Dear @judibutler I assume you are referring to a wall which is wholly above ground and that you have completely ruled out damp tracking into the wall from above. A lot depends on the size and thickness of the wall and other factors, such as if the building is listed. Damp penetration (driving rain) through granite walls has been an ongoing problem in church towers in the southwest of England for some time. Ironically the problem often seems to get worse after re-pointing in lime. Granite is fairly impervious and was often in laid in large blocks meaning trapped water has little chance of getting out through thin mortar joints. Historic England held an excellent conference on the subject in 2013; the transcript of proceedings can be found at: http://content.historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/research/damp-towers-conf2013-programme-transcripts.pdf A roughcast lime render coat may help, but there could equally be voids in the wall which are holding damp and may need grouting. However, grouting is a very tricky and expensive technique which should not be undertaken lightly, and only works if one knows exactly where the voids are. Over-cladding the whole wall with semi-sacrificial weather boarding may be a last resort. This and rendering are likely to require planning consent. Depending on where you are located, a company like ArchiMetric (www.archimetrics.co.uk) could insert some interstitial moisture monitors into the wall to try and find out exactly where and when the damp is getting in and how it is moving through the wall, but this may be expensive. Some localised investigation by dismantling pockets of stone may be useful. The Society of Ancient Buildings helpline (mornings only on 020 7456 0916) may be able to help with specialists in your area. Most importantly try to get an understanding of how water is getting into and moving through your wall before you embark on anything. If your problems relate to below-ground damp then a different response will be needed.

Thanks everybody for voting - the competition is now over! And the winner is... Something's Gotta Give! A frontrunner and favourite from the start, you guys didn't hide your adoration for Nancy Meyers Hamptons styled home. The winner will be emailed today confirming their prize so keep an eye on your inbox! Thank you all again for taking part, and we hope you all enjoyed the real ceremony too - all we'll say on that is at last!

I think your layout is perfect to the size of your space. Don't move any furniture and leave as it was on Pic #1 at the very start. Back to question about colour, I have several examples for you how to create combination of cushions. Amount is up to your taste. But I will recommend minimum 5 or 7 but you can go for more 9 or 11. It depends on how many cushions you like when you seat on sofa. You can get several shades and even with similar pattern Go for several colours but of the same fabric (By the way, this photo, shows you great example of green and flowers arrangement around the place. Get as an idea)) The easiest option here. Simply go to fabric store, pic velvet or other plain fabric you like, choose several colour tone or close shades of the same fabric to match. Similar fabric, easy to match. Or go for brighter colour to complement your main colours scheme.

We have just purchased what we hope to be our last house. It is a very big plot and we are looking to knock down and get planning for a very large house over 4 floors. (12,000 sq ft). We know what we want internally however our issue lies with the external look and feel. My wife wants classic new build, with pillar entrance, sash box windows with stone cills or surroundings (Surrey Commuter belt!). I like contempory white, modern, square, glass walls, feature cladded walls with balconies (Beverly Hills!) Our compromise is classic at the front contempory at the rear. We need help! Hopeful designjunction will help offer solutions so we can move forward.