pure. magic. i enjoyed browsing your website. everything is so well thought out. love maximizing all views. i wish more architects would use interior fireplaces rather than putting them in the center of an exterior walls. putting the FP off center leaving room for the large flat screen as you did would solve many peoples decorating dilemas.

Thank you everyone, your thoughtful advice was very welcome. I'm attaching a photo as its all finished. I selected Olive Reserve for the splash back and painted the wall above it the same colour. As its a big room with lots of light and a large window it doesn't dominate. The glass is so easy to keep clean and I love the way it reflects the garden and light. Have to say though some people are stunned into silence when they see it, but as the cupboards and bench tops are quite bland I knew something bright was needed

I wonder if you should look into this a lot further. I find it hard to believe that you can't sell a house in the kind of location you describe, walk away, and find a nice place maybe in one of the more peripheral areas, that will meet your requirements, give you cash in hand, and not touch your $100,000 nest egg. No, you certainly wouldn't end up in the inner city but you could end up in a situation that provides the facilities you need and gives you a financial cushion. That said, my real concern would be how to make this house workable for boarders while preserving your privacy. I think you need to provide a floor plan of what you have for anyone to make anything approaching informed advice.

I was looking at the plan and although your question is about styling I noticed something. It doesn't look like the wc has a washbasin which would make it a proper powder room and it seems to me you could do that by borrowing a corner from one of the walk-in robes. Corners in robes are difficult spaces to utilise efficiently anyway. If you want to avoid arguments over who gets the bigger walk-in robe you could perhaps take the corner out of the other one to create a cupboard in the hallway. I agree with the comments about your home being shared with the people and things that matter to you and reflecting your travels and interests. I'm not sure you can 'buy' instant character, even if your builder was amenable to using recycled materials. I think getting the basic colours right to begin with is the main thing, and as suggested, an Ideabook will help you get ideas and get feedback on them. For street appeal I think landscaping is more important than people sometimes allow. Display homes look impressive but have been lushly planted for instant effect and I have seen some that looked terrible a few years after being sold. On the other hand some new houses don't have enough planting, and that can also look terrible even when the house itself is architecturally impressive. The token row of whichever plant is in fashion in an expanse of pebbles does not necessarily enhance the architecture and certainly does not make the house look like a much-loved home. When browsing Houzz or the real estate websites, I sometimes see houses I dislike even though they tick all the boxes for colours and features I like, and I sometimes see houses I like despite having colours and features I would not personally choose. There is something that comes together to create a home that looks happy and loved which is very appealing.