My house, built in 2003, has purple feature walls in the dining room and 2 bedrooms and green feature walls in 1 bedroom and 2 living areas. That was the fashion then. Recently I decided it's time for an update as the feature walls seem to be absorbing all the light and making the house very dark. So far I've undercoated 2 of the feature walls and what a difference it makes! The rooms are much lighter and now I have to decide on whether to add a lighter colour as feature walls or paint them the same colour as the rest of the room.

We have two cats that are indoor pets. Sadly the male took a jaunt outside and got a few sctratches and tears from a large neighbour cat. He began territorial peeing on any cushion, stray coat, laundry basket, no matter it was on top of a piano or speaker or even a bed. Our piano varnish ruined, so very much washing.. (Thank God for Nature's Miracle). Now we have to keep him incarcerated in the laundry area which has an enclosed porch and cat tree and so forth. He comes in for supervised visits and we take him outside every other day to run and play. When we move we will be planning an area specifically for him. It's so sad as we never would treat him like this if he could break the habit, but we've tried everything and he's hooked like an addict. He isn't as happy as he used to be.

I would choose a light, warm colour for the walls. If you are uncertain what to use, you can pay for a colour consultant will go to your house to put forward their recommendations. According to their website, Dulux charges $150 for this service. I think it's worth that amount if undecided on colour. I love plantation shutters, however, with the extra large windows and doors in your house it would cost a lot to install them. Alternatively you could use layered curtains or insulated curtains. Use heavy fabrics or layered curtains over the windows to keep out drafts. Or, purchase insulated curtains with built-in thermal backing. Window pelmets are also good for keeping out the cold.

In my early twenties I designed kitchens for my mother and two aunts (Uncle built them and they worked), but when it came to designing my own - had to fit a constrained space and no possibility of extension - I chewed my lips for ages - like Nicole, I drew and measured ad infinitum, and used graph book walls, views etc. I did one extra thing - which I think worked - I listed all that I wanted to store, and tried to analyse how I liked working in the kitchen. Some things I had to settle for because of space (such as a smaller dishwasher) but most of it has worked. We have a corner pantry, which I (and the cat, husband a bit larger) can walk into, but have not put small appliances in there - they sit in a large drawer beneath the main working bench, which also works well. It all looks good to me Nicole and thinking carefully about needs and how things work in advance usually results in something you'll be happy with. Good luck!