OK so I agree with a lot of the advice here: Curtains- keep them simple, eyelets, plain fabric, hung straight to the floor, with no swags or anything fussy. Choose any colour......I actually liked the earlier mentioned green but for a feminine feel choose a flower colour for accents in cushions, lamps, rugs, pictures and ornaments. The wall where you have your sofa currently is crying out for something big and tall to match the proportions of your window. Personally I would get a sideboard then fill the wall with either: several matching framed pictures or mirrors, or hang a rug like a tapestry or I would buy a wall mural and frame it with panelling. Alternatively you could wallpaper that as a feature wall. Scale (those are big windows so other things also have to be big, especially on the wall). Pattern and texture: think soft furnishings. Lighting- table lights, a chandelier, perhaps an LED wall washer. Try unusual positioning of lights- under the stairs, behind the sofa and behind the mezzanine. Furniture placement- try to have a feeling of a separate living space - this can be achieved with anchoring it all to a large rug that goes under most of the furniture. Move your exiting sofa in front of the window and move the TV under the mezzanine. Then add a couple of chairs, flanking the TV so that you have a sociable area without obstructing the path to the stairs.

Depending on how many people watch tv, I'd try the same As Carolina's 2nd suggestion but with one chair where the tv is angled towards the sofa (but not pushed right against the wall) with the tv in the other alcove. I do agree with Emily though! Seating arrangements are important for a cosy/homely feel but so are various other elements so why not post pictures so people can make suggestions? If you've got the space I'd also add a slim console behind the sofa as it will give the feeling of separation from the hall. You can pick up ones that are 25cm deep so could always move the sofa forward a fraction. If you don't want to add pics then think lighting, art, plants, colour, a range of different textures, books, diffuser or scented candle plus a rug to zone the seating area and perhaps some things that have meaning to you. Do you also have anything in the dining area other than a table? I have an obsession with cocktail trollies (and it's costing us a fortune with a g&t or 2 after work for my husband! ) but they're great for when socialising and needn't just contain alcoholic drinks if you don't drink!

I think one of the biggest problems in your lounge is where the radiator has been positioned. Ordinarily they would sit in the bay, and yours has been moved to the internal wall fairly opposite the fireplace. Can you move that? Also, the door is not in a great place as it too hinders sofa placement. The rad and the door are both in the way. Although it seems like a radical move, it is really essential to move both of them for an optimum layout as the room is not wide enough to place sofas across like this:- I like the blinds, and the rug and you could certainly work with those colours. If you want added plushness at the windows to make it more cosy, then put up curtains with a nice chunky wooden pole too. The mirror is a bit large for the fireplace, so I would change that. I'd probably also change the shelving system to the left of the fireplace. It dominates the room, and doesn't match so well with the one on the right. Swapping the T.V to the left hand side makes it shielded from the windows and is a slightly better place for it.

Hi Dominic, Although I would say it's not ideal to have a door opening onto the island, 1.4 is a good distance. It's nice to have an unbroken pathway from the door through if you can. Of course, this isn't always possible. How far are your units from the island? If you have draws they don't pull out as far as a cupboard door so you can look around 1-1.1m meters. This also makes it easier to turn without taking a step which is handy when taking things out the oven etc If you bring them a little closer, could the island finish in-line with the door so it's not opening onto the island ( without knowing the current distance... this might not be possible). Could you shift the opening a little closer to the bathroom door? Or what about having no door and just the opening?