One trip down the lighting isle of any big box store and you see the perplexed looks on prospective buyer faces. It is just TOO much confusing data to choose a light bulb anymore. LED colors have come a long way from the early blue "Am I in the morgue?" look. It gets better and better as each new generation of lamps emerges. Sadly, you can't tell by the label conclusively what you will get. You have to put one in your fixture to see what it does and how YOU like it. Yes, LED saves huge amounts on electricity because, simply, they are lower wattage. They last far longer than traditional bulbs and the prices are falling, however, the payback time on the electricity savings takes a while. Over the life of the lamp, you will save on the total cost of light. LEDs are not light bulbs. They have components called drivers that can sometimes go bad so remember, it's not always the lamp itself. Not all LEDs are created equal. Not all LEDs work will all dimmers. Some, despite claims, don't work on dimmers at all. So Caveat emptor. Know the brand and check with the manufacturer if you aren't sure. You may decide on an integrated fixture. Not a bad idea, however when it goes out, you replace the whole fixture. Remember that LED is NOT the only or best lighting solution in many cases. There are few LEDs that can rival the crisp, elegant look of halogen lighting. Under cabinet lighting is perfect for LEDs but get the color temp between 2700K and 3000K, which is what most humans prefer. For garages and closets, LED is a GREAT choice. Personally, I put dimmers on EVERY switch, in the walk-in closets, in case you want your robe in the middle of the night, in bathrooms, and especially in living areas. If you stay with incandescent, dim them way down and they will suck less energy and last a lot longer than their rated life. Be careful dimming fluorescents. They often buzz when dimmed. If you are looking for MR-16 LEDs, choose Soraa. You will pay a handsome price, but you will get the most magnificent LED light available. The inventor of that lamp won a Nobel Prize for it. Since almost all LEDs are made in China under various labels, be careful. There are quality differences. If you go cheap, you will give up features and might not get the color you are looking for. Even name brand companies have had massive recalls. There's almost too much to know just to just run out and buy a light bulb anymore. If you have a lighting showroom nearby, drop in and eyeball different lighting vignettes. They should be able to advise you on color options.

Oh excellent, thank you, it looks lovely! I have been to many of the suppliers but QQ is too far away for me with a screaming baby in the car and they won't mail me samples! Once I choose a stone mason I will view them in person because I hear even with Quartz each slab can be a little different. I was thinking maybe Lexicon quarter...warmed up a bit...but I'm not sure. Thanks for the warning, I do have time on my side so I might go get some sample pots and see what actually looks ok with our lighting.

Do you want modern or classic look. China white for classic it changes from grey-to light greenish colour I have it in the same facing room, or for more contemporary try Big white from Taubmans , it's a white with a bit of grey in it very soft. With your grey sofa I would stay away from darker greys and north facing room can make it really dark in the afternoon.

This post gives some good advice https://www.houzz.com.au/magazine/building-to-a-budget-12-must-know-design-considerations-stsetivw-vs~81537054 The same author also has a number of other posts about budget that are worth reading. One of the best ways to contain the budget is to build compact, with well designed spaces. We are building a 163 m square house for a family of 4. It will have decent sized/multi purpose rooms and raked ceilings in all of the living areas and the master bedroom, which will give it a sense if spaciousness. One thing that has helped contain the space is NO walk in storage. That said, we’ve got more robe space, pantry space and linen cupboard space than many places with walk ins. But the walk in space eats up floor space and therefore, budget. Also think about sustainability and maintenance. Brick and Colorbond need no/minimal maintenance, render, weatherboard and timber need regular repainting/treatment. A timber deck needs annual maintenance (sanding and re-oiling), a brick patio just needs a sweep and maybe a wash. A well designed, “solar passive house” or “passive Haus” will significantly reduce your energy bills for heating and cooling, possibly to almost zero. Check out the yourhome.gov.au website for more details on building a home for your climate. Building for the orientation of your site is key to a comfortable home with spaces you want to be in. Better still, try to buy a block with ideal orientation for your climate. Getting the right type of light in each room will do wonders for your wellbeing and reduce power bills. Check out the Under Cover podcast series about orientation and budget and much more before you build. Her advice is invaluable. Ultimately, the easiest way to build cheaply is probably to build a small, low spec volume home. Whether that’s value for money is another matter. Australian building codes, laws and regulations (local, state and federal) and the way the building industry works make it very difficult to build on a tiny budget or make significant savings. Our labour and material costs are quite high in Australia so this is reflected in the cost of building. PS I think tradies deserve to be well paid. Best of luck