You are absolutely right! There are a group of people around here who really do like her paintings and that's what encourages her...and helps with her depression...better than taking pills! Been giving this further thought. Since she has no particular style at present maybe she could group the 'like' paintings in smaller displays here and there in 3s and 5s and some in casual bundles hung by the corners without frames. This might, for the first idea, look more like an attempt at decor and with the 'bundles' might tempt visitors to want to lift them up and see the others hidden underneath... she might be flattered at that and without seeming too eager to sell may achieve a triple positive...one for her self esteem, one seeming like decor in an painter's house and another, also decor but like a casual placement of works maybe waiting for frames...maybe trying to decide which to frame..( which to reject)...all sorts of little suggestive placements that could serve several purposes. For decor alone I like the idea of different profiles and coloured frames that suit each painting, the idea of smaller uneven numbered groups of "like" works...say the trees ones or the beach ones or the flower ones for example...and I also like the idea of stragecally pinned up bundles...maybe with a pin on the wall (if you don't mind holes) or on a nice thick string hung across the surface with paper clips or a bulldog clip... and a jar of brushes and/or tubes of paint nearby on a shelf. Empty frames casually hung in bundles also serve as decor. That's the only way I would have multiple paintings and "art things" on a wall. I understand about galleries showing several styles and artists together...sometimes, if the gallery owner or director..."has a clue", (surprising how many do not). he/she would be insightful enough to display the different styles so that the adjacent works complement each other and so more people would like more works. Amazing buying a work and then on getting it home, thinking you'd been given the wrong one...because it looked so different next to its partner on the wall ! Decor is important wherever displays of anything are mounted. Some of the mass marketing furniture places have no idea what to put next to what for good effect...have you noticed?

Extending would certainly be the most straightforward option and it sounds like you definitely have the block size for it! However if you wanted to stay under your existing roofline (and keep your garage!), one option may be to shift your kitchen across to the left to where the current laundry is (laundry to go euro-style into your cabinetry) and rear hallway is, it's space that could work harder. So remove the external door, then that allows a larger kitchen and importantly a larger dining area, and you could have doors (tri-folds or french doors) going out the back which would also make the living areas feel much more open - even going out onto a simple deck will make the internal space also feel larger. And I would also eliminate the door into the garage so there's at least one solid wall for the dining area, you'll have your fresh doors there to get out easily anyway. You could even shorten the wall (or make it a half nib wall) into the lounge room to make the overall space feel larger and brighter too. Of course this requires some compromise with practical things such as switching to a euro-laundry set-up, direct access to the garage etc but it'll save in staying under the roofline, keeping your kitchen connections and plumbing more or less where they are and will make more a nicer, more open living area, which is where we spend most of our waking hours! And while you're at it (!), lifting carpet and either polishing up the sub floor or placing timber (or laminate) flooring makes an amazing difference to making a space feel larger, brighter and more open. That could be a worthwhile consideration too! But of course, an extension may be the simpler option, but i do think this option could make a huge difference to improve it!

Hi Houzzers You have all been so kind with your design advice, and helped us come up with this design. I think we are nearly there, and are pretty happy with the result...we still ended up with the door into bedroom from hall....but think it will be ok.....may swing the door the other way...will put doors on bathroom and sitting(not shown) I like the 2 dressing areas we have created either side of our wardrobes, and the seperate toilet. Very happy for any other input on this design before we send it off to the builder!

Fussycat - I think your issue is not creativity but visualisation. Get the draftsman who did your 3D image to put your proposed colours onto the image. They will probably charge extra, but will give you peace of mind, or make you realize that you need to reconsider your options. You actually have quite a lot happening in a small elevation, and as it is probably too late to change any of the design or details, I would keep my palette as simple as possible, and focus on your brickwork selections (as they are ordered first), then work from there. If your draftsman doesn't deal with colour selections then you should reach out to a design professional who does deal with exterior selections, who has done it lots of times before. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls