Excuse my duh-ness but i'm having difficulty trying to follow whats going on here. Are these two photos an exact replica of your house and pool ? If not a hasty sketch with dimensions could help a lot. By kitchen wall do you mean the wall behind the bar ? And where is the pool wall ? Are you considering the covered area as being "inside" ? Sorry for all those questions lol Sometimes when you have a design problem you need to turn it inside out or on it's head. If you can't beat it maybe embrace it by making a feature of it : i.e. contrast by having the lightest colored pool surround and a great blue or tile inside and under the overhang, something that will echo the water color ? If you have a great covered area as in photo you'll most likely be spending a lot of time there and it could be soothing to be able to sometimes retire into a darker inside. In my book, 10M isn't small and also contrasting two floor colors doesn't necessarily make a space seem smaller and confined and may in fact even open it up. Could it be that you've thought yourself into a box here ? Sometimes one needs to give it all a good shake up and see how it resettles.

Hi there! I'm an Asbestos Assessor by trade and come across these a lot. In the UK these would be highly friable asbestos insulating boards, but here in NZ it's always pinex. No asbestos in these ceiling tiles :-)

Hi there, this is very touch. But you have discovered the base principle already, soft materials or materials with a lot of surface area absorb the sound. Just shooting out some quick ideas here for you: A soft and thick rag or bath Matt on the floor. Curtains are a good sound absorber, but not to much in a moist bathroom. Potential mold issue ;-) Another idea could be to hang bathrobes on hooks or a fabric laundry hamper onto the back of your door. If you find its still not enough.... since your walls are already tiled. you could do something on your ceiling... like a timber slat ceiling or a painted plywood paneling with holes in it. Make sure you use polycaprithane paint for moisture protection on the timber.... hope this helps. If there are questions or you need more help, feel free to send me a message. Cheers Gunnar

This is the only photo. Wall colour is white and joinery is black. The floor tile is the light colour and will be in the entry, kitchen, family and dinning areas as well as bathrooms laundry and toilet. Can I pull off the dark carpet or should I choose a lighter shade to compliment the tile?