Thanks for all the advice! Sian, i think the buffet you are referring to (next to front door) is the wine fridge which I'll move out of this area. Dominiqueu, I do like the rug but that doesnt mean it works. I've wondered whether it's too small and whether i need a more natural material if i want a coastal vibe. Or brighter to add colour.. Nicholas: i'm renting so no painting or changing lights allowed. Thanks for the illustration! I've done a bit of searching and I'm thinking to do the following OptionA: Add bookshelf where wine fridge is to create entry (see pic1) with the blue armchair next to that. Add a bench behind the sofa against wall for lamps/art/plants See pic 2. Option B: Move the sofa so it's facing the window (would need to take sofa apart so chaise is on the other side of sofa..), add bench behind back of sofa creating a "drop zone" (see pic3), blue armchair in front of window diagonally facing sofa. Once i get the layout and furnishings sorted I will work on the details. What do you think? Sent from my iPhone

I have done exactly that. 600x600 on the entire top floor including the out side area and the bathroom. The outside stairs and the front porch are exposed to the weather so I have a more textured non slip version of the same tile. Very happy with the my choice.

Thanks for all your replies and feedback. I haven't provided a lot more detail as the location of the kitchen/living areas go will dictate how the rest of the layout flows. This is going to be our forever home. We do not have children yet but planning to start a family soon. We are definitely relocating the stairs to the side of the property regardless as its current location is not really optimal. Louiab's point about losing that connection from the living areas to the garden is what we are concerned about, hence one of the option is to just open up the ground floor, keeping the kitchen and living downstairs and having bedrooms on the first floor. A third option would be have a formal living area at the rear of the first floor and have stairs connecting down to the kitchen and courtyard. That way, we can open up the ground floor to the courtyard and still keep the city skyline view in a common area.

Hi Anna, By now you have likely conquered your space and are happily on to other aspects of your fantastic home. I only came across your post last night and started thinking what would I do if this were my apartment? I would lean into the what is. If it's a dark corner, use the darkness. You know 'use the force Luke'. The contrast with the light-coloured neutral sofa a medium to dark colour for the wall from the entrance will make the space sharper. The sofa will make it look 'light' even though it's not. I wouldn't go with matching pillows to the wall, but I love the cactus at the beginning of the runner which when you are seated on the couch would be a visual break from the entry and bathroom door but no width to touch you as you walk past. I would remove one of the mirrors along that wall and hang the other horizontally about 20 cm above the back of the couch starting from the corner. This way, when seated in the armchair, you are not looking at yourself. I would hang the second mirror on the back of the front door so you can check yourself one last time before leaving, or when coming out of the bathroom. In this example, they have not used a rug to define the living space, but a runner to define the 'corridor' past it, which in your room would be past the bedroom. I would have the armchair just off the runner deeper than the kitchen bench. I would also not put anything in the 'corner nearest the sink as that would be the doorway to the living area and also when you are seated give you a clear sight line to the balcony. For the wall with the aircon, I would put a dramatic piece of art that has the same total volume as the mirror but is square or a fatter rectangle hung vertically so that it sits in the middle of the space between your knees when seated on the couch and your knees if seated on the armchair. That is in the 'coffee table' area whether you have any tables. I started the search with my favourite colour for the wall and then searched graphics for the artwork. But really you should have the art to best match the colour on the wall to one of the lesser dark shades in the art. You can get art made from any print relatively cheaply at Officeworks and use an IKEA frame. Or choose from art printing sites that print to stretched canvas, like this one with postage would be around $300. Hang the art so that the middle of the picture is 150cm above the floor. If you did want a rug to define the space, instead of the corridor past it like in my example, I would choose a single colour that was noticeably darker than the sofa in a shade from the floor and possibly even slightly darker than the floor. Darker than the floors would make the floor look lighter (if that is preferable). You can have any rug cut and edged to any size, including having a rug made from a new length of carpet at all carpet shops. And if this was my place and that was my desk, I would set up in the kitchen facing the balcony to the right of the sliding door. After years of working from home that sense of being on top of the world appeals to me. Thank you for the opportunity to fantasise about living in your space. I hope you are super happy there.