@ chookchook2 Very funny play on words! What about some of those lizards with suction caps on their feet...or frogs...although not mammals, still animals, they walk up vertical surfaces...and...just to make this light...in Charleville, Far Nth Qld. big green frogs live under the rims of toilets and.....yep, I screamed my lungs out when a couple attached themselves to my bare behind! I was the brunt of jokes at the pub for weeks! @ Luke Buckle....still copies of animal skins...what is it with people who need to have what I regard as a "trophy of the kill" on their wall or wear the skin...even if its imitation? Crocodile skin shoes? UGH. Fake Lepoard skin trim on boots...double UGH...Graphics of animal skins to stick on things? Still don't like the idea. Have a friend here at present...she likes the patterns and has a leopard skin patterned dress and a pair of boots.....I asked her what the attraction was....just the pattern, she loves animals, especially cats...but still there's this hunter thing....don't get it but each to his/her own. Glad I'm not married to a man who loves animal kill trophies..couldn't stand it. But then...I buy only leather shoes and I eat meat and love leather upholstered furniture...where do I think that comes from? MMMM Tis a puzzlement! Could never come at a real animal skin on the floor...but I like my lambswool underlay and my wooly sheepskin mat????? Double standard hypocrit? Pot calling the kettle?

Yes please, we have a retaining wall dilemma & have bought 2 round tanks but yours are ace! I saw you website a while back & put it in the too hard basket case, lol! Message on my profile works fine thanks David, cheers LouieT

Just a few thoughts. I like the overall concept of the kitchen but it is rather disjointed. I agree with clearing everything off the surfaces and trying to keep them free miss a feature bowl for the island. You could add an eating area as this would make it more purposeful but I would not do it if it compromised the size and functionality of your living area. The piece of timber joining the two walls at the entrance seems superfluous and I if was removed it would instantly look more contemporary. You could extend those walls up to the height of the cabinets and repaint in a lighter colour. This could reduce your light but this can be dealt with in other ways. I love wood cabinets but the top ones up look heavy- perhaps they could be painted a light colour to reflect the light coming in from the entrance but I would revisit your lighting in general. There is a lot of timber with the floor, cabinets and ceiling and this makes the space quite dark? if you did extend your walls you might find the kitchen darker so paint cabinets. I like the idea of wallpaper but only if you have an even shaped wall and if the pattern works with your living scheme. Whatever you do with your walls will need to correspond with the adjacent entrance walls. You didn't mention your budget but I would start at the simple end and if it doesn't give you the result you want move to the more complex solutions. All the best

Serene, I believe your ceiling is ok, You don't need to go full height, there is a lot of ways to design kitchen for a high ceiling. Seems like yours is more than 3m high. Why not put some potted plants above the overhead cabinet? It can be fake plants, nobody will notice the dust if its high on the top. On your other question, I prefer Washing Machine to have a proper tub to soak shoes or really dirty towels, so if you can build another roof to boundary fence OPTION D like your sample photo, it will be most ideal. In Malaysia, its hot and humid, and lots of rain, so having a shelter that allows you to air the clothes is best.