Can I suggest looking into having a quantity surveyor assess your property (and you can claim the cost of having this done). They will provide a depreciation schedule for you which will tell you how much each item will depreciate in value over the maximum number of years you can claim. If an item is at the end of its depreciable life, they will tell you what you are able to replace. Even if you only have tenants for a short while, you are able to claim depreciation for a pro-rata period that your asset is income producing. What all this means for you in terms of design - there may be ways to improve the look of your property in line with what you will want it to look like when you eventually move in, which could gain you a tax benefit. Of course, you have to have the $$ to spend on it in the first place. Oh - and in terms of furniture - do you know about Casey Auctions in Hallam? they are close by and you may pick up some really good bargains. I know we did!

Even though that is a fairly small space you could put some decorative trellises just in front of the fence with some ever flowering vines on them. Install a paver patio between them and the windows you hope to transform into doors.. You could also have the wisteria trained onto a pergola that would create a little shade for the patio as well. Some beautiful potted specimens/flowers and a couple of attractive outdoor chairs and you would have created a beautiful "picture" to act as a focus to the room. Additionally you have extra space for entertaining. Obviously the reason the previous owner obscured the window was because there wasn't much to look at. By creating a "view," you change the dynamic of the room as well as getting the light you want. Actual light will brighten the room like no change of floor would.

There was a thread last year on Houzz international discussing how the quality of foam has gone down, doesn't keep it's shape as well on new furniture. Better sofas can come with a warranty, have you checked yours and what it covers; eg frame only ?

Hi Danka90 , great advice from Tracey and Inside Out Colour . My concern is that you like the style of the Scandinavian Room Styles that include soft neutral tactile fabrics, and yet you are considering a relatively " hard'ish ' leather ( or Chinese PVC ) large wide corner sofa that will be very cold in winter and possibly sticky in summer . Of course you may want to add a furry cosey throw blanket over the leather , but then you might as well buy a fabric covered sofa is the first place maybe ? However, the first concern is the room size being able to fit what looks like a 3metre x 3.5metre corner sofa suite . Maybe you could find out the leather sofa's actual dimensions , then create newspaper cutouts of it and place them on your living room floor . Cheap way of avoiding expensive trucking costs . :-) Good luck Danka Cheers LAADP