Hope my post isn't late, and that it's a little helpful. I used to live in Augusta, GA, but I wasn't an extensive gardener. If I had to start with what you have, I would first reference all of Walter Reeves' advice on The Georgia Gardener. He'll have great grass recommendations, especially for grass. I know you'll want to start soon because you're entering the spring rainy period when the grass can establish. Then, I'd figure out what others above have asked: How do I want to live in this house? For example, we have four kids. That means we spend significant time just driving in and out of our driveway. So, the driveway area gets attention because we see it all the time. It makes little sense in my opinion to put a garden bed in a place that "looks like a bed would go there" if it's in a spot you will rarely enjoy. We inherited a bed like that in this house, and it provides little pleasure, so it is being turned into a 100% pollinator bed (at least they'll enjoy it!). Do you use the front door or back/garage door? If you only use the back, the front door might not be an early priority for planting. Next, consider what you see from inside the house. Any place near Augusta means summer is spent mostly indoors in the air conditioning. Why have summer flowers if you never see them from your windows? Think about your views out the window during the hottest days of summer when planning. (We have the opposite problem. Summer is nearly perfect for being outdoors, but I have to think about my winter viewing.) One issue with lawn is getting rid of grass if you want to replace it with gardening beds. Certainly it's done all the time, but it's a pain, in my opinion. If you can decide how you want to live in your yard and where some future beds might be enjoyed, instead of planting grass there now, just turn them into a simple mulched area. No grass will grow to become a head ache to remove, and the beds wait for you whenever you're ready to plant. I have had some areas of my yard just mulched for over a year while i was waiting to plant things there. One reason mine were just plain mulch for so long was because I was killing grass and weeds, but I would have done just mulch to preserve the area for future planting just as readily. This technique also allows you to spread out the cost. You can put plants in slowly over time as you can afford, and as you decide what you want there. Lastly, if I lived in the south again, I'd plant these things in a heartbeat: Rosemary as a hedge: Why plant boxwoods when you can have a row of fragrant Rosemary? It is so beautiful with the fine blue-grey foliage. Camelias: So nice to have them blooming in January, which is when they bloomed for us in Augusta. Such a great color during the brown time of year. (Now, per my comment above, if only the blooming Camelia had been placed so we could see if from the house!) Gardenias: Oooo. Such an amazing smell. I miss the fragrances you can get from gardenias, wisteria, and honeysuckle. (But wisteria and honeysuckle are supposed to be invasive, I think, which makes me sad!) Lantana: Lantana is so nice they sell it as an annual up here. It's perennial for you, and the color variations are beautiful. I especially like 'Miss Huff,' a variety that Miss Huff herself discovered in Athens, GA. Butterfly bushes: Place them where you can see from a window and you'll get the pleasure of watching scads of butterflies feed. Southern Magnolia: Talk about beauty, fragrance, and structural interest. Such a winner! Crape Myrtle: Another beautiful small tree that produces flowers when the color is very welcome. Dogwoods: I know I'm in the south when I see dogwoods blooming everywhere!

All the pieces are pretty much the same size, but the matting/framing is a mix. I don't know if you want to hang them where the subject matter can be appreciated by someone on the stairs or not, but here is a grouping you could do on the end wall. I would get rustic pottery to set on the ledge. Maybe some interesting branches in one of them would look good. They could align under the art grouping like these items on the sideboard do. Be careful not to junk up the ledge with lots of "littles." Keep things big and identifiable from a distance.

Well we need a ton more info for sure with pictures of the house and a floor plan of the spaces inside . Please post all of that in commnets here do not start other posts. Yes you need an architect I would never want a mud room entering into my FR so I need to see what the spaces are like and some clue as to your style. Honestly adding another staircase is an odd thing usually . It seems like you need some real guidance . I grew up in a house with a rear staircase which when the house was built was used by the "help" so quite a snobbish thing but gave my sister and I alot of fun.You need an architect right now and a realistic budget Additions are never cheap and IMO always need to look like thye were part of the original home

Thanks all. I ended up tiling around the window, but stopping underneath the top shelf and at the same level on the other side so that it was symmetrical and framed the window. I felt tiling above the cabinets would have been too much and I even changed the design from herringbone to this stacked soldier pattern last minute because I thought it might have been too busy with my Taj Mahal countertops, which should be the star. The tile is from Emil Group and is called Totallook Blanco Matte and Blanco Lux. Just google and I'm sure you can find a store near you. I chose to do 75% matte and 25% glossy for a bit of pop, but not too much. Way too many decisions every day!!!