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 .

Cassansrabrill - This problem intrigues me quite a bit. Would you have the name and brand of that navy please? And thanks in advance! I am sufficiently intrigued with the idea of navy walls to obtain a sample pot and have a 'play'. Its been my life's work studying colour and perfecting a colour-mixing teaching text for artists that is irrefutable... so I am always interested in anything that challenges it. Living spaces are places where we need to feel 'at home' so not so much about what trends and styles dictate, personal preference always prevails. I hope you resolve your problem. I have a dark little house, all natural timber with arctic glass in all the original windows. Whilst it makes for privacy, when the light and sunlight 'bounces' of the disparity in the glass surface, its amazing how the light from a certain angle totally changes the otherwise dark walls of the room. Mydesign0401 would have experience with this too. Try the window film, there's a design for every style and preference, the cost would be minimal if not to your liking....and that's the operative word...LIKEing! I've just had an idea from something Mdesign0401 said...'vertical space'... Are you going to anything more with the ceiling? We are fortunate to have so many products today that you should not have any drama finding some sort of paint or application for the ceiling that will reflect the light downwards. A brand called RESENE manufactures "shimmer" colours.Some very interesting effects can be achieved with this product. If you likethe idea of navy walls you may wish to consider sampling the RESENE Digital Blue ()Astronaut)...that's the base colour... M40-046-279 The base colour is applied first then a transparent coat of what they call "Pearl Shimmer",.another is "Pixie Dust", both are waterbourne pearlescent glazes..=overcoats..(.not meaning shiny like varnishes). but nevertheless ideal for creating shimmering and softly sparkled finishes over colour. Alternatively, although I have not experimented with this myself (yet!)...from what I can acertain from the manufacturers...the "shimmer overcoats"...and there are several different types, I suspect may be applicable over...'ordinary-other brand' colours.....Just an idea...something I would try myself over either acrylic or enamel paint. Houzz is such an inspirational site!...from the above I've recalled that there's a clear metallic for application over timber... exciting! I'm like a kid in a candy shop whenever new paint products appear! RESENE's staff (not the retails stockists in hardware shops) are highly trained in properties of their product. Should you want any firther information I suggest you go directly to the manufacturer. 1800 758 383 QLD Gold Coast. Happy Houzzing!

In addition to my post above...having lived with a fire set in a wall for many years with a vent to let the hot air into the room...I'd do neither of the above....except maybe old cabinets of well seasoned timber and not new built ins up against the wall enclosing the chimney. The heat from that fire and from the vent would affect the cabinets, dry them out, make them crack...especially since timbers today are not well seasoned as when the fire place was built....That enclosed chimney/flue would radiate heat as well...There's a reason why the walls each side as well as the timber shelves are a dark colour and there's nothing built into the spaces on either side. Installing the cabinets and painting them a pretty light colour might look good for a while but not if you intend on making good use of that lovely fire place. I've lived in my current 1900s house for 32 years and have come to know the why's and wherefore's about timbers and heat in old homes. One longs for a lighter environment sometimes but this needs to come from other sources rather than anything against the fire place. Its a bit of a blocker to renovations at times but again, with Wuff, "Embrace what you have"...read up about homes of the same period, surf the net...you'll find some beautiful solutions. Here's one....you could clad the walls either side of the fireplace with a fireproof stone cladding...enlarge on that...may not be your 'cup of tea' but for what its worth in making your place "yours".

@ jeannie...that's Oipe, my dancing Queen...despite her size she's very nimble and does a little dance for her bowl of dinner. She's a Norwegian Forest cat. In the winter she grows another coat on top of her shorter curly woolly one...not FUR but a long straight coat of waterproof wool! Here sh'e in between seasons so no "Puss in Boots" UGG BOOTS and no gaucho pants! Can you imagine that!? After one litter she decided she wasn't doing that anymore...and I was sort of glad too....with all that wool around her nether regions! She gets shaved mid Spring, looks very funny but its more comfortable for her. Her favourite red mate 'Yodle' is smaller. Oipe is classed as 'red' ( ginger) even though her coat colour is much closer to a pale apricot. Have a friend who collects all Oipe's wool from her periodical groomings and her annual shear, spins it, crochets baby clothes and sells them...much in demand, better than Alpaca and as rare as....cat wool! I think Oipe weighs a bit more than 22lbs. Everyone is taken by her and she's such a " lol-about and couldn't give a darn" that she allows all the attention and loves it. My lifestyle is every bit as fantastic as it is just plain hard Aussie 'yakka'. I planned that this house would be where I lived and died. All sounds so romantic and close to Nature...and it is...but one can get really muscle sore, and brain weary working oneself into this lifestyle. Thankfully I am quite a strong Aussie country woman now..but getting here from being a thin city lizzy with not much strength, let alone country naus, was an ordeal I thought I would not survive. I've needed every bit of brain and braun I could accrue... and all on my own. I've met some wonderful country folk who have taught me bush skills I never knew existed. Did you know, for example, that we should never kill ants? Black ants are the natural enemies of the white ants or termites. You need to know where your black ants live and keep them fed so they'll stay outside and hunt the termites. If you find termites just surround them with a handfull of sugar and bring a clump of dirt and black ants to where they are...you won't need to spray...ever! Once they know they'll alert all their relatives near and far and anything wooden in your dream home will be safe. Glad you all like my story..THANKS...it makes all the hardship all that much more worth it! Oipe reaps the full benefit of my, at times, sore, tired body. When I'm flaked out on the lounge from hauling in the heavy ironbark firewood for the night...she just ambles up and plonks her voluminous self right in my lap and up my chest and decides I need grooming and exfoliating with her raspy tongue. Then I get a massage! She purrs and vibrates like an idling diesel engine...its kinda relaxing! P.S. Never thought anyone would catch me wearing Jeans! The only place I wear a skirt is to church..and sometimes I'm too tired to be botheredironing it...so have a pair of Sunday jeans ...there's no such thing as a day of rest...but time for the gentler jobs...like cooking enough to last the week! All the girls get together for that...NICE. I think I'm one of the lucky people!