Porters Rust Paint. It does look great as a feature but it's a shame most don't have the guts to use it. We are about to (next couple months) repaint our feature wall (10 years it's been maroon) to Porters Rust.

Hi shortstuff27, Love your colour choices already! With your budget constraints, I agree, go for the charcoal remnant, why not try to spruce it up a bit -,see if they can do the trim in the 'cherry blossom pink' to compliment the scheme! Splash some brilliant white paint on the top of your existing coffee table to contrast against the charcoal and add some matching (pink / patterned and textured) scatter cushions or a throw. It will be stunning! Good luck whatever you decide!

I think the table disappears. It is sideways in the far corner as you enter and the colour blends into the background. It's a nice table but it doesn't appear to be doing anything except trying not to be noticed. Does it serve any purpose? Is it a dropzone for keys and mail for instance? If you want to keep it in the hallway I agree with the advice to move it to the centre of the wall instead of in the corner. I also like the idea of a bold wall colour or a large bold artwork. Do you need anything else in the hallway, mirror, coat hooks, an umbrella stand?

It is hard to comment without a floorplan, but I must add that it sounds a bits sexist to call it a "Man's house". Lots of men design beautiful, very liveable homes! I would suggest not putting the TV on the long wall, as all of your seating will be turned away from the window, and the room will be focussed on the TV. If you put the TV adjacent to the bay window then the TV will seem less dominant, and you can use the seating for other functions such as reading a book, oreven looking out the window, instead of huddled around a big black screen. For a long skinny tram-carriage proportioned room it is always best to treat it as two zones, rather than try and furnish it as one. I would start with two large complementary rugs (perhaps matching) to anchor your two zones, and furnish around these as if they are two separate rooms. You will find that with the addition of rugs, soft furnishings and window coverings that the room will echo less. If it is still a problem there are other acoustic measures that you can introduce such as sound-absorbing ceiling panles, which are often used in noisy cafe environements, which most people have never noticed. Best of luck, and if you need any more help feel free to contact this bloke directly, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls