Thank you everyone so very much for your responses and advice. I liked the idea of having a bold piece to tie the church in but like a few have mentioned, something simple might be nice to not overshadow the pieces we've collected. The Nick Cali nesting tables might work quite well, simple but still have the raw wood and we can move them around. I also like the idea of a round table. Annb1997 we actually looked at the carved coffee table, it's super cute and pretty it's a shame that it's just a bit too low to be functional with the sofas. We are probably looking at something around 45 cm in height...but we might still get it anyway and add it into the library nook. We move at the start of Dec, will post photos :) Here's one of the current owner's layout. Thank you again everyone you've been amazing!

Sorry to continue....the plan by Louise on the 20/01/2017.... But the laundry ( with internal access or through cloak room) and ensuite to the rear of the garage the master behind...... Then a Wir separating the master form the living or a bathroom...... The a fireplace if required against the western wall central in the house.... The entrance and small cloak room for the winter woollies against the garage and the other three beds at the front RHS with bath near.... The lounge/ kitchen/ dining in a similar layout but with minimal a walls blocking the view from the entry to the living/kitchen .... I like at lease a small wall dividing the living and lounge for the teenagers also.... If I get an chance I will sketch something up. Good luck this the paperwork... Plans are the fun part.

So true. And so bloody disappointing. The least effort and quickest sale seems to be the motivating factors for most agents. I actually just had a really positive experience with a lovely REA in Adelaide though! She has done a fantastic job, always transparent and honest with me and has made an effort to get me the best price. I got a fantastic offer just yesterday after 6 days on market and she's chasing up better counter offers now. I'm really lucky it's a hot market to sell, which helps a lot. I'm considering writing letters to people in streets I love and doing a letterbox drop. I figure I've got nothing to lose and I know people who've bought houses this way! I think that people's distrust of REAs might make an off market sale appealing to some. Who knows...worth a try!

That was just a question I posed in general. The idea goes back a long way in hot climates and things like that are starting to be relearned and valued again. Maybe not by volume builders though, they only seem to keep up with what is superficially trendy. I think tv shows have made skylights popular and they never discuss them apart from praising 'how much light it brings in'. I'm not saying they can't be useful, but 6 or 8 across the ceiling and the company sponsors the tv show is not demonstrating their best use just flaunting them. What you want is to make them work well for your situation. I don't think you've posted a roof plan? The main point was skylights are glazing, with the added complication of being on top, so how that affects heat and cold and what sort of skylight you install to best control those for your climate is an important consideration. Another thing is if you are thinking of having solar panels the presence of skylights on the roof limits that. Not that solar panels are where you should be starting with making your house efficient. That's another thing I think tv shows have promoted, stick a solar panel on any design and it's 'efficient'. The basic design and construction can and should be efficient.