An old photo

We’re considering painting this section of wall black and having floating timber shelves, mount the tv and entertainment unit.

Can you add photos showing whole space incl furniture

If these photos are the same room, it appears very dark, since it is a daytime photo and you have all the lights on. Especially with all the dark furniture. Painting a wall black would make it even darker. With your wonderful stone wall and timber textured beams I would paint the whole room one colour, including your stepped ceiling, and that would be a white. That would make it fresh and new. You could still have your wall mounted television and timber shelving. The room needs brightening up, not darkening down.

Unless you need curtains, I wouldn’t bother just yet. The timber frames are wonderful and look good. Paint the room white and let the timber be the feature. If you still think you require curtains for heating/cooling then revisit that thought. You have lasted 12 years without curtains, I don’t think you need them for aesthetic reasons, maybe for heating/cooling??

If possible try to add AI by using Apple home automation.I have seen lot of ideas and implantation.If you want to discuss,mail me at kusjagbal@me.com

I agree with dreamer, you have a beautiful room, with that feature stone wall and fire place , mount your tv on wall with a timber floating unit, replace rug with a lighter pet friendly one, re imagine your mantle, adding a mirror would look fabulous, add a beautiful stylish log holder, keeping it light will highlight your beautiful room.

Photo’s using the wider lens

Thanks for those photo’s Julie Herbert, they look lovely. Another thing I think we should do is re-sand the floors and have them a lighter, pale oak colour with a Matt finish.

These updated photos look entirely different. I note you have lightened the dining chairs with covers, which make a huge difference. You have light cabinets which is also wonderful. I still think a complete paint of white instead of cream. Definitely not black. Your room is really nice it just needs tweaking with suggestions as per Julie Herbert as given.

Sheryl, it looks lovely with the lighter colour furnishings, as dreamer said painting the walls white would l look beautiful, mounting the tv would make a huge difference, light rug, doesn’t need much, just an inspiration photo of a lighter floor, it’s a beautiful room.

Ooh, I love that floor! It definitely matches the stone really well too.

As mentioned the lighter furniture is much better, could the TV be mounted above the fire place with the lounge facing it or is there a light problem

I’ve beefed up the mantel, longer and thicker and made same colour as rafters. As Julie said mount tv higher and add wide floating unit in same wood as new mantel..

Reason. You have a large focal point in the stone wall and you are making a second with the tv and couch orientated to the tv. You need to tie in the two and balance it out.

Thanks so much Kate! That makes so much sense and that visual helps too!

You are wanting help with a living room make over to make your beautiful room work, I suggest trying to re arrange the layout as it would open up the room, at the moment it is closed off with a small opening between the lounge and your lovely stone wall, and the other end of the lounge has multi chairs tables etc to walk around. You could try your lounge where you are thinking of having the TV but stepped out from the corner and wall having your arm chairs positioned facing the fireplace, or having the lounge opposite the fireplace with arm chairs either side with one chair and a lamp in the corner you are currently wanting the TV. A new rug as suggested by Julie would not only be lighter but smaller and only a short distance under the front of the lounge. to show off your lovely light oak coloured timber flooring

I have attached a couple of examples, one from your ideas book, showing layouts and TV positioning. Your stone wall is the feature in the room without being distracted.

I would also consider a longer timber mantle as shown in one photo and the TV mounted above this as shown in your example, I would mount the Mantel and TV as low as allowed over the fire, the mantel should protect the TV from any rising heat, you could change the wall lights to reflect light up and down the stone

How did you go with the chimney in the kitchen

Thanks so much Siriuskey! I do love those layouts. Those rooms look much cosier than ours. We’ve kind of just got stuck in that arrangement because we’ve always had the tv there. And Im not sure that we could mount the TV on the stone wall without having the cords showing.
I’ve just finished painting the cabinets in the kitchen and left the chimney the white :) Just some cleaning and styling left to do in the kitchen.

Looks great, add some timber and black and white accessories to highlight your beautiful Bench top.

You would have to have an electrician check out moving any power points and aerial. It could still work to move the lounge opposite the fireplace with arm chair/s in the current lounge position. The TV could be mounted on a bracket that would enable it to be moved across towards the corner. Were the Chesterfields in the first photos yours as they were positioned differently.

You have a unique house with lovely features, the kitchen suggests it's an older house

The house was only finished 12 years ago, still feels like a new house to us! But we’ve had to go away for work quite a bit during that time. It’s a big house and took quite a while to build and I think we were just exhausted by the time it was done and had to get on with life. It’s now time to finish it off. The chesterfields were ours, I sold them a few years ago because they were too dark for the room.
I’ve also considered having the verandah roof sheeting replaced with clear to allow more light into the room. Even though another problem we get is glare. You can see it more in the older photo. Thats one of the reasons I was considering the curtains.

Sheryl Grant, can I ask what the paint colour is of your kitchen cabinets? It is a colour I’ve been searching for.

Do u use the wood box. Could the tv go there?

It’s my own colour. I tend to mix my own paints and test them in the room and then get it made up. It’s a lovely very pale sage / grey

I can send you the colour mix if you like?

The wood box does hide a power switch for the heater so it might work to utilise that!