Any advice if I try to figure out some of this myself? I found this website http://www.ikeasaudi.com/ikea.com.sa/images/stories/new2010/Web%20BG%202011/Kitchen/FAKTUM/FAKTUM_bg_GB.pdf Its overwelming for me. Did you use the online ikea design tool. I love your color scheme. How did you decide on that granite? I found this website too . Perhaps those cabinets are not available here but just where you are. either way I can find something similiar. Did you have any issues with ordering..getting parts.. assemely? Do you have any helpful tips for designing ? Did you actually hang them yourself? Is there anything about the cabinets that you find defective or insufficient or think could be better? Thank you so much for all your help.

First I need to say that I've been caught out by old threads too so everybody, it's an OLD THREAD and the poster has already said what she ended up doing. But FWIW I thought your blinds looked good but I can understand wanting a colour change and grey would also be lovely from outside and a nice change inside. I hope you didn't give up on the vertical blind idea only because of the negativity from 'style experts'. We 'upgraded' our front room windows and although I like the appearance of what we have there now I am frequently conscious of the fact that I can't "filter the amount of light & privacy". Vertical blinds are very functional and how cheap or expensive they look is influenced by the choice of fabric, of course as with everything people's personal tastes vary, but the negativity toward vertical blinds sounds like a case of 'Emperor's New Clothes'.

Hi Donna. I’m asking myself that same question; trying to work out if it will really matter, and if I do decide to paint the outside, where do I stop? And will I be creating a maintenance nightmare in years to come. It’s not immediately obvious that the internal and external parts are different colours. I notice. Others don’t. You can see the diff when you’re at an angle, but you have to be looking for it. And who stares at your window frames? People are usually looking outside, beyond the frame. Excuse the mess and half finished paint job, but these pics may give you an idea of what to expect. It’s more obvious on the sliding door, but only when close up and from an acute angle. This will look dramatically better when I finish painting the door frame.

1. colours...simple way to reduce choices is to start with the Colorbond selection and eliminate the ones you don't like and there will only be a few left to choose form...oskuee's suggestion for shades of the same colours sounds ideal..eg Colourbond Mangrove or Gully with Surfmist fascias and eaves and consider painting just the front windows for a fresh new look 2. if you can't live with the arches the cheapest way to modify the appearance would be to add a continuous painted panel of timber across the top of the windows (or better still custom made powder coated painted steel to match the windows...ask a steel fabricator for a quote including manufacture, powder coat and installation over the top of the window to hide the arch...try a piece of painted cardboard in place to see if it makes enough of an improvement to be worthwhile 3. balcony rails painted (powder coated is much more effort but gives a range of textured finishes and is more long lasting) in darkest grey/brown? to match the windows and check repair and repaint the balcony floor and the flower pots 4. balcony support columns look quite flimsy and i would check that they meet current required safety standards check Australian Building codes or a structural engineeer consult not cheap but worthwhile.. and regardless of being big enough i would prefer more substantial looking square support colums with an extra column between the garage doors and the balcony railing may not be tall enough for current safety standards (check BCA) and consult a fencing contractor to identify options to add extra railing across the top or replace the whole railing 5. garage doors will always stand out because of the angle of view...try the darkest shade of the new colour but lighter coloured doors may be worth trying (you already know how the dark doors look)...try hanging a sheet or similar over a door to see how a light colour feels and then painted newspaper stuck on the doors to test different colours 6. i would prefer the gable to blend with the roof..it's too small to be a feature from this angle..paint the barge board and gable end to match the tiles 7. if the concrete stairs are in good condition just try a water blaster to clean the concrete and leave natural 8 and, while you have the water blaster, clean the brick walls and driveway and check and repair any broken pavers or missing grout