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!

Shutters sound like they would be a great addition to your new almost at the beach house. Is it an open concept? If so while you can change things up a bit you'll want to repeat some element and ensure that everything looks great together. Even the rooms you're thinking of putting drapes in might benefit from shutters or wood blinds for both looks and light/privacy control. Also be aware of how these windows will look from the outside. When choosing fabrics look at your existing furniture for inspiration or a piece of existing art or if buying new furniture think about the windows as you do. Everything in the room ties into each other. Ideally you would have swatches and samples of every finish in the room from flooring to window coverings and everything in between including wall colour, area rugs, bedding ect to help make your final decisions easier.

I love the general concept of beams and adding beams, but in this space with the ceiling as it is in the drawing, I think adding beams at lower levels makes things too busy architecturally, considering the soffitt and all of the other planes, angles, and openings.

I love the look of Tand G as the real thing or the 'James Hardie' NZ groove panels..........but also want my ensuite to look opulent. I am not having tiling anywhere in this room, which would be the easiest solution. Hence my dilemma..... I already have chosen the white 'tile look' acrylic walls with a feature 'marble' (narrow) panel in the shower alcove enclosure from the 'Atlantis' range. The alcove covers the complete width of the bathroom so is a feature in itself. I wanted to bring the 'marble 'feature' into the room if I could to enhance the opulence. The marbling is minimal veining on a white background so not too dramatic a feature. The obvious area is to use a matching 'marble' vanity top and/or a splash back (especially if have a china vanity top, which is the more likely due to cost). Where should the splashback end at the sides? I thought about taking the 'marble' splashback above the mirror to the ceiling thus creating a similar panel feature to that in the shower albeit wider but don't know how much wider it should be than the vanity. Also What then to do on the rest of the wall(s)? Just painted gib? If I used T& G or groove panelling I would want it to reach the ceiling. So do I put T&G on on all walls? The vanity wall has approx 1000mm 'strips' of full wall either side and the strips below the vanity and above mirror if only a splashback is incorporated. The opposite wall is almost taken up by window, radiator below, btw toilet and towel rail, leaving little wall to 'feature' and then the remaining wall is narrow (only 1100 left after door). These remaining walls could just be left as painted gib of course as really cannot afford to take the 'marble' panelling anywhere else in the room nor think where else it would feature best. 'Marble' Flooring is a possibility but it would need to be vinyl not porcelain tiles. Having written all this down I think I have talked myself out of T&G on any of the walls as the narrow room would become too busy and bitty but am still interested in what others think.