Thanks i just feel so uninspired im actually finding it hard to think straight! http://www.ashleyfurniture.com/Showroom/Showroom.aspx?PageId=Showroom&CategoryID=0&ItemNo=5820117&SetDomTab=4&SeriesNo=58201&CollectionId=&style=&IsClicked=1&CatPageNumber=1&bFromSearch=Y&Keyword=Chaise Thats the link if you want to view the couch Thank you so much :)

Top down bottom up blinds? They come with an aluminum coating too (to block sunlight and thus heat). In our bedroom we installed 2 roller blinds on top of eachother. Both white. One translucent for privacy and one to darken the room. It was cheaper that the dual layered (cellular) blinds and I did not want foil. Not sure if you'd have the space for that (we insulated the walls from the inside, so our window frames are quite deep).

Hi Ang, I thought I'd follow up my earlier comment with pictures of before and after of pine cupboards I specified to be painted in a budget makeover. My clients tell me people presumed they had purchased brand new cabinetry, so startling was the makeover. Somehow I have put the "after" on the left and "before" image on the right!

A nice whitewash wall/paint treatment would brighten it up if done in a light color. Or I would paint it but not sure if all the knots will bleed through? If so then I would use an oil base Kilz to stop bleed through and paint it depending on the interior design I want for each room. I would not paint the ceiling for a more Montana look,