My gosh, a fantastic job - I might have to try this

Controversially, I think they are in, for certain rooms ( big windows, high ceilings) and certain looks ( boho, maximalist, steam punk, whimsical). Check out House of Hackney for old school chintzy style done in an edgy way. it's not for everyone but I like elements of it. I have a load of pelmet fabric, already swagged with attached tassly fringes, which came with my second hand curtains. The curtains are up and the pelmets will be once I summon the strength. Whole house renovation is an absolute time sucker. I have about a dozen ongoing diy jobs on at the moment and now I have a living room Netflix is soo tempting... the pics are a bit rubbish as I'm still considering the curtains a work in progress. The left ones still aren't hung correctly. Plus, it's not hugely obvious but the curtains are cobbled together from two pairs, hence horizontal seam halfway down.

Thanks everyone! So helpful. Colourhappy and ED I hadn’t thought about painting the room white first but I think that’s a great idea, as it’s difficult to visualise what the room could look like while the current decor is here (esp the red ceiling)! I forgot to say that we are doing all the work ourselves (and are not DIY pros) to keep costs down, so unfortunately I think we’ll have to work around the fireplace. They are a bit marmite, aren’t they - I probably wouldn’t like it if it was dark brown. I also don’t like the pelmet CD, and if it’s not original I’m not interested in keeping it. Just need to figure out how to get it out without causing too much damage! Lovely colour scheme suggestions along the lines of what I was thinking. Thank you all again.

Do you mean the Boiler Upgrade Scheme for air source heat pumps etc? Not me, but I believe they provide up to £5k for installation so I guess it must be expensive.