@wuff, Actually, I found a Chesterfield look alike some years ago at Domain I think, called the Americana, amazingly comfortable but huge, built for giants, even the chairs were like a day bed in length and I mean by that, that the distance from your butt to your knees was very long but they were indeed comfortable but I wasn't so comfortable with the price, at over $3,000 for a single lounge chair. Cheers, Barbara

What about installing some wires/trellis to train potted star jasmine? The benefit there is fast coverage, looks attractive from both sides year round and smells good when in flower. You could put in some simple rectangular pots for the jasmine, along with a few feature pots with other plants Eg. Patio-suitable citrus. Do you have information on climate/personal tastes etc. (A few things to consider... Height from ground/access to trim a creeper such as the jasmine, weight of pots/soil, water run off from watering)

continue with the rocks plus ground cover that will eventually cover the rocks...in the meantime the rocks will provide a nice clean surface and be mulch while the ground covers become established but you may find that the path isn't wide enough so some big stepping stones set into the stone mulch will make walking more comfortable and the fence looks good..perhaps you could use the same fencing to create screens for the tank and aircon

Thank you for your comments. Dreamer, I do agree that it seems a shame to lower a high ceiling. Thanks for your suggestions, Kate. Notice the cornices are different? Not sure why they put a narrow one on the stairwell section! If we put the cornice around the corner, would it be better to replace with the wider one?