Hi emham, there's nothing wrong with a little beige here and there but too much can certainly 'wash out' the character of a room. Don't feel you have to overcompensate by using bold colours or patterned feature walls; it may feel dated within a few years and we humans get bored quickly so giving a room the flexibility to change every six to 12 months without a great deal of expense will give you much more satisfaction. If you are set on painting the walls then perhaps consider an 'antique' or 'off-white'; with good ambient lighting I find these are always the warmest colours. If you're going to go bold then keep the upper part white above the picture rail, its less oppressive on the mind! Gloss the woodwork, freshen u[p the plaster covings and let the period features speak for themselves. For a real burst of colour hang paintings, add textured cushions and throws on the furniture and add a bit of natural warmth with plants .. lots of green plants. A 'soft' central feature light with the correct energy efficient lighting can change the room's ambiance, along with wall lights, table and floor lamps. Depending on your budget, you could strip the carpet back and hope for a wooden floor beneath, but if you haven't the time or budget for installing a reclaimed wood floor, adding a colourful rug over the top of your carpet will do just as well and you could always replace the fabric window blinds with natural wooden shutters for that natural wood feel. You may also consider re-installing the Victorian fireplace! Keep creative and have fun.

I think pick out the green or the blue in the wallpaper, but go a shade or two lighter. There’s a lovely programme on bbc2 at the moment where artisans decorate a William Morris Arts & Crafts House room by room each week which may give you some more inspiration.

Its funny but I am liking the darker shades more and more. Always used to go for pastels but my tastes are evolving! The matchcards in your earlier pic, on the table, seem to be much lighter than the later pic with the fabric, not sure why. The middle colour, Paradise Found, seems to match the flower in the fabric very well so it would work. But I must be honest I love the two greeny blues more. They are very similar to Inchyra Blue by F&B. Would you go all over? I think with white shutters and white woodwork it would look stunning. Here’s a pic of Inchyra Blue so you can see how similar it is, but a little darker?

I took your advice @alyson38 , @Fran and @Raumtastik and here is how it looks so far. I havent finished painting walls which will be SW Alabaster. I am currently trying to decide if I should do open shelving on either side of the kitchen window (I put some blue painter's tape where it would go) or some blinds (in natural wood looking woven linen, bamboo). It needs something there as it looks kinna blah.