I don't really know why but classic attracts me cos it is often rather practical and can still be stylish. Love a hidden shelf in a coffee table too.

You have made some good improvements thus far. I agree - you need to add some colour. Firstly a rusty orange or mustard cushion onto your green chair. Definitely not white. Choose a throw the same colour for the couch. I would look at patterned cushions for the couch - There are some cool bringing in all the new colours. I am wondering how a muted cobalt blue would look as an accent with the rust and olive and mustard. I would consider a rug change if you need to once you have finished. I would look for a recycled piece you can up cycle in a bold colour to go on the wall with the word art. [ not sure it really works go for print of some type or a mirror ] This could provide some storage with drawers etc. If you want to keep the cane - paint it in a colour possibly the same colour as a new piece for the end wall. You could use this wall as a painted or papered feature wall. I would look at reframing your pictures in white - different sizes and textures. I agree about the tv cabinet- take your time to find what you like to upgrade.. It looks like there might be a lot of dead space between the living and dining - it may not be possible but if you could move it all a meter or so towards the dining room may balance things a bit. All the best it's amazing how each little change adds up to a completely new look.

Thank you everyone so very much for your responses and advice. I liked the idea of having a bold piece to tie the church in but like a few have mentioned, something simple might be nice to not overshadow the pieces we've collected. The Nick Cali nesting tables might work quite well, simple but still have the raw wood and we can move them around. I also like the idea of a round table. Annb1997 we actually looked at the carved coffee table, it's super cute and pretty it's a shame that it's just a bit too low to be functional with the sofas. We are probably looking at something around 45 cm in height...but we might still get it anyway and add it into the library nook. We move at the start of Dec, will post photos :) Here's one of the current owner's layout. Thank you again everyone you've been amazing!

I have actually imported furniture myself without a freight forwarder/ shipping company a couple of times. it is fiddly but not impossible. I saved heaps if you don't count my time. And it was a bit of an adventure. It did give me an appreciation of the expenses importers have though and these shipping places (myUS etc) have to add their margin of course. so for anyone considering-anything timber has to have pest certification and that has to be within 3 weeks (I think) of arrival. Then the shippers in their wisdom had put the container on a timber pallet for which I didn't have a pest fumigation certificate so I had to pay $33 to have the pallet destroyed. But with a lot of family in rural/farming businesses I don't mind the strict quarantine. We are very lucky with our relatively clean produce. The customs people at the airport are very discouraging and keep telling you to use a freight forwarder etc (my stuff was already at Botany so no way), there were all sorts of odd fees etc (eg AQIS container fee $6), terminal fee. All sorts of things but it was fun and I saved a fortune, even after GST (I had to pay GST on the freight too, I guess as a 'service', which I wasn't expecting). Mind you the dollar was better then. It wouldn't be worth it for just a lamp but for more stuff...... But then if you were bringing in that much stuff maybe you wouldn't need to save the money. they also required that the invoice from the supplier of the furniture clearly showed what currency it was in. This was a hassle as I had just bought retail in the US. What currency do customs think a receipt/invoice from a shop in California shop would be in? But that's where the bureaucracy was frustrating. a final tip, the freight forwarders usually only include delivery to kerbside. They were even very unwilling just to help me get it into the garage (let alone down the steps/indoors) so you may need someone to help you receive the goods at home and get them at least out of the weather.