Bearded dragons require a lot of care, live a long time and can grow to two feet. I had one for nearly 15 years. Tanks need careful monitoring for temperature and you could be dealing with live insect care (such as crickets, ) which is a separate ongoing task. Insects fed to dragons must be healthy and fed, and young dragons need more insects than adults. Also, beyond juvenile age is going to need a rather large habitat. I have had two, in 75 and 125 gallon as adults. They also appreciate time outside the habitat. FIsh keeping can be simple or quite extensive. My husband kept a very time consuming aquarium for over a decade. "Easy to take care of " is relative to your lifestyle and what you are looking for. If you LOVE reptiles, then maybe it's easier than say a dog, who craves much attention, training, daily walks, inevitable accident clean up, ongoing vet care, etc. I do not enjoy reptiles or smaller critters any longer, so cleaning after them, live insects etc is a sheer chore for me. Same goes for hamsters and the like, which we've also had when the kids were younger. Having said that, I would not take in a living animal and not see it through it's life to the best of my ability barring some sort of life threatening allergy. I LOVE our dog, so any work related to her is "easy" to me, because she brings a lot of joy in our home and it's just part of my day with the family. I couldn't live without a dog. There really is no living pet that will allow you to travel without having a care taker to check in, so keep that in mind if you travel often. Maybe consider fish? There are lots of small aquarium set ups that are pretty to look at, house a fish or two, and you'd have an auto feeder as an option. A leopard gecko can be housed in a 10-20 gallon tank. They still have specific requirements daily but take up only a small space. When we had them, I was able to move the habitat to a friend's house for watching when out of town. There's a ton of research to be found online, so start there and consider visiting your local shelter. We have one here with many reptiles and turtles, because often people don't realize how much upkeep there is, and how long they can live. It's always a good idea to do your research, and consider the ongoing expense, care, and lifespan of said pet so you know what to expect. Of course since you live in an apartment you'll want to be sure to check before hand. I once new someone who asked if she could have a miniature pig, and somehow the landlord miss heard and thought she was asking if she could have a guinea pig. That was a sad ordeal. Good luck!

Lovely views. Rugs will definitely warm things up and add personality. You can upload your photos to sites like Rugs Direct and you can try out rugs in your space. I'd do one for the dining area and one for the living area. Make sure you get the proper size for each space.

I understand what you are aiming for. I don’t think the pillar is an issue, because even if it were not there, I think the expanse/footage and layout of the space would basically dictate two seating areas. I think the new sectional placement I suggested would automatically make the two areas feel more connected and inclusive. Then, if it would make sense for the way you use your study/office, as one option, you could use 4 swivel chairs, with a center round coffee table/ottoman there. This way, people have a separate area for conversation, etc. - but they can also easily turn/swivel their chairs ( and if the chairs are lightweight enough, they might sometimes maybe even move their chair ), to join in with what is going on in the adjacent family room.

I don't see that the main tree needs any pruning. As you walk up to the front door along the path, it's nowhere in your view. It's really easy to make a tree look weirdly unnatural by injudicious pruning, and there's no road back. To me, the amount of bare brick on the side of the garage is not proportional to the rest of the house. It needs to be broken up visually. I seldom like shutters but they would add interest to the brick and I agree they would look good here. We don't know the width of the walkway, or the width of the bed between the walkway and the wall, which would help us make recommendations for what to plant. It goes without saying that you'd need to be sure the plantings do not cover the walkway. A bed on the other side of the walkway would need to be low ground cover, and it's purpose would be to visually beef up the landscaping on that side of the house, in order to make it more proportional to the expanse of brick. I like the idea of another tree or shrub near the driveway. I'd trim down the shrub to the left of the front door, so the window is more visible as you approach the front door. You have a very attractive house, it just need a bit of help to look its best.