Congratulations on your new home. You're right, the Artex is awful. I've heard that it's really hard to remove and given the apparent age of your property if you try to remove it, you might have to redo the whole ceiling. I think there are products out there that help cover up the artex and smooth it out. There are some lovely period features that I would keep to add the class you're after. I suspect the mouldings on the ceiling and the picture rail are probably original but are so gunked up with years of paint that they've lost their definition and it looks like a couple of places are badly repaired. The fireplace looks okay, could do with stripping and repainting (perhaps in a modern colour), but the 1980s gas fire isn't doing any favours. I'd touch up the fireplace and replace the fire. I think if you're after classy and modern-ish it'll be your choice of light fittings, accessories and soft furnishings that'll tip the balance. The mouldings and ceiling rose will help add the class, they just need tidied up.

Hi Jonathan. Thanks for the replies - they got us talking about a bunch of things! We totally agree about the entrance to the living space - it is too crowded - and the utility room does seem overly large. As a result we're now thinking of broaching the following with the architects. Mirror the stairs mum has on her side to where our current utility room is. They don't need much space which allows for the adjacent study to grow. They would also no longer encroach on the hallway - allowing for a wider door and wider access to it. As an added benefit the stairs would exist facing a better direction (towards the familly bathroom) on the first floor. Potentially this could be three wins! This is the upstairs plan, btw, with the stairs ending facing a wall: The utility room would be moved to the front of the house where the wc and cloakroom are and while we would lose the outside access, it would be close to the front door to get the dogs in quick. The downstairs wc could then go under the stairs? I think that would work. I like the idea of the seperate games room but my better half has vetoed it. She's adamant she wants it in the main social area. And mum was toying with a bedroom downstairs, but would rather the space for other things. It is a good suggestion and one that i've echoed, but she is strong willed and knows what she wants (I wouldn't have it any other way!). A lift or stair master may be on the cards at some point, though. Cheers again for the input!

Oh my word! Dyson is adorable! so ickle!! Now I wanna find a Rune (his name - like rune stones.. not like Rooney 😂) sized box to put him in. Thanks for the 3rd design! I'm always impressed how you come up with such interesting designs (compared to my rectangle of grass with straight boarders I'd envisioned) I think we still prefer the 1st design in part because Chris want's to keep more of the grass. I'd be tempted though to put some sort of low fence to deter Rune from eating crops so maybe I could put some plants against it and growing up that to help disguise? I think the old paving slabs is the best way forward atm instead of the stones... I never truly appreciated how many stones there were just around the garden... just around on the grass.. close to the house and rubble left from the building work, random ones on the small remaining bit of patio that I think have been kicked in from the driveway... Ironically the pile of new ones all in one place are the easiest to keep him away from! (doing the driveway has also jumped up to a higher priority for the year! 🙈) Does Dyson like your Dyson? (assuming you have one) I managed to terrify him the other day when I tried to clear up some of the bits of grass we'd brought back in with us (despite having a treat at the time!)

I think everyone will have a different opinion on this. Me, I prefer shower panels. I have Nuance by Bushboard in my shower cubicle. Soooo easy to wipe down and keep clean. However I didn’t remove all the tiles that were already in the shower room as they were neutral and half way up all around the small room. They don’t get ground in muck on the grout like a shower area does. I don’t like to see a bathroom/shower room tiles floor to ceiling. You do need in all the way up in the shower cubicle area, but it’s not necessary everywhere else which then gives you the opportunity to add colour with emulsion. In a few years time when you have to decorate you can just paint the top half which will make it feel as though it’s had a change.