Emily, with being a renter, I'd definitely check Pinterest for temporary solutions. I've seen DIYs where you can starch fabric to walls with an iron. Also try temporary wall paper/decals, but I'd test a small area first. Cabinet makers or even yourself would be able to create a flush vanity without attaching it to the wall. Plywood, especially hoop pine, has received a lot of traction. It really gives a clean, organic look that you could have custom cut to fit in the area. You could also use it on the wall – it could be stained, left natural, or painted for a feature. Have a look at EchoPanel. It is a decorative, acoustic pinboard that would add a splash of color/design. If it is above your vanity, you could pin pictures, inspirations, etc.

We have two wheelie bins outside, one for normal waste, one for recycling. Our council doesn't require different types of recycling waste be separated, and inside we have a slide-out under the kitchen island counter that hold the two necessary bins for separation. Separate to this we have a small compost bin on the counter. Anything we can compost ends up in the compost pits up in the veggie garden. A place we buy online stuff from is smart and packs their goods in these corn starch bubbles that look like foam - you can wash them down your loo/bath/tub or, as we do, compost them (they just dissolve when wet). This is important when remote - online is a great way to get everything you otherwise might have to travel 5 hours for, but packing materials quickly fill the bins, and there's only so much cardboard you can use as firestarters in winter) This is all helpfully motivated by the fact that we have no garbage service and our tip is about 30km away and that they don't charge for the recycling wheelie bin, while the waste wheelie bin is $10 per bin. We used to fill a waste wheelie bin every week or two prior to living here. Now we're only down the tip every 4-6 weeks (the good thing too is, all the old roof guttering & corro and ancient rolls of fencing and barbed wire that were dumped around the property are counted as metal recycling, and we've filled a couple of ute trips with that for nothing). We could probably do better than 4-6 weeks if we focussed more on (over-)packaging during the weekly shop. The only thing I want to figure out is dog poo composting. It's fine in winter, but when that wheelie bin sits in the summer sun for 4-6 weeks with increasing amounts of (even bagged) poo it gets a special kind of smell only the blowflies love (you don't want to see photos of our fly catcher bottle hung nearby).

I have solved this problem by creating more than one seating area in the space which Depends on the size of your living area. I set up a couch - with a good looking back facing the window with the view. I included two adjacent chairs and a small coffee table. The other set of couches and a feature chair are also facing the view but more focused on viewing tv. It is important that you choose furniture on legs otherwise the solidity of the furniture can break up the room too much. Looking at your plan could you hang a tv on a wall on the side of your stairs. One thing I have found with an awesome view - TV becomes less important - 40 inch is big enough - TV size has got a bit out of control! Some other comments - think about placing your wardrobes next to each other to create a sound barrier between the bedrooms. If you do this make sure you put sound proofing between the bathrooms. I note your plumbing location is fragmented which adds to your expense. Will your garage obstruct your view? Think about having a sliding door access from the bedroom to the back deck hope this helps

DB.....A LOT of ideas and advice flying around here.......skimming through I see you are endeavouring to establish a basic concept for a designer/architect to consolidate for you, which is great.......whilst you may think this is a logical approach to achieve the best outcome, you are arguably just throwing around random ideas rather than properly resolving/focusing on the critical aspects ........my advice is do this: firstly clearly ascertain two things on paper, not in plan or building format but in writing...that is 1. List all your requirements/needs/goals and 2. Nominate a budget. Next, identify/research a logical local designer/architect option and approach them with this information....A designer's job is to come up with an appropriate concept/solution that best balances your requirements, aligned with a budget and of course make it viable within context/site. Sure, you want a cost effective/modest result, that's fine, and that will influence the solution, but as a general comment it feels like there is massive potential being missed considering the site..it dens;t necessarily have to be that big or fancy, but you have to put the EXPERIENCE of the home front and centre of the process, and not just think of it as a kitchen or whatever laid out this way or that ....This is about an amazing site and the living experience of that and the design should be based on this and bring together your specific requirements elegantly balanced in context......The issue I have scrolling through all this is that you have all these almost disconnected ideas of building form, but you have this incredible site....... the process of resolving the spaces ideally needs to develop from cues of the immediate environment/site in order to make the most of it since you are pursuing a customised solution.....agree with MB, every project has a budget and ultimately from experience this is in general the ultimate/overriding constraint. This project could be anything upwards from $500K and it will come down to the working out how far you want to take it, and what your priorities are over various levels.......this one has seriously significant potential -make sure you make the most of it as you're truly fortunately to have this opportunity to build a home for you and your family to enjoy there.......best of luck :) PD