Hi Jenny, You have not posted any photos, so I hope i am on the right track with this advice! I have recently assisted two clients with updating their property, both of which were similar to how yours sounds. In the first instance, the timber panelled ceiling was retained and the exposed brick walls plastered over & painted in Resene 'Quarter Spanish White'. In the second instance, the timber panelled ceiling was retained and the timber panelled walls were painted to match the remaining plaster walls (a picture is attached below). In both instances, the spaces were dramatically opened & freshened up and modernised. I think painting the panelling and retaining the brickwork (on the basis that you like it) will work very well.

I love all this feed back - thank you ladies & gents :) I do think the light and flow would probably work better like oklouise's first post - I concede you are both right. My concern was the depth of the shower - we have a very pokey one at the moment but think I see how to rectify that - tell me what you think? Also I want LOTS of storage and think keeping the storage in the activity with the entrance now up the other end would limit the furniture layouts so I would probably keep that in the entrance hall and still use the nook as is - no doubt they will sit there to do their makeup as the light will be amazing BUT i can imagine the mess will not - haha! I LOVE those doors siriuskey- so grand and impressive but my husband is a lay in bed TV watcher so that would possibly take up too much wall space for his liking - again I giggle ( you have to right?)

Great street appeal! I like the grey in the last inspo photos. It seems to give the house some grounding to the setting. I would not remove the trees, rather I think they would look good pleached. Checkout landscaper Paul Bangay’s work, specifically “Paul Bangay’s Garden Design Handbook”. Borrow it from the library and pour over that for ideas. The backyard needs some serious work as the soil looks depleted and the plants look starved. I would probably live in the house for awhile before committing to a plan for the back. I would also recommend painting the back walls charcoal or dark grey to recede but if they face west you’ll make it really hot. Soo, live with it for awhile and the solutions will become much clearer.

It might be nice if you removed the awning on the left near the bottom of the stairs and replaced it with a pergola painted in black. I was going to mention the security screens but you have that covered already. I agree with also doing something with the driveway. We had an ugly black cobblestone driveway and replaced it with a light coloured exposed aggregate with a few black specks and it totally changed our house