Red berm that's very interesting for i appreciate the chemistry behind it but one must remember that olivine being a non-living thing will only absorb only so much CO2 then it's done. An analogy : A sponge (per its size) can only soak up so much water. Tree's & plants thru photosynthesis get rid of CO2 by converting CO2 back to oxygen. But even that process is not perfect, for after a tree dies and falls it starts to decay releasing CO2 back to our atmosphere w/out further producing oxygen (e.g. burning wood for heat produces CO2 & CO...oxygen is not perserved in this case for oxygen is needed to burn the wood. Ideally: Plants surrounding the fireplace shall convert the CO2 back to oxygen as fast as the fireplace converts the oxygen to CO2

Hi Wendy, I've had a similar dilemma from a client in Sydney and we plastered the ceiling up (similar to Dohraime's images) and it was a real transformation. You could box in around your skylights too so you don't lose that lovely light. If this is all to expensive then paint the pebbles (spraying might be the best to get coverage) and the beams the same colour so that neither attract any attention but rather they act as a neutral backdrop for the room. Good luck, this is a bit of a challenge. Cheers, Michelle

Hi Brett about 5 to 10 years ago the trend was if your design style was contemporary your trim colour was the same as the walls and if your design style was classic your trim was a lighter, often white contrast to the wall colour. These days the trend is to the latter regardless of your design style as your builder's designers suggested. However matching your trim colour to the walls is still a good option if you have 8' ceilings. As there is minimal difference (only in the level of sheen) between the skirting boards and wall colour it makes the ceiling look higher. Another option is to do the trim in a similar but lighter tone such as Dulux Grey Pebble quarter. This is a very subtle tone on tone look. Whatever the colour, do you have a choice in the sheen level for your trim? I generally recommend semi gloss enamel on trim unless you are after a more classic look and your woodwork is in very good condition (the higher the sheen level the more any imperfections show up), in which case you could consider full gloss enamel. At the end of the day it's your home so you should do what you'd prefer - after all it's only paint so it's easily changed! All the best with your build.

If you plant a flowering creeper in your pots and guide it using a piece of string.... You can grow yourself a piece of art. The creeper will always follow the string.