So funny! I'm planning to paint the bannister at the new house (TNH) black and am veering towards painting the treads and risers black too... I've been searching for images of black staircases on Houzz and putting them in my entrance hall ideabook. They are few and far between. In your case, I think, with your white walls, maybe the stairs white and the bannister black? (Assuming the white walls continue up the stair walls enabling the b/w contrast.) You've already put black firmly into the equation, adding some more may give more reason for the black rad cab. In my case, there is a very off-centre radiator that could so very easily have been directly opposite the front door in TNH which is rather annoying as it stuffs up the focal point. We are leaving here with every radiator covered with a cabinet - and going to TNH that has loads of radiators ...but no cabinets! Yes, the work ahead is daunting - especially since the area of Ireland we're going to is very basic and not full of DIY resources, etc. I keep thinking I'll paint TNH white - to make things simpler(!) But try as I may colour keeps wandering through my mind! Lovely to be in touch again!

Yes I did look at these as would have gone for something like that for sure if I could only find a contemporary version that wasn’t frosted glass - if anyone has seen any please do shout! emily, a carpenter friend of ours suggested Louvre doors - it maybe an option. I think I’m so hung up on the nice grey glossy sliding wardrobe doors I wanted that anything else isn’t matching up! If only I could get a grey glossy door in that barn style the previous person posted about I’d be a happy bunny! Thanks ever so much for taking the time to give your ideas

Whilst I understand the constraints of budget I think you are approaching the planning wrong. I think the way to do this is to decide on the layout that works best and then work out what you can afford to do now- perhaps you can make economies on purchases such as the kitchen cabinets to get a better Gliw in your home. An architectural designer or a concept planner are worth considering to help with this- they would also help you visualise the finished space too. If this were my house I would be thinking the entrance wasn’t big enough for the size of house and I would be concerned about privacy of the bedrooms at the front, I also don’t like the current kitchen being some distance from a window and being a heavy traffic area. Although I can’t see the layout properly I think I have got the sizes about right to show how I would do it. I have moved the front door to the middle of the house, shown a vaulted hall with stairs to two big upstairs spaces, shown the living space as completely open plan but with the option of using one of the downstairs bedrooms or one of the upstairs rooms as an extra living room. In my opinion there are often houses with long narrow extensions across the back that should have been better considered as invariably people need bigger spaces rather than more small rooms and retrospectively opening up the original house into this space is more difficult that building in the steels originally. So my plan doesn’t change any of the external walls of the original property but a couple of internal brick walls have been removed. I have just shown what is commercial and probably wouldn’t cost the earth but a designer would spend time trying to better understand your needs.

Without reading everyone's comments, I'd sum it up as "rug" and "colour", definitely. In your very first pictures, the thing that struck me is that although I hate TVs, the picture where the TV is on is already better than the one where it's off. Reason? Colour. The mantel is fantastic, but assuming it's a working fireplace (can't really tell from the fire you've got in there...) I'd put a gorgeous wood-burning stove in there. I'd also not hesitate with some dark dramatic colour. The thing you can't put your finger on is "bland". Very, I'm afraid. Be daring!