Hello John! :) October Squash painted on the back wall as a feature wall would look gorgeous and brighten up the room, making it really warm and inviting! Here is a link: http://www.paintbyconran.com/en-GB/collections/kitchen-garden/m/product/view/71/preserve-elements Also, have you thought about purchasing any nice throws for the sofas or bright pillows?! I like your plants, too. Perhaps even buy some more plants and make it a themed room? It would look really cool and the warmth of the orange wall and soft throws would balance out the tone of the room perfectly! Let me know if you need anymore help. Georgie :) x

Start by taking out everything you don't want/need Paint your walls white to start with as this will give the room a fresh new feel, you can always change this if you want but you can't go wrong with white. Dulux pure brilliant white is a good choice so you don't get confused with the cold/warm undertones. Change the largest sofa for something smaller, I don't mind the other one as it is a modern style but if it is worn and you feel you need to change then now is the best time. Wool fabric is a great hard wearing choice and is easy to clean. I have children and have had mid charcoal wool fabric sofas for 4 years and they are perfect! Don't forget that your sofa is an investment so put your money into this as décor can be changed a lot cheaper! Paint the fire surround colour to a charcoal to make it stand out and also link in with the sofas NOW.... is the fun part! I'd concentrate on the red curtains and find some art work or wallpaper or a rug or cushion that you REALLY love with red in and possibly some other bright colours. Be creative & bold! I would consider changing the green curtains but by this stage you'll have a better feel of the room and where it is heading and how you want the room to look from here. If you are worried about the cost of curtains, I'd look at IKEA as you can get some lovely cheap curtains from there. Once you've got to this stage, I'd post some before pics and after pics for us on Houzz and ask for further advice on decorating as you would have a blank slate and something that you LOVE that you can work with on the colours to bring in touches of texture and warmth and comfort from there. Good Luck!

Your room is looking lovely and light. You haven't mentioned if you are reusing your red sofa again or changing the furniture. The heading that you choose is a reflection of the style you're trying to create. Eyelets are fine if you never close the curtains and want a very contemporary look, but cartridge pleats would look plush and more transitional. I'm assuming from the previous comments that you intend to use a pole. You will need to take it to the left hand wall, but leave wall showing on the right since your patio doors are not symmetrically placed. You can use a chunky pole 50-60mm diameter and a WOW finial. Use interlining for a luxurious look. The curtains will be dearer but will last longer, especially if your doors face south. If you do want to use silk, select a wide contrasting cotton border on the leading edges to deal with fading.

Hi, I don't know if this is any help, but when the man came to fit my log burner he lined the back and sides of the hole in the chimney breast with fire board (I think that's what he called it), it looked the same as plaster board but it was white and I don't think it needed skimming I just painted it. It maybe didn't need skimming because each side was one piece with no joins and I'm assuming it's called fire board because it's fire retardant. Sorry to sound a bit vague, it was 3 years ago and obviously your builder would have to check it out for safety, but maybe there's some fireproof material that he could use to build the frame with too. My brother had a fake chimney breast built for his log burner also, so you could possibly check out a company that sells and installs log burners for advice?