Keep the brick, please don't paint or render. Both eat into your budget (rendering in particular is not cheap), and will mean more ongoing upkeep (render still needs to be painted on a regular basis and with a two-storey house, that is a lot more work). Our house is rendered and we would never have it again. Whenever the house moves, the render doesn't, so is prone to cracking or, over time, pieces even falling off. Even subtle movement can cause hairline cracks, which means regular patching and painting. Quite frankly, most people render an older house to make it look modern, but when rendering becomes passe (which I think is already starting to happen), then the house will look dated again (and render is almost impossible to remove once its on). Also, if you're in an area prone to termites, termites can get in between the render and the brickwork and you won't see the telltale signs of "mud" at the access points to let you know they're there. As far as the rest of the house goes, I totally agree with what Timandra Design recommended.

Option 3 has a terrazzo-look tile which references the previous and original bathroom. The concrete look tiles will date, and look quite daggy in ten years time. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Actually, your style isn't really very scandi in my opinion. It's industrial and rustic. I'd match recycled and chunky timbers with the concrete, a timber with rich reds. There is a company near me that makes plywood panels with recycled wood veneer attached. They're too far for you but might give you some ideas for a feature wall. I'd start with a few tins of paint and some colour actually. you'd be surprised what that can do! I'm fixing, well technically my second home but with our first we figured fairly quick it wasn't a forever home and didn't do anything personal with it. So this is our first "home" if not our first house. i getya! I know everyone seems to love white walls, but after years of bland rentals the first thing I wanted to do was paint colours all over the walls! Anything but white! Paint is cheap and a safe place to start testing your design flair. Go and paint a bunch of sample tins onto the walls and don't stress too much about the perfect look. start with what you like and find what suits that. A colour that makes you smile when you see it. I've paid about $10 a sample tin. like others said, don't do anything with the carpets yet, you can throw a rug over it if its too boring and it will look fine. There are so many things that I first thought I needed to completely change, then as I painted and freshened and tidied up I realised were not needed a huge reno. Our house was a bit of a wreck though, not a nice new apartment so things just literally needed cleaning and fixing. Put up some pictures, art, photos you like too. Honestly, I know everyone's being funny about getting a girlfriend and getting her to decorate, but actually I think it's great you've got your own taste and want to decorate. I think anyone you bring home would love seeing more of your personality around the place. Check out some garage sales and buyswap sell and auctions for rustic timber pieces for your home. Maybe a nice pipe and timber bookshelf in the lounge instead of an entertainment unit? https://www.northernriverstimber.com.au/

I would re-evaluate my brief, my budget and my site. It is another case of trying to squeeze too many rooms into too small a space and compromising the living space. If you draw furniture to scale in your living room then you will see that it is undersized for a four bedroom home. With the best orientation going to the garage door and bedroom 4 I would look at a complete redesign by pushing some of the bedrooms to the rear, and a central courtyard to give you an opportunity for north facing light to a living room. There is nothing nice about the current design and will feel like an apartment with little resale appeal. The designer has shown no flair or imagination in this "gun-barrel" floorplan, and is a variation on a concept that has been around for centuries. But your biggest problem is the number of rooms. Do you really need 4 bedrooms plus a study and 2.5 bathrooms, a long wasteful hallway, and only one modestly sized open plan living area and kitchen on a narrow block? I would start again with a smaller brief and a designer who can challenge your thinking about what good small house design actually means. Small house design is the hardest to do really well, so don't use a large house designer. Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits