I always understood decorations should come down on Epiphany (6 Jan). I still have a couple of things to put away today. I love the decorations and the decorating but also really like that clean tidy feeling in January when you pack it all away. We took our LED icicle lights camping (we have a battery pack thing) when our teenage twin girls wanted a camping birthday sleep over with their friends, made for a very pretty birthday camp site and did not attract insects which was a definite bonus

Hi I just thought I would leave a comment about the visibility of joins in reconstituted stone such as Caesarstone tops on islands longer than 3 metres. From a patern point of view; by selecting a style that has a fine grain certainly helps with reducing the visibility of a join. As for the join itself, the technology and tooling used to make such joints has come a long way in the last 10 years; therefore if you use a Kitchen Manufacturer who uses up-to-date stone fabrication methods, then such joins can be next to near invisible. Below is a kitchen we made with an Island that is over 4.3 metres long and has a join through the centre; where the join actually has to be pointed out to be seen. We have seen Kitchen Manufactures use the two height method but you really don't have to do this to achieve a long island. If you would like a long island, then you should not be put off by having to have a join; careful selection of your material, manufacturer and planning can achieve great results. Hope this helps anyone reading this article and the comments above.

I allow approx. 3 weeks for an initial concept if I have contour surveys, etc. already at hand. This also includes working around other projects not just a solid 3 weeks on yours only. If it was complex then allowing more time would have been obvious to the designer. Basic concept plan could be a floor plan/s or could be a quality rendering in 3D with floor plans and elevations? Most jobs have site specific challenges but these are well known usually as the fee proposal would have been adjusted to suit. What were the fee's? Is there an initial start engagement fee thats already paid? What are they covering such as design and plans only or the full architectural service from start to finish? Could be better to cut your losses and go elsewhere. Choosing the right designer is equally important as choosing the builder and this may not be reflected in the fee's! Paying more may not be the better outcome as is paying too little.

Can you post a floor plan and a couple more pics? Do you need to the space to have functionality eg bookcase, study or just look appealing? I’d lean towards a long credenza, you may need to put two together and what house doesn’t need storage. I’d hang artwork above.