I would remove the scooped headboard that accentuates the alcove. I certainly wouldn't 'hang' a mirror but opt for clean lines. Instead of a headboard I would use lateral tongue & groove up to the light switches above the bed up to the alcove & as far as the end of the bedside cabinets to give the bed a ships cabin feel. A good joiner could also add bedside cupboards to the "headboard" to continue the ships cabin feel. I would continue the lateral tongue & groove into the alcove, all over, which would be higher than the T&G above the bed but keeps it cohesive & makes a real integrated feature of the alcove. I think lateral T&G keeps it contemporary & not seaside twee. I would T&G the whole bed area in this way & keep the rest of the room pretty simple. If you wanted a mirror I would have a glazier cut a porthole mirror in the centre of the alcove surrounded by the tongue & groove. All the T&G in the whole bed area should be painted in the same colour i think so that the alcove becomes part of the whole. It will be a lovely individual feature but for success the alcove has to be integrated , i feel. A few books & a few natural pieces would look great on the bottom ledge of the alcove & would be useful too. You are so lucky to already have bed side lights & I would just change the fittings to a contemporary cabin style light on either side. There are lots around & are usually metal I think.

We may not share artistic values but we do share one good thing... love and our life together - he's simply your typical man who loves to lounge around even when covered in dirt! We may have completely different ideas for our home but he is a good egg :) Anyway I do believe we have found common ground... surprisingly he really likes my idea of using grey with bright colours. We have agreed that as long as I stop forcing him to endure flamingos or similar, he will put up with me buying vintage and completely unnecessary furniture. He's said I can do whatever I want with those awful armchairs... WIN! I think we are going with man friendly greys meets pops of colour/vintage. It's pay day next week and I simply can't wait any longer!! Having said that... some ideas for what style of vintage and arrangements will be wonderful! Here is the photo from my kitchen door - anything attached to the walls were already there from the previous residents and will be removed... such as the mirror which isn't in line with that hideous folding table and the strange religious wall in the corner.... plus the half finished wallpaper on the chimney breast lol. x

Stunning photography guys. Beautiful

Thanks to all those persevering with me, or even just stopping by to see what's happening. I should probably confess that I don't intend to start anything until the New Year, except maybe some wallpaper stripping during the Christmas holiday, so that still leaves me 4 full months to 'perfect' any ideas that come my way. I'm also finding Floorplanner a little addictive. Far more entertaining for me than any of these premium computer games. If only enthusiasm and creativity came in equal measures. Thank you for those layout images Carolina. They have helped a little, if negatively. Seeing the vestibule size & shape, along with the way it changes the living room make me inclined to leave it as it currently is. Not only smaller, but it has, at least to me, a better look & feel. Another thought I had is that I'm unlikely to put any shelving in the larger alcove. I don't really have anything I could use shelves that size for. The small alcove would be ideal for some books & DVDs, but for the few I still have it would be enough. Plants wouldn't be an option either as the corner doesn't really get enough natural light. I'm still toying with the idea of having my computer desk in the smaller alcove. the main problem here is the gas & electric meters in the cupboard below. So far I'm working on two possible solutions, but if anyone has any thoughts on how, or even if I should do it, feel free to share them. My first idea was to have a desk (style to be decided) with the monitors on. I could have a pull out shelf underneath for the keyboard, similar to the one I have now. The meters would be housed in a small cupboard, though not much smaller than the current one, with the computer accessories on top of it. The second idea, which started from the earlier suggestion from Jenny, would be to just have a larger cupboard hiding most of it when not in use, and I just open the cupboard doors when using it. The second option is much better for legroom as, apart from the meters, there's plenty of space between them.