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

Heres a mind bender. Retro was futuristic in it's day, so either! Although it's styling is abstract and unique, it doesn't have much innovation as far as surfaces go, however the play on geometric form and achromatic colour scheme is very now. So I'd lean toward contemporary! defining contemporary is a task for the moment, and tomorrow will produce a different answer by nature. A lot of our current contemporary harks back to post modernist design, a little scandinavian, so in a way retro is yesterdays tomorrow, and in-fact, contemporary?? I think you'd pick up a bit of retro with the black banding on white.

On mine..same old..boring ..the lamp, the book - Gone Girl, telephone, photo frame-hubby & me and the coaster where the glass of water was..oh and dust.

Thanks for all those comments. It would be nice to replace everything but it was done in stages and some bits cost a bit. Taking shape piecemeal with out a whole perspective resulted in the dilemma now. I would hate to lose the stone bench top and the tiles laid recently to match it. The rest is negotiable so I really aim to tie it together. No one is tending to sit in the kitchen they rather sit in the living room. And yes I need better shelf space and spot for microwave and I did hope to get the fridge next to the door beside the wall return but I would need a thinner fridge. I had hoped to remove that door altogether and use the bi fold doors in the living room as an exit but they may not be ideal for that. So my main aim was to tie together the bench top and floor with colour and maybe some modifications to the upper cabinets?? The back door is actually and off white.