Thanks for the comment. I never did get around to updating this. Thanks everyone for your input. Here's some photos - nothing like the amazing professional photos on Houzz I'm afraid, just taken on my iPhone with the room lights on as its very dull today. In the end I managed to convince my wife to go for a light/dark theme. She was worried the dining room would feel very dark but it really doesn't. We love the distinct feel it gives both the living and dining room. Open plan so a feeling of space but feels like two distinct rooms in their own right. For those who like detail... Paint wise we have used Earthborn clay paint. The living room is Feather Pillow (a very warm neutral grey which reminds me a bit of Skimming Stone). It can look very grey in the north facing daylight but not too cold and warms up beautifully in the evening. I love having the ceiling light dimmed low with the table lamp on. The dining room is Damson Mousse. I love how this changes colour through the day. Sometimes it's more purple sometimes it's very soft and warm, almost aubergine. We also used Earthborn in our bedroom (Cupboard Love). In hindsight it was a poor choice for the dining room because it has almost no durability. It will take a brush against the wall but any liquid splashes ruin it (except for pure water which just evaporates out as its so breathable). It wouldn't be so bad if it touched up nicely and the lighter colours in the living room and bedroom do touch up well but the purple touches up terribly unfortunately. All woodwork, including the shelves which I had made by a local carpenter and the alcove cabinets, which I made myself, are painted in Loft White Intelligent Emulsion by Little Greene. You'll notice I did successfully paint the brown uPVC window frames and have had quite a few compliments. The black rubber gaskets were removed for painting and the frames had two coats of Zinsser BIN, a coat of acrylic primer undercoat (I used Leyland) and a topcoat. The wood grain effect on the frames makes it look very realistic. I also replaced the gold coloured handles for chrome ones. The floor is QuickStep Impressive in Soft Oak Natural and continues into the hall. We found a very good local fitter who also fit all of our new skirting board and architraves. The shutters are from a company called Shutterly Fabulous who are on Houzz I think. They supplied, measured and fitted and were a very reasonable £1200. We bought a set of their DIY shutters from their sister company California Shutters which I fitted myself in the bedroom. A few other details...the living room chimney has a false stud frame around it which conceals the wiring down to the left cupboard which contains all the AV gear. It also allows the TV bracket, mounted to the real chimney, to be recessed to get the TV right up to the wall. The room has hard wired 5.1 speaker terminals run under the floor and buried in the walls, all terminated at a 5.1 speaker wall plate in the left alcove. There is also 4x gigabit Ethernet ports in the left cupboard which terminate back at my network cabinet under the stairs. Most of the house lights are remote control and can be controlled by physical remotes, iPhones etc. Using LightwaveRF technology. Both radiators were replaced and the living room radiator moved under the bay window (the love seat does not stop it heating the room). Fitted with decent chrome valves and pipe snaps and chrome roses to conceal the copper. Sofa and love seat are from sofa.com. Both are part of the Isla range. Ceiling lights and lamps are from John Lewis. The dining room light was off centre which I realised after we decorated but I'm a bit OCD about things like that so I moved it over (fortunately the carpet was already up in my daughter's room above fit plastering and decoration and there was plenty of slack wire). Rug, throw, cushions and dining chairs are from Next. Plant and pot were a bargain in Homebase. New oak doors were bought online. Finally, the sideboard is from Cotswold Co and the side tables from a local shop. Both are far eastern imports to save money. The side tables are excellent quality, the sideboard less so but you get what you pay for. We invested a bit more in the dining table which is solid European oak (from Lithuania I think). Anyway I think that covers it. Hope you like it. Any questions please ask and sorry for any typos as I wrote this on my iPhone.

Hi. I must admit this isn't something I would probably do myself as it may close the room in. However, I would go for a low wide fire so the tv can be hung low otherwise it may be uncomfortable to watch. Build a recess for the tv and use a textured wallpaper etc to make that the focal point (I would normally say something really dark to disguise the tv but it will bring the ŵall in if you did that). I'd go for handless cupboards to keep with the contemporary feel but also so it's less busy. I would have shelves above to retain a feeling of openness or mix and match open and covered as in pic 3. Move the mirror (or buy another large one) to the ŵall opposite the window as it is increasing the feeling of space. I can't find great pics so they're a hybrid of suggestions! Another option is to have an off centre fire closest to the window so the fire isn't obscured by the sofa.

Hi Miss, If you're installing a wood burner or multi-fuel appliance in your property then you will have to comply with Building Regulations and HETAS. The maximum horizontal run for a chimney on a solid fuel appliance is 200mm or 8". This is because flue gas wants to rise as its hot and having a large horizontal run in a chimney can cause it to stall and not work properly. In terms of installation of a twin wall chimney system in your property it is strongly recommended that the chimney runs internally. This is to do with maintaining the flue gas temperature within the chimney itself to ensure it draws properly. Chimneys which are run externally don't work as effectively and in the colder winter months can cause issues when lighting the stove. Chimneys should always be kept as vertical as possible and if you can have a straight run going all the way through then its considered to be the best chimney to have on a solid fuel appliance, bends and elbows will cause resistance and limit your draw. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask. Rich @ Beacon

I vote for the central position; it seems there are furniture layout decisions either way, and it's such a super feature that it should be central -- my sense of symmetry also agrees!