First, get paint chips or some other sample of the colors of the draperies and the floor. Take these to the paint store to help select possible colors. I suggest that after you narrow down your choices that you buy samples of the colors that you are considering and paint them on foam board to get an idea of how it all will look in the room. For a minimalist look, you might consider a the color of the draperies but toned down so that it is almost white.

Hi Sandra, I would recommend a wicker compact lounge setting with a driftwood finish to go with your paver - this supports the rustic touch of your current area , such as this example below from Freedom Furniture: http://www.freedom.com.au/furniture/outdoor/outdoor-tables/23455764/umbria-outdoor-sofa--coffee-table-package-amazontaupe/ You can use outdoor throw cushions and decorative accents like hurricanes/lanterns that are of brighter colours to spruce up the setup.

The grey on the western wall looks dark and purplish on my monitor. It may come over as too imposing and monolithic on the southern face. If you're sticking with the grey palette then a warmer tone would suit the sandstone better. Does Dulux have a colour palette recommendation that includes your Berkshire White plus a grey? Check online or in store pamphlets. But, for such a big, expensive, and impactful paint job I would actually be tempted to get a colour consultant. You're not just repainting a loungeroom wall if it doesn't work!

Thank-you all so much for your advice so far, i've already gained so many ideas simply from reading your suggestions. oskuee: The house is a single story, and we have spoken about solar tubes before but weren't too sure how to incorporate lighting fixtures within the hallway as well. How did you go about it? Did you just install the 2 solar tubes with/without lighting fixtures? scottevie: the windows in the lounge will be remaining the same, we will eventually change the colour of the curtains but not straight away, either way the styling and shape will remain the same. Surprisingly there isn't a whole lot of natural light than can enter from that point of the house. There is a very large verandah at the front of the house which this window backs on to, plus the amount of trees from the front of our property and next door's front yard makes it difficult for natural light to seap through. I just had a quick look at some Dulux White Duck examples, i definitely favour something around this colour tone. telperien: i really like the ideas of mirror(s), this would be a great idea to distribute that natural light. I think we are going to try our best to steer clear of knocking down any walls for now unless we really need to! Embrace interiors: Thank-you so much for the recommendations in paint colour and for re-assuring us that we can paint below the dado rail in a darker colour. We've had a closer look and Stone Lion is definitely the tone we are trying to achieve. If we were to paint the bottom half in Stone Lion, what would you recommend the colour of the picture frames for the artwork be on the top half? We definitely would consider painting the top half in a warmer white as you have recommended. Once again, thank-you all for your suggestions and recommendations!!