Many thanks gerogiegirl123, LouieT & oskuee. I really appreciate your thoughts. We have delayed a bit due to some indoor renovations but I have started painting out the brown rafters & uprights with Ricochet (fairly light grey with hint of earthy green) and the brown sliding doors with vanilla quake (pale grey) & that has lightened things up without heading too far away from the earthy 1970's vibe. Thanks for the photo ideas. I am keen for a united floor that looks great & is durable but that isn't just one boring expanse of the same material. Perhaps some lighting and a raised planter box in one section that could double as seating would help? Also interesting was the comment on the almost Japanese feel. I stumbled across a Japanese plant in a nursery (cephalotaxus harringtonia fastigiata) that may work as a replacement for the tree ferns which are driving me mad with the spores that settle on everything. We have plenty of indoor projects to entertain us and the ideas for the courtyard are slowly evolving. Thanks again.

DESIGNER PICKS: “My favourite greys tend to be quite ‘earthy’, so they don’t look too cold. Check out Dulux ‘Dieskau’, ‘Grey Pebble Half’, ‘Ghosting’, ‘Timeless Grey’, ‘Teahouse’ and ‘Raku’.”

Thank for the early response . Cork floor in dining room and hall Not sure yet what to change to but I still love it as it so easy to get the paint drops off I have tiles in kitchen walls are all vanilla quake half strength now this is the third time i've painted the inside of my house . as you can see old balustrade all gone kitchen cupboards where the trolley of pots is (photo) are to be added and bench top check photo from down the hall ( quote has been supplied for that ) not sure about jap black ( is it a stain or wall paint ) because of the three different timbers, i cant stain them all the same (even paint stores it best to paint ) this job has me adding kitchen cupboards were the balustrade was between kitchen and dinning room post and beams and balustrades is the area that I'm uncertain about thanks

i have not looked into the splashback pricing yet, as i am still stuck onto the colour fr the cabinets. we have to decide it tonight. I have been looking at warm whites, as suggested earlier in the thread. Antique white USA in 1/4 strength i think will go with the grey colored stone. I have read tht in full strength it throws cream tones. NOt sure if this colour scheme will work. i still have to decide the wall colours for the kitchen. We have finalised hog bristle1/4 for the living area with natural white for ceiling n trim.