Angela - I don't know what question you had about the grout. I had suggested to buy the upgraded grout with the stain resistance built in. I wouldn't go for epoxy grout - certainly with the OK from the tile guy! - because that stuff is quite expensive and difficult to work with and overkill for a bedroom floor. Call your tile guy and ask him what grout to get and where he suggests to buy the setting materials. if you have trouble picking a color, choose the lighter of the two tones

This is really becoming very interesting Linda, maybe things are different here too. Take for example when I called people to quote on my bathroom renovation - the first two guys I called were loosely described as builders in that they had served apprenticeships and were qualified carpenters (or chippies as we call them). They would take on any structural work in a home, even do extensions and build completely new homes. They do all the basic structural work and then, in our case, call in licenced plumbers, electricians and qualified tilers. If new walls are necessary, as was the case in our ensuite, they will call in qualifed plasterers to do this work. The third guy and the one we used described himself as a bathroom renovator as he was a qualified tiler but he had years of experience to do basic building work as well and then called in other trades. He even used a specialist demolisher to gut the bathrooms as they had all the tools to do the work cleanly and quickly in one day. All the tradespeople have done courses and apprenticeships and are licenced and if you have any sense you don't use anyone without checking their licence first. For this reason, I would consider anyone, like Sir David and Kutchie and even yourself with your vast experience to be able to advise on structural issues that are pretty much black and white and things that have to be done for correct and safe building practices. On the other hand, designers or decorators, no matter what their qualifications are only giving an opinion on furniture style, colour schemes, furniture placement, etc, things that aren't black and white but are a personal preference thing. I note many of them come on strong with colour schemes having absolutely no idea of the climate or lighting or aspect in a room that can make a huge difference to the finished result and it really surprises me that as professionals, they always miss this. When dilemmas are on structural or building issues, I never comment simply because it is something the average person would know nothing about - the only time I have commented is when I have had a similar problem and I can state how it was handled and the result, successful or otherwise. Decorating, on the other hand is something anyone with an eye for detail can join in on and these are the dilemmas where I feel the Pro could be intimidating. It is bad enough when they come back with the "I'm a pro so I'm right" without having a "Read my Title" attitude as well. As far as I am concerned there are no REAL rights and wrongs in decorating anyway where building practices are another thing completely. I'm glad you got a Pro anyway, we certainly value you here.

I was about 12 when I got my own room. Previously I shared a room with my mother as she was widowed. I chose the wall colours, aqua, a brownish colour and two burnt orange walls. Sounds dreadful but the colours were more subtle than they sound. I had an aqua chenille bedspread and and blue and white see through curtains that blew in the breeze. Out of my window I could see an orchard of plum trees. On the floor was a patterned carpet with a rim of polished floorboards (only the edges polished). A bookshelf, a desk, a wardrobe, a dressing table and my grandmother’s sandalwood glory box furnished the room. Love this post as it brought back memories of the 1960s for me.

For a monochrome look add some scatter cushions as pictured this will brighten the look also your white headboard disappears with the way the pillows are stacked at the moment, if you lower them slightly it will feel brighter and give you more of the affect you want also add a white throw to the bottom of the bed