Hi ritevibe, It seems that many of your worries are to do with the ongoing maintenance and wear that will inevitably come from renting your property out. Timber would quite obviously look amazing in your space, though the damage and maintenance could be restrictive. Have you investigated timber look 'parquet' tiles? Being porcelain, you are not going to find anything more durable and long lasting. It is definitely worth a look at what's available in this material, I will attach some images for your reference and a link to give you a starting point. (http://www.houzz.com.au/projects/683682/par-ker-timber-parquet-porcelain-tiles) In such an environment, I think cost effectiveness would probably be better understood over the life of the floor, as vinyls and floorboards are going to require significant amounts of maintenance, are going to cop a bit of a beating and are not going to last as long as tile. If you want more info I am happy to help out, Best of luck!

Hi, your home looks pretty good, you have done a lot on the interiors. Coming back to the question, yes, you can add a wallpaper behind the television, go for a textured wallpaper as it will create a compliment to your television. As you have decorated with wooden elements, you can go with a bookshelf on the wall. And, there is one more thing which will be a simple addition but will look perfect and that is an antique wall clock. An antique wall clock will make your wall look great without any fuss.

From your photos it looks like you have a renovated 1960's home, with a modernist-inspired slate fireplace, and a contemporary kitchen. Your very traditional styled dining room suite in an open plan living space may look better in a more formal dining room setting, and is a bit at odds with the surrounds. It is possibly a reproduction piece using timber veneers, so my first question is that if you are spending good money on a professional to restore it, which won't be cheap, would you be better off buying something with a more contemporary and informal style that complements the rest of your open plan space? If you are definitely keeping the suite (mabe for sentimental reasons) then I would never paint it, and lose that timber grain. Perhaps a compromise may be a light grey lime wash finish to echo the colours of the slate stone in the fireplace. It won't change the formal style of the setiing, but at least the colours will work. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

I don't want to lecture , just pointing out some things I've noticed -- Often , 2 things that look the same on-line are quite different when you see them side by side -- different quality , different materials , etc . That's where buying from somewhere trustworthy is important . And sale prices are complicated . Some businesses have a high recommended price , but almost always have 20% or 50% off sales -- they get what they want $$$ wise , but you think you have gotten 1 over them . Other places have genuine sales to clear last seasons stock . Others only sell their unsellable stuff on sale -- in other words , theres a reason it is cheap . Still others need the $$$ , and you are getting a genuine bargain , but they mightn't be there in 6 months time . Not too bad for a rug , but not great for a car or TV . Basically , the best quality , sought after stuff from known suppliers is almost never 'on sale' . I pick out what I want , weigh up the options , and decide on the day who gets my $$$ from that point .