WOW! that looks a fantastic room :) I can understand your worry, but I think you could do a similar scheme to what is there now with a blue on the ceiling and chimney. A stifiky blue would look great

If you want to warm it you you could use a tan to complement it either side? For the floor I'd go for a hard floor with a rug over fitted carpet, maybe a rich honey colour plane which is wide to give a cosy feel.

I'd probably keep this image in mind, the blue ceiling with white plasterwork would look stunning and a rich wood (which you can just see) would complement it and warm it up.

Hi Sarah, what a beautiful living room! If you decide to go down the more traditional style - you can definitely carry off the dark blue moody colour wall palette which are very authentic to the Victorian era. I would recommend using Little Greene rather than Farrow & Ball paint and I would paint the woodwork on the arches and windows too.

You could try using:

Dock Blue

https://www.littlegreene.com/dock-blue

Hicks Blue

https://www.littlegreene.com/hicks-blue

I would pair these wall colours with a slightly warmer beige herringbone flooring - LVT or laminate flooring and a nice textured wool rug.

https://www.luxuryflooringandfurnishings.co.uk/nest-cortado-herringbone-luxury-vinyl-flooring-5mm-thick.html

I've done a little moodboard to show how these colours compliment one another to create a moody, yet cosy feel to the room.

Best of luck with your project! I'd love to see the finished room when you're done :)

Thanks v much Tara & Kingfisher your help in seeing how we want it to be pulled together massively helps. I've added a picture of my ceiling currently, in a green that does nothing for the room & I don't want to go that dark with a blue but can see I definitely need a darker colour within the mouldings - darker white ???

Hi Sarah,

Wow!! The ceiling is stunning! Gorgeous architectural features!! Yes a slightly darker white would be a nice contrast if you don't want to carry the dark blue onto the ceiling, how about a lighter blue? I love the ceiling Kingfisher added

Tara, thanks. I'm not sure I do want to go as dark on the ceiling as the green there currently, but know I need to define the mouldings.
 Also I'm not sure what you mean regarding painting the arch woodwork and the window woodwork ... is your vision that the chimney breast is blue and then the woodwork on the arch & windows only or the whole room in the dark blue? If just did chimney breast I might be tempted to put the dark colour on the ceiling.... decisions decisions!!
What colour woodwork? I've added another picture of the arch so you can see where it sits in the room.
What are the names of the beige, warm colours you've highlighted so I know what to look for too, as your mood board is what I'm hoping to achieve, as you & kingfisher highlight, the warm wood works better & will still be warm & luxurious, which is what my hubby wants with carpet. 
Thanks again!

Hi Sarah,

I agree a lighter colour will work better on the ceiling.

In regards to the walls, I meant I would paint everything in the alcove under the archway in Dock Blue including the Chimney Breast and woodwork. Or you could paint the wall in Dock Blue and paint the Chimney Breast and woodwork in Hicks Blue for some contrast. I've saved a few images on Pinterest to show how this might look.

https://pin.it/1Olmtmh

I wouldn't paint the rest of the walls in this colour unless you have another living area so this one would essentially be a more extravagant room for less frequent use.

I'll send some links to warm neutral paints in a minute.

Hi Sarah,

As promised here are some links to warm neutrals that work well with Dock Blue and Hicks Blue.

https://www.littlegreene.com/slaked-lime-deep

https://www.littlegreene.com/slaked-lime

https://www.littlegreene.com/rolling-fog-light

https://www.littlegreene.com/joanna

Definitely order the free colour card from the Little Greene website and it's worth trying samples first, as colour varies massively according to the natural light and orientation of the room so it's worth testing these colours in your room before purchasing.

Best of luck and would love to see some "after" photos!! :)