I have just taken a couple more pictures (excuse the untidy house) from the stairs. As you can see it's an open plan area that isn't that big but very high ceilings also in wood (Macrocarpa) with dark wooden beams. The house is surrounded by bush so quite a dark house. I initially considered a darker wood similar to the beams but not sure if that will make the house appear smaller / darker...I'm really not sure what to do!?!?!? Thanks

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone and sorry I didn't explain the polycarbonate a bit better :) This is along the lines of what we'll be using... http://www.psp.co.nz/building-brands/corrugated-sheeting/suntuf-polycarbonate The area is an absolute sun trap and we're hoping to use it as an extension to our living space, especially on rainy days! I've just sent my husband out to get a few pots of different stains for is to try - darkest brown (cedar) and a lighter brown (rustic oak) both by Cabots + the black we already have. Hopefully we can decide between one of those! I probably should have mentioned we will have black aluminium pool fencing running along the top of the second retaining wall - so the real question is do we keep everything black (pool fencing, horizontal fence, retaining walls and pergola) or do we go with a dark (or even light) brown for the pergola and retaining walls.... We just keep going around in circles at the moment. Decisions, decisions! Thanks again :)

I'm guessing you are from NZ (kiwi) :) The handy sanders did our floors - http://www.handysanders.co.nz/. They did an AWESOME job and are reasonable priced. I would definitely recommend.

You are correct the place does and always will look a bit sparse when you only have blinds. The question with curtains is sometimes dependant on what climate you live in and I am not sure where you are so I am going to say. If you need curtains for heat go for a quality curtain to the floor with a fabric that is not stiff (as I discovered I now own after buying curtains off line for my spare rooms). The expensive curtains I brought for my living room have a softer texture and hang so much nicer. As I need Curtains / Roman blinds for heat I have backing fabric etc on the expensive made to measure ones, where as the cheaper ones are just thermals. If you only want to add a curtain for looks and do not require it for heat I would recommend going with a lovely sheer / half see through fabric that drapes really well, this will add a point of interest and you can colour match or add a loved colour to a bare - white on white - cream on cream - colour scheme.