I would pull the rug forward so that the sofa is not half on and half off the wooden floor. Remove the 2 dining chairs and replace with an armchair . You need to draw in the space to define it as the sitting area. Definitely needs some art on the walls. A coffee table would help and I would think about putting the dark cupboard the other side and bring the open shelves to the dining side . You could decorate with some interesting books/objects . Also I would replace the curtains . Good luck.

The room is in good shape and it appears to be only cosmetic changes that are needed, so I would consider simplifying the whole design as follows: · Paint: You mention grey as one of your preferred colours, so I would try a sample of either Farrow or Ball’s Elephant’s Breath paint or Strong White to see what looks best sits best in the room. Both are contemporary favourites but will flatter the space and alter the atmosphere. Otherwise, aim for off-whites with a creamy, yellow tone to encourage warmth. · Furniture: Purchase furniture with legs to encourage the flow of light and space but if possible do not block the lovely elongated windows. Add a feature Chesterfield ottoman to centre the room and soften the new space. · Window treatment: Instead of curtains, I would actually use sheer voiles across the windows and have Roman blinds in place for the colder evenings to enhance the sumptuous, traditional feel. · Pieces: Add a large timeless mirror above the fireplace to bounce light around the room and maintain that area as the focal point. · Lighting: Work with illuminating the light through the room not only via a pendant light (consider a glass chandelier here) as this will only provide task lighting. You also want to aim for ambient lighting via glass base lamps in the corners and free standing tall lamps. · Soft furnishings: Apply hints of mustard and teal into the soft furnishings such as the cushions will complement the tones from the parquet flooring.

It often does Jen. Almost all of my clients start with a layout package with me to see the project in 3D format and to get the layout that's bespoke to them, with only them and there property in mind.. and then get an architect technician to draw up the final plans if it involves changes to the the fabric (architecture) of the building. It gives you the best of both worlds.

Great to see all the votes for dark here. Sooooo bored with all the endless white/neutral rooms you see. We’ve just spent a year living in the all white house we moved into, and are finally getting round to decorating. So many people looked at our paint samples and were clearly horrified but we love our new rooms! So much more warmth and character. Just trust your instincts - I find rooms will tell you their character over time. We still have pale colour upstairs - loft conversion, needed to be airy - but love curling up in our cosy living room (Valspar April Rain, budget doesn’t run to F&B!), and our spare room (Dulux Starlit Night 2) feels like a boutique hotel, if boutique hotels came with cats sleeping where they’ve been told not to!