Sue, congratulations. You've not only identified a colour you feel happier about, you've actually created it. I suspect you'll now be able to create a pleasing mix of warm greys, plywood browns, stone tones, coppers or bronzes, warm whites, etc; maybe with a bit of yellow added come spring; and you'll be able to live with the brownish sofa until you're ready to update or reupholster. I have some KAS cushion covers from a couple of years ago which show how this kind of colour mix can be done. One has stylised flowers (a la Mexican) in grey, brown and caramel with a touch of burnt orange. (You mention liking ochre.). Another is lighter grey, brown, taupe and bone-white on a natural linen. A third (less subtle) is warm greens with brown, taupe, yellow, white and a little aqua. I'm not saying go for styles that are a few years out of fashion. But do be confident enough to resist a harsh, hard-edged option if a gentler one is right for your temperament and household and the room's aspect. Robyn

Hi Kez, I agree with you, finding the right table, chairs and accessories for a space is very important as it can be a costly and time consuming exercise. You mentioned in one of your earlier responses that you feel like you need to have someone come out and help organise the furniture in your home for you. We have the privilege of seeing a lot of homes of different shapes, sizes and styles and have been able to help clients restyle their homes, as well as reshuffle, restyle and reorganise their furniture to better help with the flow of the house. We also work with a large number of suppliers and can help you by taking the stress out of sourcing a suitable dining table and chairs for your dining area. I'm positive we will be able to find something very nice that will suit that space. If this is something that is of interest to you, please feel free to send us an email: info@letsrevamp.com.au or give me a call on (02) 4312 5634, I would love to see if I can help you further. Regards, Nicolene

Thanks for taking the time to answer. What a mistake. I never imagined that there would be such a variation between table & chair heights. That one slipped by me. I don't think budget is going to stretch to 8 new chairs after we just unpacked 8 new ones tonight. I'll check with builder. Of course, I'll pay him. What is general table height in Houzz land?

my suggestion would be to have a wall supported bench without storage along the long wall with the 1500 wide study nook and deeper lift up 1500 wide storage bench along the short wall and using the same chair for the study nook and having wall shelves above the desk with office storage drawers under the desk the built in desk would make the study nook feel more like a kitchen dresser (with wall shelves/storage for crockery?) and an oval extending table would make access more comfortable and there should be space for at least 6 diners along the bench and 4 or more in the seats