Hi. I like the colour it is, it's a lovely room. I think gold would be too much personally. If it needs painting i'd go for a chalky white. I would pick up more of the black accents. Add maybe 3 black framed pieces of colourful modern art ( picking up greens and blues as well as red and yellow) over the sofa (similar to what you have over the fire). In terms of a rug would you consider a cowhide Which they also do in white and gold. I only say as they're easy to just plonk on a floor rather than arrange with seating given the size of your sofa. Have you tried moving the sofa down towards the fire with maybe the gold chair in the left corner by the trifolds ( not right in the corner though) so it incorporates all of the sideboard into the room? Add a floor lamp in the other corner of the doors, maybe a tripod with a charcoal or black shade. I'd clear all the books on the cabinet under the shelf. Maybe add a colourful table lamp with a plant and another accessory. Try rearranging the books so you have piles as well as upright which may (hopefully!) give you some more space, you could also pop a little print or vase off centre. Perhaps a mid century style table?

Internet playing up, I'll complete later

We're going for a white gloss handless kitchen and want a grey worktop. I would prefer other way round, but husband not keen. I love the caesarstone symphony grey, but am worried after reading some online reviews about staining. Anyone had experience of this? Or other suggestions?

Hi! I travel to Langkawi, Malaysia, often, and I see a great many houses painted in 'Sahara sand', and other colours. Personally, since your house is large and beautiful, I would choose to paint the rendered parts in brilliant white. Glass balconies would possibly be safer, particularly for children, so long as you can be sure that the glass used conforms to world-wide safety standards. But the steel balconies look nice against fresh, white paint. Indoors, I would paint the woodwork white, and consider painting any dark furniture as well. Choose light-toned, neutral colours for the walls: you could even use white with a 'hint' of colour. Keep your use of strong colours to accessories such as bed covers, towels, cushions and so on. Think about house-plants, and flowers too. That way, changing a room's colour is quick, easy and cheap. In Thailand, you are lucky you can buy lovely fabrics and colourful accessories for very little money. When you are thinking about colour, consider where your guests will come from. Europeans, on the whole, associate bright, clear blues and turquoise as 'beach holiday' colours, while forest green hues are jungle-like. Conversely, guests from mainland China think red is lucky, while honeymoon couples from India like purple tones. Also, guests like to feel they look their best on holiday, so remember some wall colours are not kind to skintone. Yellow and green tones in the painted walls can have an unfortunate effect when you look in the mirror! Pink or warm beige work better. I would fit ceiling fans in every room, and louvred shutters to filter the light in the bedrooms. Anyway, you have a lovely project! Can I come and stay when it is done?