So many good suggestions and ideas, thank you everybody :) partim I actually had the lounge room exactly how you described to begin with, I know it's hard to visualize through just seeing the photos I've put up but it didn't work as the couch coffee table and tv unit were jammed in together leaving little walk through space and there was a lot of unusable wasted space in the corner where the tv is. I contemplated getting a corner lamp table at the time but what we really need is more sitting space than table space. I changed the room around to this and we liked it much better as the window wasn't obstructed as well. the walking space between couch and cone lamp hasn't been a problem. The absolute last thing after rugs etc will be to move the bigger bookcase that's next to wood heater to another room and put an armchair there :) that will require renovation of the other rooms first. our records are all in alphabetical order and I love them but wouldn't display them any more than I have already as it's not a huge focal point. decoenthusiaste I love the idea of putting the small bookcase on its side behind the couch and could do this if I put a finish on the top and the base! unfortunately it will no longer be able to hold the records if I do that as the shelves are an awkward shape. (Smaller shelf is better for holding records to keep them in separate categories and keep them standing up than the bigger shelf) redpoint, I know! I've always been a timber floor person. When we moved in I was set on putting wood floors down in future. Although these tiles lack character, since living with them I must say the practicality of them outweighs the aesthetics of wood. I can move furniture around without scratching the floor and know I'll never have to ever sand and re polish the floor from wear and tear and they feel cool to walk on in the hot, dry summer. I'm leaning towards getting a sandy coloured slate put down one day. That should add more character to the place :) and my future tribal rugs will work either way. The view is fine, it's just a neat suburban street. I feel too exposed for now with the curtains open and would like a privacy screen put up with a nice garden bed as a view when we get around to re paving and landscaping. It's a southern view so the winter sun now shines through our front windows, which gets a bit bright at times. The brown rug was given to us as a stop gap for absorbing sound and catching the walked in dirt. If I moved it in front of the couch the "brownness" of it would hurt my eyes while I'm trying to relax in my little living space hehe I would consider cutting up the wall hanging or doing something else with it yes, good idea :) Zag Built LLC, I like the idea of a round or oval coffee table! Thos. Baker, a new piece of art would be nice

@turner3477 YIKES! You already had the "aged look" and a very unique timber cabinet. wherever did you get it? I still think this trend of "paint it black or paint it black and white or paint it white is a psychological dilemma where people don't know how to use colour or are scared of it...or are afraid that they will not be "en trend" and keep up with the "Joneses". Don't mean to insult anyone's sensibilities but its how it looks and feels to me...everything old and genuine and beautiful being veneered to look trendy and plasticky. I'd be delighted to find a timber cabinet like that one as opposed to the the painted white version....and if I was at all tempted to investigate the white one to see what it was made of, my first instinct would be to have a feel and a scratch of that lovely decorative carved frieze above the benchtop....to see if it were made of a plastic mould and just stuck on. Sad to say this but what you have made of this cabinet is "what I call " fashionable fake". One redeeming feature though, whether it has any significance for you at this point in time is that at least under the paint, you know you have a genuine, solid timber cabinet that would have been worth something one day and maybe still will be when somebody, 30 yrs from now, recognises it for what it is and lovingly restores its genuine identity rather than mistaking it for junk and throwing it out to be replaced by the next lot of stage scenery. Wonder what the next "fashionable fake" will be made of when people have forgotten what solid timber and craftsmanship is? Don't know where you live....but would you like to sell me that cabinet at all ? I'd give it the life it deserves and I am sure you could find another one that would look every bit what you want to achieve in your space..(.In fact I could knock up a pretty good imitation replacement myself...not that I'd want it). I like watching` those antique shows in Britian where people bring old wares to be appraised and where antique dealers enter people's homes to buy collectables. It is on these programs that one learns the true value of the timeless pieces...some of which seem like old junk...but what surprises when what looks like junk turns out to be worth investing in! Apart from the above...enjoy your pristine French Provencale dream!

