I can only comment about the cowhide rug idea as that's my area of expertise. Cowhide are still going very strong as a design trend, they haven't been overdone in my opinion. Also cowhide rugs break all the normal rules of standard rugs because they are an organic shape. So they visually take up more room than they physically occupy. So you don't need a cowhide rug to be as large as a wool rug. They also look better on a 45 degree angle to furniture and it is OK for one or several legs to go underneath furniture as this can anchor a group of furniture. For how to clean a cowhide rug there is some great info on my website plus a video that is really interesting.

what size is the billiard table? you need about 1.5 m all around the table free of other furniture for using the pool cues but the bar area will mean that the table is pushed to one end of the room so the ceiling feature could be over the table or cover the whole room with a border all around ..usually depends on budget but instead of a tray ceiling what about a raked ceiling with a gable roof instead of the hip roof

What sort of easement? You can plant on it but research first so you don't plant anything with aggressive roots. Our water utility used to have a list categorising plants which are safe, plants which should not be planted within x metres, etc. Check if there's anything like that available from your water utility or council. If the plan does not have indicative furniture placement for anything else I don't know why it would show a dining table. Solar HWS or solar panels? Plants as large as trees down the narrow space between your house and the boundary with your neighbours create potential problems with roots and with leaves in roof guttering for both of you. Double glazing is valuable, especially in your winters, but for summer you want to stop the sun from shining on the windows in the first place. It might not be the most chic solution but when we needed something temporary and economical we used the shadecloth screens from the hardware store.

hi OK Louise thanks for the dimensions. Ive also heard alternative interpretations - 150mm clear on each side of the loo for elbow room and 700 clear in front of the bowl. The toilet Im looking at is 400mm wide, and 660 long. That means a 700 wide and 1360 long could be the bare minimum. That's why Im wondering if i can push it to say 1300 long (ie 640 clear in front of the toilet) I realise you've provided best practice, comfortable and aesthetic layout. However Im just looking at functional, and am willing to make a compromise in this area to free up space elsewhere. Is there an Australian standard or building code that needs to be complied with, that you're aware of? TIA