mrshste ... and I thought I was alone in disliking en suites for the same reason! I said this to a real estate agent yesterday and he looked totally confused ... like I was a martian from another planet ... it did make me laugh. I also agree with you re modern bland supposed minimalism ... although I love the original concept of minimalism which was anything but bland or even very white.

1. Curtains It depend of the orientation and if you are overlooked. The double rail is a good idea to give you privacy in the evening with a second layer of curtains. Just be aware when choosing the colours of the fabric on the sides during the day, it can really suck up light and it looks like a large window. The pole could be black or copper as Minnie suggested, picking up the browns of floor and accessories. See trough curtains like light coloured veil with a simple vertical stripes pattern will maximise the natural light. 2. Rugs Definitely patterned, geometric or abstract. http://wovenground.net/modern/abstract/canevas-_-abstract/stone Low pile or high pile? It also depend on your life style ... have you got pet, children or allergies? The high pile need a bit more attention. 3. Walls The kitchen can be treated as a separate space and painted in a different colour. The room is quite narrow so keep it light and preferably not feature wall on the wider side as it will make the room feeling even more narrow. A feature wall is used to bring the room's shape back in proportion. 4. Mirror above the radiator A round mirror, or a square will break the length of the room better then a rectangular one. It will be the first thing you see entering? Have fun and send pic of the before and after :-)

@Damian Farrell, the induction hob I've had since... what.. July or August? I think? Not that long. Took a while to get used to it, having always cooked on gas. Advantages: very quick, easy to clean, you can let it automatically turn off after a certain time. Disadvantages: sometimes the pans make annoying noises, has something to do with the resonance of the magnetic field I think? I don't know. But it can be a bit annoying. Make:Schott-Ceran, but the downdraft is from a Dutch company called Airo Design. Don't think they export to other countries. Anyway, almost every company does them now. Bora gets good reviews, Miele, Siemens... The videos on youtube show that the steam goes down and you think, yeah... right... But it really does go down. It works just as good, if not better than a regular one that is over the hob. I'm happy with it.

Thanks - I have already fitted a horizontal column radiator in the hall: I have done this in most common areas. It's out of shot in the photo. In terms of off-whites, we have not used any. Either pure brilliant white (kitchen, window woodwork etc), or F&B Ammonite (the grey on the staircase etc) are the neutrals. I looking at something for the kitchen as the pure white is a bit harsh.