LC, I searched extensively online for handwoven rugs to suit our new home, and while I found many I really liked, I was hesitant to purchase without the benefit of seeing, touching and judging quality for myself. Finally, I stumbled onto the site of a Persian rug dealer with a shop only an hour's drive from my home. By dealing directly and in person, we could ask about the individual rugs and also negotiate prices.

Many furmiture shops that also sell rugs will allow you to take home a rug to try before you buy. It is awfully difficult to know if it's the right size, colour, or style without seeing it in situ. This may be something you can look into before you commit to purchase.

Hi,
The blinds are a gorgeous texture, I would go a lighter wood to compliment your stunning floors, I love neutral colours with just a hint of a feature colour so as not to over power the look, great ideas from everyone, you have a beautiful home, happy shopping

Just a few more, white bowls on buffet or table and just love this planter

Dining room. Put wallpaper on two walls, a beautiful grass cloth or something that says wow but not 'in your face'. Choose a table that seats a minimum of 6. I see a rectangle one. An over sized scaled pendant over the table. All of your white framed artwork in that space (that's if you go for a darker wallpaper). Looks like you have beige window dressings so keep things in the same tone. Finish with a rug (minimum of 500mm out from edge of table) under the table. While kids are young don't discard outdoor rugs. Make sure you place it so it doesn't impede the walking through are but also don't shove it as close to the walls either. Depending on space?? Possibility of a buffet.

Lounge. Move large red art work to wall you can see from the kitchen. (Don't get me wrong, you can also keep in your dining but pendant may obscure it more depending what you choose).
All furniture needs to be out from the walls. Is there a possibility the large window on the right later down the line could be a large door opening to the outside? It looks like quite a large space. You have quite a few options re furniture. Try not to buy too much matchy matchy stuff. Either a very large corner couch with a couple of chairs where the large window is would be just one option. Choose large furniture in something in a mid tone colour i.e., not black as too heavy but not too light either as you have kids. I can see why parents always end up resorting to leather! Think texture and layers and contrast. Perhaps consider a large ottoman and just have a couple of side tables you can move about. Couches keep neutral. Can bring in colour on fabric on chair/s. Soft drapes over existing window dressings also will soften space. Once again, rugs last. Perhaps a lovely overhanging lamp would also look beautiful.

It's quite a process of chipping away and the more you know what you like the easier it becomes (apart from finding stuff at times). Think layers, texture and most of all something that's gonna give you "wow" when you walk in that room/space. Good luck.

With kids I find sofa tables are great. They'll move your furniture out from the wall and give a secure space to add lamps etc. Also can be used to hold a hot drink out of kid range.

You have a lovely home to work with, I was just wondering how your lounges are configured, IE' corner sofa, lounge, single chairs. A new dining setting with timber table and perhaps some rattan chairs with comfortable arms for both kids and adults.

The wall at the end of the dining needs something, it could be a side board or one of the leather sofa's so the kids would be able to see you in the kitchen while they watch another smaller TV. A lovely pendant light over the table to match a couple of the same over the kitchen Island bench, lamps, kid proof ones!!, soft side tables., Poufs.

The living room rug looks over sized and covering up too much of that beautiful timber floor and maybe just remove the one under the dining table if that's where the kids eat, much easier to clean up, as it is it's under sized. Beautiful Home cheers

Consider contrast of tone as well as adding colour

What you have is lovely, but perhaps some black sofas would make a difference.

Exchange the dining table for a Japan black and chairs with red covers on the seats to co ordinate with the big art work you already have.

I also agree that the living room rug is bigger than it needs to be - show off that beautiful polished floor!!

Use various tones of red, fuchsia, cyclamen pink as cushions and living flowers.

Adding living plants always enhances a room - use dark containers so the plants are the feature

Enjoy

Leather lounges are the best with kids and pets, I think I would go a bit neutral using your lounges for a great contemporary look

Love those fabic chairs Julie, but not sure with little kids, I would love them though, Early Settlers are great and online too, having sales at the moment

http://www.earlysettler.com.au/dining/chairs-barstools

Love them too siriuskey, We have cream fabric dining chairs and I had them scotchguarded and wipe up any spills using ‘Nifti’. I would never be without that product for cleaning off marks on everything, great sales at all the top shops. Happy shopping.

Love the painting on the wall. My first impression is the lack of colour through all the spaces. Use your artwork as inspiration to bring in colour to other aspects of the rooms, including rugs, cushions, flowers, ornaments and other pieces through the home. If possible the dining suite looks out of proportion with the space and you could look at possibly a bigger piece and introduce new texture and colour through new seating. Stunning Floors!!

Thanks Paul

I’m loving all this advice and help - thank you!! Just to clarify - in the lounge room - there is no rug - just carpet (with a wood border). There is a rug under our 20 year old freedom table in the meals area - bought when my hubby moved out of home!!

I did think that your living room carpet might have been set in, I have a friend who
has the same but set into tiles, it's a beautiful room and could give you some inspiration, would love to see some daylight photos.

Yes it’s the dining area that looks out of proportion esp with the long space btw island and wall leading to table - what are dimensions of space

Like your advice for the chairs Julie and it is a great time to pick up bargains like cooking

You don’t need to do too much to create impact. I would replace the dining room chairs and the coffee table to black. Also consider lower back chairs. The black adds drama and sophistication. Then all you you need is to replace the cushions for the sofa. If you decide to go with black, then have at least one black cushion. Any good Manchester/homewares shop will be able to put together a good mix of cushions. Take photos with you. Best of luck and have fun.

I would add some nice flowers to the bench and table or a bowl of fruit and a couple of little Knick knacks(remember the rule of 3), also add some colour to your rooms with cushions on the lounge, artwork, family photos, kids art etc.

