Actually, @annb1997, think we will go with white mosaic tiles!! The more we thought about it and the more opinions I sought the more it seemed sensible to run the splashback up to the shelf height ie the range hood height. That then became prohibitive for stone, glass or stainless - the tiles are a quarter of the price of taking stone to 300 mm, so 600 mm would have meant crazy $$. Also, we had issues with the thickness of the stone - initially we were told it had to be 20 mm thick, which was impossible with our 14 mm window architraves, but were then advised the stone could be ground back to 12 mm - but then you're paying for something you're not using and paying again to remove it!! Will post a photo with the mosaics in place. What a journey this has been! Moral of the story: quiz your architect about potential issues when asking for a U-shaped corner kitchen ...

Hi Adriana, your room is very nice (love your rug and coffee table). My only suggestion is that it does feels as though the room is overcrowded with too much of the SAME furniture ie. the grey, tufted pieces. Changing out your 2-seater for something in leather would really warm the space and add interest (I'd choose a brown tone to blend with your lovely buffet there) - I would also perhaps recover the ottoman in a different fabric, something you love that adds a touch more colour and your unique personality to the space. As you said you enjoy interior styling, and your flair for it shows already, I'm sure you can create a stunning room with just a few changes. Love to see pics of the final result!!

Hi SonaandDi, In case you haven't come across it, here is the link to my finished kitchen: https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/5598603/renovation-of-our-1956-red-brick-triple-fronted-home-all-done This layout has the potential for issues, but I tried to factor those in by noting where the fridge doors came to when fully opened. I should have allowed a little more width for the fridge gap, as the theory didn't quite translate in practice: on the plans I allowed the minimum of 20mm either side of fridge, but ended up with only about 13mm (was not fun getting the fridge in!). So my suggestion is to make sure there is 50mm either side of fridge. eg the fridge space is 1000mm wide for french door fridge around the 900mm mark. Even so, my doors do open fully (vegie drawers slide out unobstructed), as the doors themselves sit forward of the nib wall on the right. If your fridge space is wider, you won't need to sit the fridge out the full thickness of the doors, which may look more streamlined. But make sure you allow for 50mm space at the back of fridge. This will decide the depth of your nib wall. I calculated mine as 50mm plus the depth of the fridge to the start of the doors. You might prefer to make it a bit deeper, as the doors have more room to open due to the extra width of the space. It isn't annoying having the door opening over the pantry entry. It isn't often that someone wants to get to the pantry at the exact moment someone else opens the fridge. Even if that happened, you could get past if you couldn't wait: Good luck with your renovation! Because you can't be on site, I would always factor in more wiggle room. Let me know if I can help with any more info - I could talk about this stuff all day long!

Hi Jenn, If the house design allows for it, why not look at a compromise and have high ceilings in the larger spaces or perhaps look at skillion roofs with sloping ceilings in the more prominent spaces. That way you wont change the roof line if that is already confirmed and the stud height could stay the same for the wall linings etc. Don't forget though, anything that varies from standard will cost more and have extra things to consider - like Dr Retro mentioned. In a living room or master bedroom with high ceilings, window and door heads at 2000mm high look completely out of proprtion with the space and then what does that do to the outside appearance of the house and then extra cost for window treatments etc. The list of considerations goes on. The reverse is the case for the small rooms. Do you want 3000mm high ceilings in the powder room and laundry etc? Whilst it might create extra storage oportunities, high storage is the least convenient to access. It might look great though for a full height library wall with an access ladder!!! The potential options are endless. Also, if you want something non standard and a great quality home, is the builder the right person to be designing it for you? There are awesome builders everywhere but generally designing is best left to the designers if you want something a bit more than standard. Good luck, Christine.