Hi, I think a gallery wall would look great here. To start with you could try a console table - which is basically a long skinny table situated on the wall behind the dining table if there is room to get by. They are normally about 40cm wide. Above the console table you would add an artwork or two. Perhaps a lamp on the console table, some nice books and a vase. I like to put open baskets under console tables to pad them out. Its also a good spot for newspapers, shoes, magazines etc. Then just keep adding artworks to the wall as you collect them over time. You can even use a mixture of family photos, mirrors, kids framed art from school looks great too. Check out these attached photos for some ideas. Good Luck, Jodie

Thank you for all the ideas. Sometimes you think about something so much you can't see solutions. Like the ideas of umbrellas or awnings. We have 80 mm of the timber beam available to put an awning on. I think they're wider than that.☹️☹️ (There is a bolt in the beam that protrudes 2cm, it's not easily seen in photo as it is painted cream). An awning would need to sit underneath this bolt. The panels are plastic not glass and their track would need to be clear for when we open the pergola up, which we do during summer on long hot spells. We did plant callistemons about 3 -4 m away but they have not grown according to plan...lol I'm thinking the most achievable solution is a cantilevered umbrella. I think we'd need to concrete the base into the ground and remove the pole during winter. The brick area is a play area - netball etc. Any pros or cons to this idea?

Hi Belinda, thanks for letting me know about your daylight. That is really interesting - so the pool and garden - and a living and dining area - are to the east and south of the house, due to the orientation of the block no doubt, and the bedrooms are blocking off all the north light! I am guessing this means the house gets a lot of light from these windows in the morning until midday, when the sun swings past the bedrooms/bath/laundry which block afternoon sun unless these doors are open. Further, the kitchen is hemmed in on all 3 sides and really just faces due east - good because this is where the garden and pool are, but with little view to the south dining and living area, which presumably are used as more formal spaces. The good news is I don't think you would get much benefit from relocating the kitchen - I think it is in the best spot, kitchens are much better at being internal 'hubs' and linking to living areas - it is these living areas that we want to connect directly with outside. I do however have something else for you to think about longer term as a masterplan....and I am guessing here because I am not sure of the shape of your garden.....however next time your en-suite is due for a major renovation, you could relocate the main bed, w.i.r and ensuite across to the current south-facing living room and dining (or study). By doing this, you can create a complete open-plan east end to the house, and all living / dining areas would have direct garden and patio access and more importantly much more sunlight. The north-east corner would be part of this open-plan space and would need a new large window on the north wall. You could extend this wall slightly if funds permitted but this wouldn't be essential. There are both smaller and larger masterplan alternatives; for example a smaller option (for the masterplan) not involving any plumbing, is to swap bed 2 and 3 with the south living room/study area (blocking off the hallway area) and open up the north wall of the kitchen to look into this new formal north-facing living room - this could be quite fun and definitely would add more light to the house. However in the meantime good luck with the kitchen renovation, and look for images that show suspended overhead cabinets as a way of dealing with the raking ceiling!

Like the plans but I personally think, after living in small houses in NZ myself, having the second bedroom separated from the first (at least by the bathroom area) is a better option than 3 bedrooms. You could incorporate an office and entertainment area into the living space instead of adding a 3rd bedroom, or a washer and dryer in a cupboard or into the kitchen as many Europen houses do. Clever storage and multifunctional ideas, e.g. under bed storage, storage under built-in seating that can double as an extra bed, may be much better options than squeezing in a 3rd bedroom. I cannot stress enough how a feeling of space in your open plan living / dining / kitchen area is so important when you cannot utilise the outdoors in winter or inclement weather.