Hi Sasha. What a great space with lots of scope to move your furniture around, and all that natural light! The first thing I noticed was the dark curtains drawing my eye to the dark window frames. Although you clearly can't do anything about the latter, I would definitely change the former. My go-to place for quick affordable pieces is Ikea and my advice would be to measure up the windows and head for their roller blinds and curtains. If you put 3 or 4 block-out blinds up under that pelmet you can control how much light and/or privacy you'd like and by replacing those dark curtains with a lighter linen variety, you'll add a contemporary feel to the room and bring the attention away from the [I assume] aluminium frames. You could get enough to span the entire width or just a couple for the ends. Splash out on a generous tall houseplant like a [dragon tree[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/midcentury-bedroom-midcentury-bedroom-philadelphia-phvw-vp~1905898) for any area's that you might like to add height - I think we tend to fall into the trap of having two visual levels in a room, one being the furniture which tends to end at about hip-height, and the other being art or such for eye level. Both of these are horizontal lines but a tall voluminous plant adds a vertical element like a standard lamp. I'd move yours away from the corner though and place it against a larger expanse of wall. If it has to stay in a corner, put something tall behind/beside it like a narrow book case, or an artwork that's centered with the lampshade. Then it looks like it has purpose. Also, I would move the sofa away from the wall and add a console table as a place to display treasures. Can you swap the long chaise part of the sofa to the other end? Doing this would define that area more and open up the view of your outdoor area. In fact, I'd be tempted to rotate the sofa 90deg to face the windows and put a sofa table/book case behind it for extra storage. I assume that's your TV along the wall to the right - you could shuffle it down towards the window corner and angle it towards the sofa [that would reduce glare on the screen from the window too]. If you do this, you'll create an area for the dining table if you want. I'm not sure from the picture if your table is currently against a wall or if there's more room off to the right that we can't see. If it's against the wall, I'd be moving it across to the left to about where that rug currently sits [a bit further this way though - if that makes sense!] Here's an example of what I'm thinking. That's where the rugs come in. I'd be using two large rugs to both define the areas and protect the carpet. One under the dining table and one under the sofa. These are both areas where the carpet can quickly get grubby! Large artworks are, as you say, a challenge but they don't have to be hung. If you have a large vertical canvas you can prop it against the wall or sit smaller works up on a narrow table [another use for that console table!]. Try to find [or even make] some large canvasses that have a lot of white in them and retire that red pic in the black frame for a while. If you go for the light/white curtains then a complimentary artwork will help to freshen the whole area. Hope I've been able to help a bit!

Many herbs grow really quickly - mint, oregano, thyme and so on. Parsley will reseed everywhere if happy and sage and rosemary are quite large plants. In order to grow herbs well you need to use big pots - this is essential. And then group them together - sage with thyme and chives; rosemary with oregano and lemon thyme for example. The mint must be planted by itself in a decent sized pot and then split annually. Parsley also benefits from being in a big pot that is deep as it has a long tap root. Parsley are usually annuals so allowing them to reseed is a good idea - free plants. You need good quality potting mix that has some fine gravel over the top. This acts as a mulch but also is often alkaline which many herbs enjoy. Once a month apply a very weak liquid fertiliser to the plants along with watering the plants at least twice a week while it is so dry. When you water, keep the water up so that the whole of the soil mix is watered. Add a wetting agent to the top of the soil if the water is running straight through. Herbs in pots need more water than if planted in the ground. The best pots are pure terracotta - they breathe and are also much cooler than other pots that you purchase. But the pots need to be about 40cm in diameter to work. The principles suggested here are the same as for many succulents. But succulents come from a variety of regions and so have different requirements. These may do better in smaller pots being repotted annually.

Before replacing your curtains as this can be quite expensive for such a large window, if they are in good condition, add a band of extra fabric to the bottom in what ever suits you, your existing curtain track can then be moved up to the ceiling for good looking full length curtains without the large round eyelets, could save you a lot of money, I would look at replacing/removing the sheers cheers

Your choice should be determined by how high the bowl is above the vanity to ensure adequate clearance between the outlet and the bowl so you can wash your hands. Is the bowl recessed into the vanity or sitting on top of the vanity bench? Always think of the practicalities before aesthetics as no matter how beautiful it is, if it is mismatched, too high, or too low for your vanity basin you will hate it. Best of luck with your selections, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls