We love our bar and so do our neighbours with many Friday night fizzies. It opens up to our entertaining area, and doubles as a kids area during the day. For parties and impromptu gatherings we push the lounge back against the wall and open the folding doors and when its getting late the doors get closed and it is quite sound proof so the music can be cranked. It suits our busy lifestyle with most of our entertaining done at home and it is seperate but still part off the house.

When visiting other people's homes I always gravitate to the photos. I enjoy looking and talking about them. In my own home I have pics of mum and dad in their youth and they are in my bedroom. For my children and grandchildren's pics I have made a collage in the stairwell interspersed with photos of me and my mates in our heyday. It always gives my girlfriends a good laugh as we reminisce old times.

Definitely embrace the loft. Here's a small example we did for a kids bedroom above their robes. The girls love it to read and generally just chill up there. remember to add lighting and light switches (2way is good so you can turn it off without having to get up there) also power points for charging. Kids find a way to make it their space so be flexible. Likewise the remaining floor space let the kids work out how they'd like to use the space. Cool movable bean bag type and stool seating so they can easily move it themselves if they want to move everything out of the way to play or dance/ perform (perfect their tiktok) with regards to the space definitely paint out the ceiling beams and lighten the space up. install a wall of storage to chuck all the toys and think about storage at kid level...low and accessible. You could consider chalk walls or other surfaces to pin or magnetically pin up stuff. If it's definitely a space for the kids think like a kid and have fun. There's ways to be be sophisticated as well that will keep it from looking like a childcare centre. Have a look at funky office fit outs like Google and the like. they have fun breakout spaces that still have a level of practicality. think about ways to blend kid meets breakout space. good luck!

The term used is universal housing design. that might help you find some resources. https://universaldesignaustralia.net.au/category/housing-design-guidelines/ A lot of agencies release pdfs and guides with info like what standard measurements etc for halls and kitchen benches etc. I wouldn't install anything specific like because it will be easier to source those as required. but the things like space and layout certainly need to be done now! Access in an out. When I used a wheelchair we really struggled to find houses to rent I could access. the best we could do was a house with 4 steps in and out, and my husband had to carry me up the stairs. generally speaking wider passageways and traffic zones. You need space around furniture placement for mobility aids and wheelchairs. A shower that is open and is continuous with the bathroom floor. non-slip tiling. A bench or sitting area in the bathroom for changing and showering. As someone with mobility issues sometimes things that don't seem an issue are, like when your mobility is affected even slight level changes are an issue. my most frustrating level change is just the 5cm rise on the kitchen tiling and around the fireplace hearth. It's hard to explain but the small level changes are harder than stairs! So a flat floor that stays flat with no lips or trimming or metal capping on the carpets is important. Overall, keeping things low maintenance because any illness or mobility challenge brings fatigue and things can get too hard if the house is fussy. simple no fuss surfaces and hard-wearing materials. I really like cork floors as they are easy to clean and if you fall its not as painful. Good connection to outdoors and a nice view. The worst thing is it becomes harder to get out and about and sometimes you aren't well enough to, so for those days staring at a blank wall is the worst, an interesting view with good bright light and fresh air helps a lot. . don't use taps and door handles that twist and turn on, use sliders and knobs and handles that you push down with your whole hand to open. Good easy access to the home for emergency services. A wide front door that could allow ambulance access. One home I visited with universal design positioned bedroom and bathroom on opposite sides of a wide tiled entrance area that also had the laundry in a cupboard. It meant for good access to the bathroom and easy laundry use, and good emergency access to bed and bathroom in case of a fall. they also had a help button in the bathroom. but I would suggest phone access across the house or a handy (Dry) mobile phone nook works just as well. a bathroom close to the bedroom, but not so close that a partner is kept up at night. Think about the overall traffic flow, if you have to move too far and cross back and forth a lot it's going to be really exhausting. Disability modifications actually kinda suck and aren't always useful. The wheelie walker i was supposed to use as I learned to walk again actually was so heavy it would exhaust me, I find grasping dado rails and chairs and doors is often easier, so an oversized timber dado rail that could be grabbed hold of would be useful, and making sure its not far to sit down and rest. a chair in the bathroom, a chair in the bedroom, a chair near the front door for sitting and sorting shoes etc. they can be pretty corner chairs and not disability chairs iykwim. often just good efficient design and layout are key. Flexibility so that things can be adapted to suit specific requirements.