That looks great, good on you for getting rid of the glass blocks, love Seuss and showcasing the rock collection is an awesome personal touch.. Awesome job!

Thank you for ideas @Sian: yes, that could be a choice, since we sure need the space. I'm just afraid of loosing the space that sometimes is valuable when family/guests comes over and you want to socialise while cooking. @wuff: Oh, you mean a built in nook? I also thought of it, but since we just renovated the bathroom and laundry, I'm trying to pause any (costy) projects and rather focus on plain furnitures.

That's a good question! Unfortunately, it is difficult to say as it seems that shedding depends on the type of bamboo you get. You would be best of getting professional advice on what type of bamboo would be best suited for a pool area. It may be the case that, if you are looking for very low maintenance, bamboo might not be the best option in this regard. Here's a link with a number of comments on this topic which might help: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1743451/bamboo-around-pool

We keep a bedroom permanently set aside and decorated for our three grandchildren. Good storage is essential, as we have train sets, cars, Lego, a play kitchen, dolls, dinosaurs, games, etc. We found different quilt covers a way of making the room look more personalised when the grandchildren come to stay e.g. a bright cover with animals for our youngest grandson, dinosaurs for our other grandson and bright, floral colours for our granddaughter. A very easy and inexpensive way to change the look of the room. When they tire of these, we can easily change them. Artwork is another point of difference. Both of our grandsons love planes, and I found a limited edition planes print in a Salvos shop for under $40 - already framed. I found a canvas-coated map of the world online, already mounted, for under $40, which is a favourite with all three. The IKEA pretend kitchen was a charity store find for under $20, and when the grandchildren no longer play with it (it is a favourite as they play ‘restaurants’), it will be returned to a charity shop. I bought one of those sling-type small bookcases and filled this with a range of books. This is much easier than wall shelving and it is does not take up very much space, and is great for selecting bedtime stories.