It is just a great patio beer drinking table with a great view:) I couldn't get a picture of the table and the view because I didn't have the room with just a camera phone but this is the view from the top of the patio with it:)

Hi Hilda - I've looked at your photos very carefully and I understand that you need very hardy furnishings to withstand the fun and mess of dogs and children! A couple of suggestions I can think of that would help - How about moving the lounge you have along to the middle of the wall and bring it out from the wall so that a bookcase or shelving for toys, books and magazines can be put there? Also the coffee table is really big for the space, maybe a smaller round table that is child friendly (no nasty sharp corners). If your budget is big, a new leather corner lounge in beige leather would look fantastic ! I have dogs and kids and I have a WHITE leather lounge that really stands up to them! The area needs a rug. Don't forget that animal hides are HUGE at the moment and you might like them as you live in a farmhouse. As for extra seating, I think a couple of chairs either side of the centered lounge would be excellent. Think TV chairs that are very comfortable. Milan Direct is also a great source of furniture at reasonable prices and you can order online and have it delivered no matter where you live in Australia. Artwork is very personal but you need a big piece above the lounge and it would even up the TV on the opposite wall. I think green/beige or blue/beige/black geometric might be the color to introduce in cushions, artwork and rug - but you'll have to experiment - remember to look at the colors with the curtains open and closed as light plays a big part in how the colors will look in the room before you commit to buy - You are going to have so much fun making your room over! Good luck - Di Thomas

Also love the buffet....it could be the "hero" of the room. It is beautiful and they are so hard to come by at a reasonable price. I have a much cheaper style mid century buffet and initially had the TV on top of it, but now the TV is wall mounted above it. The distance between the wall and the couch wall is about 4m and we have no issues with the TV being too high...you definitely need to factor that in if you wall mount it though...luckily I had a handyman friend helping me, otherwise I would have put the TV too high. With the TV being mounted, it actually makes the buffet more of a feature and anything that is put on the buffet is now "displayed" instead of being part of clutter with the TV. It looks great and I know yours will too if you wall mount the TV. That is the great thing about the mid century buffets...they seem to fit in just as well as modern furniture as they do with the classic furniture....and because your is "classic", it will never date...a great investment.

Thank you Oklouise for looking into these again for me. We had a lengthy discussion with my artchitect during the week and we agreed that he would revisit the whole concept, with particular regard to how spaces are distributed across the split levels. This might change the floor plan entirely. He is coming up with a new proposal today. I will share that with you here for comparison and advise. Thanks again.