Thanks all of you! ...and especially for the picture Marie - I've found it very hard to find pictures of rooms with darker walls & ceilings than floors. I've decided, I think, to go with a blonding / transparent white wash for the walls to let the room ease off a little (it's currently all wood) and will let the ceiling and floor keep their oiled colours (they'll get darker with time I think?). The ceiling is going to be a tone or so darker than the floor but I'll see how it goes.. Our furniture is all ash and elm so it shouldn't float too badly. I appreciate all the comments - and the pictures!!

I would suggest you take out the cabinet that is to the right of the stove and use it elsewhere in the house -- perhaps in the bathroom or dining room with a hutch above it. Then, I would suggest you have someone install a lazy susan cabinet in the corner between the sink counter and the stove, meaning you would move the stove down a bit and have a small cabinet/counter top to the right of the stove. I would suggest you have the cabinets refinished in white and then paint the walls a pastel you like. If you would prefer white walls, then add white-painted crown molding and paint the ceiling a light neutral blue, such as Sherwin Williams Niagara Falls Blue. Then, I would suggest you choose a favorite accent color and use this sparingly in accessories like towels, pot holders, small vases or floral arrangements, and a valence above the triple windows. For a genuine 1940s look, you might have white ceramic square tiles with a rectangular red border installed as a back splash behind and above the stove. If you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest a light color such as white with a beige or light grey vein or striation for some sort of pattern. You might be able to find the same color and design in floor tile OR opt for a wood floor as another poster suggested.

It's really nicely done, maybe just some fresh cloud white paint from Benjamin Moore? It really adds a lot of texture and interest.

We are about to lay new carpet and before we do I want to tidy up the exposed beams in our lounge and master bedroom - see pictures below. I understand the vertical round beams are pine and the horizontal is macrocarpa. The vertical beams are in particularly bad shape - lots of pain marks, cracks, nail holes etc. I have been told by a number of builders the process is likely to be very laborious - I have the time but I am a complete novice. I would like to sand both beams back and stain them a matching natural medium toned colour - at the moment the tone of each looks quite different. They don't need to be perfect I just want them to look tidier than they currently are. Can anyone recommend what tools I might use for the vertical and horizontal beams to speed up the process? Any tips on materials, process to follow? And how I might fill in the numerous gaps in the vertical beams?