Hi anne, that's what I was originally thinking, my issue is what colour I use for the 'pop' :) I keep coming back to a teal/turquoise colour (it's one of my favourite colours!!), I love blues, purples, teal/turquoise - many on here have suggested yellow but I'm really not sure about it. Here in New Zealand we're in Autumn, nearing Winter so uncertain about the yellow. I found these cushions that I've fallen in love it, and wondering how I could make these work.. do I try teal and mustard together, as an interior designer suggested?

Sophisticated start. You could go with black and white photography, architectural pieces, art pieces- anything you love on the wall. Then, add pillows in the colors of the art work. If you want to stay more monochromatic, think in terms of textural interest, such as a shag area rug, pillows with seam detailing, etc.

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!

Make sure you save up enough money for your bond and two weeks rent in advance - most agents usually require this and it's a big hole in your pocket to begin with! I slowly started buying things in the lead up that I knew I would need (plates, utensils, linen, appliances on sale, etc). Try to do most of your shopping around sale times. I stocked up at the boxing day sales and got a lot of stuff for really cheap! Other things I'd urge you to consider are: bedroom window light (ours face an internal common area with night time safety lights right next to them and let in a lot of light), number of bathrooms/schedules of house members, sufficient storage space and (assuming you'll be sharing with others) a clear idea of household duties/who will do what. Remember: it's your first time out of home, it's probably not going to be a dream-come-true kind of house but it's a great experience, so try not to stress too much!