A few things to consider indeed, but what a great space to work with... my humble opinion on some of your points and queries... 3) if you haven't already got the cabinet/shelves unit yet see if you can get one with sliding cabinet doors 4) great idea, so avoid any heavy items of furniture (e.g. big armchair) in the centre of the room that will be harder to move/relocate and think more ottomans, bean bags, etc You are absolutely spot on with placing the wall units on the 4m wall and keeping the slightly wider 4.2m wall for seating facing the outdoors a) clearance depends on how much and what kind of traffic going through, e.g. doorways approx 700-800, passage 1000-1200, but to get around a coffee table to access couch or get around behind a chair at least 500-600 and more if you can accommodate... and of course depends on the type of furniture, e.g. if you have cabinet doors that swing open (as opposed to sliding) then you have to allow enough clearance to open the door and access the cabinet comfortably b) I think you can do better than a 2-seater in such a big space... e.g. let's say wall units base cabinets are 600 deep even with swing open doors of 400 you'll need clearance of say 1000-1200 from that wall on the right, which out of the 4.2m wall at the bottom leaves you with 3m... so I would fill up the bottom left corner by having a 3-seater/chaise modular along the remaining 3m with the 'return' chaise on the left along the 1.7m wall c) yes, you'll definitely need one large 'area' rug to define the space... you could even use two different rugs and create two zones... one large rectangular one framed by the couch and wall units and a second smaller round or asymmetrical one closer to the sliding doors paired up with a bean bag or big floor cushions d) I think a tall indoor palm/fern in a nice large pot just in the corner of the units and wall (to your left as you enter the space) would be a welcoming touch and tie in with the outdoors Good luck ;)

Hi Charles, Firstly, I am not a designer or anything but I have just spent over 12 months planning & designing my house so I've looked at heaps of plans & I've done lots of research. This is what I have come up with.. I think you can leave it with the same layout and just extend the wall off the rumpus. Yes it eats in to you bi-fold doors but I have a plan to counteract that & not sacrifice the light & open plan. Using corner stacker doors (much cheaper than bi-fold) will open this space right up to the alfresco area. Not sure what you had planned for this area but if you were planning on having a built in bbq area it could be done on the back of the rumpus room wall (in the space where I extended the wall). I also think you will have more flexibility if you have doors entering the rumpus rather than sliding doors as you can use the wall space without having to worry about the wall cavity. I printed your plan off & had a play so check it out & see what you think. I will not be offended however if you don't like my ideas as its your house & it needs to suit you & your family. All the best with it, I know how hard & stressful it is! Shae

One other comment. We have a bedroom off the great room but we set the door back by building out the wall with a fireplace. It helps with sight lines. We used built ins on the left to hide the TV when we have company, and the fireplace is a woodburning BIZ which heats the entire house (we live in a forest,,) the side is for firewood storage and we keep matches, batteries, flashlights in that area, but it does help when our guests are on the sofa from seeing right into the bedroom.

Thanks for sketching that, oklouise! I did my best there but... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A couple in early 30s. Small budget $5k, so looking for layout ideas for rooms and creative design ideas. For example, we already filled the gap in living room as suggested by bigreader - it looks amazing - thank you! I also replaced the black knobs in the kitchen cupboards with white knobs, which blend in with the cupboards and the whole space. Small, cheap, but effective. Climate: Mediterranean. 3.5km West to the beach. Current questions: Bedroom layout (wardrobe ideas?) Curtain ideas? - Colour, textures for each room. We are painting all rooms a neutral white. Extension: Lounge area (L-shaped sofa, TV) at the North-East corner of room. 6 seat dining table in the middle. Maybe a study desk on the other side. Long term plans: Do something with the bathroom and kitchen space. Any ideas you might have for anything, open to hearing