Thanks for posting new views of your room. You are right, nothing can go in front of the paneling, and we won't block the built-in cubby. In that case let's work with the rest of the space. I found a picture on Houzz for your gallery wall. I think this will allow you to bring in color and texture and interest to your wall without taking up space like furniture would. Try to play with portraits and a couple of paintings in there too - mix it up. Otherwise I would not put anything at the top of that landing (I'd remove that console table). That picture wall should be enough visual interest to your space and it'll draw the eye to the furthest wall as you walk in your house. I would try a small piece with closed storage between the bottom steps and that door by the entry. It looks like the space is no wider than 26", so it'll be a challenge to find something that fits and is tall enough. I would not use the wooden piece you showed above because you want wider proportions and fairly narrow depth so you don't bump into it as you walk by. (something like this ) I would hang a mirror on top of primping. By the cubby you could add a single seat stool. I'm not particularly suggesting these colors for the stool and bombe chest but something along these shapes. At this point if you do that big picture wall and add these two pieces of furniture and a mirror, you might not need to hang anything on the wall above the cubby. Also, I noticed your chandelier is quite substantial for the space and hanging pretty low. Would raising it a little or replacing it by something a little smaller be an option?

Kind of funny really how many people would feel exposed and would not want to use the bathroom. The more I think about it, it's a bit like a public restroom with stalls (as stall walls rarely go to the ceiling or floor and have the added issues of gaps between the wall panels and doors -- which thankfully we won't have!). Regarding the humidity control issue, I should have clarified this is only for a toilet and small hand basin (not a full bathroom with shower). The main room on the other side of the proposed toilet is our dog whelping room where we will have young litters of puppies (when we have them). Further down the hall, removed from this room, is our training room where there are likely to be other visitors but the proposed bathroom would be quite removed from that area. It would be wonderful to find more windows like the ones that are up near the ceiling! That would certainly solve the issue. I'll have to scour the demolition/restoration places.

Thanks for the replies! My wife suggested we talk to a local real estate agent, so i think that is a good idea... just that Im not sure how helpful they are likely to be if we arent selling yet :) As for saving for our dream house, I dont disagree, however if doing this up nicely over the next ~5 years or so while we live here nets us some extra in the eventual sale, then that of course will help us as well. Interesting thing happened today actually. I got a knock on the door and one of the older neighbours asked if he could take some lemons from the tree. I of course said yes. Anyway he was telling me he had lived in the street for 40 years. I asked him if the house had always looked like this, and he said no that ~30 years ago the old old owner did a massive renovation and pulled off the timber and put up the bricks and gutted the inside of the house. Interesting stuff!

Congratulations on your new home! Now, go cancel that order! Just kidding. Kind of... I really do think, after reading your posts, that you will be happier with the grey couches. Personally, black couches in general seem very bachelor pad (ish). That said, I know there are gorgeous black leather couches available. For a super modern industrial place, maybe. But beach, or that kind of vibe? I am not sure how you would pull that off over the years. Grey or tan (neither are my own favorite decorating colors, but still) would be oh so much better as a neutral for pulling in different color palettes with pillows and art, etc. if you decide to change up through the years... black might make you feel stuck. After reading through what I have written it seems a bit funny, as black is my personal neutral in clothing, jewelry and the like. But as I look around my home there is no black to be seen. Hmmm. In any event, follow your own intuition here, and don't feel like you have to fill the space before your home is even completed. Especially if you are having second thoughts. And remember, this is supposed to be fun for you! When in doubt, leave it out! At least for the time being.