Changing flooring in open plan is always a difficult challenge and the light carpet is the bigger problem because of the contrast cutting up the pure Scandi vibe. Pure white kitchens are always cool looking I think you have 3 kids and your kitchen will warm up when you get the coffee machine, kettle, chopping boards wooden looking accessories in there and on the bench topwith a couple of green plants, fake or not. Take a trip to Ikea or browse their catalogue and website - their stylists are a great inspiration. You don't have to get your stuff from there but they are very clever at layering. When we go we always take a camera for those little touches which makes scandi look so clean and fresh. Invariably when I get home I have something similar I can repurpose. Dump the office vertical blinds I agree! they have to be the ugliest thing ever invented. If privacy is not an issue leave the window bare. And what's with the 1980s old fashioned security screen across the kitchen window? No Scandi ever had wiggly diamond flyscreens! Loose that too. Whoops that sounds a bit harsh :-) Funny thing about living somewhere is - after a few weeks you won't even notice, I have lived with the same damask wallpaper in the hallway for the last 30 years - its back in fashion again. I spend all of 10 seconds walking down that hallway, I think everything gets a bit precious when it comes to picking things all at once, better to let the space evolve as you live in it.

Our floors are concrete, so I encourage people to keep them on. Tradesmen always take theirs off, but not because I ask them to do so. It seems to be out of respect and probably what they were trained to do.

Hi Brenny, This is absolutely the work for an interior designer/decorator. Some designers do larger scale work, however like myself, we happily engage in all scales of work. I would definitely recommend either meeting face to face if they are local or speaking on the phone if they are remote as to get a feel for the designer before committing to them. Normally, after a discussion regarding the scope of works, they will provide you with a quote if they (and more importantly you) are happy to proceed. Even more importantly, professionals know what they are doing, and (should) have a large array of suppliers to work with and good product knowledge. Some (like us at JFI Studios) also provide you with trade discounts from suppliers who offer it, so not only do they help you with what you need to find, but also can sometimes offer it at a cheaper rate which can go a long way. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need any advice or would like to chat about your home, as I would be delighted to be able to help you. Good luck and happy shopping! Jordan Manning-Ferguson from JFI Studios.

Strange of the neighbour's builder to paint the side of your house without any instructions or payment. I suspect that the paint may actually have been to cover something up that the builder made. Perhaps they accidentally splashed or spilt paint onto your side facing wall, and they decided that it would be easier to paint it out than clean it up. Possibly hoping that nobody would notice until they had been paid for the job! Dr Retro