Some day time photos. The kitchen is about 8 x 4 metres up to the meals area wall (Kitchen bench about 5m), the meals area is about 5 x 4m and the lounge room is about six x four metres
The space between the end of the bench and the meals area wall is about one and a half to two metres

Beautiful Space, do you have the straight lounge in front of full length windows/doors if so you could try moving it into the room so that you can still walk between the lounges and window. this would make more of a "U" shaped lounge seating

Hi LC,
Lovely rooms, have you tried swapping large white framed artwork with your beautiful red one, the red one could look fabulous above couch , add feature cushions below it and then your dining area could be coordinated with the white framed ones, could look great blended with the bench and stools.

Love the mural and dining set, sea grass in a deeper shade on a few walls. Adore the painting in your dining room, you need something as bold over your sofa. The deeper colour looks good in pics below. Lovely home you have

Maybe

I think what’s wrong is the table is not in proportion to picture for example I’d swapped red pic for one above couch then both would work better with proportions of furniture under them I understand why you’d prob prefer to keep red pic in dining room so think you need a much wider perhaps square table else rectangle placed with length parallel to length of picture. MY be play around with pics just to get proportions right

Am interested to know what the double doors lead to beside the TV?

In terms of rugs, these are just exquisite.

https://armadillo-co.com/

Price tag to match!!!

This is what I’d love once my kids are a bit older.......

I would add some geometry and graphic.

Wow, that looks stunning, celerygirl!

clever girl with your Photo Shop, I was wondering if the corner unit could be removed so that a square side table would fit into that corner with a matching lamp but importantly opening up the long window

Wowza Celerygirl! Love your work.

Siriuskey, do you mean move the unit right away from the walls and into the room more? There's another long window on other end of the unit. It would be nice to have more natural light in the room.

Annb I missed that other long window in the picture, not sure about moving the lounge further into the room as it looks like those double doors access the room? But I do think that if the corner section was taken out and replaced with a corner table of similar size that would balance the lounge between both narrow windows, and give it more of a contemporary look.

There's also a problem with the other lounge and position I think it's pushed back in front of a large window/doors. Better to try and bring forward into the room or try swapping that lounge with with TV. I did notice that there are TV connections next to the Dining table? It would be good to get the room measurements marking window and door sizes including dining kitchen. Any floor plans available?

Oh yes, I hadn't thought about removing the corner section-that's a really good idea.

I think it's worth a try, it looks a bit dated as it is, another matching lamp would look good as well

Coco Republic and others have some gorgeous side tables:

Put an interesting rug down over the carpet in the lounge room. It will break up the cream and make the area look cosier.
Loose the rug under the dining table.
Define the areas by painting or wallpapering a feature wall or two.
Add some contemporary lamps.
The downlighting dates the rooms but too expensive to change so try adding lamps.
Get the kids to work on an abstract canvas or two. A couple of bright artworks by your children is something that never dates.

Looks nice and a great blank canvas, my opinion you could add some texture with pillows, throws etc. What about some wall art not necessarily pictures.

Maybe a funky piece of furniture to offset all the new pieces. A feature chair?

If you're daring enough why not paint one wall a dark colour - the wall where the TV is.

What do people think would be a reasonable budget to update the space - I’m think possible change to lighting over the meals area, a new dining set, a new rug in the dining room, some feature furniture in the lounge and possibly pendant lighting in the kitchen too (or not) and some lamps for the lounge?

I'm gonna take a punt and say $4000. That's allowing $1000 for dining room furniture, $1000 for Living room rug (oversize), $400-500 large pendant in dining, $500 for kitchen pendants, and $1000 for any additional living room pieces incl lamps. This is a generous budget but if you research and shop carefully, it can be less. Fortunately there are good sales on everywhere, and keep in mind it's worth negotiating prices for multiple pieces I find you physically visit your local stores.

why not hire an interior decorator for a couple of hours, could be money well spent and they know where to get what you need. Although you could probably mix and match some quality items with some more budget ones. depending on quality you're probably looking at 5K

Hi LC,
I agree with what anneb has said, lots of sales at the top stores, my only add , I would not have a rug under dining table as you have large fixed rug in lounge area, if you have dining table and chairs, buffet and floor lamp, that would look fabulous and show off your floors beautifully, happy shopping

For me, it would be colour. Maybe a feature wall for walls around dining, or living, pick colour from your favoured painting, and use same and other colours from pictures for cushions or even some occasional furniture in the brightest colour - I saw this done beautifully in a tarted up house for display - a small seat/coffee table painted and upholstered in an orange mix, which was taken from the splashback (everything else was neutral) and also in a throw for lounge.

Pendants light over dinning room table and island - good luck

Hi LC
You are receiving a lot of feedback which is great but could also be a bit overwhelming. As a suggestion, choose one of the spaces and focus on that. I personally would tackle the dining area first.

hi Julie Herbert, great furniture examples you have been sending through do you know where the low console/tv unit is from in your fist comment, plus I love that round dinning table and chairs you sent through, do you know where they are from - thanks and great suggestions also.

Hi Houston,
It is called Dwell Scandinavian TV entertainment unit-natural .. it’s gorgeous, it’s on sale atm at Interior Secrets , can view online.
I don’t think that was me re round table and chairs, the table I posted was from Nick Scali called the Nolan ....hope this helps

so sorry houscom,
my phone keeps correcting me, apologies

Ha ha, yes that does happen some times - so frustrating! yes its the first one, I'll look into that range, thank so much for getting back to me. Cheers

The other table was annb1997 - opps!

you are very welcome, I just love that unit.