Oh wow. I had trouble even believing that was the same space - until i saw the window seat. Do you have even more rooms to share?

Hi Italian girl, with your natural white walls what colour did you end up doing your ceiling and skirting? Also is the natural white throwing any yellow at all. I also have an open plan downstairs with a grey concrete floor tile. We are using malay grey on our fireplace and am struggling with choosing the right white for the walls. Was thinking of going with Snowy Mountains but might try natural white after seeing yours.

Hi Aecordts, where is your house? The birches tell me it's not tropical, and the view shot suggests New Zealand. Wellington? Your front garden is "of its time", which isn't 12 years ago but about forty. I'd bring those conifers up to date by adding a couple of good big rocks, some gravel and scads of tall grasses and bright perennials. The whole thing needs loosening up. The only thing I'd lose completely are those lollypops under your front windows. They look twee. Go for some roses, not hybrid teas but rugosas or Portlands, or maybe one of the more solid and shrubby David Austins. The important thing is that the foliage comes all the way down to the ground. Alternatively, fill it in with black (and I MEAN black!) phormium cultivars. The columns are fine as they are.

I do love native violets but they show their best with some shade. For full sun a very rough forums cover with small white flowers is myoporum. The Gardening with Angus site has a great plant selector for other options. Good on you for looking at standard Lilly pilly - they give you greenery all year around unlike roses, weeping cherries etc.