My husband loves the ceiling only suggestions and also keeping the timber below the dado. I'm not as attached to all the wood and after a total revamp .... I had thought white ceilings and lime washing walls, but realised I'm after a brighter interior. I will have a look at different painted wall panelling. Definitely don't want to go from a wood overload to a white overload! MB you are so right choosing a white is the hardest part! I'll be in touch Milray Park. Thanks for the input and advice everyone!!

Hi Wren, what a lovely setting! I would be inclined to match the door colour in with the exterior wall colour. Include the casing, threshold and trims as well and this way you will end up with the timber, black and your main paint colour to give a better sense of balance. Good luck! Regards, Kathryn.

Hi siriuskey So the large coir mat from Bunnings is much cheaper than the Chilewich. I'm confused now. Do you recommend the coir mat or the Chilewich? I'm not sure if I can even find a Chilewich in Adelaide to bring home for a look ....

It's (as always) about balancing the elements.......you can have a timber overload, but you can always counter/balance/freshen up with other contrasting aspects......It's easy to paint out character, harder to put it back if you make a mistake/wrong decision. Below is one of our contemporary projects that features both cedar window frames and cedar ceilings. The owners also had what i'd describe as more traditional styled "homely" furniture rather than super edgy contemporary pieces. It's not right or wrong with this stuff. Rather than try to find the answers from looking at examples from other side of the world online with google or pinterest, perhaps re-focus on what you have in front of you, asking what are the unique/special aspects about your home that are of value, and then build the decisions of what to do and what not to do around the prioritising of the elements. It's easy to standardise finishes with paint or herringbone pattern or whatever is the latest fad, harder though to achieve sympathetic timeless results marrying together elements of yesteryear, last century and contemporary living. It can be a fine line between getting it right, going too far, or not doing enough or completely stuffing it up, which is why potentially you may be best to seek some professional guidance and advice from a designer with an experienced eye (such as the service offered above by Dr Retro)..... PD :) www.pauldistefanodesign.com