants look as though they are actually part of the living room, or that the living room is part of the patio. It's an accomplished decorating phenomenon that creates a magical image, incorporating color and texture while merging disparate rooms. A hallway wall needed some help in warming it up, so Ruth had a great idea for art. She had been collecting a variety of calendar photographs and decided to frame them in oak for the purpose of nostalgia and appearance.