Craig, your question on Lighting Control. The rise of LED has brought new dimension to the lighting control debate. Lighting Control Systems such as Lutron are the best way to dim LED. We use Lighting Control Systems with 0-10v, DALI and DMX dimming and it's possible to get very smooth dimming to really low levels. I don't really want to suggest one system over another. I'm sure they all have their strengths. Rako offers wireless flexibility for retrofit applications, Lutron has a superb heritage and history of fantastic reliability. I'd look for dealers who are really experienced in using the system and a manufacturer with a strong local support infrastructure. We've got an introduction to Lighting Control Systems on our site here and there are some useful manufacturer downloads. http://www.brilliantlighting.co.uk/lighting-control/

Hello donned2004, Well you could remove all the things from the hearth.. So it has more space.. Hang the mirror and paint the chimney breast a nice colour to bring the fireplace into full focus.. If you wanted to have an even bigger recess.. you could open the fire out up to the sides of the wooden surround.. So taking out the 30's tiles.. Make sure the lintel is in place or doesn't need replacing and keep the surround it's rather nice.. Remove the current tiled hearth if you chose to open it out more.. and install a flat piece of slate.. So then you would have an open brick recess and a lovely iron basket could sit nicely inside for logs! Another idea to continue into the room.. might be to look at painting the woodwork a colour to compliment any wall colours you have.... Some lovely painted floorboards, or parquet or a natural Jute or Coir flooring if you have not already decided upon something.. : ))

They'll never go out of style Tom - NEVER!! Haha! A10) Ohhh I love eclectic style, Maxine, and yes, I mix styles all the time in my own home! I will say, for as easy as it sounds to just throw everything you love into a space, it’s actually one of the hardest looks to do really well – that’s not to discourage you of course because when it all comes together, it’s incredibly satisfying! While it may be tempting to just include everything you like from all different styles together in one space, the resulting feeling will be one of over-stimulation and confusion. So the secret of this seamless integration requires creativity and some self-imposed boundaries. Sticking with a structured colour palette will give the room cohesiveness without making the room flat and uninteresting. Start with a neutral base for your larger pieces, your paint colours and/or your flooring as a means of grounding the space. Pay attention to how pieces relate to one another and how they relate to the room as a whole. One oversized piece is absolutely fine but 3 or 4 will make the room look cluttered and uncomfortable. Despite using mid-century hoop chairs alongside a more traditional chesterfield in my own living room, the backs of the chairs are of similar height to the low-lying sofa back. There is continuity of the eyeline and nothing jars too dramatically. You also want to ensure that when borrowing from different eras, you mix and match throughout the space – having a mid-century console table with art of the same era hanging above it and then a Victorian style fireplace with an ornate mirror in a different part of the room is going to look ‘off’. Take that artwork and hang it above the fireplace instead and perhaps use the more ornate mirror above the console table instead! Hope that helps!

Good morning Emanuel. Thank you for the picture! It is easier to recommend something when we can see the actual staircase. For your steps and risers, I recommend using our stair cladding parts as you can install them over your existing steps and risers (they are extremely easy to install). You can go for a walnut or white oak timber/colour. The newel post, handrails and spindles don't look too bad so it is up to you if you want to change them or not. It would look better if you changed them. You can renovate them with a stop chamfered design, or you can even go with a glass design (which seems to be the preferred solution for staircase renovation in 2016). Because we have this competition going on, I would suggest that for now you place a small order (maybe buy the cladding products) and then, if you win, you'll be able to get the other stair parts for free. Here is one of the projects where we used our stair cladding parts with our glass panels.