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!

I am planning to add scatter cushions and think if I do a pair of larger ones for each end so they go over the arms to creat height at each end, and a couple of smaller ones, I want to bring some colour in too. I do like the idea of a larger side light at either end to, Switching the sofas is going to be my final fix if all else fails!!

I would clean up first. Especially the stuff growing in the paving. Then get gardening with pot plants and start experimenting with different plants and the positions. See what you like and if you can keep it alive! Our house has the sun setting over the back fence and we've done a few inexpensive things to reduce that issue (most expensive were outdoor blinds around the verandah) but for most of the year we just don't want to be out there. It is hard work to keep the plants going in summer, there is a lot of sand due to the difficulty in keeping lawn alive and it is just bloody hot. So, that's why I'm saying clean up, start gardening small and see how you go before committing to structures that might not address the real issues you have with the yard. Just my 2 cents! :)

Thank you for your comments. I really appreciate your help. I think we are on the same track. The rugs I have brought home have fought with the terracotta colour plus the busyness of the small tiles. I did come across this picture on Houzz, which I think looks good. What do you think? It would need some of that burnt orange from the chair upholstery as well as the aubergine to tie in but I liked the dark border line, it matched with the grout.