If you are making a studio that you can actually paint in, then you'll need bare boards varnished or silk-gloss painted - otherwise your rug will get ruined! Also, think about a system for hanging your works - either permanently or whilst they dry. No point having a beautifully-painted wall getting pockmarked with pins or blutac, or never changing your wall display because you want to keep things 'perfect'. A system of 'washing lines' running parallell to and close to the walls works nicely. (Jute string and clothes pegs for an old-fashioned look; steel cable or malin wire and metal hooks for contemporary - yacht chandlers are the place to go for the latter. ) Have a look at Gwen John's paintings for colour inspiration. Even though her painted interiors were Parisian, her palette remained rather English. On damp - limewash is magic. It doesn't seal off damp but processes it. Years ago, I painted the north wall of my very unfinished kitchen in Normandy with limewash, but didn't do the patch where the sink was. When we took the sink out to put in the floor(...) we found that the unpainted patch was DRIPPING but the painted parts were dry.

We have the same type of panelling in our hall and it was oak the same as yours with an oak floor. It just started to feel quite dark and drab but we hesitated to to do anything for fear of messing it up. In the end we painted all the panelling in Farrows French grey, left the doors and floors wood and painted the sides of our staircase and the spindles in Farrows clunch but left the newel posts and the bannister rail as wood - looks like a different hallway - I have never regretted painting it

Good morning Littlegem, Your 'forever home' is stunning, Wow! Particularly love the intricate brickwork in a herringbone formation, the designers pulled out the darker tones from the beautiful wood beams and implemented them into the windows, door overhang and door. A few design suggestions for you: - To note changing the windows will result in needing to change the garage doors, front door (something to think about) - Think about what you want to achieve: enhance and modernise the current traditional setting or make dramatic changes i.e. change of colour of the beams? - Simple cost effective changes include: removal of lead flashing, fencing changes and introduction of colour, decorative planters and decorative garden accessories, installation of modern wall lighting, Ivy (although this looks stunning can sometimes be detrimental to the external brickwork) What a stunning home, which will be even more so-with your personal design signature implemented. Have a great day, keep us posted with your project Warm and best wishes Team SPEAK

I suspect what I’m suggesting is not in fact equal to knocking the house down and starting again- and may well be a £20k -£25k saving. Assuming the new wing has new footings it can be built at a lower level for little difference in cost, you are lowering ground level outside the front door already. Changing the height of the hallway could be inexpensive but that depends on if it’s a solid floor or timber raised off the foundation. Lowering the floor in the former kitchen again depends on the original construction but since you are rewiring, re plumbing and re plastering much of these costs were already in the plan. So by my reckoning you save £25k by not building a first floor dining room, £10k for not building a roof terrace, £5k because of not needing a sprinkler system. Then you need to add £2k for an additional aperture on the entrance level, £4k for new floor joists, £8k for replacement stairs (and I bet you had already planned to spend some money on your existing stairs) and likely £3k of fees. So overall a saving I do understand that the first floor has good views but equally that means the entrance level has garden access and more privacy. And I think style wise the split levels wouldn’t be missed in fact the big glazing, open staircases and vaulted ceilings defines its 60s origins more than the split levels. And in my opinion it will feel bigger for having fewer changes in levels.