Our home is a comfort driven election of many types of timber and styles having been donated bits from great grandparents, grandparents, parents and even a friend's old pine kitchen table that had been chewed by her dog! We may be awarded any trophies for our home but it is full of memories of our 50 years of marriage. The only bit of furniture I really do not like and regret buying is a tipple galas shelved TV unit. It is almost impossible to keep clean. Gilly

Thank you all for your suggestions! Lots to consider... Special thanks to Celerygirl and Carolina for the mock-ups. I have to say, that creme rug changes the whole feel of the room... AS, Colourhappy and Celerygirl, I have some 3 different greys left from other jobs; I think I'm going to paint some lining paper and put it against the fireplace, units, windows, etc and see what it looks like. I'm also thinking of the smokey purple we have in the bedroom, that could be an alternative. Also, I'll have to buy some of that hue Jonathan suggested (it's quite intriguing). Jen P and Carolina, maybe I could keep the beige and change the accessories... I ordered a new frame with a proper mount for Chris Ofili's painting and might put it back above the fireplace. Najeebah, I know I need to cull the accessories, we have too many all over the house and I don't know where to place them any more. But I love most of them and find it hard to think about letting some go... Hubby almost sank in the middle of the Bristol channel today and had to abandon the race, so I thought bringing up wall colours tonight would not help my cause. See, I can be sensible... and he says I'm not sympathetic to his sailing problems... :)) Thank you so much for your help again, I'll let you know the next step as soon as we decide what to do. Good night all!

Depending on the colours in the rest of your home, F&B Skimming stone would be a lovely combination with the setting plaster and would give a warm feel. This would also give you a good base for other accessories and furniture for the room. “Strong White” would also be a lighter alternative and could be painted on the ceiling as well.

Emulsion is used on walls and ceilings, either matt or silk finish. Eggshell, gloss and Satinwood is used on wood such as skirting boards and doors - it is tougher and less likely to scuff and chip, although sometimes it will. Don’t use eggshell on walls, it will be difficult to spread and will be pricey. F&B use their own terms for wall paint finish - modern (washable) and estate (chalky). If you visit their website it will explain the various finishes and where they go.