Hi All, after some hiccups we've finally had planning permission, building warrants etc. approved and are sourcing a builder (again, thanks for your great advice). We're still deliberating over some use of interior space (the play room and hallway dimensions). I'm not sure we need the playroom to be extended (we could always do at a later date) and was thinking the wider hall (as per pic 2) may make things feel less cramped and, perhaps have some function other than a transition space. Any thoughts? Also, open to layout suggestions for the kitchen. Thanks again.

Hi Bethany! There are multiple ways in which you can arrange a room, but I really believe is that it has to be unique to your requirements. So the best thing that you and your partner could do is make a list of all the activities you wish to do in that room, i.e. watching TV, entertain, have guests over, have a reading corner in the bay window, perhaps a dining table and chairs, small storage etc. At the moment, you are in the ideal situation because you don't yet have any furniture yet so you are not restricted by it. This is an exercise I go through with all my clients and it proves very effective every time as thinking about what activities you want to do in that room will dictate what furniture you need and, as a result, the budget you need. It may be that at first, you don't need an extra side table or floor lamp or even rug, but later down the line, you might want it in order to create a better mood, reduce noise (rugs absorb a % of sounds) etc. Worth to have a think about. Hope this was useful!

Flush mounted ceiling lights (there are many styles) with table lamps/floor lamps in corners of the room to add cosiness.

You will need to extend the paving out from the bi-folds a little so that you have a generous area to step onto without falling straight down the steps, only needs to be a minimum of 900mm out. However, if you want the first step out from the house to be almost level with the interior, you will need a threshold drain to protect your DPC. Depending on the aspect of your rear garden, does it face east, west...?This will determine how far away your lower terrace needs to be from the house to get the most from the sun through the seasons. If you are north facing it may be worth swapping the lawn and terrace around and have a nice path across the side of the lawn to the terrace at the rear of the garden. Remember it will only add a couple of seconds travel time to get to the terrace, which will be in a better place. Nice wide and deep generous steps down to make a feature/'entrance' into the garden. Then maybe a path to the terrace, depending on above. Work the nice mature Cordyline australis into the design for the main terrace area. Maybe consider a tropical vibe with large leaf plants and just a pop of vivid colours. Remember to make your terrace big enough to fit your furniture on comfortably without falling backwards into the borders. Love to see how this progresses, keep us updated. Ian