The most kid and pet friendly couch material is leather. So far our blue leather couch has coped with 18 years of toddlers falling asleep and weeing on it, cat vomit, Easter eggs melting between the cushions, spilt milk, spilt orange juice, spilt red wine, spilt coffee, and muddy dog paws. It just wipes clean. Our white leather chair is just as durable and is now 24 years old and just starting to look grubby. So go with beige or cream if you want. It would be a lovely choice, just make sure it is leather. Black or mid or dark brown would also look lovely with that beautiful rug but I think lighter colours would look fresher. Don't be at all scared to use light coloured leather.

Most curtains (except sheers) benefit from the weighted hem as mentioned previously. You could also try 'training' the fabric to stack and fall, by folding concertina style across the width of each curtain. The outward pleats should match your pinch pleats, with the gully between them. It's a little fiddly to get right, as fabrics are usually off-grain, but well worth the effort. Loosely tie them with tape, ribbon etc. close to both the header tape and the hem for a few hours, or overnight. If your curtains are long and/or heavy, another tie in the middle may be needed. They should continue to drape well once released. If your rail has a cord closing mechanism (not hand drawn), it should be possible to release some cord to help the front slider cross in front of the secondary slider. However, if the weight of fabric is pulling the rail down, the rail could need extra support across its length, or a sturdier model... Hope this helps!

consider a custom designed steel shed made to A1 class residential standards ..we've almost finished building a small holiday house in a remote area and none of the earthmoving equipment, delivery tucks or concrete mixer had any concern about access (would be good to know what the specific problem is for your road as it's essential to make sure access is safe and reliable for any other builder and ongoning access)....maybe that builder just doesn't want the job as he can service several projects at once in "town" so you need to check with other builders to compare) what about rural building companies or ask the owners of any newer looking homes in your area for recommendations) ..our shed company organised the earthmoving, the slab and supply of the frames to our design and we use our plumber, electrician, tiler etc etc... the steel framing and cladding was delivered on a flat bed truck and erected by two men in a couple of days and we expect internal lining and fitout to be just as straightforward....but, we have an owners builder permit and had to organise soil inspection, design and plans, BASIX, engineers design for the slab and piers, sewerage, water tanks, fire prevention and safety and have negotiated all the details ourselves where a willing Architect and/or builder could take care of all that to save your time but, regardless of who is responsible, a steel shed house is very much in keeping with a bush setting and the building is fully supported on external walls so makes the inside floorplan very flexible ...look forward to seeing what you decide to build, best of luck

it is always a good idea to improve your home and there are many inexpensive ways to add value. Do your research in your area - always make improvements that will INCREASE the value of your home Take ideas from what’s sold in your area- which homes achieved the highest prices - in particular what features made the most impact and why... The most impactful way to improve your home - befor you renovate.. De clutter de clutter de clutter . if you can’t then add storage - storage is king. Look at door hardware - is it outdated ?? change to a more modern look - black hardware adds a great contemporary look to doors, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry - if you have a contemporary home that is! Bathroom mirrors - if your home is a standard 4 x 2 and holds a simple frameless mirror - then update it!! if there is no window treatment in the bathroom add one - 64mm venetian come in contemporary colours including black. best idea- use Houzz to find bathroom images of similar style and look to yours / then look for bathrooms that emulate the look your going for! sometimes cleaning grout and changing a shower screen can make all the difference! Kitchens - if your kitchen is functional and your cabinetry carcass is in good nic - change the doors with a local cabinet maker - if your carcass is good then don’t go over board! Having renovated over 300 properties to sell I look for simple but effective solutions that will impact a sale... Paint paint paint - best and cheapest solution by far! TVs - if they are currently sitting on tv units - mount them to a wall- create as much floor space as you can - sell your tv unit to fund your new monitor arm. a small floating cabinet or shelf underneath the tv should do the trick! Look for effective storage solutions for everyday appliances or gadgets that you use - you’ll be surprised at how much “bigger” your home will be! Use old bathroom mirrors and glue them to alfresco limestone walls behind your feature plants ( i’ve done this many a time is small complexes and large and they are always fantastic! ART - large pieces of art - if you can’t afford a great piece then find some beautiful upholstery or fabric and staple to an old canvas or multiple canvases to creat one large art piece even multiple fabric choices Recover old cushions - there are so many seamstresses out of work that i can get them done for under $10 per cushion .. Good window treatments can make all the difference. Pick your main areas to invest in the best window treatments and do the basics in the smaller rooms .. you can always update them later. Look at the companies warranties - the longer the better is what you want! make them guarantee fabric and components and ask them which products look good and stand the test of time year after year. Lighting - both mood and functional is so important - LED people ... will save you so much more money in the long run! If you can’t afford a lighting designer - go speak to the people at beacon or smaller lighting shops They will consult for you for free so ask them! I aiways guarantee that every dollar i invest in a project must make me at lest 1 - 3 dollars in return. Do that with every renovation idea make sure you’ll get your money back!