DEAR Jasminda,

Our new neighbours seem to be lovely people, but they have hideous outdoor decorating taste including colourful gnomes, gaudy fountains and their latest, a full-sized frangipani mural on their garage door. The rest of the neighbourhood is understated. Can I ask them to tone it down a bit since we can see all of this from our deck?

Nadia G.

Nadia, Nadia, Nadia

Imagine if the whole world was full of beige people with their steel-grey SUVs, their linseed-coloured carpet, their scandi handwoven rugs and minimal objets d’arts such as a single sprig of eucalyptus foliage in a test tube (with even their pets chosen to match their internal paint scheme).

Though not to your taste, perhaps their outdoor decor reflects their exuberant, colourful personalities.

Perhaps just pull down your oatmeal-hued Roman blinds, pour yourself a dirty martini, enjoy some chill music on your surround-sound system and recline in your faux-leather sofa until the next on-trend style is released?

Who knows? It may just be a return of the frangipani mural.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.