Ok, the shop I'm referring to is called WallCandy & they have a branch in Sydney. Here are the details: Address:2 Danks Street, Waterloo 2017 Phone:(02) 9331 5884 Email:sydney@wallcandywallpaper.com.au

It was great to see a show that highlighted that good design is so important, and that good design doesn't necessarily mean bigger. I was also interested to see the egalitarian way design was shared with the 'masses' through project homes and DIY plans. A peculiarity of Australia. It seems such a shame that good design is now considered out of reach of most people. Having engaged an architect to design our renovation, I can understand why people shy away from the fees, however we're now about to embark on a renovation that keeps the best of the old, creates a space that is more contemporary and suited to our lifestyle, and flows so much better! The footprint of the house stays almost the same, so we will have a lovely big backyard. I'm tipping this may be a selling point in the future. Wouldn't it be great to see volume builders adopt these principles and start to offer better designed multi-functional spaces. Smaller houses are less expensive to run. So excited to see Pettit and Sevitt. I'd love to see Merchant Builders back in Melbourne, they were big on the entire concept, working with a hero of mine, Landscape Designer Ellis Stones. Oh to dream.....

To Martin.....whilst on the subject of "askew toilet suites" ...I bought a very old cottage on a very empty corner block...and it had a very exposed outhouse..quaint but a bit embarassing as was the enormous Hills Hoist both visible from the main street. Everyone could see your undies for miles and knew when the owner was in the outhouse...More amazing when a desperate visitor came and knocked on the outhouse door ! That was the 1980s. There was a sewered loo just inside the back door in what was a mud room or an ante room to the back entrance to the house...., not very private either... forget to secure the 'falling-off' back door with the supplied length of twine ...and one could be seen enthroned! A couple of make-do fibro walls had gone up around the "suite"....in all a very curious situation. I did not have the immediate funds to rectify the problem and with no carpentry experience...so a rod and a weighted- hem curtain was the best I could do for a while and keep the back door secured for the time being. I This was a very dismal situation. All I could do was make fun of it so it wouldn't get me down. I went to town with my artistic talents and paints...a mural appeared on the back wall of the loo room....Not meant to be a masterpiece by any stretch and "in sync" with the kids' cartoons here and there throughout the house It remained like this for a few years and half laundry trough doubled as a toilet room basin...the 'pipes' from the WM had to come through the wall. By the time this PIC was taken the "cartooned" partitions had been replaced with timber clad walls...couldn't do away with my "in desperation" artwork. I'd replaced the battered brass cistern...much to my Siamese cats' dismay as they would sit on top, push the knob to flush..which made a racket that seemed to delight them......So I can empathise and commiserate with anyone afflicted with a loo askew.

We have been building our house for over two years now. The supply chain downturn has made it a nightmare. We are camping on the mezzanine floor of our warehouse so it isn't costing us to wait, but if I had rented a property while building we would be in trouble now. I purchased most of our plumbing supplies early in the build so at least those items have not gone up in price, but many others have. We ordered and paid for a cantilever pool awning in February this year, and it was sent in three lots. The last delivery was two weeks ago. I suspect the company was having a hard time getting it out of China, so not their fault. We had quotes for fly screens/security screens that totalled over $25,000. We had to forgo the security screens in favour of fly screens for most of the house. We had a quote for a large aluminium mesh panel to place on the front left corner of the house which was over $25,000 also. The fencing company got an order wrong and we ended up with the wrong colour louvre panels on the front driveway sliding gates, plus the wrong colour for a fence. We have managed to turn it into a positive by keeping the wrong coloured louvre blades, and they will now be put up vertically on the front corner of the house, instead of the aluminium mesh. They are six metres long, but the house is two stories, so all good. We had to keep the gate panels the same, so the wrong colour will have to be exchanged for the right colour. People are still building houses here, and some of them are going up very fast, so I don't understand why ours has taken so long. We have purchased most of the goods locally, but I suppose the suppliers are having trouble getting them from overseas. I am at the point where I am losing interest in this house, which is a shame because it will be a beautiful house when finished.