Most Fired Earth paint colours are available in masonry paint, it's expensive (compared to standard masonry paint) but goes on a dream, with great coverage. Gives you a great choice of colours, we went with Stone Ocre, although on a more modern house, it looks much nicer than white or magnolia (IMHO).

You could go for a warm grey scheme like Elephants Breath on the render, Charleston Gray on the woodwork and a different colour on the door like Brassica (all F&B), or if you prefer a traditional grey, purbeck stone render and moles breath on all the woodwork. You could always ask a F&B colour consultant on their facebook page.

Hello headers13, Looking nice! Not much of a mess at all! Normally I'd suggest the idea of dark chimney breast and lighter walls.. Since you have dark cabinets going in then perhaps consider the other way around.. Usually alcoves are better lighter as they then look further away.. Chimney breast to the fore.. Standing out with a beautiful mirror.... I normally don't recommend shelving in alcoves either.. Just a personal taste.. However.... What about approaching it with the idea of scale colouring.. with dark at bottom and working it's way lighter up the shelves.... So you could have dark chimney breast and dark bottom shelves and gradually take the shades up till you get to a creamy white at the top... Ceilings are really gr8 in Whitening by Little Greene.. It would give it a different feel and this style of painting is really in.... You can do it with walls too, see image... Also to lighten the look of the shelving... consider darker and fuller shelves at the bottom and lighten towards the top... This creates the idea of openness with the shelving, thus giving the fireplace the focal point it deserves... : ))

Be brave, and go dark! Often people are scared to as they think it makes a room smaller but actually it can have the opposite effect. Blurring the finishing lines of the room can give the illusion of more space, and if the space isn't particularly bright anyway, embrace it! Feature lighting - LED strips under the vanity, or wall lights - can really come into their own in moodier spaces too - don't underestimate the power of lighting :) For the backsplash, bring in a mosaic, or perhaps to continue the natural look, check out a few textured tiles like below - they have less grout to maintain but still offer a nice contrast: If you need a hand or any assistance with supply of products, advice, or design, check us out if you're local to Surrey or South West London :) - Adam