3. Romans. Moving onto the Roman Blind options, I think it important to note that the Romans you have in the other room look to be more ‘Casual Romans.' These are not lined, rather they are self-backed. There is nothing wrong with Casual Roman Blinds but you would be somewhat limited over the choice of fabrics in Australia, Here casual Roman Blinds are limited to plain fabrics such as the ones in your daughter’s bedroom. They are, however, a much more affordable option, though be it at the expense, perhaps, of your ability to be creative and make a design statement in the play room/tv room. Casual Romans require and utilise a pre-stiffened fabric or you will end up with you blinds coming to resemble ‘London blinds’ due to shape distortion and sagging. .. Not a good thing. (and an insult to beautifully made London Blinds) The other type of Roman Blind common in Australia are called ‘Traditional Soft-Roman’ blinds.’ These are lined with pre-stiffened Roman Lining which provides shape stability over time, and offers far superior insulating qualities over Casual Roman blinds because of the lining. They are more expensive not only because of the lining and the labour involved in their manufacture, but because they offer a far greater choice when it comes to fabrics; fabrics which could vary greatly in price, depending on the choices you make. If you want to make a design statement with Roman Blinds, then Traditional Soft-Roman Blinds are the way to go. Reading your post, I think it also worth advising that that you should not be afraid of departing from Romans. We have implemented many solutions with Romans and traditional drapery (eg; curtains and/or sheers) within the same room and even mixing them for the same window. Here are some examples I have found from other professionals on Houzz: Examples of mixing and matching of window treatments within the same room As jenpotts pointed out, you are lucky in that you have the space above the architraves. Mounting the Romans high, they will stack back above the height of the French doors. - So no ducking or blinds catching on the doors if fully retracted (stacked back/up) - It’s hard to tell from the image whether the doors open inward or outward. The bolt would indicate to me that they most likely open outward which is also an advantage. With an all-Roman solution you have several options that could be considered. Option 1 - Roman on the right-hand window and two additional Romans split at the centre of the doors. Option 2 - Roman on the right hand window and 3x Romans, one on each side window of the French doors, and a single Roman that would cover actual doors. An example of where individual (Casual) Roman blinds are utilised for each window panel of the multiple French Doors. I would not advise 4x Romans (one for each door panel and the two adjacent panels), primarily because you have stated the doors aren’t used often and in order to keep costs down, but what I would suggest with all options, is the addition of a single pelmet across all the windows. This would tie them all together off nicely and really add to the presentation of the window treatments collectively. It would also ‘level out' the appearance of the windows. The one on the right looks a little out of place extending up above the height of the French doors drawing the eye and detracting from the overall look of the windows 'collectively.' - A pelmet would level this out, but the downside is that the stack-back on the ‘high’ right-hand window will cause you to lose the upper most portion of that window, with the viewing area reduced to the height of the windows in the French doors and their two adjacent window panels. Here is an example of an extended pelmet that ties the individual blind treatments together. Also notice the addition of the sheer/organza on the right hand side, once again demonstrating that mixing and matching window treatments between window and within the same window treatment is fine. With regards to pelmets. I would suggest a pelmet with a deep fascia… around 25cm. You want the pelmet fascia deep but not too deep so as to overpower the overall look of the window treatments (as a whole). Your pelmet can be padded and lined and I would suggest a coordinated fabric rather than the same fabric you use for the blinds. It’s a real opportunity to make a make a design statement, subtle or otherwise, and will do a lot for the overall projection of the look you want for this room. Ensure you go for a good quality Traditional Soft Roman Blinds. Good quality Roman blinds use pre-stiffened lining rather than normal curtain lining (which is not pre-stiffened and 1/3 of the price). Pre-Stiffened lining is important if you want to maintain the shape of the Romans over time, without them sagging on you. They will also provide far better insulating qualities than cheap Romans made with regular curtain lining. Going 'chain operated' for all the blinds is not an insignificant additional cost given the number of blinds you may elect to purchase, but definitely a decision you would not regret, going forward. This room has potential. Take your time with it, do it justice, even if it means deferring your decision till you can fund it (if that becomes an issue). ... You will have live whatever you purchase for quite some time so it is advisable to take your time making your decision(s) so that your window treatments will be a source of pleasure rather than a source of regret..

I think if you replace front door and glass panels as well as the old fashioned lights with something more contemporary it will make a huge improvement. I'd also remove the ironwork and as you cannot re-glaze place some pots and plants on the sides of the large windows to draw the eye away from all the green cross pieces on the windows. Eventually paint the gutters fascia in a light grey/green.

About your question about sourcing some of your own internal fittings. It is best you discuss this with the builder early on. Usually, the builder's contract will specify an allowance for particular fixtures. However, some may specify actual brand and model of fittings ie taps, toilets, sinks, etc in their quote, and they may or may not allow you to vary this. IF you are happy with those specified fixtures and you think the allowance amount is reasonable, then you can go with it. Otherwise, any changes or variances need to be discussed with builder, and it is very important this be discussed upfront and before any contract is signed. Some building contracts may also disallow some variances. In any event, carefully read the contract so you completely understand what you are agreeing to, and discuss any and all parts where you are not in agreement so these issues can be ironed out. Also, and this is my own experience and opinion, but I advise specifying in the contract the completion date AND if the build is not completed on time then what happens (consider that you may be paying interest on your mortgage, be financing a bridging mortgage, etc. and/or you may also have already sold your home and then have to pay rent until the build is finished). If you are in agreement with builder to source some of the internal fittings yourself, there are any number of suppliers and sources to investigate, and this might be a good way to keep your budget in check. There will be Houzzers who are experienced at this and can provide you with ideas. Just keep in mind that you will have to have all fittings READY and ON SITE when the tradesmen require them, otherwise you will be holding up the build and that is going to cost YOU money.

Hi there, beware of painting a wall that gets a lot of light in a dark colour - any flaw in the gyprock or in the paint job will be very obvious during the day. Many years ago in our second home my husband and I painted a feature wall in a dark colour (opposite the windows) and even though we did a very neat paint job when the blinds were open during the day you could see every slightly incorrect brush stroke and every lump/bump in the gyprock - it drove us insane as the only way to make it look good was to close the blinds a little so it was not so light in the room and the faults were not so obvious.