We've been through a few coffee machines and have now wound up with a Breville BES920 with a Smart Grinder Pro (you can usually get the grinder bundled). It's so far been very good to us (unlike earlier Sunbeams), reliable, simple and makes a nice drop. It's press-button without being utterly automatic, if that latter is something your husband doesn't want. It's a hefty machine, so you'd need some dedicated bench space for it and the separate grinder (Breville do one with a built-in grinder too, mentioned by someone previously). My partner particularly likes being able to walk away from the grinder while it grinds, though that's possibly not a feature many would write home about. :) I think they come in different colours now, if that's something that floats your boat design-wise. We also have a Nespresso pod machine. This is our road trip machine and I'm even more disgusted with ourselves for the extravagance of having it than I am of the hoey-moey coffee it lets us avoid drinking. You can get reusable plastic pods for it (they're a bit of a pain to fill), and I think recyclable pods. But the normal pods are not considered an environmentally friendly item, and they are exceedingly (relatively) expensive compared to buying beans and grinding. It is utterly push-button & I suspect would not satisfy your husband? The coffee it makes has small comparison to that of a "proper" espresso machine (though our extravagance does not regret it when we use it). It, with the pods and the "milk frother" fit in a small backpack, so they are not big - almost toaster size, so you could decide whether you'd leave it out, and easily find bench space for it. Yes, you can get built-ins in Australia. They're not cheap, but I know for sure Miele make one, and I'm pretty easy sure Smeg do. Bosch maybe? I think the internals are all actually built by Saeco. We've friends who have a Miele built-in - oddly, they're not big coffee drinkers and rather than maintain/clean it(?) they pull out the Nespresso machine when we visit. Saying all the above, should our Breville machine fail my partner (who sounds "manual" like your husband in this regard) would very likely seriously consider (and has in the past), the combo previously mentioned: the Rancilio Silva and the Rocky grinder. They do have quite a good rep' among the "coffee snobs" (see coffeesnobs.com.au to see I'm not being a jerk calling them snobs :) Also, it's a good forum to search for info & feedback on most machines).

Hi Debbie, Just adding to your dilemma, until recently we had lovely offices in Sydney with each room having one wall of full height sliding doors, with wonderful day time views and night time lights. We installed very nice manual Roller blinds for when privacy was needed, but I still wasn't happy with the look either day or night. I love the lovely soft curtains that Mel n suggested but hubby wouldn't be happy as there would n't be any privacy at night unless they had a separate lining. So saying that I still think internal "Plantation" shutters that bi fold across the openings would really add something to your open plan room, I was also thinking sliding stacking panels, you could ask a local supplier to come out and discuss. These shutters are larger and easier to clean. I'am adding some more photos for you. On another note, I hope Debbie doesn't mind my mentioning this but Debbie suffered damage to her home at the hands of her name sake "Cyclone Debbie", when a very large neighbours tree fell down on her property causing a lot of damage, very hard to see your hard work ripped apart. You will get there again Debbie xx The large Plantation shutters look the best to me You mentioned new ceilings etc this could be done if you were having curtains Your view with undercover outdoor area added

Though I don't know for certain, I think the cotton/linen shades are removable. I wasn't able to determine this by my searches. This could easily be confirmed by making an enquiry to supplier before purchase. Alternatively, a handmade one could be made removable by making shade slightly larger than frame and making ties.

They may have shaped the end of the exposed ceiling joists to imitate a decorative add-on known as dentils, which are popular in the UK. They are small shaped blocks attached to the soffit/ eaves and are usually made of wood, GRP or polymer. https://www.canopyproducts.co.uk/shop/dentils/ The effect can also be replicated in brickwork, stonework and plaster, etc.