Before - After: What is Your After Here?

If you've read my books or blog you are ready to be the Garden Designer today.  Great before/after, below, yet there is a change I would make to the exterior.  Better, it's a historic answer, cheaper than what was done, and more functional.  Anytime a trinity appears, it thrills beyond measure.
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Take your time, my answer is way at the bottom.  You design the 'after' facade and yard.
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Again, you are today's Garden Designer, what would you do, above, to the facade & yard?

 

Off topic, above/below, giving your resting brain more time to create the Garden Design, I'm a strong believer in using left/right brain.  Furniture, below.  I am a fiend for seeing out windows.  Twin beds, below, I would turn footboards to the windows.  Miss a moment laying in bed seeing stars, a lightening storm, quarters of the moon, snowfall, birds, fall foliage, tracery of winter tree branches, the moment before sunrise when all is chiaroscuro?  Not 1 second would I miss.  Window views are the most exciting part of interior design, and living in a house
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This is a great hint about how to design the front garden.  Consider people first, better, consider your maximum selfishness in the richness available with this front yard.



Obvious from the 'before' picture these are good people, rescuing this home.   Of course they are good people, look at their sweet dog, below.



What is your Garden Design solution for the front yard?
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Seriously, I want to know.  Place it in comments, and thank you.
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Seeing the chimneys, in the 'before' pic, I knew this home was prior to 1890.  Do you know how?
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Coal was common in the South 1890 to 1910.  Chimney flues are narrower for coal, these chimneys are for wood burning fireplaces.
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Ready for my Garden Design answer?
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Remove front porch rails, remove foundation plantings, add granite stone steps to each end of the front porch and at each section where rails are removed, let Tara Turf nestle the home.
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Flow, no dead ends.  Currently each end of the porch is a dead end, walking straight out each front door is a dead end.  Historically, the more entry ways a garden has the better a garden is.  Historically, the more axis a garden has the better the garden.  Historically, the more double axis a garden has the better the garden.  Creating more entries, creates more magic circles for people/pets to flow.  These ideas are not Tara'tude, they are historical.  Garden Design is science, and art.
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Don't forget, leave me your ideas.
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Garden & Be Well,   XO T
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Pics, and fuller story, here.