I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

Yeah...ended up going with door number 1 :) Glass is covered up still with green tape cause the painters r painting walls atm, so this is it so far........

We went with Monument and I am delighted. I was worried about it making the house hotter, but not at all as we added some extra insulation while the roof was lifted. We look over our roof to Mt Dandenong and it really feels like we are floating above the rooftops now (previously had a lighter color). I have also noticed there is far less glare being darker. Pic below is not my best shots ... but you get the idea. Forgot to add we also have a flat cliplock roof and used a combination of Monument and Dune on the house.

Funnily enough I was browsing house sales this past week and the question reminded me of one property which sold for an unusually low price for a house of that size etc where the only negative I could see in the listing was the lack of indoor/outdoor living. And that soon after watching an episode of Escape From The City where indoor/outdoor living was on the buyers' wish list. So 'indoor/outdoor living' was on my mind as I read the question. But I'm still not sure what's on the original author's mind? If people only put sliding doors where "it faces north or there is a pretty view" there would be a lot less sliding doors.