Congratulations on your new home, from the photo it appears that you need more storage for your art gear, could you create an island bench on wheels ( so that it can be moved when you want to work out) to work at with storage under, plus some extra wall storage. It looks like you have three walls without windows to work with. Maybe swapping the tall cabinet with the side board would help you could then place the lamp on it instead of the CD? stand The shelving on wheels below is from Ikea some of your plastic storage bins can fit into this cheers

Thanks for all the suggestions - it's certainly given me some good ideas. julia herbert - I love the screen pergola - it's perfect! And maybe a water feature in the top left corner of pic might work and give a nice view from the bedroom and the garden. oklouise - there are three bedrooms with windows from the left (the master is on the far left overlooking the long strip of garden) and on the right is a living/dining area with glass sliding door. scottevie - I don't need to have a washing line in this area. As far as garden, the lemon tree and roses are my only must haves. That pathway in the photo looks great, however the pathway area is only 1.5m from house to fence so I'm not sure it's wide enough to become functional. Thanks for the searching suggestion - I'll look for some more inspiration in the narrow gardens! Would love any other suggestions anyone might have.

The renovation in my house was overdue as the kitchen, the master bedroom, and living area; all were in dire need of more space, breathability, and improved lighting. They had started to look dated and tired. Though I have been searching through remodeling blogs and renovation expert’s websites for quite some time for ideas and costs, instead of getting clarity of thoughts on how to get it started, I was becoming more confused because the pros floated too many ideas that also seemed a bit expensive to meet my budget. Then suddenly I got this thought of contacting Stewart (my school friend who was a professional remodeler and was running his own business of house renovation in California). I mailed him immediately telling him my requirements and asking for some frugal yet viable solutions. He replied within a week with very good ideas and some exclusive pictures of renovation done on different areas of the house. Thesebefore and after picturesmade me very focused on what and how to go about the renovation of my sweet dream home with the most cost-saving. The highlights of Stewart’s suggestions that I followed later were as follows: · Invest quality time on budget and never ever be tempted to exceed the budgetary limits set out for each task. · List all your needs precisely. · Make the whole process a combination of DIY projects and professionals. This is also very much required because most of the minor alterations and remodeling can be done by you using your own skills and they will result in impressive cost savings. · Fully utilizing home renovation use promo and coupon codes to buy decorative pieces, rugs, wall hangings, and furniture items, etc. I bought many kitchen and bathroom appliances with these promo codes saving almost 50% of their original cost. · Discussing the aspects of storage in the kitchen and functionality in the bathroom candidly with the professional you hire for renovating. · Consider painting the bathroom, living area, and kitchen by yourself. Using high-quality brushes will make your paint in the corners of the doors and coating door frames in one pass. Needless to mention that a little bit of Goggle search for promo codes for paint, related material, and primer will provide you enough discount codes to select some that suit your needs the best and save the most. · When it comes to the living area, the best revitalizing is one that makes it look as large as possible. For this purpose, I combined the living and dining area and opened up the floor plan. I also streamlined the windows and gave them the real upgrade. Lighting is another area where proper usage can create a sense of the place looking more spacious than it actually is. · Last but not least since the entire job cannot be done by you alone and structural alterations will need an expert, you should choose a contractor with good recommendations from friends who have already got their houses renovated. There is no need to rush and one should take time to select an appropriate and capable resource. Transformed my kitchen having refreshed the cabinets and white paint boosted the space The best shade of light grey and red cushioned dining table chairs made the living area fabulous Removing sofa with chairs and bringing in a floral patterned wall mirror made wonder A few wall hangings and decorative pieces transformed this room from a dull and suffocative place to a full of life area in my house The interior doors are given a nice boost as well Only color schemes and rearranged appliances can enhance the look of the kitchen By giving new life to the front door, the very impression of the house was transformed.

Why is an Interior Design Pro asking anonymous posters here on the DD thread? We are a helpful lot but not many of us claim to be interior professionals.