I like the idea of gray - go to a paint store and find a chip that is the color of your sofa and then look at the grays - so many shades - find one that feels comfortable to you. For me, I would put down flooring and then use an area rug with lots of texture - even a natural sisal or the like.

I think it looks very nice! It is lovely fireplace and room. These are just thoughts because I actually really like what you have done so far. Just my opinion. ... 1) Would you think about hanging the mirror above the fireplace, about 6 inches and horizontally? You could dress the mantel then with a few items to the side (eg. tall vase, etc) 2) You could add some funky cushions to your sofa with some strong tones, picking up on the browns and greys (don't match but just use lighter or darker tones or brown or grey) or even add another colour. I just see you have red light pendant, maybe you could mix and match. 3) Will you be adding rug? Again you could bring out some colours using a rug. 4) Something about the shelving looks like it needs adjusting. Are the shelves adjustable? In which case can you adjust so they are not all even size shelving? Try adjusting the items - something looks out of balance. Maybe try books on their sides (some but not all) and moving items into groups of similar colour/ theme. Good luck - Im sure you will get lots of ideas from the community..

I'd put another set of sliding doors between the lounge and the playroom rather than a solid wall. Reason being is that it gives you more options. You get to sequester the mess and noise when you want and you still get a good flow later on when the kidlets aren't such mess monsters. I'd make both sets of sliding doors have full-length frosted glass inserts. That will let in the light. Or you could use shoji doors if that suits the decor better. From your plan, I'm assuming the house is semi-detached, so windows on the right wall aren't possible? Also, you might consider a pocket door from the hallway to the lounge and from the hallway to the utility room. That way you don't have to allow space for door swing.

Hi all, this is my current fireplace. We want to replace it as the hearth is broken and the cast iron is not really to our taste. Having browsed all local showrooms we still don’t see something that is right for us. Our ceiling here is quite low (7ft6ish) and I feel that the standard heights of 48” and 52” are too tall for our space. I would love to hear any suggestions or advice you might have. I would say our taste is quite farmhouse/cottage style. We like the idea of some pale brick element and a reclaimed wood mantle but are not sure if this is possible with our insert stove that we want to keep. Looking forward to some help!