Congratulations on your new home. I think you have been very sensible to live in it for a year before starting your decorating, it has given you time to consider the lighting and aspect of each room in all seasons as well as time to evaluate how you want to live in your home and exactly what you need. The lounge does look very big and bulky and will definitely dominate the room, so I would keep to the lighter colour. Don't worry about the kids and dirt - as Kookykaren said, leather cleans easily - sharp objects and textas are your bigger worry regardless of what colour you choose. Laying newspaper on the floor to the size of the lounge is another way of checking how it will look as it gives you a better indication of bulk than tape. I would keep your ottoman simple (one with storage is an excellent idea with the children), just a tone on tone fabric or a pattern using the colours in the rug on the floor of the photo of the lounge. I don't think you have room for too large an ottoman but I would have a square one made the same height as the lounge so when just you and DH are watching TV you can push it against the other end of the lounge and both have a chaise. You can then bring some colour with art work or some patterned cushions on the lounges.

The volume builder's offer it cheap (or standard inclusion) because they bargain down the supplier and installer who will be suppling many (i.e.: volume) bench tops of pretty much the same size and specification..... Custom designed/bespoke/renovation dwelling's cost so much more because they're 'one off' rather than the same design being built many times over.

Hard to know how much ours cost as we did a whole lot of other work concurrently but the engineer was $500 and the 5.5 m beam was $900. If you want the engineer to certify the finished job that's another $400-500. Demo took about a day for two guys and the builder had the props. Install takes a couple of hours with the extra labourers onsite to lift into place. Then there is the gyprocking, plastering, skirting, finishing/patching new gyprock, painting. And the tipping fees. So I would think $3k would be a good price overall. It's really worth the mess and the stress. Beware: builders are super messy and the dust will be everywhere. Anything you don't want to wash should be boxed and stored elsewhere or covered really tight with plastic. I mean really tight. Also, make a clear thoroughfare for the beam. We have a big scratch on a dresser that I thought was sufficiently out of the way.. And last but not least leave the house for the duration. I was less nervous when not watching it all happen before my eyes. Good luck!!

as usual price depends on quality and labour but basic flatpac white laminate kitchen cabinets and counters cost about $5000-$15000 plus installation, splashbacks, tiles, taps, handles, lighting, sinks, appliances etc and all the trades: plumber, gas fitter, electrician, tiler etc... a custom made kitchen will dramatically increase the price at least double or triple for the fitted cabinets and counters but other costs are similar subject to quality and careful selections of fixtures but sometimes it more cost effective to save elsewhere than scrimp on the most important expensive room in the house but our last tiny holiday house kitchen was built out of a 40 year old kitchen we recycled from another property and, including the old sink and flatpac counter and new handles cost about $200 and our most recent custom made modest mid sized kitchen was $25,000 for laminate cabinetry and counters (stone counters would have added another $9000) but putting together flatpacs can be tedious and difficult to get a quality finish