Here's my advice, don't even think about doing it all at once, it's a nightmare. Start in your kitchen and living area and really focus on a three colour focus, a neutral, mid colour and a highlighter depending on your taste. I'm currently doing my area in grey/ green/teal. Then when you are living in it, take your time and develop the theme into the next room because as you live in it , you can decide do you like it and then perhaps vary the tones up and down or change the proportions of the colours and textures. Spend time looking through websites and catalogues and just don't jump at the first thing you see. I have looked at Magnolia walls now for five years and eventually as I worked through each room it became more enjoyable and less of a headache and I could manage it better rather then one big mammoth task.

Hello Pippa, Yes Minnie's right.. Calming colours that naturally compliment like several shades of 1 colour...So you may like a particular shade like pink for example and see colour variations below.. From Little Greene in this case... So a varying degree of colour that compliments and accents for the walls and wood work.. Chalky and matt are best... Then you can add complimentary and contrasting tones for bedding soft furnishings like pale greys or silvers with white linens.. or stone colours and woods.. Keep flooring light and paint the ceiling a lovely warm colour like Whitening by LG again.. If you're laying flooring with rugs, keep to a similar colour, that way the floor looks expansive rather than defined.. Mood lighting with table lamps or wall lighting.. with soft warm white bulbs gives a calm and warm light as opposed to bright white and from a central single pendant.. : ) )

The other option I looked at was ikea carcasses and then bespoke doors, end panels and drawers fronts in formica birch ply which I think is going to be massive in the next few years. I found a company that can fabricate formica onto birch ply very reasonably, so that was an option. That was when we were going to have wooden floors, getting a wooden kitchen meant we used tiled floors (as double wood is tricky). Google, birch ply formica kitchens, there are some lovely ones out there.

I love the grey that is on the walls and if you go any darker you will end up a bit gloomy, especially on a winter's day.