Hi Freckle Frog I really like what you've got going there. And I actually think the dining room light matches your art work -- the curved stems and the cup shape of the lights mimics a bunch of tulips. Colour wise, for your kitchen I think whites with your existing cabinets could be too tricky. The neutral, pale greys with a touch of green tones will pick up the colour of the dining room cabinet and blend beautifully with any type of cream kitchen cabinet. I would stay clear of blue grey -- unless there's lots of red brick and heavy timbers in the room, it is just too cold for too long up north of the 49th! I used Farrow and Ball's pale powder in my north facing office in Vancouver and it feels warm through the sleety winters and cool enough in the summer. *Bonus* Farrow and Ball paints are from Britain, and the colour palette reflects the colour schemes of Cotswold cottages and London townhouses. They have sample tins! Try skylight, light blue or pale powder. These may also satisfy your sense of nostalgia a bit.

Go shopping for one of the more expensive items you will be buying, find something you love and use the colours from that. Maybe you're going to get new curtains, headboard, chair or even just some beautiful cushions and work from that. Declutter before you start and enjoy the end result:)

Thanks for all the suggestions. We're definitely looking at a new radiator for the room. I've also moved all of the furniture in every way suggested but it definitely works in a similar way to the way we have it at present. I've attached a few photos from when I was moving the furniture around. For the meantime I've popped the Tv on a smaller unit and it's made it less obtrusive to the eye-still doesn't quite fit the space though! I've had an electrician come out to quote for putting ceiling lights in. Due to works we are planning in the rooms above the living area, it can all be tied in which is great, I'm now trying to decide whether regular pendant style or spotlights will suit the room best. With regards to using the room for another purpose, due to the configuration of the rest of the house, it is best used as a living area. I've attached the floor plan, again, suggestions welcome. Ideally, if we had three good sized bedrooms upstairs instead of 2, I would reinstate bedroom 3 as a dining room. We have the opportunity to go into the loft (many of the houses on the terrace have done so) but I feel that with it being just the two of us, we don't really need all that extra space! With the points raised about difficulties/hassle in bringing food to the dining area, we have a lovely hostess trolley that is used when we are cooking for the extended family which we have done quite a few times and works really well in reducing any awkwardness in orchestrating a dinner party.

Thank you all for voting! We went with a charcoal velvet sofa in the end, very squishy and comfortable - great for the library! Green velvet would have also looked great but as ever, budgets aren’t unlimited so we went with something that would hopefully fit in if the decor changed in the future!