Great advice dts builders! Another way to minimise visible grout discolouration is to use rectified tiles to minimise the width of the grout join in the first place. Using larger format tiles will again reduce the amount of grout needed, and where your design allows, use a dark colour grout to restrict the amount of dirt and grime that is visible.

Hi Tina, thanks for posting, it is all looking great. Shame about the panelling, but sometimes these things happen for a reason. It is great the armoire matches the doors so well when they are all on one wall, but I don't think you need to have the bed and side tables matching, especially when they are on another wall. My issue with painting furniture, while I love it, is the maintenance. It does chip over time and becomes one more thing to paint. I don't know what the timber is in your furniture but another possible option, especially to give you the coastal vibe is to lime it. To do this successfully, you will need to sand all the existing stain off it and go back to the raw timber. The darker the original timber, the less limed look you will get so bear that in mind too. I did an old bunk bed up that had seen better days, for my grands bedroom. It was a dark red wood, but with 4 coats of stain I got the look I was after which was that driftwood/coastal look. The whole thing looks totally new again. Sorry I can't post a photo as this function no longer works for me. Have a look at the Feast Watson range of liming stains, they have some gorgeous soft colours as well, but they let the timber show through rather than having the solid painted look. It is a very easy product to use, it dries quickly - I did the 4 coats over 2 days effortlessly. The hard work is in the sanding.

Bravo to all these amazing creative minds. I hate wasting stuff that still has life in it. By the way, though I have read that some pallets are treated with a fumigant which is toxic. Generally, make sure pallets are stamped with “HT”, which means they haven’t been exposed to chemicals (at least not in the treating process.) Avoid unmarked pallets or those with “MB” for methyl bromide. Well, if anyone wants some really nice, bargain 2nd hand windows we just pulled out of our 12 y-o house to make way for a sliding door, and you live around Melbourne Australia, please check them out here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/112070272414?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649

Thanks all for the comments! I have styled the rest of the house to a T but the master always seems to take a back seat when life gets too busy after the initial moving in stage. I have removed the wedding photos (actually, they're only there because my hubby is away for many months and I like to be reminded of him) - but, I agree - they don't suit! We have bedsides that match the bed but this space is too narrow for them to fit in, so the current ones are a stop gap while we wait and see if hubby's work is going to move us elsewhere next year or not. If we are staying, new bedsides or bedroom suite are the on the agenda. Based on tips here, I've turned the doona over for a simple white with navy dots pattern, removed the wedding pics, and simply put my woven wreath on one of the hooks, with the other hook to be filled when I find something. Either that, or I'll find one large b&w print and put the wreath on the side wall. Thanks again for the helpful suggestions! Sorry about poor photo quality... don't get much natural light in the room in the afternoons