I was a die hard F&B fan - painted numerous houses solely in F&B for the finish etc. HOWEVER due to budget constraints, a current offer at Homebase on Dulux paint (inc. mix) , and the fact i'm painting an entire 3 storey house i experimented with colour matching F&B colours - specifically Cornforth White, Purebeck Stone, Ammonite and Pink Ground. Opting for the Endurance Matt and Flat Matt finishes by Dulux i was pleasantly surprised by the results. The colour match was pretty much spot on - i would caveat that the Dulux colour match won't produce matching finishes for all colours. For example Dulux couldn't match a flat eggshell in the Cornforth White so we bought Estate Eggshell from F&B and it goes perfectly well with the walls in the matched Dulux Endurance Matt. In the master bedroom we choose to use F&B Cornforth White and Pink Ground and estate emulsion and I felt it was a thinner paint than the Dulux! The added benefit of the Dulux colour match is that they can provide a number of different more durable finishes. If you want colour inspiration have a look at Paint & paper Library too.

Why not move your art and accessories into a bedroom and make the living room space accent colour red instead? Farrow & Ball French Gray (which is a green/grey) goes great with red and will look good with your cream sofas. Or you could go a stone colour on the walls, or teal works with red too. It would certainly be cheaper than ripping out expensive work tops.

Hello Simon, One thing that I think would also benefit.. is to split up the wall of red sofa.. I would move the corner piece next to the side table and move it out into that portion of the room.. turn it 90 degrees to the left and then move the two sofa pieces along to their right a fraction.. This will help to balance the room... I do agree that something above the sofa too would benefit.. Mirror or large canvas.. It may be nice to paint the chimney breast.. The shelf to the right of the fireplace looks not quite straight.. Perhaps consider moving this to the wall slightly to the left above the sofas. If they were situated with interesting configurations or perhaps box shelves that you can create a feature with.. Paint them to match the wall so it appears to blend but offers some texture.. The books could sit inside and it would offer a contrast to the low sideboard along the other wall.. : ))

I have dove grey handleless doors in my kitchen but have the same colour all round and on the island too. I painted the walls in Wevet which is almost a white but with a mere hint of grey. You can only really tell the grey tone when it’s against the white ceiling join. On the wall at the far end where the dining table is I have wallpaper to add a bit of interest. Perhaps these are options for you?