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!

Hi Dee H, only just noticed this thread. We are a carpet & flooring company and I agree whole heartedly with the comments above. I would, however, have added a twist - you can get some amazing striped carpets nowadays which would have had greys and beiges in them with complimenting single colour carpets - you could have had a striped runner up the stairs and landing and then flowed straight into a beige for the bedrooms - this would have maintained your flow but giving your differentiation. Your floors look amazing but I just wanted to add a little proviso. Best wishes, Helen - SP Carpets & Flooring, Oxfordshire