I'd hate it ..I love my timber table..solid blackwood..have had it since 1998..got our names engraved by the maker..it's well worn..I'd wipe it with soapy detergent water every day after meals and then over it with a tea towel..not grimy at all.. when we have guests over I pop a table cloth on it to hide the pot marks sometimes I don't bother and just have place mats

unless you have 6 people for dinner every day i suggest swop the dining table for smaller extendable table with stowaway folding chairs for extra guests and try moving the desk into the lounge to create enough space in the dining area for small twin lounge chairs with full height shallow storage beside fireplace and consider removing the wall in the lounge and retaining the wall between kitchen and dining d the wall between bathroom and kitchen could have full height in wall pantry storage (many cans, bottles, packets, glasses etc will fit inside a 10-30cm deep cabinet with larger in wall cabinets above the stove or in the dining roomthe easiest cheapest way to brighten the dining room would be to install Solar Skylights (check out illume or Arcol brands available at Bunnings)

Beautiful.

Hi CP and thank you! Your comment and suggestion is not controversial at all, but raises interesting design points. They are not shutters, but timber louvres. They can be raised and lowered as 1/2 panels- 2 per each window. When they are “open” it’s straight out to the deck and the elements. IE no glass Windows behind- just screens to keep out the insects. As the home is in the tropics, and currently it’s steaming hot and the humidity level is sky high too- in order to keep the room fully Air Conditioned (for now) it’s necessary to keep the louvres fully closed. So- it’s “either/or” with this window style, as they are not “traditional” windows. That’s why there is the glass door to the balcony and the skylights in the ceiling- to let in natural light in the summer steamy season. The only months we don’t need A/C are winter months here, which is June- September aprox. In those months when excessive heat has gone, I can open everything and there is a beautiful view out to the tropical rainforest vegetation and trees. Then, it indeed looks as though there are no window “treatments” as I can raise all the louvres. I once (years ago) got a quote to put in more normal windows, but the cost was exorbitant and besides, I felt it was ultimately the wrong thing to do as it would take away the unique character of this pole house. Tomorrow when it’s light, I can post some photos of all the louvres raised just to give you an idea.