Hi Travis and SoYoung - thanks for mentioning the fireplace.....I was thinking that I would keep it simple with a wood shelf over it and a large piece of Art but I now think it might be a bit lost. Would love some ideas as it needs to work with the built-ins which are slightly domineering. Also, Liam_Boyle - agree re the unbalance. The TV will be staying but I have a lovely coffee table and 2 identical sofas coming so I'm hoping to lay out symmetrically in the room. Will keep 1 of the chairs. Hope this will balance up. Thanks.

I've had a look at free offerings for floor planning software. It depends on the level you want to go to. Sweethome3D http://www.sweethome3d.com/ is truly free because it's open source (no fees if you want to draw more than one plan etc). I've found I can get reasonably detailed with it from layout perspective but I doubt it would be good enough for a drawings for a building permit (although I'm not certain of this). As a graphic designer you'll have an affinity for graphics software. If you want to be able to draw more detailed drawings Id take the time to learn Sketchup. I know some architects use this as their software of choice. I'm definitely with you @Jason Carter - the only way to really control your budget is to plan ahead and choose and price everything that you can think of before you break ground. Otherwise you're in a situation where you have to make quick compromises during the build which leads to mistakes etc. In my work we use requirements tracking tools. I think it would be really helpful to communicate to the contractors exactly what is going to go on in the room - why the extra outlets are there and in the position they're in. That way they have a deeper understanding of why the specs are the way they are and they don't make decisions that detract from the design - they might even come up with suggestions that support the ideas behind the designs.

As a textile designer and as a householder, I have made dozens of curtains and blinds for all sorts of situations. Using my experience, I would say, the turn in the corners of your windows is quite sharp, not rounded, so I would not go for a bay pole which works better with larger, more rounded bays. Instead I would go for a roman blind, as these are more grown up/finished looking than rollar, which always look a bit bathroom/kitchen (maybe two small additional ones for the smaller edge window sections, make or get them made with black out lining (they hang better too) avoid brass fitting on those, they look very dated, go for silver instead, also avoid twee trimmings like fringe or braid edges. You could make these look extravagant, clean and tailored, rustic modern, or modern scandi, or however you want, depending on the feel of your room. If you want to soften that effect, you could use dress curtains on a pole (no plastic tracks please!) over the outer edge of the window (i.e. not in the bay) - these could be light voile (not nylons or polyesters, cotton or thin linen mix is best) or more lux (that way you don't need a lot of the fabric too, so less expensive. Again, whether you did that or not, and what fabric choice would depend on the look and feel of the effect you're after. I would look at mags or online to get the feel of the room your after first, then look for window treatments that go with that look, referring to points above as you do. Hope that helps!

Why not do both? We have several styles of Roman Shades at The Shade Store! I'd consider inside mounting our Flat Roman and flanking each window with stationary panels in our Ripple Fold Drapery. Curve our decorative drapery rods to the contour of the walls. I'd suggest the stationary panels to cover from just under the crown moulding down to the floor, this will add height and drama to the room. If you need any pricing or ideas please contact me! priley@theshadestore.com