terrace design and big french pots!

Our terrace extension is finally nearly finished - only 4 months behind schedule :) .... - and I am thinking about how we'll use the bigger space.

I have always used plenty of pots on the terrace, to break the straight lines and to bring the green and the flowers closer to the house.  I suppose it is a fairly English garden look, with plenty of flowers, strawberries in pots, sweet peas growing up canes ...  you get the picture.

But now we have a little more space, and now that my garden is taking shape after our remodelling, I am wondering whether I should keep it less busy.  More pared down.

Of course, what you do with a terrace, depends a lot on what else is going on around...

If you have a château surrounded by 300 year old trees, then you don't need much in the way of pots and flowers to make your terrace look good;

and if you look out over a view that is so beautiful, that you could be standing in a pile of mud, it wouldn't matter .... then you probably want to keep the terrace as pared down as possible;

but sometimes you can have a stunning house with a stunning view and still find  a way to place a couple of spectacular pots  to great effect, like at our friends house here, and his pots of pale blue plumbago....

so what do you think I should do?  

keep it busy and flowery and family style, 

or go chic and pared down and altogether more grown up?

go on tell me!   I'd love to know!

picture 1 google, 4 chateau de moissac, all other photos taken here and at friends homes