hi, We are having a family reunion this July, and on the first day we've planned a picnic for approximately 200 family members and friends. It will be held on the grounds of my weekend home that was built in 1912. so I decided to create an outside living room and dining room. and I wanted it to blend in with the greenery of the grounds. so what I did, was took old furnishings that I wasn't using or I had stored up and transformed them into outside furniture. for instance, I took an old sofa and had in upholstered in a durable canvass type white fabric that's for outside use. I even skirted the sofa. I then used throw pillows of different patterns but using color schemes of turquoise, apple green and yellow. i covered the chairs in patterns of the same colors. i purchase outside rugs in turquoise and white to set the cocktail table on and the dining table. i covered side chairs in bold coordinating fabrics using the same color scheme.. i painted the side tables and dining table, as well as picnic tables in white....using an oil based paint and sealing it with a clear poly coat. i painted the dining server in turquoise, and the dining chairs in a yellow...it looks amazing, fresh, tropical and timeless. so this is something you can consider for your outside space. Johnna

Wow, thanks so much for all of the amazing tips. They have really helped us out with what might work best in the house. @ Isidora Markovic We are going to treat the wooden floors and keep them dark in Colour. I thought in the kitchen, we might add some spotlights on the ceiling to brighten up the area as a short term solution. @minnie101 Thanks so much, I agree to paint the beam white to blend it into the ceiling. The grasscloth paper will definitely be going. I like the brick as a feature wall and feel the grass cloth is a bit cheap looking. I like the idea of a warm neutral colour. The previous owners shared a picture with white walls and the whole room looked rather cold. As above, I agree that spotlights and lamps will warm the room up a lot. We are based in South Africa, so have many nice paints to choose from. Delux seems to be big here. @Lyn Hickson Thanks so much, Lyn. The precious owner actually owns all of the furniture and the art work. We have travelled quite a bit and thought it might be nice to print some of our images on canvas and hag them instead of art work, so hopefully it will work well in the room. Thanks @ Man About The House - The DIY & Odd Job Handyman - The wooden panel above the arch is actually a bamboo wallpaper which we will be removing - I agree to paint it a neutral/light colour. I'm also quite drawn to a grey colour palette perhaps with some navy/neutral furniture and accessorise with yellow and wood. (not sure if this will work but just a thought). Really appreciate the feedback so far. As much as I would love to live in it first, Im too much of a keen bean and definitely want to give it a lick of paint and get the dirty work done while we have time and before the furniture gets in. Thanks for all the advice - will post some after pictures one it comes together. :)

Hi everyone I am well aware that I haven’t updated you on this room but as it’s often the case things didn’t go according to plan. Everything was in place and we were ready for the bed to go together, only to found that when the removal guys took our bed apart they broke one of the bolts into the frame. So we had to admit defeat and buy a bed base until we can have someone look at it. I need to tweak it a bit more, change the lamps even but for now its ready for business. Thank you for all your help along the way. Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a joy filled time ❤️

It's hard for anyone to say whether you can do it without knowing your diy skills. I used a decorator with general DIY skills to put up my walls as decorators charges tend to be much cheaper. You could also try a handyman however people would need to know type of fire, finish on chimney breast, size and design Etc. I think you'd be better off getting a few quotes though tbh in as trades differ hugely depending on area. If you're looking to put the tv over the fire do think about a comfortable viewing height ( you might consider a ribbon flame style fire as they tend to be long and skinny so the tv could be hung lower) and I would also recess the tv in the chimney breast so as to protect it from the heat of the fire or consider a mantle over the fire to deflect the heat. there's quite a number of paintings on this link which could work not knowing what style of art you like https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/partners/omarobaid/products