Thank you for all your comments. The alcove with the lamp is 3'10" h x 3'2" w x 18" deep. The width of wall between door hinges and corner of wall is nearly 2 feet. Actually 60cms. I don't think I will be allowed a range oven in the fireplace recess. People like to put their Aga in such a place and it is practical but I do like my oven and it is very efficient even though I have to get my son sometimes to sort out the technology. It is quite new. I had thought of having the hob across the corner of my "L" shaped layout with an decent extractor fan above which could access through the ceiling to a roof space. One of many roof spaces in my house. However, I have seen a lovely corner pantry in one of the Houzz photos which I am very taken with. It is somewhere I can hang or store saucepans, keep tins of things which I can see easily (i.e.keep a check on storage dates!) and don't get lost in the back of cupboards. The hob would have to go to the left of that. A tall fridge freezer could go to the right. The extractor could still access through the ceiling as it would do a right turn and go up from inside the pantry. Don't know how this corner pantry would look though!? On that fireplace wall the fireplace and mantle will, I'm sorry, have to stay. It needs renovating but that's it. Bytheway, the pantry I describe could have glass in the doors which would lighten the whole thing up and have interesting lighting. A fridge/freezer is a good idea because at the moment I have to make quite a trek to my "back kitchen" where I keep two freezers (full) and it would be handy to have the odd loaf of bread, ice cream, chips and peas nearby. I keep all veg in the back kitchen as well as it is cooler. I do like the light from the windows falling on the area where the sink and draining board now is. Dishwasher is near there. Then it is shady in the corner to the right of the oven where I boil water, store coffee pots, keep tea etc. in cupboard above. Cups, plates above sink. It is all a good working layout. Tins of stuff like tomatoes etc. are in the cupboard under the alcove work top. I'd like to get rid of all that. If I did cause a disturbance and dig out the rest of the stone I could have a good cupboard!! It would take a lot of working on my husband for him to agree to that. But, who knows. I could try. Everything would be easier to get at. Then a hob across the corner. I want to get rid of the need for those trays that angle around and do their best to utilise the corner. I got rid of my last lot as can be seen next to my fridge. I saw a way of doing that by putting a cupboard across the corner and carrying on either side with a work top. The fireplace wall needs sorting out I agree. The trouble is that the glass door opens against that wall which is correct. As I mention above there is 2' of wall behind where the door opens. Shifting the door would cause problems in the adjoining room as there is a long radiator fixed on the wall and would not look right in that room. Not really room for window seats. Window on left has a radiator and worktop or oven fits into wall beside the window. Many thanks for your plan. I will give it all some thought when I make more decisions.

Thanks to all for your comments and ideas-much appreciated. I've attached a photo of the front of the house which unfortunately is the best I have as it is obscured by the scaffolding and tin roof we now have up for the roof renovations. I like the idea of a canopy although I'm conscious of not putting a porch on a porch so it would need to be quite shallow (thanks for the pic minnie101). Centring the door makes sense although the internal door follows the same line as the external door and I like the idea of sidelights which would by and large do away with any noticeable brickwork stitching. We are having an oak frame garden room extension on the other end of the house and thought an oak porch canopy with a truss in the gable would compliment nicely - either on posts or perhaps preferably braced against the outside wall of the porch.The porch is single cavity with no insulation - architect has suggested demolishing and rebuilding anew but this seems a bit drastic not to mention costly. It's a tricky decision as the entrance to a house carries a lot of weight in terms of aesthetics but spend the least amount of time in compared to other rooms which could use the budget.

Hi Anne, I speak as both a householder/lover of home decor and a professional textile designer. I would say, honestly - you have the basics of a very good scheme here without spending a lot of money. What I see, in my humble opinion (and I made the same mistake once before art school training) is a very monochromatic scheme - that is the extremes of dark and light, but no tones in the middle, which usually integrate and give life to a scheme. Also, what way the room face? This is a hugely important aspect that many people overlook, but it has MASSIVE implications for any room scheme success. If north or east facing, add warmer tones, if south or west, you can get away with cooler ones. You could still have the same colour - pink or green for instance, but coral is warm, olive and teal are warm, fuchsia is cool, aqua or mint is cool. I'm a great believer in using what you already have and as you've already invested in curtains, I would keep those. A scheme like yours is relatively easy to put right, you just need more colourful accessories. Start by thinking about the feel you're after - retro, vintage, classic grown up, fun and quirky, scandi etc. Look at mags and online to see what you like, what are your own interests and hobbies/obsessions, these generally give a clue. I don't see your personality here as yet, a room or house should reflect who you are and your own likes and loves. The first step- find some cushions which give the feel you're after BUT make sure they contain some of that dark purple colour in the mix - enough to notice but not all purple. This will link them into the scheme, if there are other colours you like in there, brilliant! I would suggest about four on the sofa and then a colourful throw on one arm of the sofa - do the colour and feel link in to the cushions and wallpaper as before - doesn't have to be a similar pattern to the paper though, can be abstract, pictorial or plain, whatever reflects your likes and that FEELING you're seeking. Move that chair out of the corner, it looks too cramped in, bring it out more into room and again add a couple of cushions. Add a nice colourful rug infront of the fire - you won't believe the difference this makes, likewise with a couple of lamps, BIG and strong lines and not in the purple or light tones. Add some colourful artwork, the mirror is a bit 90s, so maybe you could lose in favour of some colourful artwork? Likewise the ceiling light, and add lots of Tlights/candles in front of the fire or on it. None of these things are expensive, you can find them at TK Maax or Dunelm Mill, online or shops in the sale, I would never pay full price for anything - also try Achica online. Have fun with it, and make it your space as well as cosy for the winter. I think the built in shelves are a great idea, but while you're waiting for those, how about some a few big patterned boxes stacked up one on the other (three in total is a good number), again you can find these at Dunelm Mill and so on. Have fun!

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. Definitely want to keep the two doors- we have a beautifully tiled floor and are in the process of renovating the hallway, so that it is the main guest entrance through the original door. The new door leads into a bootroom for coats, muddy dogs and boots, with the far end as a laundry area and is therefore definitely not an entrance I would want visitors using. If we remove the old porch we will then have to repair the render on the front of the house, which we would prefer not to do. I am very open to using and paying for design services- we have used an interior designer for the inside of the house, but she is currently away on holiday and booked out for a while and we have quite a tight and unexpected deadline with the builder if we want this done this year and before winter. This is the bootroom entrance (bench not yet painted and room clearly not yet finished from a styling perspective ) so you can see that it is not a suitable main entrance. Main hallway is plastered but waiting to be painted / decorated along with stairs and landing.