Lower right. You don't neccessarily have to have all 4 feet of sofa on the rug, but you should have at least the front 2. You'tt probably want a more durable, washable rug because of it's location at the door. Best length would have to be judged based on door location and some sensible distance from TV -your 10 - 20 cm? Out of curiousity, what is the white box in the upper right of the room? Is it movable? If it is, it looks like your sofa could go on that wall, and a light chair (or 2) where sofa currently is. Then the area rug would be centred on the sofa, the chair legs might not be on it, and rug would be away from the patio door. Is that any better?

Firstly...are you sure they are jarrah and not som other more exotic timber? If you are fortunate enough to have a genuine 1932 built cottage I say "Don't Do it!" Just look at the beautiful timber in that floor! It would be sinful to paint it. I have a 1924 cottage with beautiful hoop pine floorboards all from the day it was built. My suggestion is to have the boards sanded and polished. I would not even dare go near them with polyurethane. I have turned back the clock and used the methods of the period of the house...a mix of pale boiled linseed oil and kero. Put it on with a mop or a deck mop or a wool mop leave it soak in. Re-do and leave it soak in,,,( you won't get patches...the floors will just soak it up.) Third coat, add a bit of turps to the mix as a white ant deterrent. Then, when the floors look like they've soaked up enough, get a big old fashioned string mop...if you can find one...or use a deck scrubber and old towels...or even a wad of new ones...100% cotton...its worth it, and rub off as much of the surplus as possible...wear sox so you will notice when the sox do not get oil stained anymore. First go is a long process but you will be really pleased when the floors have had several "drinks". After that you could get just an ordinary floor varnish or oil or just a sealant. Some of the modern wood treatments are really good. Then, every so often do the boards over with your "Oil Mop". You will never find timber like that again and, in my experience, it adds to the value of the house big time. Do what you like to any gyprock and plastered walls but PLEASE love your floorboards and any natural timber...especially from that era. I've been in this old cottage for 32 years. Everyone wants to know where I sourced the "new" floorboards", and who did I get to make my silky oak windows! Hope that helps.

Hi Kylie. Quality of an appliance is hard to answer. We've used all of the brands you've mentioned with varying results. And the manufacturers don't always play fair with what you are getting. I have been to China with the reps of a 'brand name' appliance company looking for new models that were simply a rebadged product. It was all about buy cost landed vs sell cost. Not one ounce of quality assurance and the features that the public were going to get were simply what the factory had already designed. We've always worked on the basis that Gaggenau are the most expensive, then Miele then Smeg, and that's how people perceive the quality. I've seen clients install all of the above, and not one of them doesn't have a story to tell about a dud. For ourselves, we use Smeg, as it is not the most expensive but is still recognized as a brand name. We had a dud cooktop for cleaning once but otherwise have had nothing but good experiences over many houses. We have installed Gaggenau for a client. Would I pay the money for it? Well, if I had their money I guess I would but as I don't I can't justify it as nothing more than a want (not a need) Cheers

Hi All, It sounds like tumeric and grease are the worst culprits for staining. We are looking to put the Cloudburst in our kitchen as our island and backsplash, but I'm very nervous. I love to cook and host. I also LOVE the look of this stone and would like to make it work if we can. Are there any bakers on this thread that have experience with these countertops? If you are rolling out dough or baking with greasy dough, how has that experience been? What if you get butter/oil on it? Any tips? Do you cover the counter before doing your baking etc.? I imagine beet juice would also be a nightmare?