Excuse my duh-ness but i'm having difficulty trying to follow whats going on here. Are these two photos an exact replica of your house and pool ? If not a hasty sketch with dimensions could help a lot. By kitchen wall do you mean the wall behind the bar ? And where is the pool wall ? Are you considering the covered area as being "inside" ? Sorry for all those questions lol Sometimes when you have a design problem you need to turn it inside out or on it's head. If you can't beat it maybe embrace it by making a feature of it : i.e. contrast by having the lightest colored pool surround and a great blue or tile inside and under the overhang, something that will echo the water color ? If you have a great covered area as in photo you'll most likely be spending a lot of time there and it could be soothing to be able to sometimes retire into a darker inside. In my book, 10M isn't small and also contrasting two floor colors doesn't necessarily make a space seem smaller and confined and may in fact even open it up. Could it be that you've thought yourself into a box here ? Sometimes one needs to give it all a good shake up and see how it resettles.

The blue is awesome (grey is too trendy)! The reason it stands out to you is perhaps because it's the only real colour there. Bring in the blue in a window treatment, a small appliance that sits on the counter, a pretty tray or area rug. Also, it is more appealing often if there are more than 2 colours - so right now you have a white and blue colour scheme - bring in red or orange or fushia - something from the other side of the spectrum (like you did with the yellow flowers but in a more permanent way)!

Hi Suz38, Being a creative business you can get away then the most offices so if you can take the challenge and have some fun turning your client meeting room into something crisp bright and colourful. Paint: walls a matt bright white, table - white high gloss white. Chairs: using colour therapy philosphy each chair should be a solid colour - yellow, green, and blue - yellow for optimism, green for creativity, blue for trustworthiness. This subtly sets the mood for the meetings you want to take place in this room. Art: Hang pieces of abstract art using the above colours (you could even have the staff paint them as part of a team building exercise). Lighting: LED strip lighting with covers at skirting board/floor level it'll make the room feel bigger. The covers are imperative for this idea to be appropriate. LED sconces in a sleek architectural design - put one or a pair on the longest wall Then group 12-16 mini 3W LED down lights over the centre of the table these down lights are small lights usually used in cabinet but look spectacular when used in non-traditional ways. During the day they'll add more light to the table and if you keep these grouped on a different light switch/gang you can use it after hours it's perfect for client/staff drinks. It's a very modern and looks glamourous without being over the top. Good luck - show us what you end up with, I'd love to see it.

I read an interesting comment somewhere, where a lady invited a group of her friends over to lovingly point out all the problems they saw (through fresh eyes) with her home on preparation for sale. She said she was surprised at marks and damage that she had lived with for so long she no longer noticed them. We "owner built" a home previously, and when we came to sell 7 years later, we painted the garage and did those jobs that we had put off, and it became sad to finally see her at her best, at the end, when we could have been living in a completely finished home all that time. I read about a lady who decluttered her home, had it professionally cleaned (build clean, or bond clean) and had a professional styler do her home and she realised just how nice it could be and decided not to sell. :) ta