For protection of stained wood i always went with polyreuthane. Is varnish better?

Forget dust, what about all the other things that designers or buyers forget: fingerprints on shiny new surfaces... result: things stop looking new. Grime build-up in the nooks and crannies of classic profiles ... result: not so classy looking. Those funky new colours that are so "on trend" but nothing else matches and in a few years they look completely off-color. As for dusting, well people, it is a fact of life and every house no matter how sleek, cluttered or empty will gather dust. Couple of things you can do about it: Hydronic heating has really cut down dust for me because you don't have warm air being blown through the house through ducts. (It's also way cosier). Secondly, remember that every time you have your windows open, more dust comes in. So when ventilating after a hot spell, avoid having them open for long periods when its very windy. Thirdly, has anyone tried Grabit dusters? They *really* make dusting a quick, simple and efficient job. They pick up and hold rather than redistribute the dust. Also they are so light that you can confidently flick them around even fragile items without knocking them over - so this all saves time.

If this was my place, I'd definitely install a skylight (even just a DIY solatube which someone suggested), then depending on budget I'd make these changes:- - replace floors with light colour timber floorboards since they never date - replace furniture with light colour furniture in both lounge and kitchen - paint kitchen and hutch white - add some plants in white pots - go for large light coloured wall art - replace curtains with roller blinds to maximise light I love the bluestone - it will look amazing when you've added some lighter colours to the room!

Best of luck, we are in Perth, so don't have the Sydney contacts.