Greetings Australia ! UK here !!! What a fabulous space !! When it's tricky and you can't get your head around what it could look, short of hiring someone like me (or the previous poster )who CAD's it all up, as part of the design process, if you want to do it yourself, considered drawing it up with something like 'interior design for iPad' or 'sketch up' ... As it can really help you visualise it all better ... ... is the lounge the main TV viewing area - or is that what the rumpus room is used for - and the lounge is more social zone with occasional tv watching !?!? As it might be nice to have the tv in a hidden cabinet - or hidden away in the wall you are beefing out ( although i'm not a fan of tv's above fireplace's normally ). how many are in your family, living here ?! As this will determine approx seating required for sofas/sectionals/ club chairs etc ?! You can achieve good zoning of a large space like this with the use of large area rugs - can be done on a budget if you go to a carpet warehouse and have room sized remnants whipped into large plain rugs ... The kitchen is such a great size - it's crying out for something a bit unique going on in there !! Sorry - getting all sorts of ideas !! This is such a great size place !!

Your mockup scheme is similar to our master bathroom we just completed - photo below. I know you mentioned storage being a concern - our mirrored cabinet has offered an amazing amount of storage in a very small space and also helps bounce light around. I was worried about black taps etc too so we kept chrome fixtures but added in a matte black candle and black potted orchid to create a similar effect which we can change out later on. Our floor tiles are dark but because they are semi-polished they actually bounce around a lot of light and don't make the room feel dark if that is a concern. We also have a huge fiddle leaf fig in the corner (not pictured) which adds a really nice feel to the space - a plant like that could help bring in the outside greenery in your bathroom. Instead of the storage tower you have to the left of the vanity could you do say some floating wood shelving, possibly with baskets added for more hidden storage? You could also bring in the 60s theme with what you displayed on there eg. photos as you mentioned? In regards to the window - a previous house we lived in had a window at about shoulder height in the shower - as well as letting in heaps of light it was amazing for storing toiletries etc!

Dear all, I am seeking input on what to do about the roof line of our planned extension, which I have posted about before. We are replacing an old 80s extension on our Federation villa, the house is in a historic part of our suburb and we are on a corner block so we need it to look good from the side street (the South). The local council likes to see a clear differentiation between the “old” and the “new” , but have advised that the use of different exterior materials and window styles for example would likely suffice, for example if the roof style is similar. Our building designer ‘s initial drawings connect the two sections of the building per the diagrams using a wide and deep 40 cm boxed gutter only 2m long each side of the joining roof - the joining roof is there to show the building as a long single structure, however it's not required for any structural purpose. We are not sure if we are happy with this look. ( I find rooflines etc hard to picture). An alternative might be having a flattish roofed section of say 1-2 m width connecting the two pitched sections , with parapet walls at either end, giving a clearer distinction between old and new. The areas under the flattish section in the room layout lend themselves to this approach perhaps. A simple extension of the front section roof backwards was rejected because the old villa roof is of the old style “box gutter in a large depression” type and we wouldn’t want to exacerbate that problem. Any thoughts appreciated, thankyou

Why wouldn't you get your architect to provide a sketch design of the kitchen? As in like a preliminary sketch of what it could look like from the front? That should help clarify any concerns you may have. On occasions where something like this is important to the client I'll knock up a rough sketch to demonstrate how I visualise it integrating and managing the requirements that (should) have been defined in the design brief. In regards to finishes etc that really doesn't need to happen now, but layout should be relatively clear and indicated on the plan as to say where the sink, fridge, oven, pantry, mixing centre, dishwasher etc are positioned. That can be shown at 1:100 no issue. Your architect (should) be the logical person to best understand the space and balance of it all.. I've commented many times previously how design is an "inside to out" process, and so the architecture resolved should have been super responsive to the specific (client) requirements of the internal fit-out and the design process should have managed this competently so you don't get down the line and go "oh, we now can't find that french door fridge or wall over etc". If you're not sure about that level of detail, you're still in design and not at planning IMO. You're right on one hand in that it needs to be "designed" and resolved now, but also understand that there needs to be some flexibility at your end as when you're dealing with council nothing's 100% and it could be a waste of time designing internals before planning - definitely your architect's correct in his advice on the typical process. We sometimes integrate/incorporate"sub" design consultants such as interiors to handle the fine detail of fit-out if the project calls for it, however invariably it's down the line at width late documentation (Stage 3) or early construction (Stage 4), but never in Stage 2 planning Hope this helps Cheers PD :) www.pauldistefanodesign.com