I have just taken a couple more pictures (excuse the untidy house) from the stairs. As you can see it's an open plan area that isn't that big but very high ceilings also in wood (Macrocarpa) with dark wooden beams. The house is surrounded by bush so quite a dark house. I initially considered a darker wood similar to the beams but not sure if that will make the house appear smaller / darker...I'm really not sure what to do!?!?!? Thanks

HI Madison There are pros and cons for every situation, but you need to work out what is best for your lifestyle. Personally, I agree with the carpet in the living room, and hard flooring in the kitchen/dining areas. All you need to do is work out your demarcation points (where carpet will meet hard flooring). A great retailer should be able to visit you at home, discuss options, give you pricing and away you go! (Us if you are in Auckland :) ) With littlies, I'd suggest a vinyl plank.....other posts will tell you I'm a big fan of it, but with kids, toys, mess, liquids etc, vinyl planks will give you the best wear over time. They are very hard wearing (Karndean have lifetime residential warranty), easy to keep clean, and waterproof - can be installed in all wet areas. Timber flooring, depending on which you choose (real wood, engineered wood, laminate), may not be the best "fit for purpose" products in your situation. Whilst I'm not trying to champion one product over the other, having had carpet with little kids, and putting drop sheets over carpet, under highchairs, why wouldn't someone not put in vinyl planks?

Personally , I wouldn't use that wallpaper -- it doesn't suit the apartment style IMO . I assume she wanted to add some focus and colour , but to me it doesn't work . To make it work ( or at least not 'jar' ) if she does insist on the wallpaper , pick out the burgundy or red of the wattle flower ( or whatever it is ) , and do a wall opposite it in that exact same shade , or maybe the kitchen area if you have good masking skills . The animal skin rugs look great , but the couch is 'lost' -- add cushions in the same red or burgundy as the wall , or go even brighter red or burgundy . Rest of the walls can be left as they are ( depending on wall condition ) or any similar neutral ( aka bland ) grey or cream , or possibly even a light steel blue .

For a pass through window to be very useful, it needs a surface to place items that are being passed through, that can be easily reached from both sides, or you would need to coordinate people inside and out to pass things, which isn't feasible. I would consider whether it will be used as a pass through, given the door is immediately beside it. A small breakfast bar that uses the window for a view can also be useful for a pass-through set-down surface. Make sure the window is large enough to give a line of sight from person to person so that it is easy to communicate between the spaces - along the lines of 'Could you grab another beer?' or, 'I forgot the sauce.' I would also make the pass-through window a little wider if you do have a seating area, so it looks big enough to be welcoming, or it will be less likely to be used. At 2.500 deep, the deck is not large enough for a comfortable outdoor dining area of more than a couple of people. You need 600mm for comfortable seating on each side of a table, plus the table width which will be 900-1200, and with this layout, you also need another 900 mm to allow access past this, to the pass through, the seating and to the steps down, and with the deck being above ground level, space for access beyond the seating on both sides of the table is a good idea. If there is a barrier, you can get away without it because chairs won't fall off the edge, but it does make things tight. That adds up to at least 3000-3500 and preferably more. You can make things work with a tighter space, with a compromise to fixed seating along the edge, and a narrow table.