I've had an all wool runner on my stairs for 12 years and absolutely love it. We have a large dog and two kids have grown up with this stair with no slipping issues. Wool is great for other reasons from an environmental aspect. There are several online sources that can educate you about wool carpets and it's appropriate applications.

I remember years ago being in a similar predicament and someone gave me some mirror tiles - I glued them on the the wall and thought I was very clever. They actually did look much better in my eyes. Try not to spend too much - I think everyone's idea of a shower curtain will all the bathroom colours in it would probably be the best option. You'll laugh about it in years to come and you will love the improvements you make over time. Enjoy the moment, unless you're selling soon your ideas will change after living there, so change when you can afford it - who cares it's YOURS. Good luck, it's so rewarding and so much fun. P.S. now we have a small bathroom, wall to wall tiles, dark grey on the floor and white on all the walls with a large grey tile up each opposing wall, tall mirror over the handbasin which reflects the opposite wall then a full length bath with shower over it. It works perfectly and looks great.

Hi Suzanne The panelling in Perth is usually done with (believe it or not) Cedar panels / planks which are then prepped and painted. Most of the high end work is done this way. You can do it in MDF however and any good chippie will make it work. We recently restored a 100 year home in a Hamptons Style home and all of the stair well panels were cedar also. The second storey panelling we did had to be fabricated in MDF to get the detailed sizes and other than the dents in the old (from many years of enthusiastic use) you can't tell the difference. For skirting, a lot of the profiles are made up as one offs by builders that are used as a kind of signature. The same with doors. We made new solid doors to match the old at a timber joiner. The skirting and door profiles are usually made up by executive doors and mouldings in Malaga. They have a good range for you to start with as does Subiaco Restorations in Osborne Park. Cheers

yes oklouise, I hear all that - absolutely yes it's all about clients understanding/working out properly what they need.........and it's great to be able to seek comments/thoughts on Houzz from a broad range of backgrounds/experiences......the issue though is when it gets into territory where (from my perspective) clearly experience and professional skill will help resolve the problem most effectively (such as on this particular one) that it's therefore appropriate to suggest this the advised way to go.......I suppose I see frequently here capacity for designers to be able to "cut to the chase" most effectively, but of course this needs to be done in a manner underpinned by a thorough understanding and establishment of what the client needs in context, and yes very often the client will require more time to work this all through.........I however still see our role as relevant in that part of the process though, and not necessarily having to "wait" for that to happen, because ultimately as professionals in this position (i believe) have a responsibility (as part of our role as a consultant) to educate people appropriately and thoroughly so they can develop the skills to be able to consolidate their decision-making most appropriately for themselves and the project - by the end of the journey, I find my clients are rather quite the experts!..........this however involves a collaborative approach, egos are shelved and an intimate working relationship, which is very different from the approach (that some designers work to) which is essentially selling a "product" or particular end result, rather than a service....significant difference, and again, horses for courses ;)