Lime green. Ferns. yellows, oranges red are vintage colours to pick up in a large rug. Add large colourful prints in simple black ikea frames. paint your own canvas or get a few friends to do some instead of painting the walls. just a few tulips or daffodils at the moment will add zing. A white painted coffee table with magazines with colourful covers. just add frivolity & the black will act as a foil for colour. I also love Gold with white for a modern twist. As it is a rental don't invest money in stuff you can't take with you. Only buy what you love. remember the interior design adage: Every room needs something black. (albeit not this much, perhaps!) It will be fine.

I have a carpet shop in Fife, and we've fitted quite a few stairs with runners. The runner doesn't need to be in one piece, it could be cut into strips from the 4m width and joined behind the stair rods. Even if you don't want stair rods (which are purely decorative by the way!) the carpet can still be joined there. Crucial Trading should be able to advise you of a trusted retailer in your area who can measure up and advise you on the best solution for your landing too! Hope that helps, good luck!

I have sisal on stairs and I love it. However, I wouldn't use it in a living area with children, it stains. Would you consider huge format tiles in a warm neutral with a slight texture? With underfloor heating and rugs they would look smart and be really practical and not jar with the others possibly? Or as rinked says just use the same. I see Rocket St George as dark and glam and White Company light and airy and Cornish and Neptune as a kind of mix of the two.

Agree about a wooden floor instead of carpet. Another good point is an independent supplier. You will have to visit a showroom, take some time to look through what is available and some of them will let you bring the sample packs home to try it against your furniture, etc. I have cream pure wool loop pile carpets (they came with the house) and they are a nightmare. Cat claws and impossible to get stains out properly. I have had seagrass, jute and sisal before. They were all impossible to clean. A hard floor with rugs is a much easier (if less cosy) option. Rugs can also be layered which adds warmth in winter. I think you are looking for a sand colour. Cream or beige is too light and impractical.