Sage and cream and beige look texturally warming and small dots of red or even burnt orange or rust can look very nice

Hi Annalie, what an amazing spare bedroom! I love the dark polished wood flooring and original fireplace. As for the bedside tables, (I'm aware this may seem a little safe!) but I would recommend keeping them the same colour wood as the bed or the flooring. I would also suggest keeping them a simple minimalistic design so as not to look too mismatched with the other strong features in the bedroom (fireplace, ceiling light). I've found some examples below and they can be found at http://www.myakka.co.uk/product/mallani_small_bedside_cabinet and http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-flores-square-topped-bedside-table/p1707204?colour=Grey. I hope this helps!

Beautiful room so far. I would also suggest a wooden floor of some sort - probably a mid oak shade.. Have a look round and even bring some samples home to try if you can. Don't worry too much about having different woods as the floor needs to be something you like, being a large area. A nice grey rug with a touch of turquoise to match your armchair would be good but keep the pattern subtle. Once you get your sideboard for the children's toys it will look lovely. If this is the only living room, perhaps a tasteful small table and chairs for the children would be useful at the far end? Its always good to contain their stuff in one area. Alternatively, Ikea do some cute children's armchairs in a grey fabric that would match the style of your adult chair that would look amazing as well. The rug and cushions will add cosiness without clutter. Good luck:)

Dark brown furniture isn’t popular at the moment (as stated on Antiques Road Trip!) but you could paint some of it. Paint the pieces you are not so keen on. I had two large pine bookcases which were heavy looking so I painted them off white and I think it has improved them. I used Little Greenes Eggshell paint, water based, as a top coat, but oil based is tougher but not for me, gives me a terrible headache! I lightly sanded the bookcases, washed them down then applied 2 coats of primer and 2 coats Eggshell, ensuring they are thoroughly dry between coats. I used Slaked Lime a lovely pale neutral. You don’t have to use a pale colour, sometimes a deep green, grey or navy can look stunning, depending on your decor. Part of my bookcase in Slaked Lime