In my opinion, a cuckoo clock is a very detailed design, but you say you want a simple design for the room. When you say simple, are you thinking of no wallpaper, no wainscoting, and no accent color on the walls? It seems as if dark orange is a color you favor. I see it in art images and in your curtain color. If this was my space, I would paint all the walls one or two shades lighter than the beige of the sofa to keep the room as bright as possible because the room has no direct sunlight. I would paint the ceiling 1/4 (one part wall color to three parts white). I would use a satin or eggshell paint instead of matte, semi-gloss, or high-gloss paint. I see some discoloration on the wall behind the sofa where the brown color of the sofa frame has worn off onto the wall. I suggest attaching bumper dots or strips on the wood frame of the sofa (similar to the ones used to keep cabinet doors from making a lot noise when they are closed quickly). I would consider painting the sides of the column with the cuckoo clock brown to match the clock. I would do this to call attention to the clock. I would remove the orange curtains and replace them with floor-to-ceiling length draperies hung as close to the ceiling as possible to make the room seem larger and taller. I would change the drapery color to match the walls, perhaps in a muslin-like fabric, which is a casual fabric. I always take my art to a professional framer. I have conservation matting and museum glass used for my art. I would have the three images you have rearranged as a collage in a very large single frame with medium to wide matting between the images. I would have the mat and frame color(s) enhance the images, even if it is a color I might never have thought of on my own. I would hang it above the sofa. I would use the orange drapery fabric to make throw pillows for the sofas. You did not attach a photo of the flooring in the room. A medium tone floor is easier to keep looking clean than a light floor/rug or a very dark floor/rug. Other "Houzzers" will give you completely different ideas. Use the ideas YOU like and enjoy your home!

I'd go for make it white; then right there, flop one nice little white overstuffed loveseat or something that fit, or one big whopping chair, and fit in a tiny table and light; treat that corner as it's very own micro-retreat, and the seating is to not face out into the room. Like little lounge spots put under stairs, make this one dedicated to the view; and make it minimal. Decorate the rest of the room as if the column and retreat bit isn't there.

I am so happy to see you here! I will have to go back and see if i can retrieve my posts... thought I would make them into a little book for my daughter, with photos. Quick run-down on the bathroom (not travels, no time) - The kitchen has a rather elegant sliding door with beveled glass panels. Painted white, since this was the original colour. GD's new bathroom has the doors I had picked earlier; i thought of polishing them but decided sprayed automobile paint (on a resin primer) would wear better. Especially since it is such a small bathroom, and she is so splashy. I have this finish in my kitchen and it has lasted 15 years now. A tad chipped here and there, but only needs a wipe down once a week. Same finish for the balcony doors, also split like the bathroom. We have a new wardrobe, a study table with built-in shelves, and a small chest of drawers for her odds and ends. I want to re-tile the tiny balcony, more as a little statement. Currently we are looking at Portuguese tiles, though I did think a mosaic with a funky cat might be nice. Let me see the costing. The room will be painted a neutral adobe, with bright white woodwork and an off-white ceiling. This means she can go wild with cushions and covers. Other changes in the flat; We have changed the glass in the master bedroom and living room from small cramped panes to a single pane for each section with a 1" bevel all round. Doubles the cost of the glass, but looks so elegant! The air-conditioning is being re-located. The compressors were all mounted in the bedroom and living room balconies, which looked terrible and meant the balconies (very narrow, only 30" deep) couldn't be used for anything. Not even plants. So they are being moved so that the compressors can be mounted at the rear of the building. two down, one to go. Now we can put in some nice plants, fishtail palms etc. The kitchen counter on one side came out intact and will be reused elsewhere. I am planning overhead storage, cupboards, and a draining cupboard for plates and glasses. Right now there is no dish washer, though a place is earmarked, but for now I will put in a cupboard with steel racks for cups, glasses and plates, all hidden behind pressed glass doors. This is all in the planning stage.... Pictures in a little while, they are mostly on my ipad and don't transfer well to the mac. They come without numbers... so I have to rename the or something. Somebody tell me how to do this!

Tsilanko, I would always recommend professional installation where needed. But what I am doing here is suggesting that WHEN you are planning to build or renovate, to consider how your plans will affect you in 20 or 30 years time. Split levels are very hep when you are young. A kitchen 3 steps down at 30 is rarely a problem, but might be a hazard at 60, or, as Marjie1059 suggested, if you break a leg. ... All my parents' homes were terrible for old people. They were forced to move to a bungalow in extreme old sge because the location and design of their home was more suitable for an active young couple with a large family than for an elderly couple with stroke disabilities. I would not want to move again, so my present home has features built in that make ageing in place simpler. Mostly small changes, like grab rails, and lever handles on doors and faucets. A major disability suddenly suffered requires major changes if permanent. I did look at this because it came up in the discussion, but if you look at the heading, Planning for Disability, it means just that. Plan ahead so you don't have to make expensive changes later on. But thank you for your advice, yes, major changes are not in the DIY domain.