Engineered wood is more stable and is used with underfloor heating. It costs more to produce (glued layers) but can look the same as solid. I prefer unfinished wood which then gives the option of finishing it yourself and critically refinishing it if you need to. Most engineered woods are ready finished.

Hi. You could try a warm stone which would lessen the contrast between the sofas and ŵalls. As the room is light farrow and ball elephants breath should work really well. It will also go with the plum accents.

They'll never go out of style Tom - NEVER!! Haha! A10) Ohhh I love eclectic style, Maxine, and yes, I mix styles all the time in my own home! I will say, for as easy as it sounds to just throw everything you love into a space, it’s actually one of the hardest looks to do really well – that’s not to discourage you of course because when it all comes together, it’s incredibly satisfying! While it may be tempting to just include everything you like from all different styles together in one space, the resulting feeling will be one of over-stimulation and confusion. So the secret of this seamless integration requires creativity and some self-imposed boundaries. Sticking with a structured colour palette will give the room cohesiveness without making the room flat and uninteresting. Start with a neutral base for your larger pieces, your paint colours and/or your flooring as a means of grounding the space. Pay attention to how pieces relate to one another and how they relate to the room as a whole. One oversized piece is absolutely fine but 3 or 4 will make the room look cluttered and uncomfortable. Despite using mid-century hoop chairs alongside a more traditional chesterfield in my own living room, the backs of the chairs are of similar height to the low-lying sofa back. There is continuity of the eyeline and nothing jars too dramatically. You also want to ensure that when borrowing from different eras, you mix and match throughout the space – having a mid-century console table with art of the same era hanging above it and then a Victorian style fireplace with an ornate mirror in a different part of the room is going to look ‘off’. Take that artwork and hang it above the fireplace instead and perhaps use the more ornate mirror above the console table instead! Hope that helps!

Parque floors in the living are and another smaller room which we will knock through into the existing kitchen, and knock through to the garage next to that, then build a modern extension out from the existing kitchen into the garden - currently there is this awful conservatory which is yuck!! We will change all the horrid 1950's skirting boards and replace them with traditional ones and reinstate the coving too. Id like to see some 1870's UK house renovations please Thank you