Having been raised in an era when TV was invented we ended up eating in front of it with dinner on lap. When I had my own family the rule was made that we ate at dining table no TV on, because that's how the Brady Bunch, My three sons, Little House on the Praire all did it. And we've done that ever since, in summer on patio and winter inside, but we all sit down together. I'm lucky out jobs and lives enable this to happen.

I like my Blum set. Maybe it comes down to does one have anything he other doesn't have that you really need and price. I like how mine is dishwasher proof, probably Hafele is too.

The biggest thing to remember is to have a plan before you set out and make any changes. A WIR is the way most people seem to go these days when redoing up an old space, or if you are building a new home, but a WIR is becoming much more glamorous these days, and they are quiet a destination. If you going to have a WIR, one of the biggest considerations is to decide if you are going to have doors, or if its all going to be open. Now if you are quiet a tidy person, then a full open WIR will be fine for you, but if you are someone that is not so tidy or good at putting things away, then I suggest that you finish of the WIR with some doors to hide any mess. Then the next major step is to make sure that if you are designing or getting it designed, that you have the right amount of areas for the right amount of each category of hanging to folding ratio, and also shoes and accessory storage too. There is obviously many more things to consider, but these are two major ones that people get wrong or don't consider. At the end of the day, each style of wardrobe has its pros and cons, but to date the WIR robe style dressing room is still the most popular, and I myself love this style because there is so much you can do to cater for individual needs. check out some of the WIR ideas we have on www.inthecloset.com.au

"Architect-designed houses are not accessible to all." This is a myth championed by the building industry. Alternatively, why not focus on the key benefits architects bring to a project. Here are a few for you: • Appoint an architect to your project and you’ll gain a home designed for the way you want to live.The alternative is a builder-designed home that suits what the builder is used to building. Quality builders will ask for plans and specifications to be thoroughly documented so that they can go ahead and do what they do best, which is build. Working out with the owner what you’re going to build and why is the architect’s role. • An architect manages planning approvals. This process is complex, often arbitrarily applied by many Councils, fraught with pitfalls for the novice and is ramped up every year with new hoops to jump. If you want a professional on your side who knows the territory, will go in to bat for you and will forge a way through this minefield, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to put the works to tender to a number of builders rather than having to accept the quote of the builder you started the process with, you need an architect. • If you’d prefer to protect yourself with a proper, architect-managed ABIC contract that works equally for both parties and is legally enforceable, you need an architect. • An architect will minimise costly changes during construction as he or she will produce a proper level of drawings (expect 20 x A3 pages for a new home, rather than the 1-2 pages you’ll receive from a drafting service.). The reasons for this are that you have on paper exactly what you want to build. Without this, you are entering a contract with a builder with none of the details resolved. You wouldn’t do that if you were buying a house, so why do it when spending an equally significant amount of money? Unfortunately, some builders see this approach as an opportunity to happily accept constant changes from ‘project managing’ owners because it’s just another variation that he can charge for. The longer he is there, the better for his margins, particularly when there’s no contract to speak of. Finally, an architect is a specialist with a professional duty of care, irrespective of financial gain. In other words, they’re there to support and protect you, without benefit to themselves. No one else in the building industry can provide this.