Hiya, we have a Victorian hallway and it is done very similar to Rukmini’s first image. We have a greeny grey under the dado (including the skirting and dado itself) and on the doors and architraves. It’s Blanket by Paint & Paper library which is a little darker than Rukmini’s pic. Then an off white above the dado and on the ceiling. It used to be off white all over and the grey definitely has made it darker. On the other hand it also feels smarter and shows the marks less! Swings and roundabouts. I wouldn’t have three colours, I would pick one colour plus off white above the dado/picture rail (Pointing seems sensible!!) Your tiles look browny grey so would suggest looking at Ammonite by F&B and its family of colours - (Cornforth White, Purbeck Stone). See below for the F&B families of greys. If you want bluey or greeny greys then Paint & Paper Library are a good source but be careful to see if they will go with your tiles.

is it possible to dig another opening to the front of house? that's if you want to use that space as internal. Another option could be to cover the opening with two parts (glass and a metal hatch). I'm confident this could be done with some smart designing.

Difficult one. Acers are beautiful but they are temperamental. They are woodland plants so like dappled shade and hate direct sun. They need a sheltered spot out of the wind. Your location looks ideal - shady and protected. I’ve lost two Acers in my garden - both shrivelled up and died despite being happy for many years. No idea why. I was chatting to a professional gardener the other day and she also stated they can be difficult. If you like that Japanese look then have a look at Cornus Florida or Cornus Kousa. Again they are woodland shrubs but my Florida is really doing well so I feel confident in recommending it. They both have lovely flowers. Here’s a couple of pics - Florida first pic, kousa second pic.

I’m still not sold on this idea. A ceiling height of 2.2m is lower than average so you can’t afford to lower the ceiling with a tray ceiling (like on Sonia’s lovely pics). I’m aware you can get coving designed to accommodate LED Cob lighting but given that must be placed slightly down the wall in order to allow the light to spill over the ceiling I worry this will make the room look shorter too. I think you should have no coving, full length curtains on a rail placed just under the ceiling and think about an alternative for the ceiling LED strips.