Quartz by any major manufacturer is basically made in the same way using the basically the same raw materials and process. Caesarstone just happens to be the "COKE" of the stone world and the advertising budget to match. Is it the "BEST" in our opinion there are better options, finishes and prices. Some of the better brands in Australia would be Technistone, Silestone and Samsung for finish, durability, price and after sales service. Though Smartstone have some very nice marble look ranges now as well that look and feel just as good as the top brands. Ikea, Bunnings where, if not still are using caesarstone brands of quartz. Though it does change around. like their fabricating companies

I've been playing around with a pantry location. Originally, I was going to move the pantry into the laundry with some custom shelving and cut the laundry space in half. Now, Im thinking of cutting into the study area and building a wall there, and converting the new space into a long and narrow walk in pantry. Either that or build half a wall and put built in shelving in the study. Building the extra wall will reduce the need to cover in the door way that is currently in place and instead utilising it. Thoughts? p.s. this isnt too scale.

bigreader has had some excellent tips. The rug you've chosen is lovely, but you definitely need a bigger size. A larger rectangle size might have more underneath the couch. You can check out online options. The blue is fantastic, once you have that repeated around both areas your room will have much better flow. One other thing to think about when you are ready to change your lounge is to get something with a lower back (same with dining chair), these help a more visual flow than high back chairs.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, I appreciate the honesty and agree with some of the points raised. I took a punt on the colours (whisper white & Oolong) and styling (bulkhead and nook feature wall) after talking with a Dulux colour consultant (via Skype). The Kitchen layout definitely needs to re-organised, as well as replacing the tiles and the grey (!) cement grout. The cabinets are poorly designed with a single shelf in each, so have a lot of under utilised storage space. I recently had a consultancy session with IKEA kitchens, just to get an idea of what the possibilities exist in making better use of the existing kitchen layout (without expanding its existing kitchen footprint). As per my original posting, l Would like to be able to tie these projects together and coordinate them as one project rather than have separate projects for kitchen, flooring, decorating and furnishings. The next step is to make contact with an designer and discuss and get someone through my front door. Once again thanks for all your feedback. Cheers