Yarnos I agree with Natasha. Your existing architect will have (well, should have after working on your existing design) an intimate understanding of your site, soil conditions and implications of levels on your design. He/She are in the best position (given his/her understanding of your brief and constraints) to illustrate to you how a design solution such as this can work. No one on this forum is currently in a better position than your architect to explain this to you and outline the affordability of it as an option, based on your site, your brief and your budget. You can visualise this concept by letting your architect demonstrate it for you. If they are not demonstrating it, then you have the wrong architect I'm afraid. And if you are not empowering them to use their expertise and provide design solutions for you, then you either need to get another architect, or be a better client. Architects and designers - the good ones - are creative problem solvers. They are design detectives in the art of living well. They spend their entire professional and personal lives and time studying how people live, and how to create environments (and homes) for them to support them living better - more functionally, flexibly, beautifully. The talent of a good architect/designer is invaluable in elevating your lifestyle ... of taking the 30 year mortgage you're about to wage on this bet of building a home, of taking this massive investment, and turning it into a physical building that is your heaven and haven, your place of sanctuary and inspiration. They expand your vision, interpreting both what you say, and what you don't, into a result that is beyond your imagining. That's why you hire them - because you can't do what they can, and you need them to bring your dreams into life in a way that's better than you could have ever anticipated or created yourself. As a client, you have a responsibility to brief them well, trust them to do their job, be open to their ideas, and be guided by their expertise. The not so good architects and designers are simply drawers and documenters. They 'convert' your brief, your expressed wishes and shopping list into a floor plan that fits, and can be built, but that's simply it. It's a house, not a home. It functionally will do the job, but it never reaches its full potential. And so your life in it never reaches its full potential. You unwittingly compromise, never truly aware of how different, how much better, things could have been. The catch is, you've made a massive investment, and created something that will outlast you and become someone else's home too. So the impact is generational. Your responsibility as a client to these architects and designers is to understand the difference, and ideally not work with them - not unless you can show design leadership yourself. Work out which one your architect is and make a decision. Trust them to do the job properly for you (and give them the ability to do it), or walk away and find someone else. Regards Amelia Lee Undercover Architect www.undercoverarchitect.com amelia@undercoverarchitect.com

A great concept, I've often considered doing so myself. Whats great about your bodo boards, and the schemes put together on this poll, is that they are quite adaptive with a neutral foundation. They can be easilyapplied to everyone. I love an emphasis on tone and texture, and in place of colour, visual interest is really added by accents, architecture and artwork. The australian bush scheme is very textural, although I think the palette could explore some of the more chromatic tones in our bush, some organic notes of green and taupes, but perhaps with vibrant yellows or deep indigos for example introduced. as for the romantic industrial, lovely, but it is only so because of the rose pink. A feminine take on industrial would to me be softened with humanised accents. Please explain, industry is mechanical, and romance or femininity is softness, so perhaps signage featuring lettering, or bespoke handicrafts which show the connection between industry, and loved spaces created out of collecting. Almost a way of feathering our nest. waterfont is cool, calm and yes collected. Literally. I love coastal schemes, but they can become a little predictable when they are literal interpretations of sea and sand. Coastal can easily be adapted to a relaxed style and I feel many colours can be applied to demonstrate this costal palette. . The key is in muting the scheme and enhancing the textures from nature. Tha grand! Oh the grand. I love it. Who doesn't really. Its very now, but the drama and edge is lost in applying same old collaborations. The geometric tile, chevron, hexagonal or penny rounds are gorgeous, and befitting the current style, but more so appropriate in specific architectural styles, not everyone an have a warehouse or loft, or grand 1920s residence, although we all try to use these same materials and formats. Precious metals and stones are the height of popularity and luxury, brass, marble and glass, are all in favour, actually have never been out of it. What I want is to see the used in a contemporary fashion. It is my pick, because it actually does respond to my own homes architecture, so I'm always on a hunt and gather of images and ideas to develop this gorgeous and luxe style. Whats next? Usually in an effort to be new and different, we move away from what's in front of us, but ever so gradually. I think the appreciation for industry, form and function, man made objects, formats, collaborations will be in favour for some time, so to in an effort to be different, organic will evolve. Colour notes, timbers, sustainability and natural form will emerge. Not to say literall greens or Browns, but more so, soft geometry, tactile materials and surfaces, perhaps a focus on light and shade over shimmer and style. bespoke practices, so things if stone and wood, and one off designs, as in using products that can't be replicated in process, like bricks, every ones different, veneers, grained materials, and unpretentious designs. Hand scribed lines, patterns or prints, I think will favour. Thestyle of now is definitely one we aspire to, as in luxe and indulgent, the monochromatic scheme which is actually ACHROMATIC people is overdone, but will never be out of favour. It is classic. When done right, it is the epitome of style, only the definition of that is what changes! love what you do....I can't articulate the value of conceptualising your style in finishes and fittings, design is often felt not learnt, and we respond to our environments, so it makes sense that seeing your style emerge from a collective consciousness in the form of a board, will literally transform your ideas in reality. As a designer myself, I'm constantly creating them. My own home is a work in progress, which I've created many concepts for. I'm very interested in seeing your perspective on it though, and I'd be very grateful for a bodo board from your design perspective. ml