I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

Absolutely agree with blueskies60 ! Remove the artwork/bench/plant that's on the left and replace then with either a bookshelf or a tall chest of drawers. Perhaps the plant can be repositioned into the corner on the floor where this troublesome niche is (there seems to be more than enough light there for a plant) and just place something calm and simple in the niche itself - perhaps a Japanese style scroll or pen and ink art work set off with a more rounded object sitting in the left corner of the niche; a gorgeous rock, a lovely candle, a calming statue... If you have (my preference) a chest of timber drawers on the left where the current art work is, you'll break up the symmetry, have more storage and have another surface upon which you can place a changing display of objects. This is the area that I would utilise for a mirror.

I don't think I've ever done orange skirting boards , but I did once get close . For commercial leases , if the company leasing it has an orange logo / corporate colour , I'd have no hesitation doing orange . In the 90's , I bought a standard commercial unit -- 1 of a row of 6 , 200 sq mtr , concrete block ( fire protection -- at least in theory ) . It was maybe 10 years old . The front had a large roller door ( in mission brown ) , beside that a large window in 4 parts , overall 2 mtr x 2 mtr , in goldy brown powdercoated frame , and beside that a single glass and aluminium door in the same colour . Space above the window and single entrance door for a sign , against the concrete blocks painted white . Inside the window/door was an office / reception . Grey with black speckled industrial 'carpet' ; the concrete block wall to the right painted white ; the other 2 walls were that fake 'slatted' plasticated timber ; the suspended ceiling was those white 'cardboard' big rectangular tiles , with a couple of 3ft fluorescent lights . And predictably white skirting boards maybe 10mm x 30mm . I painted the big roller door bright red , the skirting boards bright red , the kick panel around the counter bright red , and the door between the office and the workshop bright red . Less than $1000 , in fact in those days probably $200 in materials and a couple of half days . Listed it for lease , leased within a week . It stood out . But in my house , I bring in colour via art , accessories , furniture , maybe a couple of feature walls ( and things like the front door , letterbox , pots , etc ) .

Absolutely stunning, truly beautiful.