I like the bricks and their texture My advise : fill the gaps in the bricks with more mortar use either white or natural in colour keeping the lines as straight an even as possible I think I was on the boral website the other day and they had a link where you could play around with different cladding and mortar Paint the beams in with the ceiling and add as much white/China white/antique white paint as possible Alternatively go to Pinterest search colour palettes or colour combinations You will definitely find some unreal colour ideas there Libby rip out the carpet and see what's underneath if concrete get it polished if timber do the same

I'd be inclined to move couch & armchair along wall with large recess if they will both fit. Mount TV onto flat wall opposite. You could have a low unit to house electronics, or use the one you have. Have purpose-built storage cabinet w/shelving built into smaller recess. Some of the shelving portion could be backed w/mirror to help throw light into room. Use the shelves for books, objects of art, photos etc., and the drawers or cabinet below to store things you don't want on show all the time. I also think a large area rug will ground the family room area from dining/kitchen. A neutral one perhaps or you can inject some colour. Large art pieces on wall as mentioned. A largish plant in a raised pot would add some greenery. You may find you need a floor lamp near couch & chair. Regarding the kitchen, I think you might be able to fit a narrow timber sideboard at end of island bench so you have some additional storage there. I say timber because it would warm up the coolness of kitchen. I agree undercabinet lights good idea for additional task lighting. You could either go mirror backsplash or some gorgeous tiles. As there are a several changes you want to achieve in this space, it might help to do it in stages. Storage seems to be a priority (fam rm & kitchen) and rearrangement of furniture & TV. I would tackle this first. Additional decor ie rug, art pieces on wall(s) could be addressed next. Then splashback and some additional lighting if budget allows.

I did that in one of my bathrooms but the feature tile had more pattern (warm Grey brown streaks) so looked softer than the all black against the white walls

Hi Reham Arnaout Generally the darker tile is better on the floor for the reasons mentioned above (not show the dirt etc.) and because it has more visual weight to 'ground' the room. Think about the natural light the space receives- too much dark tile on the walls will make the space dark and gloomy. Some light wall surfaces will help brighten the space. Best wishes