It seems (the design/layout) of the building form is progressively getting bitsy and tight ( like in a typical volume build plan) in the main living/kitchen/dining/alfresco area rather than being elegantly resolved with the flexibility potential layout usually exemplified in a custom home .......what is going through my mind is what exactly is the function of the external space to the west which is not at all connected with the internal.....I'd be considering configuring the ground floor better to maximise/exploit the northern aspect...It would simplify the whole thing, be more efficient and less block-like with building chunks cut-out/doglegged just to suit a table or whatever..........It's like the requirements are being somewhat forced within a particular set building shape rather than designing it so it all flows more naturally/balanced and is more elegantly linked and maximises the available land/space/aspect...form (should!) follow(s) function.........may I also comment that perhaps some care/caution/discretion should be taken when uploading documents clearly associated with a particular designer on forums (for public critique/comment!) ;)

Hi All, Does anyone know where I can get the gold circular home decor pictured below. I have seen it lately appear in a lot of interior design images?

Great advice from all the posters here. But I love the line "Don't get blinded by the size"! Yes, the price/sqm will be higher for a smaller home, as all the expensive essentials - a kitchen, bathrooms etc - will all still be there. But the overall cost will still be significantly lower. Especially if you keep the build to a single storey! As soon as you go up, costs will increase significantly. You'll have more wasted space too, like a staircase & landing. Be ruthless, & importantly, be inventive! Australians now build the largest houses in the world. We overtook the US after the GFC. Is this something to be proud of? I don't think so. Not in this world of finite resources, & climate change. Of finite land, while we continue with our urban sprawl, even endangering something as iconic as our beautiful, & vulnerable koala. Houses don't have to be bigger, they just have to be much better designed. The rest of the world can design in much smaller footprints, why can't we! A smaller home will not only cost you less to build, it will cost less money to maintain over it's life. It will cost less to heat in winter, & cool in summer. It will cost you less time to clean, & maintain. It will cost the environment less. In resources & embodied energy during the build, & in emissions to heat, cool & maintain it over it's life. Do you really need that rarely used guest room? Do you even what it, when you think hard about the financial cost to you, the cost to the environment & your children's future? Along with the time it takes to maintain this room, clean it, dust it, when it's sitting there usually unoccupied. Wouldn't you prefer a well designed multi-purpose room, that can play multiple roles? House guests, when they come to stay. While at other times, be used as a second living areas for the kids, or an office space. Same goes with storage, where many poorly designed homes fall down. We'll designed storage is critical, especially in smaller spaces, but it can be done. OP, you've chosen a nice small block, with a nice 15m wide southern frontage. This will give you a lovely, wide, northern rear aspect. Work with it! You can have beautiful, light & bright living areas, that will connect to your north facing backyard. These living areas will be heated by the northern sun in winter, shaded (by eaves) in summer. If you haven't already, start by reading this wonderful government about energy efficiency home design. https://www.yourhome.gov.au/ There's a lot to take in there. But if start with the passive design section. You've got a lovely northern aspect to work with, & this website will teach you how best to take advantage of it. There's even house plans in there somewhere (in the menu). Not sure if there's anything appropriate for your block, but I'm sure you can learn from them, & get some ideas.

I really love the work of Ross Chapin, he has really influenced my approach to homes in general! He is a US (i think) based architect who champions small homes and has a concept called a pocket home. I've read a lot of his articles and he likes homes that are homey and cottagey and small neighbourhoods with common parklands and great greenspace access. One feature of his homes is they are typically 1-2 bedroom a thing he often does is replace what would in other homes a whole room with a nook. So for example, a hallway might be extra wide but have a nook for an office that could be closed off with a sliding door into a spare room. Or an attic space that can sleep grandkids, dining nooks off the kitchen so entertaining is possible, like an oversized bay window. Decent living spaces. His designs are worth a look at to get some ideas. https://rosschapin.com/plans/small-houses/ I've also stayed at a newly built unit for an elderly person. There was this large foyer space at the entrance with an extra wide door that was level with the paving, no lip at the entrance. It was designed so ambulance access would be easy in an emergency. The large foyer had cupboards with a laundry and storage, and then there was a bathroom directly across, again for easy emergency access. There was a phone in the bathroom too in case of falls. The whole area was tiled from door to bathroom for easy maintenance and access. The kitchen was simply run across one wall of an open plan dining and lounge area with like a corridor of tiling to designate it as separate. You can use flooring changes to create different spaces. It there were no awkward pokey spaces and it was the easiest place I have ever stayed for cleaning and organising. There is a universal access guideline, its worth checking things like bench heights etc... https://www.architecture.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Universal-Access-Policy.pdf