http://stratco.com.au/products/solar/types/solatop/solatop.asp How the panels look depend a lot on the orientation of the house, the type of roofing and the qulaity of the installation. Panels on the front of a house with terracotta tiles, not so great, but around the sie or back, with a neat and tidy installation, not so bad. I had solar panels on my previous house, a victorian terrace, thin film, flat on the scallion roof and unless they were pointed out no one knew they were there. My current house, Federation, has a red painted corrugated iron roof, the panel are at the back of the house, but don't look too obvious. The long term savings are worth it, so function wins over form for me in this case.

The most kid and pet friendly couch material is leather. So far our blue leather couch has coped with 18 years of toddlers falling asleep and weeing on it, cat vomit, Easter eggs melting between the cushions, spilt milk, spilt orange juice, spilt red wine, spilt coffee, and muddy dog paws. It just wipes clean. Our white leather chair is just as durable and is now 24 years old and just starting to look grubby. So go with beige or cream if you want. It would be a lovely choice, just make sure it is leather. Black or mid or dark brown would also look lovely with that beautiful rug but I think lighter colours would look fresher. Don't be at all scared to use light coloured leather.

I can understand the frustration at the thought of obscuring the sliding doors. To avoid that you might consider a pair of sofas that face each other. (Like in the picture attached) This position looks very welcoming as it invites the seated people to face each other for conversation. It does mean for viewing the tv on the 'blank wall' you won't be in the most comfortable position, so I suspect you'll need to compromise somewhere... Access to the door against tv viewing.

Sue, congratulations. You've not only identified a colour you feel happier about, you've actually created it. I suspect you'll now be able to create a pleasing mix of warm greys, plywood browns, stone tones, coppers or bronzes, warm whites, etc; maybe with a bit of yellow added come spring; and you'll be able to live with the brownish sofa until you're ready to update or reupholster. I have some KAS cushion covers from a couple of years ago which show how this kind of colour mix can be done. One has stylised flowers (a la Mexican) in grey, brown and caramel with a touch of burnt orange. (You mention liking ochre.). Another is lighter grey, brown, taupe and bone-white on a natural linen. A third (less subtle) is warm greens with brown, taupe, yellow, white and a little aqua. I'm not saying go for styles that are a few years out of fashion. But do be confident enough to resist a harsh, hard-edged option if a gentler one is right for your temperament and household and the room's aspect. Robyn