Hi Mike and Emma Hope you are slowly but surely getting there... may I make some comments/suggestions that you may or not take on board, but hopefully it may at least give you some ideas/options... Going through a new build ourselves at the moment, and for what it's worth, here's what I personally think: A. Work with what you've got: - additional plumbing work, gas work etc may not be necessary and (particularly gas) can be costly when you're trying to work around existing walls, floors, etc, and as much as possible utilise the existing connections... after whatever you can save here and there, you can spend on nicer cabinetery, gadgets, finishes, etc :) B. Avoid unnecessry structural work: - removing the kitchen/living wall is a must (more space, light, etc) but removing the laundry wall is an unncessary added cost (may even require costly additional strutural support) - putting up a plastered wall on the other hand is inexpensive, allows you to redefine different zones and relocate doors/openings where required (*note: avoid hinged doors in small spaces as you have to allow for wasted space to open door - suggest cavity sliding doors, easy to incorporate in a new wall) C. Don't sacrifice functionality and natural light for design - love full height floor to ceiling cabinets, very much on trend... but they also tend to bring the walls in, which you want to avoid in an already small space... they will also block out more natural ligtht from the only window to the living and breakfast bench (meals area)... not to mention seated guests would be staring at a cabinet tower and fridge - on the other hand a walk in pantry (not that much of a walk in a small space) is also very much on trend, provides more storage and... as entertaining guests in open plan livings tends to happen more in the kitchen... it provides a good hiding place for unsightly items, including frigges... (an underbench bar fridge in the kitchen can easily keep those beers cold... though do consider that means sacrificing some cabinet space) - constantly wiping off the floors from dripping wet dishes across the kictchen from the sink to the dishwaser on the other side bench would personally drive me mad after a while... the dishwasher can easily be connected to the existing sink water and waste points through the cabinerty... any half decent plumber should be able to do that... ON THAT NOTE... or should I say those notes... I know I got a bit carried away :) ... if it were me, here's an idea of what I would try to achieve ...

G'day Folks, My wife and I, like Jess (Strons) am a very proud owners of Nore Furniture, still used daily, and purchased in the late 70's! The collection includes a dining Table/dining and lounge chairs, coffee/lamp tables, and a Buffet. Interstingly, when we have visitors, the two Nore lounge chairs in the lounge are always taken before the modern lounge suite is used. (which annoys me, as the Nore furniture are the more comfortable by far) The remaining items are used in our Family/Ding area. Due to having constant use over the last 6 years with grand children, several of these magnificent pieces of Art are needing a little lift, re damaged finish. If your father does remember the stain details, I would appreciate his advice! The pride, skill, and love that went into this furniture still shines thru to this day! Cheers Dennis

Hi jdublya, happy new year and sorry about the late reply! I ended up doing the safe / lazy thing... left the floor untouched and painted a feature wall deep grey, as well as having two-toned grey curtains to both the sliding doors, and a dark grey area rug. The open plan living / dining gets lots of light, so it's still bright even with all the dark greys. We've paired it with mismatched sofas in light grey and brown, and sage green throws. Overall, it's still a "warm" look and not the cool Scandi look I would have preferred, but it's cozy and the greys have really calmed down the red. It's a lot more to my taste now than the show room furniture was. Bits of the floor finish are coming off though, I think (where the kitchen island stools have been dragged over the years by the past occupant), so in time I will get the opportunity to re-do the floor and it'll no longer be red!

Not a terrible idea at all. I placed two mirrors across each other in our small bathroom. The mirrors are not of the same width but are the same design and at the same height to maintain simplicity. One narrow mirror above the basin, same width as the basin and tall enough so that our tallest family member at 2m can see their face. The WC also sits next to the basin but I did not want to extend the mirror from the basin. The wall space above the WC allowed for decorative items, eg artwork; narrow display shelf to add interest and texture. Directly opposite the basin and WC is a wide cabinet, and a large mirror to cover that width of cabinet and at the same height as the basin mirror. This mirror also reflects the artwork above the WC. It reflects so much more light and creates a wonderful feeling of space.