Huh? Looks like I'm the first here to post that I can sleep on a clothes line!! As long as I am horizontal- I can sleep if I'm tired. I have worked night-duty for over 25yrs + sleep half my week during the daytime. I can sleep by day or night. Light or dark doesn't bother me. I can sleep with curtains open or closed, bedroom door open or closed ( I always leave lamp on in hallway at night), sleep with TV on. A reasonable level of noise doesn't wake me, radio doesn't wake me, music doesn't disturb me, regular conversation doesn't wake me, regular traffic noise doesn't wake me. Crying babies, whining children + loud squabbles will wake me. I don't like being woken ...!!! My biggest sleep problem is getting off to sleep, always was a night-owl. It is usually after 2am before I'd consider going to bed. Once I do go to sleep, I stay asleep. Strangely it takes me longer to settle if the house is quiet!! Always sleep sitting upright in bed, with curtains open + beside light on if I need to be up early in the morning. It works for me. So I reckon I have saved a fortune on window dressings, eye-masks + ear plugs. All I need is a radio + 5ft 3inches of floor space and zzzzzzzz

Totally agree with VLS Curtain Makers Ltd. Whether you choose curtains or blinds to dress a window they should be what you like and want, suit the property and your lifestyle. I have clients with pets who would rather have a blind so that the fabric doesn't get covered in dog hair, whereas other clients prefer to have curtains trailing across the floor simply because they like the look and it suits how they live and the style of the property as well as their other furnishings.

Hello Lisamarie, Thank you very much! Well look at it like this, I offer up ideas I would do or consider but then you need to see what works for you and what you like, in my suggestions.. My advice is never impartial though as I am far too invested in what I do and love.. You do need to consider the furniture though but despite all these ideas your bright cushions will still add a really nice contrast.. What I was thinking, because I have this same experience... I painted the chimney breast only in grey.. I then painted the walls a cream colour, skirting in white. In your case it would be Wimborne for the walls and All White for the woodwork... ... I lived with it for a while but felt bored. It wasn't dramatic or characterful.. .. So I went on to paint the left wall where the window is and the opposite wall.. So 3 sides will now have dark grey 1 of the walls has an 8 ft by 6 ft mirror though the other is the chimney breast and the alcoves will be papered Oreste charcoal by Zoffany.. When I have got around to paying my pro-forma! ;) ..... (It's going to be a dark interior for the living room).. So I then painted all the window frames and windows black against the window panes and again a purple/grey colour I made for the frames, skirting, picture rail and architrave. It is coming along but not finished.. I have very little £ so I have to do things when I can.. Why not get some A4 paper and a few sample pots of nice chalky whites and creams, I do like pointing, also Shaded White and Clunch are really gr8 ... Stick some on the wall and some of the skirting colour on the skirting... You want to butt them up close together, so you can see them together... Look throughout the day at the changes. Duplicate the wall colours at eye level too.. so you can see at more height.. The room will look like a bad shave day! : ) ) Colours will change depending on the light.. choose a colour that is just a little creamier, so that if you want the woodwork white... you can still get a contrast.. Otherwise it will be white wall and woodwork and a downpipe chimney breast... So let's just say you went with some contrast... For Downpipe you could have Plummett or Manor house grey for the wood work... You could do the floor too.... Take these ideas and extend them to the other rooms... See what feels right.. Let me know what you think and if you get all that... and have more questions.. I just can't ever write a paragraph!! :))

Our sitting room has brown leather sofas, a black, dark brown & cream cow skin rug and lots of wood. It is decorated with memorabilia from our time living in India and China. Our house is Tudor style, some parts dating back to 16th Century but this room is in an extension that was built about 30 years ago. The room which we call the “Gentleman’s Lounge” currently has gold tone silk curtains that are short (right hand window). The left hand window in the photo has one long cream curtain that I put up just to see what a longer lighter colour curtain would look like. My questions: Long or short curtains? Ring plus pleats or eyelet curtains ? Should I raise the curtain rod or will it look odd because of the wooden beam across the top of the windows? Any other advice or suggestions would be appreciated