Hi Amanda The thing to think about is how you use the space (and what you really want to use space for) - is the dining room used every day or just at Christmas; in the living room do you use it to watch tv or mainly to sit around doing crafts or chatting to friends. Also it looks like the dining room is the bigger of the two rooms? I personally wouldn't remove the doors, because although it looks cool in photos from California, in the UK the reality is that it just makes hard to heat and noisy rooms. If like most of us the dining room is not used for dining every day I would consider swapping it into the smaller room and incorporating storage for a home office or crafts room there to make the space useful all year round. Then the living room can have the space it needs to have the two sofas either at right angles to each other or facing each other and get the tv in a nice position to view it or hide it in a cupboard if it's not watched much. If you are going down the grey route I wouldn't go crazy with it, farrow and ball's 'shaded white' looks cream in daylight but grey under artificial light. Whatever colour you choose I would paint both rooms the same to give some continuity because you can see through those doors.

While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture.

So you know I bought a single 'click deco' brand dolly light switch a while back and found it to be pretty poor quality so it was returned. Ended up with these: http://www.forbesandlomax.com/the-unlacquered-brass-range.html Really good quality and they have lovely finishes too. I quite like their antique bronze range too as it contrasts nicely with chrome/nickel finishes without clashing. If you'd really like everything to match then take a look at the Jim Lawrence range. They're not the cheapest but offer both light switches and door furniture in a large selection of finishes. They also do the narrow style of light switches which I think looks really elegant in older houses. https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/door-window/door-handles-door-knobs/bromley-handle-with-bristol-keyhole-backplate-in-510201bw?returnurl=%2fdoor-window%2fdoor-handles-door-knobs%2f%3fcount%3d36 https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/1-gang-dolly-architrave-switch-in-chrome-with-3279chniz https://www.jim-lawrence.co.uk/2-gang-black-dolly-switch-bevelled-plate/

Even though I am a fan of oak doors and I like how they look in most cases, in this case, it would be a bit excessive. They would not match the general atmosphere in the house that is so light and even a little Victorian. You may try and install some small 1930s internal doors made of oak and see for yourself. It might work if you choose the correct color. I would paint it too creamy white, so it does not stand out much. It’s up to you, and you must decide what you like the most. You can find many pictures on the Internet and apply them to your house to see what it will look like.