At Designer Plants we often help customers with privacy needs. We have products such as our Photinia and Laurel Trellis' that I think might interest you. They are Artificial so they require absolutely no maintenance and they are build to last in the sun - In fact, they come with a 5-year guarantee against cracking and fading. Each screen is 1 meter by 2 meters however they contract and retract from 1 meter all the way out to approximately 2.5 meters. If you're Interested check out our website - www.designerplants.com.au Alternatively you can contact me directly with any questions - aaron.quarrell@designerplants.com.au - and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Good Luck with the project!

You can't trust colours online, so if you order online make sure that it can be returned if it clashes. Your taupe/beige woodwork has a pinky undertone on my monitor, avoid colours with a yellow undertone. I selected dark blue because it's very fashionable, works with the pinky wood, plus with with two walls of Windows and a ceiling fan, I'm guessing the room gets hot. Blue is visually cooling. That's also why I put up blockout curtains and blinds. I think you need sheers too. neutrals work well with that blue, so do the dark reds, berry, brown, as you asked for dark. Also taupe, cream, light creamy pink, which is another very fashionable colour. I would search for metallic lamps if I were you. If it were me I'd choose champagne gold, but there are lots of options. At night it would be good to have that gleam with the dark scheme. let us know in your ideabook and here, which direction you are going to go.

Personally I would never get rid of the lovely wood trims / doors as wood is expensive and in my opinion it never dates. I am sure many other people will give you their opinions on what will match with this and that but I would just like to say - select a colour that you like for the walls - a light colour usually works well (even just an off white). Let your personality come out in your furnishings, art, knick knacks. Try to have some cohesiveness to the colour range for each room but each room can have it's own personality if you so desire. Light fittings are amazing these days and if you go to a local light shop you will be able to see the lights hanging from the ceilings / walls and if you ask you may be able to take a couple home to decide what works best for your room. Look at web sites, look in magazines, look in other peoples homes and chose your style. Don't feel you have to be like everyone else... the rooms must be right for you or you will never feel comfortable and it won't feel like home. Good Luck.

The timing of this article is perfect! Given the erratic weather lately, shielding outdoor furniture has become a real challenge. While I've experimented with some methods here, I'm still searching for a solution with lasting effects. Do you have any specific product or brand recommendations? A big thank you to @Kevin Carol (https://qr.ae/pyDKpb) for suggesting The Cover Company NZ for outdoor furniture protection. I'm definitely going to explore their offerings. It would be fantastic if you could compare a few similar brands in terms of quality, pricing, and customization. Your insights would be highly valuable.