Hi thorpesa, I can see why you went for it, it looks really nice. But if you have it and don't like it I would suggest you sell it on. Someone is going to love it just as it is. You could end up titivating it yet still not love it and then it would be more difficult to sell. So, look for something you really like then when you are ready buy the new mantel or stove, and sell this piece. I hope that's helpful?

Hi Helen, it's all about the undertones. All colours have a 'bias' towards one colour, for example Cornforth White has a blue (cool bias), Bone has a green bias, Joa's white has a red (warm) bias etc. As long as you choose colours that have the same bias you should be ok. The other important factor is the aspect of the room. If a room is gloomy, you need to be really careful about what colour neutral you choose, avoiding ones with a blue bias as they will feel cold.

I always stick with Dulux Matt Vinyl from Dulux trade centres. My experience of other paints is: Farrow & Ball is it was terrible to paint with and takes a lot of coats because it’s like water Neptune paint was lovely to paint with and gave a good finish but was super expensive and very limited colour wise. I also tried Valspar from b&q, which was fine to put on but is now peeled on the edges and marks very easily.

Have you investigated the state of the stairs under the carpet? If they are decent, exposing the wood stair might be a possibility. If so, a warm or dark finish against a crisp wall. If you prefer to not have the noise of foot traffic, a runner with only a small margin could work. You might be able to work in a natural finish rail , or rope and wood combination rail as am thinking any rail would have to be flush to the wall so as not to encroach on the passage. The expanse of wall - hmmm. I think i would leave the walls at the side ornament free, and just paint. But the window wall could make a great gallery wall... pictures, mirrors (antique styles or interesting frames), narrow shelves for ornament/ books, or those ikea picture shelves so frames can be rearranged or updated. You might even consider a hanging - a tapestry or a drop of material that you find attractive. The hanging might even inspire your color choices. It may work to use only the upper section, leaving the lower section clear to walk through or the space may even allow for a combination of these suggestions. Enjoy exploring the possibilities!