Thank you everyone for your great ideas! Actually, the room is not as dark as you think - the window is east facing, and we do get a good deal of sunshine through it... I think the pictures don't do the room justice. I do agree, dark furniture does make it seem very dull though. OK, here is what I am thinking at the moment... Unfortunately, the sofa does not fit quite right againt the opposite wall, neither does the love seat by the window (I've measured everything up and the sofas are of the wrong sizes). I'd like to replace the love seat with a couple of chairs (as the love seat is quite chunky, and does dominate the room as you walk in), but I can't justify spending the money on that just yet :( I am planning to buy a bigger rug (thank you for the suggestion, ren2513), I do love the white/cream as we have now, but will go for something with a bit more colour through it, and definitely replace the coffee table with a bright ottoman (thinking something along these lines at the moment http://www.marksandspencer.com/oval-button-footstool/p/p22344378001 colour Measham,Ochre)... And I'd like to move the existing rug behind the love seat. I'd also like to either match the wall paper or a few pictures on the wall to the ottoman (colour-wise) for some continuation. The ceiling lamp shade will be replaced with something a bit more original (this was fitted in a rush when we moved in, with no thought behind it!) All the speakers will go, as I don't think they look right in the room, and will be replaced with more descrete ones :) We are keen to replace the TV stand with Skovby TV unit and a display cabinet (in white oak), so a similar idea to what was suggested by Sauve :) thank you! Haven't decided on the 'behind the love seat' arrangement just yet. Thanks again for the suggestions everyone :)

Because of the irregular shaped room I would avoid large or patterned wall tiles which will show cuts more around corners. I would choose a metro tile and paint the walls a warm but neutral colour. I do agree that pattern would be good- perhaps you could add a blind? In my opinion the layout looks good with the exception of the cabinet over the sink which looks disjointed

As Minnie says, not a fan of chalk paint on furniture, it has it's places, but for a washable surface with kids around it's a big No No. It has to be sealed and then it doesn't look like chalk paint anymore - and, quite frankly it's a load of old B*** that it sticks to almost any surface - almost being the operative word there. You can paint ikea units. Scratch the surface with a fine grade sandpaper 120 grit....then use a good quality water based primer - we use dulux. ( one coat should be enough with dulux ) Then buy a waterbased satinwood paint - also our preference is Dulux Diamond Trade..............you can pick your colour off any of their colour cards. You have great flat surfaces, so if it were me i'd roller the top coat on with small gloss rollers. You may need to do more than two coats but it will give a better finish than using a brush. Don't over load the roller, don't worry too much about the small air bubbles, they flatten out when it dries and kind of gel together. x

Thanks all! fran I had originally planned a mirrored splashback to add light and width. But in the end the room doesn’t feel nearly as cramped as I thought, and mirror would reflect all the junk I leave in there! Yes there is a green we have used in the downstairs WC that I could also use there - Pea Green by Little Green - or could use a dark colour like Squid Ink which we have in our front room. rinq I like those murals but it would be semi hidden by washing and ironing board so not sure if it’s worth it? colourhappy Green is what I was thinking.... either Pea Green as mentioned above, or there’s a Botanical Green colour by Sanderson that I really like but wasn’t brave enough for elsewhere! I thought maybe a white mosaic splashback with green grout? I will look up Liza Giles thanks Sonia, I like the idea but can’t find any patterned tiles I love hence thinking of white mosaic with a coloured grout to make a pattern. But now I like the zellige idea... hmmm!