Reading this thread, the picture I got (maybe from another discussion because I'm sure I've seen this talked about before?) was a dividing line somewhere between a few extra pillows which enhance the bed aesthetically, are potentially useful for sitting up to read a book, and are easily stored elsewhere when not required and too many extra pillows which make the bed look less like a bed and more like a pillow factory, are potentially useful for an attempt at a world record pillow fight, and keep you up all night moving them when you need access to the bed.

Alright .... so here is another sample rug for trial ... hubby really likes these kind of patterns and thought of giving it a shot ... what do you guys think? I am thinking to take away the yellow gumball as Oskuee said ... once the rug is finalised, will get cushions .. P.S Ignore my leopard print throw! its toooo cold now .. Brrrrr... and it is quite not possible to swap positions as i would need to pull down a TV cable and also its a large L-SHAPE door behind the sofa ... i really need to change my interior lights as well ... makes the place look very dull!

You've got a good space and good ideas. My suggestion would be to decide on all the structural changes first. It is tempting to go for small wins first. But you'll never regret doing a master plan. Set out everything you want to do. It's OK to have lots of stages and even a few dream things.

Hi I Lesslie, What a lovely place to make your own (and bring up your kids, work, garden…). The best way forward for you and your family is to jot down what you love and what you don’t love about your existing home and land (site). This can vary between individuals. Your list should include aspects like the leaky bathroom, as well as particular rooms being ‘too dark’. Don’t forget the wonderful features such as a particular view to the garden (or hills beyond), enough lawn to kick a footy, and so on. Now transform these into two ordered lists: the first list being the things you love about your home and your site (list in priority order); the other list is for the items that need changing for functional or aesthetic reasons (also in priority order). Next, write down what your short term and long term needs are for your home: do you intend to live there until the day you die, or just while the kids are at school?; are you intending to continue to work from home?. Now, to think about how you imagine you’d like to live, work and exist as a family. Forget for the moment your current home scenario. Write down the types of rooms/space you need (as distinct from ‘want’). List the aspects of living you enjoy, such as family gatherings, friends visiting overnight, and son on. What about your work from home requirements: do you need a space separate from the living (kids zone) to make telephone calls, concentrate? And how big should this space be (occasional staff)? After much soul searching, you will have what we call a “Functional Brief”, bringing together the pro’s and con’s of your project, your long term plan and your wish list. This should now become your ‘go to’ document that sets the agenda for your renovation project. If an idea is not on your list, don’t go there! There is another benefit of creating your Functional Brief. Whilst creating and editing these documents you will become more attuned with the worth (benefits) of each component. For every project there needs to be a budget – and your budget will assist in prioritising what is most important to you (the tighter the budget, the greater the need to prioritise). Your next step is to take your Functional Brief and your budget to a suitably qualified architect. An experienced architect should be able to transform your Functional Brief and your budget into a project – a renovation project that is specific to you, your family, your site, your budget and your future. Best of luck, Cathi