I don't mind them - on a practical level they stop the boxes from getting squashed/walked on/sat on. An antique silver box with engraving would be my first choice. On the other hand if you were to poll regarding my thoughts on those cupie doll nylon dress covers for toilet rolls that were big (?) in the 70s, I'd be very quick to say I've never seen anything so horrible.. :-)

Hi I love the lounge colour and your coffee table. I think if space is an issue and you need the study area go with the ply wood suggestion on the storage drawers and decorate with cool stationary accessories like bright folders and storge files etc. I love the teal green idea and also apple green cushions. I feel like with the lounge and coffee table style you could get away witth introducing some almost industrial accessories. I think metallics are great to lift a room and there are so many colours ranging from muted neutrals to bright gold and silver. I also love playing with texture and you can get some great metallic wall art, lamps, vases etc mixed with cosy throws and rugs. I love metallics teamed with neutral especially your grey walls and colour of your floor boards. Good luck and Happy decorating Kind regards Alison

This looks like a pretty good start but keep in mind that you already have a lot of hard surfaces (tiles floor, stone benches etc) that are going to bounce a lot of sound around that space. The big trick with open-plan living is to try to keep the ambient sound levels muffled and soft. Make sure that you put nice soft felt floor protectors on the feet of everything – you don't want to hear each time a chair or stool is dragged across the tiles. Don't even think of adding a glass-topped table to the mix – every time a glass is put down, a plate is shifted or cutlery moved it clinks and bangs (not to mention that they are the very devil to keep spotlessly clean and shiny and if they're not they look horrible). A timber table does not have to look 'woody' or clash with (or match) the floors – timber can be painted or stained and there are some very classy looking laminates out there that are easier to live with than glass. As others have said some rugs defining the zones within this large room will help to soften both the look and the sound, as well as introduce some colour. I also find the spacing of the pendant lights rather clunky – try spacing lights across the island rather than stringing them out across the full width of the ceiling.

Hi Anne, Your home is beautiful with so much potential. There have been some clever ideas presented but I think its important to have an overall plan that you're working towards. This way you avoid needing to re-do certain areas. With the overall plan you would decide which materials you like and what needs to change and then you can stick to that plan as you roll out the changes. For instance, I think the brick on fireplace wall is a lovely feature of the home but the brick in the kitchen area is competing with it. With the timber panelling, it was certainly a feature of the home originally but these days we tend to paint out the panelling to make spaces feel lighter and more open. We often use Dulux China White when working with robust materials like brick and timber as it has a warm stone like tone. In one of the pictures, I can see that there is a full feature brick wall in another room which should creates a lovely flow and consistency. This is a home in Fairhaven Victoria that looked just like yours (but without the brick) and was painted in the China White. Cheers, Vikki. Your bathroom will also looks great with a touch of paint and a new vanity.