Thank you all very much for the ideas - very helpful. I'm also thinking of putting an extra parking space to the left of the garage - dark grey granite chippings with a granite sett path leading to the front door, so a more neutral colour than the blues and reds I was originally thinking off would work well I think - thanks again.

Hi both, thank you for replying. Minnie - I love that pale grey, don't suppose you know what it is?? I have some grey undercoat which is dark so I could always try that on a test patch to get an idea although I think paler would work best in this hall. It's south facing so gets sun in the morning but is fairly dark in the avo. Yes I plan on hanging some pictures to balance out the large expanse of wall up the stairs as it looks too bare now. Re the dado - I was only going to run it up the stairs really and not around the rest of the hall, although this might be a no no. It was mainly to break it up and give people something to hold/touch when walking down the stairs

I'd vote for all black. It will really set off the detailing of the arch. It's such an interesting shape. Maybe add a potplant (small tree) either side too, something like olive or bay in a black pot..

Hi Louise - I’m so glad you asked that question as I’ve just been googling the exact same thing! I have a red brick Victorian cottage, and want to change the door fixtures and colour. It’s currently not a million miles from Painswick, but with more yellow it in that hasn’t aged well. I’m considering F&B De Nimes blue, and seeing Sonia’s Pigeon blue has strengthened my feeling about that - grey/blue and terracotta look great together, I think. Do post your eventual choice, I’d love to see it!