I'm glad they're comfy! It's a shame the tolix is cold, I've got them in my basement which is cold anyway hence why I probably don't notice! You may find cheaper but I know Nordic House do fur seat pads. No I wouldn't reconsider a corner sofa. I was just trying to look for cheaper options for you which a normal sofa would have been. I've had a proper look for corner sofas now but all the emerald ones I've found are in velvet :( I would definitely get the sofa stainguarded in case of any mishaps with your daughter! I tried looking to see if sofa.com had a Black Friday deal on last year with potentially a bigger discount but they don't appear to have done

@Carolina interestingly - yes - we did consider the Calia and similar tables at other companies. We liked it a lot. At one point I was also thinking along these style lines for a breakfast bar, and /or the children's desks. But we chickened out on the table (and the other things too). We weren't sure we could make it work (e.g. we thought it pushed us in to very different chairs) and we were also worried that it wasn't sufficiently timeless for our needs (i.e. we would tire of it before we could afford another big outlay for an extending table). I thought we might be more successful choosing things like pared back industrial or Skandi, or more distressed/vintage in lamps, and side tables. I'm still hoping that will be the case. But each time I make a decision, I seem to choose 'safe' and in favour of the colours; rather than style. Truth be told, I like lots of styles so I'm worried that I'll end up with 'awful eclectic'. Choosing colours and safe seems a bit easier. But I have a feeling it might be going to end up 'co-ordinated bland'. Only the children seem to be able to inject a bit of shazam (the coloured chairs in the Eames/eiffel style around their desk were their idea). But if I give them too much free rein, they'll turn the room into Smiggle. What I would really like to achieve is a green & grey palette with accents of teal/jade/ and a few pops of sky blue/mint green/ chartreuse). I'd like it to feel layered but not cluttered. I'd like the expensive purchases and the base/background to be timeless and like updated classics (e.g. G plan sofas; shaker kitchen in modern colours). And then I'd like to play with some of the current style trends in the accents and layers. It feels like I am still copping out and playing safe - but maybe I'm still sorting out the basics which I would like to be safe and timeless. I'm not feeling confident; it's the fatigue of so many decisions and the usual unexpected issues cropping up during the building process. Thanks so much for your suggestion and encouragement to aim for something a little different, at least somehow. @comegetme Thanks very much for your clear advice and encouragement too.

Coming onto this post a year late! Yes, I too don't really like either of the kitchens chosen and even prefer the contemporary one! But I'm a trad gal at heart and echo some of the comments above about homeliness and character that it gives...

We did love some of the suggestions above… but stuck with our original plan! Although we did change the kitchen layout from U-shaped to ”farmhouse” style, with the table in the middle and sink under the window overlooking the garden. The old dining room has become an office with two desks - partly due to COVID and the need to work from home and homeschool etc! We have also moved a lot of the children’s toy storage in here although they still bring things into the main lounge to play where there’s more room. At 8 and 5, they also actually now keep and play with a lot of toys in their rooms, so I think the old dining room will remain as more of a computer and homework room - it’s nice being able to shut the door! The ”study” on the plan is very much a workshop/gym/play room for my husband! We didnt want to sacrifice that space. It might turn into a teenage den later on perhaps, or even a downstairs bedroom for my Nan. The small upstairs bedroom has become a second office as I’m also still working from home (and my husband has too many meetings downstairs!). It houses our sofa bed too so acts as a spare room and my space to do yoga and sewing. Overall, we are pleased with how everything turned out. We quite like the option to have space away from each other and the flexibility to change the use of the different rooms. We do all spend a lot time together in either the kitchen or main lounge as plenty of space in both.