@vickimpond, Coastal themes in my opinion with earthy tones, can go quite nicely with grey even though I don't personally like grey. I would suggest you research and gather colour swatches, that mirror some of the earthy colours you intend to use and then look at the colour wheel too and there is often a simple choice opposite the colour you like. You will have to incorporate the grey already in the room, in other words don't isolate the grey but link it with your colour choices obviously. Just make sure the tones are a match, meaning there isn't a for example, a blue tone in your tiles and a yellow tone in the wall colour. Look at nature, even animal eyes where you can have a grey cat for example with green or blue eyes, that will help broaden your selection and if you go all out for a coastal theme, then I think you need blue in there somewhere!! If you want to play it safe, you could stick to a very neutral wall colour, there will be plenty of choices out there that will gel with the grey and white already in the room, then you wouldn't overrun the house with a permanent strong colour that you might tire of quickly like say a blue for example. You can instead use accessories for pops of colour perhaps and to keep the grey theme active if that's what you want to do, perhaps grey cushions mixed with blue cushions for the couch if you go with a blue for example, that way the room doesn't end up looking too busy, as you are talking earthy tones mixed with the grey tones mixed with the white already there and finally another colour whatever colour that it is you choose if you get my drift, so accessories can give you those colours without being permanent, well that's my thoughts anyway. Good luck, Barbara

I have used Saatchi Art (saatchiart.com) to both browse and purchase art for our home. Original art work can be purchased and most artists have prints at a more affordable price. It's a good place to determine what styles and mediums you love as you can filter your search. For Australian art I love Blue Thumb (bluethumb.com.au). All Aussie and all original. Very few options for cost effective prints unfortunately. I'd be cautious about filling the space for an instant look. As everyone before me has said "art is personal" and as such, I think it should grow with you and your space. Start with one piece that you really love, big or small and work around that. I have found that putting unusual unexpected items on the wall makes for interesting 'art'. My husband's baby shoes (circa 1953) and now our children's first shoes are objects that always create conversation when guests come over. I have a Mexican art cross (we're not religious, the colours and the metal work drew me to it), a vintage wooden Indian spindle, African birds in a tree hand-beaten and cut from a steel drum, a clay mask my daughter made in art class, a woven Maori kit bag, some art that our kids have done at school (put into Ikea frames so they are always the right size. We change them as something else we love comes home), a hand-made ceramic tile, a growing collection of geckos found in antique stores, vintage travel posters in frames, (I'll stop listing what we have!)...all these items and more, have been collected over the last 20 years and put up around our collection of art or in clusters to create stories. I've collected the initials of our family (yes the child with the "K" is not thrilled it's so small and the child with the "G" feels he's by far the favourite! Needless to say both will be replaced in the future when a more appropriate size comes to light) from vintage stores both here and overseas. Our walls are a growing collection of art and objects and at any time I can move things around and change the composition as a new item is discovered. Best advice I can give you is to have fun with it, enjoy creating your own gallery, it's for you to love you're not required to impress anyone else.

OK peeps here are a couple of pics of the new rug. Can you believe I went with my original choice. It's difficult to represent this room and the rug in pics, colours rarely look true and room always look elongated. This rug is 3 metres long and 2.5 mtrs wide but it doesn't look it. Very happy with my choice and thanks again for your help.

I'd echo most others views -- personally , I could live with the aircon and the lights , but the furniture and the mirrors would go ! Again , just personally , I don't have a problem with the mirrors sizes , it's the silver that doesn't suit . I'd go approx 20% smaller mirrors , BUT with really nice wide sculpted dark wooden frames , and lift them a bit -- they almost look like they are sitting on the mantlepieces at present -- lifting them would show more balance IMO . Lounge suite I'd go big , boxy , good quality bright red leather . A modern corner suite would probably suit , or one with a moden interpretation of a chaise , but in big boxy red leather . Or maybe a more classic looking buttoned leather suite , just not in brown -- that would be too much brown . Red or white would work well . The dining suite could be a large 8 seater wooden table in darker brown ( that mahogony one clashes to me ) , or glass top and stainless if you want to be more modern , and modern red chairs -- several styles would work , depending on what table you choose , and how modern you want to be . And for a more modern twist on the windows -- wooden slat blinds -- I have done very similar in my own 95 year old place , and it works well ! My place is similar , although it doesn't have those higher picture rails -- my place has carved rails approx 1.2mtr above the floor level , and Rimu panelling ( a NZ wood ) below that -- has that 'gentlemans club' feel . I did the walls above that in a mid steel blue in some rooms , a grape colour in others , english cream in a couple , and an earthy orangey-brown with white gloss tiles in the kitchen ! And in most rooms , I did a feature wall , wallpapered in complimentary colours to the other 3 walls in that room ! Strange sounding I know , but it works ! In the larger rooms and entrance foyer , I have large gold waterfall chandaliers , the other rooms I have gold curved light bars with 4 to 6 led spotlights -- all with crisp white ceilings similar to yours , and art deco inspired ceiling roses and architraves . I love the mix of classic and modern , with a twist of class