The cane furniture will really look nice in your verandah. As for plants, jump online and browse for some hardy plants on the Aussie websites. They are a wealth of information and if you do have a large planter box or pot make sure you put it on wheels. That way you can take your plants in and out of the house. Also put a base under the pot/planter so it catches the water and does not ruin your nice floor. You can pick these from a garden store in your area. Good luck! :) btw hope you don't mind me your spelling error "taught" should be "taut", I really hope folks correct my spelling too! cheers.

Hi Juliahocking - thanks for the ideas! Sorry I saw your comments on the weekend and then forgot to come back and update after I had moved the furniture around. I like the idea of moving the sofa and creating two separate spaces within the room. The problem is that the section of the room with the blank wall doesn't have a tv point so would need to get that installed. I moved one of the couches there to face the wall and it felt a little bit cramped, and the other section of the room seemed to have a lot of space to fill without the second couch. Is this what you meant? I found the photos from the real estate listing to show the previous owners set up, they might give a better indication of the space? We moved the TV to the corner because we didn't like it blocking the window, but i don't think the corner is ideal either. Do you think it would work to have a couple of chairs in the "dining" section of the room, or would that be strange to be facing to the back of the couch? Would love any ideas to make the windows prettier. I love the outlook but the brown screens and frames are not very attractive! Timandra Design and Landscaping - thanks! Will start my search for some large pieces of art and colourful cushions. Is it that rug you don't like, or just the idea of a rug in general in this room? I wasn't sure about a rug on top of carpet but thought it could be a good way to break up the space and add some colour. I am planning to return that rug on the weekend and continue my search! I agree I love the green outlook and it is really nice to lie on the couch and look out (while wondering how to set up the room!) :)

My recommendation.. But you need to paint out that timber landing.. It’s drawing your attention there for no reason.. It’s a decorative element that has no benefit. Which is why you feel the need to “place” something there. As a professional I wold recommend that you paint it out white so it disappears and doesn’t “compete” Witt your front door.. If you don’t believe me.. Try this truck.. Cover the area with white cardboard.. Then take a photo or leave it there and see if the “landing bothers you anymore” Bet you it won’t!!

my suggestions include reducing the "ins and outs" to make construction simpler and adds a little extra space including a porch off the laundry, the downstairs living area and dining room size feels comfortable with your scale sized furniture and the small lounge is a good size for watching TV, the door from the garage has been rearranged to separate the entry hall from a narrower central hallway, reduced the length and widened the pantry to make a separate storage room (or this area could be used for a childrens' computer nook)..the short door under the stairs from the lounge will be impossible to use without moving furniture..upstairs has all minor bedrooms a similar size without any western windows as every window should include emergency exits and extra brightness can be added with solar skylights that don't overheat, the new bathroom is more spacious and has more storage in the generous vanities as well as tall storage in the bathroom and hallway, the retreat is bigger and ens and wiw more spacious but all the windows need rethinking as upstairs east and south facing windows can also overheat and why have a sliding door off the guest room at the front of the house and the shallow balcony could be substituted with French balconies off the master bedroom and retreat.. and the X shown in the master ens and laundry is the only suitable location for a laundry shute my rough plans add up to a total floor area of 372sqm without any allowance made for the extra thickness of external walls