@kmkane... The "old thread" comments, at least from ME... aren't for any other reason than letting some contributors know, that the advice they might believe they are giving, may be moot. I know that when I 1st became involved on Houzz, I was glad when someone indicated that I may be addressing a question which had probably been answered months (if not years) ago. Helped me "learn" to check the original posting date before blathering on about an issue someone was no longer interested in.

Thanks for the replies! My wife suggested we talk to a local real estate agent, so i think that is a good idea... just that Im not sure how helpful they are likely to be if we arent selling yet :) As for saving for our dream house, I dont disagree, however if doing this up nicely over the next ~5 years or so while we live here nets us some extra in the eventual sale, then that of course will help us as well. Interesting thing happened today actually. I got a knock on the door and one of the older neighbours asked if he could take some lemons from the tree. I of course said yes. Anyway he was telling me he had lived in the street for 40 years. I asked him if the house had always looked like this, and he said no that ~30 years ago the old old owner did a massive renovation and pulled off the timber and put up the bricks and gutted the inside of the house. Interesting stuff!

The subway sign is great - but it has the scale you need on the higher wall - and the black next to tv could have better balance .. .Consider . .I would center this under the beam on the big wall at the near end of the sofa - then you will start with better balance. The television is a big black square so might as well start with the black element across. Unless you can get a mirror across from the window to reflect something light and pretty, don't bother with a mirror here. Let's think about the wall with the small window and the black tv like a gallery wall - lots of black and white frames , contrasted with black and white mats and mostly graphic black and white art. Here's the way to do that on a budget. Visit the local thrift store and imagine frames they have painted black or white. Ignore what is in them, buy craft paint and paint them all. Ikea is also good for black and white frames. Perhaps one art piece would be an offcenter b&w blow up of that charming fellow who wanted in the picture - soften everything else back and highlight just the face and hand in a vertical mini-panorama format .. or another close cropped on the face black and white in an unposed moment like you caught here. Most of the rest . simple art. Picasso line art poster could be a big scale budget element. You might buy a bad painting at the thrift store or swap meet, paint soft pale gray all over it, then dry brush some white paint on to it. If you use color in the gallery art at all . . . use just one, and I suggest the either the blue gray / true blues / not blue greens that the chaise gives off in the sunlight. Or red. Or yellow. ONLY ONE COLOR. And, just a small touch. You can frame some objects that you've painted one shadow box frame with a real object in it. , some magazine pages, some calendar art, etc. (oversized frames), Look at potterybarn.com for gallery wall advice or on younghouselove.com in their archives .. they have some terrific posts. http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/04/its-done-and-we-heart-it/ If you can, eventually hang the television on the wall above the cabinet on a swing arm so it can pull out and angle but it can be put away flat and you can shift the media cabinet sort of centered on the sofa placement across so it isn't so tight in the corner. TV in corner pulled out good, media always there . . not so good. Now for walls - I love the window layout in here. Would you consider a large landscape oriented abstract canvas that expresses your color sense over the rest of the sofa? Take the arcing airplanes into the gallery layout. This is a great lounge!

I would clean up first. Especially the stuff growing in the paving. Then get gardening with pot plants and start experimenting with different plants and the positions. See what you like and if you can keep it alive! Our house has the sun setting over the back fence and we've done a few inexpensive things to reduce that issue (most expensive were outdoor blinds around the verandah) but for most of the year we just don't want to be out there. It is hard work to keep the plants going in summer, there is a lot of sand due to the difficulty in keeping lawn alive and it is just bloody hot. So, that's why I'm saying clean up, start gardening small and see how you go before committing to structures that might not address the real issues you have with the yard. Just my 2 cents! :)