Suzineedsahouse, what is the era or character of the house you have moved into, because perhaps that will influence design style regardless of size? Also, if you have been knocking out walls is it likely to be more open plan?? I moved from a small 1960's era granny flat into an as-small Art Deco 1940's apartment and found I went with more classic furniture with the second place because it just suited the aesthetic of high ceilings, floorboards, wide skirting boards, fireplace, ceiling roses etc. Having said that, I live in a block of 6 apartments, and I have seen the other apartments decked out completely differently (all of similar layout), from really modern, to mid-century, also one with a real retro art vibe, and they all looked great and seemed to suit the space fine. So maybe go with your taste in the end??

Suzy, I'd confidently say the problem for you is certainly not necessarily your style, but rather, the sequencing of the process and decisions involved.....Great results can be and are achieved with any style, but the trick is to be consistent and understand the priorities/limits/constrains and a certain level of discipline needs to be executed with the decision-making accordingly. Great results exude confidence and balance, regardless of style. Often this is the difference between professional and amateur level in that professionals (having experience/skill developed etc) are generally able to hone in, filter and execute the order of decision making with a certain degree of confidence and purpose in a manner that achieves balance and consistency with the numerous/various elements involved. Most issues stem from people starting to think about the wrong things at the wrong time in the process and getting the decision making all out of whack - hence making a less ideal or less balanced decisions within the overall context, and ending up with underwhelming results that didn't quite work out as hoped or what you had in your head. The classic one that I always come across is when people say "do" their kitchen all on their own because "it's not that big" or important, and then I get a call to come (say a year or two after) once they decide they want to do work to the rest of the home and pull it all together somehow. More often than not though they've clearly jumped the gun and spent money/started at the wrong place and so then its harder job to hit the mark of the overall vision, so we either have to undo stuff (expensively) to pull it all back on track, or concede/compromise the end result by accepting to spring off a less than ideal first stage of work...... The other typical one, which is kind of what you've described, is people wanting break it down because they think it's easier to get their head around a smaller scale job, and pursuing projects in bits and pieces/stages.......more often than not you get fragmented/inconsistent results.... and this somewhat is the downfall of technology/current times with people absorbing fragmented content/pictures and then focusing on doing things as snapshots, rather than taking a holistic/masterplan approach to a full scope of works (which takes thought, planning, patience and investment), with the layered understanding of what decisions are the most important over others and when and how to make them. We just can't achieve consistent results like say is suggested can be done on the Block ("hey it's bathroom week, next week we're doing the back patio" - how ridiculous!) - and the camera angles are sure deceiving compared with the real life experience of walking through the end results..... it's just not how quality, consistent project result are best achieved in the real world....it may work for TV or achieve pretty snapshots for the instagram feed, but it doesn't achieve consistent & flowing "living" experience throughout a home where spaces relate to the next etc, unless of course you have a certain degree/level of experience, skill, discipline and clarity to be able to make it all eventually come together........... These issues are relevant and applicable across all scales of project, whether we're doing complete homes or just say an outdoor kitchen or interiors etc - the process/decision-making is the same but you need to have a vision, references and clarify constraints and be clear and confident for each decision that the next one is influenced/determined by. This is the design process and it takes time and experience to master and understand in depth to achieve professional level results demonstrated in magazines or online etc. ... But of course this is just my particular professional opinion/perspective...everyone from their own views/thoughts on this stuff ...more often than not it comes down to money/budgets, which all too often the limitations in this regard coupled with info/resource online at fingertips lead people down paths of false economies by bypassing seeking critical advice early in the process... :) Cheers PD

Hi Emma, in response to your two questions 1) You can paint aluminium window frames with the right preparation, however, it gets tricky where the windows open and are in contact with another part of the frame. Your windows look like they are sliding windows, so they will be hard to paint, where they slide in the track. Even if you can paint all of the window frames the new paint is likely to chip where it slides. Being old aluminium frame windows they will be very poor at controlling heat loss and gain (as the window frame conducts the heat) so I would suggest that you save your dollars and replace them with something more energy-efficient. Many windows are made to standard sizes based on brick opening dimensions so keep an eye out for new/old stock, and wrongly ordered window sizes that are for sale on eBay and Gumtree to match your window opening sizes. 2) Your sill bricks are probably cored (with holes running through them) or have recessed "frogs" on the top face. These holes or recesses are concealed in the way that they are laid. If you slice your sill brick diagonally to flatten out the front in line with the wall then they will be exposed and look really bad. There are lots of other more cost-effective ways to work with what you have and improve the look of your home. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

always depends on climate, orientation and outlook from the room..louvres are ideal for tropical climates, awnings in temperate climates and fixed windows where you need light without ventilation and for odd shaped glazing