I think concrete makes a fantastic surface in wet areas, and looks even better in high traffic areas. The feel of a raw or honed concrete underfoot is amazing, and the unpretentious look in well designed spaces is earthy and contemporary. There are so many possibilities for colour, finish, inclusions and add ins, heated or non heated etc, that the beauty of concrete almost matches stone. For me, a huge concern is foundation movement, if on a slab, there is bound to be ground settlement and often hair line cracks can shift and become noticeable, patching is obvious and really just highlights a fault joint, basically destroying an entire floor, and leaving you with the option to tile or lay flooring over it anyway. An expensive excercise just to end up where you started. the veneer version can be laid on both pre finished slabs, fc surfaces and even timber, but the flexible movement and expansion that occurs often voids the warranty on its finish, I've investigated this option for myself, and basically th client takes the risk, and hopes for the best. As far as concerns regarding hardness goes, hardness =durability, so plates smashing will occur as it would on every other floor surface! There are large scale porcelain tiles that have a pre finished concrete look, really large as in 3000mm x 1500mm, minimising grout lines, and will be somewhat warmer underfoot. Cost is really high, so it needs to be something on your wish list, and where No compromise can be or will be made. love concrete..time worn and tested.

very nice Tribbletrouble ..loved the last photo..saw a townhouse recently in North Melbourne and it was just beautiful ..decked out in marine ply..exposed bricks..industrial looking but so cool and warm ..I looked at hubby as I really wanted it..pity it was way over our price range..whoever the designer was did a great job..

There are certainly some fantastic ideas being thrown around here - we're certainly armed with food for thought! a) My feel on creating a second entry into the bigger bathroom from the new master bedroom is that it won't achieve a whole lot functionally - although certainty a more expensive option having the current ensuite reconfigured (as per Louise's plan) would be ideal. b) I also like the idea of having the door of the new bedroom two positioned out in the hallway (therefore creating a more secluded study/bedroom). I guess it's at the potential expense of more storage though... c) If we make room 2 bigger at the expense of room 3, it can only become 'longer'. In other words, it would still be only 2.6m wide, so probably better to keep room three 3 x 3? We gain access in the first week of December at which point we'll have some builders come through to quote... (recommendations appreciated). I'll be sure to keep this thread updated with progress for those keen to see how this little gem unfolds... There's also a bit of work to be done on the ground floor (knocking out a kitchen wall to make it open plan)... not near as exciting but happy to share if there's interest :)

Google Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It's the best chalk paint. Just wondering...why are you actually wanting to renovate the table - is it in bad condition that we can't see? I agree it needs to stay a dark colour. To be honest, I would leave the table as is and spend the money on some drapes for the windows. At the moment it all looks a bit stark, but that's just my opinion from what we can see in the pic.