Now it's beginning to work! Luv the rug! A few more red showstoppers, and I luv the post about matting your family pic, and larger frame for it. Looks like you might be a bit uncomfortable with the great post idea of moving your sofa out into the room away from wall. If so, could you accept putting it diagonally from the entrance doorway, across that corner where it is, stopping at the edge of your window? That's a bit of a move outward, still can see the fp and tv, and show off your new rug, which could go diagonally in front of the sofa. Then, if you like that, after a while you could move it on out as Deb K suggests. Sometimes intermediate steps are more doable for us than those big changes.Same with painting; if you could first paint just the fp wall, then later paint other walls...seems some color would really make it more homey. Would you cosider a quite contemporary fixture for the light in the center ceiling? Maybe a bit of red could go there!

You probably don't need to turn over the soil--probably shouldn't on a steep slope. Talk with your local experts about the best way to convert your paddock. Maybe there are enough native wildflowers growing in there that you could manage by not mowing. Here in the US Midwest we often solarize the soil by covering it with clear plastic sealed all around--this takes a full summer. I have also killed grass by covering it with a tarp for a whole year. For paths I have just laid newspaper, wetted it, and then covered it with mulch. So, it really depends on how big the area is that you are considering. Do find an expert on your area.

Hi, you have a number of questions I can answer a couple. As a starter, how do I find out 1) how much top soil I will need The amount of soil you need you can work out by multiplying the size of the area you are going to turf by the depth you want the soil. I think they put on around 2-3" of top soil on our lawn and levelled it off. The amount you need will also be determined by how bumpy your lawn is as they will need to remove lumps and bumps and then add the topsoil and level. I would advise getting a no obligation quote from a reputable landscaper. Ask them how much soil it involves. You can then make a decision whether you do it yourself or get in a pro. 2)Can I level out the top soil prior to building a deck - Or should I wait until the deck is finished before landscaping You should definitely build your deck prior to landscaping, it will also give you a better idea of what you are left to work with regards to lawn and garden beds. 3) for this amount of land should I be using the services of a bob cat person to level out the top soil I recently had my rear lawn re laid. It was a job we could have done ourselves as it is only tiny. It meant removing at least 4" off the top and then replacing with garden top soil (weed free) which was then levelled and packed down prior to ready lawn being laid over the top. The outcome is amazing but I don't have a photo yet. Word of warning, when working with garden soils, always wear a mask as my husband contracted Legionnaires disease from shoveling two trailer loads of soil into a retaining wall a few months ago. It is a very serious disease he was hospitalised for 8 days. They do have warnings on bags of compost etc at garden centres but never mentioned it to us at the landscape place where we purchased the soil. I noticed that our landscapers didn't take any precautions either. 4) do I need to destroy the lawn that is currently there before I add top soil on the lawn...Or can I buy soil and spread it on the existing lawn. You need to have the old lawn killed off as there will be weeds among it. I am anti sprays so we dug around 4" off the top of the garden, removing the weeds and roots, but there has been a few weeds coming up through the new grass now it is established so I would say for your large space to have it killed off in some way, then you need to remove the top layer and make it reasonably level for your top soil. With regards to ideas for your garden, you want to think about curb appeal, lead the eye up towards your entrance way. I know your entrance is off to the left so let your border follow the drive way on either side and up to your entrance. Make your entrance stand out with symmetrical pots I can't really advise a specific plant as I don't know your style. These are simply ideas to inspire you. You could fill the pots with white flowers that you change with the seasons or topiary to add some height. With regards to your fence boundary, it would be lovely to have some hedging although it can be high maintenance with trimming twice yearly. I am really into Ficus Tuffi (pleached) which is like topiary grown into each other forming a hedge. I am not familiar with what you can grow where you live but here are some border ideas. There are actually so many ideas, I could be looking for images all day for you, I suggest that with the great space you will have that you create a few garden rooms and focal points that lead the eye. I have added a link to my Landscaping ideas on Houzz. I am pretty sure they will inspire you. And although I am not a professional landscaper, I do have a passion for all design and when it comes to landscaping your garden you need to think about the style your house is inside. Also layering of planting is very important for example I have used box hedging then behind that a layer of star Jasmine and behind that an espaliered citrus tree which is against my studio. I don't have any photos yet but will try to get some up later this week. It is a brand new garden so you can see how a newly established garden looks like, not a five year old plus one as most of my saved images are. http://www.houzz.co.nz/ideabooks/63878109/thumbs/landscaping Layering.... Also think about height, plant some really lovely trees in areas you may want shade and something beautiful to look at. I love Magnolia Little Gem but there are some beautiful trees, I would use a mix of deciduous and evergreen so you get those beautiful autumn colours too. With regards to the front of your house you have some soil area in front of your fence. I would do some planting in front to soften the fence. Are you going to paint the fence? Plants will depend on the style you are looking to achieve in your garden, those above are more contemporary but you could go cottage but seems I cannot add any more photos so I suggest you look at my landscape Idea book (link above). Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you more :)

At the end of 2019 I put the finishing touches to a kitchen that was many months in the design and build process. Client Brief: My client, originally from Scotland had always dreamed of having a country kitchen with lots of detail, warmth and charm. The name Charles Rennie Mackintosh was thrown around a couple of times which certainly put the pressure on me, the clients expectations were clearly set very high but also gave me a very clear visual of the style she liked. Before: With space at a premium and two entrances in to the kitchen it was always going to be hard to change the layout of the appliances and fortunately working within this space will always be functional for that reason. After: This kitchen was all about the detail, and how to maximize the impact without taking up and loosing too much space. The pantry, which is opposite the hallway entrance had always been a square eye sore. I told my client I wanted to make it look more like a piece of furniture and vary the depth to take away from its heaviness. By having tall elegant bi-folding doors and lead light windows at the top it was definitely a Mackintosh inspired look from his amazing chairs. No sacrificing on function though as we made sure the top part of the unit was deep enough for all my clients requirements and easy to access drawers under bench height. With the main area of the kitchen I managed to get some symmetry around the oven using a blind corner to the right and drawers to the left for access and function. For simplicity of the visual I manufactured the drawers to the left of the oven with the same molding as a door, I then put them on push-to-open runners and offset the door knob to finish the balance. A beautiful hand made butler sink was sourced to give some authenticity to the space and a modern integrated dishwasher allowed us to not have too many things fighting for the limelight. depth and character we given to the design with my hand finished details from the shaped toe kicks and fluted column panels, up to the Flemish glass lead light windows and shaped cornice molding. I am very fortunate to have a fantastic stone fabricator that I work with, who fully embraced my requirements for detail. He manufactured the bench with no joins in the corners just behind the hob and sink really completing this amazing transformation. As with any renovation, the final judgement comes down to how the client reacts and feels towards their new space.. and by her reviews I know this is one very happy customer! If you would like to know more about this, any of my other projects or would like some advice on your own kitchen projects please feel free to contact me. Jack Bradbrook for Interior Fittings (NZ)