@ Tilly, others and nexusone... I live in rural Queensland... As far as tradies go, there are not many and they are all vying for the work, so their reputations are very important to them and people do talk Have no idea where you two Houzzers live..must be somewhere expensive because $3-$4,000 for labour for a tiling sounds exorbitant...unless every wall was entirely tiled to the ceiling with tiles that were also priced to impress. @ nexusone... It doesn't have to be like that...unless there's the "keeping up with the Jones's" to factor in. What's a "top quality" product anyway? One that costs more? It all comes from CHINA if you trace it back! The Chinese are a very large part of our economy and despite what many think they know, based on some of the negative things that have been publicised..... about Asian "sweat shops" etc.... when it comes to maunfacturing hard items (like plumbing ware, tiles etc...) the standard is mostly excellent and the cost is extremely reasonable. Where do you think our resellers of "top quality" hardware get their product from? Greece? Italy? Apologies for disagreeing and no offence meant, but we need to get our thinking caps on here. How is it that I could buy a magnificently crafted 8inch chrome plated retro styled brass shower rose for $79 ( including insurance and shipping)? Why is it that when I finally sourced the "Shepherd's Crook"...( a 1.2m long curved piece of chrome plated brass pipe) from an Australian reseller...that it cost me X3.5 times more than the actual shower rose? Where was this pipe made? Guess. I'm no advocate for trade with anywhere but hardware does not have to be exorbitantly expensive, and "top quality" is not necessarily associated with Brand or price. It pays to do your research before you do your shopping and to gain any technical information you can fathom to help you to understand what you are being expected to pay for! @ Tilly.... You mention that you supplied ( ? purchased) your own tiles, and on top of that you paid $3,800 for the "top quality" tiler's labour. In my experience of hiring tradies of all kinds over a 30 year period, off and on, and of having to keep abreast of costs of materials and hardware and of workmanship standards and methods, I found that there's a limit to the quality that can go into any product and into any labour, including putting tiles on a wall...(without getting ridiculous and grinding up diamonds in the glue!) So the amount of $3,800 tiler's labour alone doesn't make sense to me, especially since you had already paid for the tiles. So tiling alone in one bathroom cost about $4-5,000? not including anything else? I may have easily misunderstood...its easy in writing, but everything sounds very inflated based on "quality". I'm glad it was not I who shelled out all that hard earnt money. The comparison costs of your bathroom to your daughter's using DIY labour is about the same...did you leave something out? If one can find the right outlet, items and labourers...things should not and need not and, in my experience, do not cost that much, not even for "quality"...and that word needs defining. Nevertheless, Tilly, extremely interesting reading about your costs and experiences. Thanks! I'll add the info to my "experience" diary! @nexusone... Courage, again! Do your homework well, become informed, shop around and, may I suggest, based on what I perceive from the information kindly supplied by everyone here...When you go shopping, go outside your city, town or usual haunts where you are not known, keep it impersonal. Online shopping is not as scary as it seems either. An Idea about plumbing You say your bathroom is 1930's...that's the Art Deco era...external plumbing was the rage. Could you maybe consider fixing your plumbing TO the wall rather than having it IN the wall? You could just about have any design tapware you wanted today..Art Deco products are available in many styles. Retro Plumbing is IN and would go with the style of your bathroom. Just something to consider. All I think all you would need to do, (bear in mind I am not a plumber) is bring a fitting for HW and CW to the outside of your wall and you could then have, attached to those, any kind assembly/combo of taps and shower head you wanted, I wish you every tiny bit of good luck with this. It WILL work out! .

oklouise, thank you for taking the time to pull together such a comprehensive and thoughtful design. There are lots of elements we like, and there are a few things we feel will be problematic. The reorienting of the house towards the East doesn't sit well with our vision of our living areas facing into the back yard. I love the courtyard area (screened room) you've created, but would prefer something like that at the back of the house, not the side. There is insufficient room to make the NE side of the house the 'back yard'. I like the storage you've created in the hall way but I still see the need to remove the old fireplace in the old kitchen, if it's cost effective and structurally possible. We'd like all bedrooms of a similar or standard size, so I'm not too sure about the smallish bedroom remaining the same size (the one with the toilet cut out of it). We'd like the front room to remain the main bedroom, and thus include an ensuite and WIR, rather than pushing the main bedroom to the back of the house. We don't want or need a third bathroom - just unnecessary and more room to keep clean!! Plus, there's no room for guests, LOL. We definitely want the garage to sit at the left hand side of the house, but probably a double carport moreso than a garage. We also like the idea of a built in desk/study that can be closed off - without building a whole study (room). So much to think about and your plan has provided some really different ways of thinking about the floor plan and orientation. Thank you for this. The parents outdoor retreat is divine!

Jeffrey, you want to bring a more neutral palette into your accessories to complement the busy-ness of your carpet and the darkness of the sofa. Look for textured fabrics in neutral tones, such as hide, wool, linen - but make sure they tone in with the brown sofa. The two side lamps are out of balance where they are as they're swamping the media centre with their dominance! If you're looking for a suitable lamp (just one) to place next to the TV, then opt for a more elongated and slim-line one, with some height. I agree with allanaspree (above) that the lamps would be better suited on either side of the sofa, allowing for nicer ambience in the room. I'm not sure what's situated behind the two chairs, but you could try to swing the lounge room around by moving the media centre and TV to the wall currently occupied by the sofa. Place your sofa and mirror into that vacated spot, and put your side tables and lamps on either side of the sofa. The mirror will reflect the whole room in its entirety, and not just some random open doors behind your chairs! TV viewing will be easier for all with this plan. Moving the media centre will give you a few more options to dress the wall. Just be mindful that less is more on that wall, as it will be competing for attention with the AC. A striking piece of artwork on the RHS of the TV will draw the eyes away from the AC to the left and above. If you do opt to move the TV to this wall, I would not recommend placing any artwork above the television! Not only would it be too busy, but it would compete with the AC and the telly. An assymetrical approach to dressing your wall will give a more visual balance to it. The only other thing I'd recommend would be that you raise the curtains to ceiling height. At the moment, their lowered height is giving the AC prominence on that wall! You want to draw the eyes away from the unit. If your budget can stretch to it, I'd draw inspiration from the brass elements in your accessories, and replace the white curtain pole with a brass one. It's always about BALANCE! Do come back with your new and improved look so we can see how it's traveling! :D

Is the reclining armchair placed at an angle to assist with TV viewing (think that might be what's sitting in the right hand foreground of photo) or is the wall behind it angled as well? I think it would look better facing straight ahead (toward glass sliding door) and would help create a more conversational grouping of chair and sofa. May I ask if there are any side tables to add to this room that aren't in the photo? I also like Guilianna's suggestion of a floor lamp and artwork with sandy undertones and teal, and Sean's about adding plants. As your lounge suite is high-backed, a tallish potted plant in a timber plant stand would help bring the eye upward and create atmosphere. Likewise a timber-based modern floor lamp will balance the look.