hi all, update is I have finally found a photo of someones stairs done in Brintons timorous beastie yellow Ruskin butterfly and its made me decide we are definitely 100% going for this as I love it (see attached pics) on stairs and landing... Floor in hall will be oak herringbone parquet, just wall colour to decide and we have bought new tall skirting so colour to paint this also? i have attcahed apic of the hall currently so you can see our front door with stain glass.. As Ive mentioned before the banister and spindles will be replaces with square spindles with an oak top banister and oak end cap - similar to this houzz pic ... So just to deicide on wall colour and new skirting colour... I really like f&b light blue in a hall with oak parquet but I don't feel this will go with the carpet... Kitchen and dining room will be one of the sage shades and lounge Wimborne white and downpipe...

Definitely hard surfaces all the way - you can refinish them when they get tired and are really practical for children/pets/outdoors lifestyle. We used a mixture of new polished concrete, exposed flagstones and original elm boards at our miner's cottages and don't find it cold or austere.

I tend to think it's really worth deciding what it is you want to jump out and be a feature and what it is you'd rather wasn't noticed ;) If the rug is one of the loveliest things in the room and you want that to feature more (plus set against parquet floor which is lovely too) then I'd probably choose a colour that doesn't overpower the rug. Saying that and putting rug to one side I would personally be inclined to keep a dark shade (particularly as it appears to set off the sofa nicely) - maybe Stiffkey Blue or Pelt by F&B would work. If that would still overpower the rug (and this is to be a feature you want picked out) then go light and perhaps take it onto the ceiling too/ pick out the coving/ picture rail/ skirting and doors with a different shade. I did my lounge in Blackened (walls + ceiling) with Cornforth on woodwork/ doors / Wimborne on picture rail and coving. I would personally lose the curtains/ pelmet - looks a bit 'heavy' and quite dominating - however if those are lovely (hard to tell from pic) then again to make them more of a feature then go light on the walls.... Hope helpful - good luck!

I have to agree with Crafty Countess about having a vinyl flooring. I would recommend Loose Lay by Karndean. The range comes in wood plank and stone tile effects, does not have to be glued down except around the edges of the room and damaged "tiles" can be easily replaced. They are made for commercial use, so are very durable and will retain their looks for years to come. From our own tenants, I've found that white or off- white works best. You'll never get a colour right for a tenant. In the past, we've hung curtains, which our tenants always ask to take down and put up their own. We've painted lightly fresh or richly cozy feature walls, which our tenants have asked to paint over. So we always use a neutral paint now. We allow our tenants to hang pictures, providing they repair and paint the holes when they move out and use wall stickups that they can take with them. The less colour you put in, the more you allow your tenants to make the space their own.