I love the drama of the brick wall and it is a major design feature of the house... however, there is a LOT of exposed brick with the fireplace surround also being exposed and you have mentioned you dont like the colour. Have you thought about covering up the other walls rather than this one, to tone down the brick work? I just wonder if you hate the amount of brick and you are taking it out on this wall because that's where it is concentrated while overlooking the rest of the house? Just food for thought... more food for thought. BTW I love the idea of hanging plants (though watering them might be a pain), I love the idea of a dramatic feature pendant and I also love the idea of the rug, all will soften or harmonise the drama. www.billyhoostudio.com

I'd go further , and be more brutal ! Right now , you have white walls , off white leather coaches , off white floor tiles ( in a lounge area -- cold , cold , cold IMO ) and a grey jute type rug . Do you dislike colour haha . DON'T go for blands -- go bright and big , again just my opinion . Hard to tell the wall sizes between windows , or what the rest of the room looks like , but how about this -- -- A couple of leafy plants around a metre tall , each in a suitable gloss glazed pot , matching colours in red or maroon or yellow or orange . -- A solid wood coffee table -- I'd buy a well used $10 one on an auction site , with chunks and knocks and worn corners . Varnish the top , paint the legs and cross bars in a mix of 50/50 paint and turps , to almost make it a stain . Go with a similar red/orange/ yellow as pots , BUT not a match . And when you are done painting , but before it is dry , add more paint so it is then 66-75% paint , and dab and rub some on using a sponge . -- Get a BIG picture -- 2metre by 1.5 . Similar but different colours to the above . Can't find one you are rapt with ? Go with close , get any left over coffee table 'stain' , and dab it on , streak it on , rub it in circles . Say you use orange , get some test pots in apricot and mid yellow and 3 shades of red . Repeat with them too , and/or thin them and suck them into syringes , and have fun squirting them across the picture . In other words , make or at least modify your own work of art original ! Theres nothing stopping you there either -- how about painting some small random offcuts of ply and gluing them on ? One or two bits of aluminium or stainless ? A rusty bit of tin ? A knife and fork ? Make it into a 3D multimedia piece ! ALL the above -- $1000 tops and a couple of days of fun !

Hi MaxCC, Your 'artwork' is called a wall niche. As far as I know, they were originally used to display religious icons, such as The Virgin Mary. I'm not religious but I do admit that I have a special love for wall niches. I have used them twice in homes that I've built as a place to display my 'Lamplighter' Lladro, so that he is on display to guest. The niches were always placed just inside the front entrance as yours is. Sadly I don't have any photos to show you, as we have just moved house and everything is still in storage. My suggestion, to help you with how to display the object that you will put into your niche, would be to keep the wall itself neutral but paint the niche in a metallic paint. Your want the object on display to be the item of greatest interest and the metallic paint [Resene have some wonderful colours to chose from] will help to draw your eye to that space.

if your garage already has a spare shower and toilet, its a great spot for a laundry! It will save kitchen space. as for future family the main problem is the sheer amount you end up with. you need space for laundry hampers at least 1 per person, and a lot more for a baby. THEN, you need somewhere to fold and sort it. ie not in the middle of your loungeroom or bedroom. so a little laundry corner in the garage with a long bench for folding, space for hampers under and an above bench cupboard for storing washing powders, pegs etc... it will need a door direct to the line to be convenient. the meantime if you don't need all the space that long bench and cupboard could be used for tool storage moving the laundry to garage means a larger kitchen which is a worthwhile upgrade. it'll be easier to afford and do now than when a family is suddenly on the cards. future proof yourself. it'll make it a family house if you decide to sell or move.