Is the chandelier thing seeming a bit small for the room or is it just me? Given that your walls are plain, the sofa is plain how about a patterned rug? Do you like Persian rugs? I find that dark green wainscotting too heavy and would paint it a lighter color. Given you have just moved in I assume you are planning to be there a while. If you like traditional style do you want a fairly safe color scheme re walls and curtains, keeping future resale in mind. Or are u happy to decorate according to your tastes? The mirror seems a bit small to me.

I would use plants to brighten the space. The hardscapes are all good, they just look a bit naked and grim. It can be hard to make a space pretty but usable for the kids too, but its not impossible. You have a lovely sitting area to enjoy. Plant some lovely feature bushes in that gravel area. You don't need to completely hide the clothesline, but having something pretty and showy in front will create a boundary and the eye will be drawn to the plants instead of the washing. If you can't plant into the soil there, some large size pots will work. Maybe some medium sized (1-2metre) ornamental trees in pots, like citrus, a weeping ornamental cherry, or bay trees, moptop robinias are nice too. They will be compact. You could cluster some pots of herbs underneath or plant them and let them ramble a little. Herbs like thyme and rosemary and lavender will suit the gravel area and the heat and be hardy with kids playing around, the odd bike falling on them or crushing underfoot would be quite okay. bulbs in pots or planted around the edges of the lawn are great value low maintenance and hardy colour. You can get great seasonal variation in your view then. Online bulb stores like tesselar and garden express sell bulk landscaping bulbs at very reasonable prices. You can get hundreds of bulbs for $30-50. Bulbs are great hardy plants that won't be killed by the odd soccer ball either. The flowers may get knocked over or the leaves, but the bulb is safe under the soil. Cheap and cheerfuls like nasturtiums are good value colour that will self seed every season. Also, plant some very bright flowering shrubs behind the soccer net and against the far wall. Maybe some hibiscus? You need something to catch and entice the eye, plant some large flowering shrubs with larger or bright flowers or foliage you will be able to appreciate from a distance.

thanks both & sorry for not getting back sooner. Appreciate it! unfortunately, while lovely, glass panels are going to be too expensive as is upgrading the doors/walls upstairs (realistically we would have to take down all the upstairs walls and start again to make any difference). But thanks. Obviously if we do enclose it will use a glazed door at the base (the rules about the size of landing you need don't seem to be too strict here in Ireland - must have 40 cm from the base step completely free) so we are thinking door at the base of the stairs opening towards the front door. My sister in law however suggests using the entire width between the front door and the stairs as storage, fairly similar to now, but with a door opening out into the kitchen. still thinking. thanks again for your input anyway.

This flat we just completed had no fireplace, so we created a display area and a luxurious bespoke TV unit to add a bit of depth to the space