And to you, and to Chook too, of course. Sydney just has the best fireworks, doesn't it? Though I'm glad that Mr Dog and I don't live there. It'll be rough enough here. Row, I think you've done a great job. Yes, the roller blind may no longer live in that room. Thanks for sharing the other pics -- see, you were dreaming of pattern on walls before I came along.

I think painting the walls lighter and brighter is the right move but don't be restricted to white necessarily - although that would be the safe option and you know for sure it would work! You could introduce a contrasting colour on the ceiling if the walls were white obviously dependent on your furnishings and other colour choices. How about a soft grey or "greige" as an alternative to the white? Finally, you could introduce a dado rail at approx 1m from the floor - painted white the same as cornice and ceiling and then paint the upper and lower sections in contrasting colours of say charcoal on the base and white above or 2 shades of the same colour.

Hi there, having recently been through a similar decision process for our Reno I can really recommend ordering the Dulux A4 samples. They are made with the real paint on them so you can move them around from room to room to see exactly what it will look like without having a heap of swatches painted on the wall. They have a sticker backing but I used blu-tac so 8 could move them over and over. Good luck

I like the blue touches already in the room, which reflect the brickwork. Agree with lots of creams/ neutrals, just adding some blue in cushions, artwork. Maybe a bluish/cream rug, with a subtle pattern, not a solid color. Also I think the lights are a little lost. The high ceilings could take some quite large shades, maybe drums. And I agree that the central column could be painted to become the focal point as stated. Either white or quite a dark grey/ blue, ( it might darken up things too much, but it's only paint, can be changed). It might be sinful but I think I would replace it with plaster, then paint it. Finally maybe a dash of 60s burnt orange or mustard if you want to want to keep the retro theme.