There is no gift I’m secretly sick of getting. I am happy to receive anything coming my way. Although the year of the ironing board was a tense one between my husband and I, and one that was never to be repeated!

Hi Luke Perhaps we could offer another viewpoint? Paul is right in that the professionals here have both experience and qualifications behind their comments and outlook. That doesn't mean only pro's can offer an opinion, however it does mean that the DIY homeowners aren't always aware of regulatory, structural or spatial reasons behind the way Pro's do things. Most of the DIY'er's here understand this and by and large the interaction between the Pro's and homeowners is respectful and educational to all. There will always be someone who becomes offended or catty about something but then that is just life.... That said, I can see Pauls point made across many posts. Some of the designs offered up by the DIY'ers are amazingly talented whilst others are amateur. Again, this is not life and death, however the issue appears to be the gradual 'us and them' attitude becoming prevalent in this forum. This is only an anonymous forum for the amateur DIY'er. The Pro's have their company names and reputations out there and give of their time and advice freely. As Paul says, it is what the forum needs in order to attract DIY'ers or people looking for advice. It is worth pointing out that there have been some BLATANTLY illegal things offered up here by DIY'ers as ways of going about works. Whilst that is a rarity, the fact remains that the Pro's have an understanding of the regulatory requirements and put more than our opinions on the line when working in this industry. There will always be dodgy tradies, just as there are many homeowners not paying their bills, gaming the system, performing illegal (and dangerous) works etc Paul consistently stands up for his industry and beliefs as a Pro. Some of the DIY'ers here would do well to consider that you don't gain the qualifications without time and hard work out in the real world. Whilst we respect everyone's right to contribute, respect is a two way street. Cheers

Suzy, I'd confidently say the problem for you is certainly not necessarily your style, but rather, the sequencing of the process and decisions involved.....Great results can be and are achieved with any style, but the trick is to be consistent and understand the priorities/limits/constrains and a certain level of discipline needs to be executed with the decision-making accordingly. Great results exude confidence and balance, regardless of style. Often this is the difference between professional and amateur level in that professionals (having experience/skill developed etc) are generally able to hone in, filter and execute the order of decision making with a certain degree of confidence and purpose in a manner that achieves balance and consistency with the numerous/various elements involved. Most issues stem from people starting to think about the wrong things at the wrong time in the process and getting the decision making all out of whack - hence making a less ideal or less balanced decisions within the overall context, and ending up with underwhelming results that didn't quite work out as hoped or what you had in your head. The classic one that I always come across is when people say "do" their kitchen all on their own because "it's not that big" or important, and then I get a call to come (say a year or two after) once they decide they want to do work to the rest of the home and pull it all together somehow. More often than not though they've clearly jumped the gun and spent money/started at the wrong place and so then its harder job to hit the mark of the overall vision, so we either have to undo stuff (expensively) to pull it all back on track, or concede/compromise the end result by accepting to spring off a less than ideal first stage of work...... The other typical one, which is kind of what you've described, is people wanting break it down because they think it's easier to get their head around a smaller scale job, and pursuing projects in bits and pieces/stages.......more often than not you get fragmented/inconsistent results.... and this somewhat is the downfall of technology/current times with people absorbing fragmented content/pictures and then focusing on doing things as snapshots, rather than taking a holistic/masterplan approach to a full scope of works (which takes thought, planning, patience and investment), with the layered understanding of what decisions are the most important over others and when and how to make them. We just can't achieve consistent results like say is suggested can be done on the Block ("hey it's bathroom week, next week we're doing the back patio" - how ridiculous!) - and the camera angles are sure deceiving compared with the real life experience of walking through the end results..... it's just not how quality, consistent project result are best achieved in the real world....it may work for TV or achieve pretty snapshots for the instagram feed, but it doesn't achieve consistent & flowing "living" experience throughout a home where spaces relate to the next etc, unless of course you have a certain degree/level of experience, skill, discipline and clarity to be able to make it all eventually come together........... These issues are relevant and applicable across all scales of project, whether we're doing complete homes or just say an outdoor kitchen or interiors etc - the process/decision-making is the same but you need to have a vision, references and clarify constraints and be clear and confident for each decision that the next one is influenced/determined by. This is the design process and it takes time and experience to master and understand in depth to achieve professional level results demonstrated in magazines or online etc. ... But of course this is just my particular professional opinion/perspective...everyone from their own views/thoughts on this stuff ...more often than not it comes down to money/budgets, which all too often the limitations in this regard coupled with info/resource online at fingertips lead people down paths of false economies by bypassing seeking critical advice early in the process... :) Cheers PD

About the only place I'd get too far away from the period , is the kitchen . But I wouldn't go farmhouse there , just clean modern lines with some warm colour , or how about going for something that would surprise -- modern benchtops , modern tapware , a modern recreation stove and fridge , but do pastel door and drawers ( I assume you can get that in Melamine , maybe have to paint if not ? ) and period wall tiles in a light yellow with blue flowers of something like that , BUT also see if you can get some subway tiles in the same tone ? The rest of the house , you might get away with modern doors if you don't want the period varnished ones , but varnished floors , rugs , maybe 1 feature wall each room in a 'period' style wallpaper ? I'd probably do a ceiling rose and a gold waterfall type chandalier and even that ornate plaster cornices in the hall and/or lounge , but you could mix it up with downlights in the kitchen and dining ? Depends how luxe you want to go . I'm weird , but I have 1 similar style house , and I did it with polished floors , solid doors ( stained and varnished ) with brass hinges , but mixed it up with grape walls and grape and gold scroll wallpaper ; duck egg blue walls with blue and maroon striped wallpaper feature wall , and red leather furniture in the lounge ( sounds weird I know , but it works ! ) ; kitchen is original cabinets painted crisp white with burnt orange doors , burnt orange on 2 walls and a slightly mushroom tinged English cream on the 2 with windows . Do what suits you !