You have all the reasons to redo the house, its very lifeless and looks worn out. I feel creating a separation will terminate the spaciousness of the room. Adding colours will surely help, Since you have a tan color sofa,I suggest grey, white or light blue color on one of the walls. Add some art works of the color you chose for the wall. This room needs some fillers like , books, throws, candle stands tall and lean. YES DON FORGET 1. Mount the tv on the wall make some space on the floor and Fix a large size mirror ( Wooden Frame if you can afford).

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.

The red brick wall as a backdrop sounds very interesting. You can get quirky posters of various liquor brands like Jack Daniels, Chivas etc in black and white and get it framed and put them on the wall. Also industrial look is very in so the bar top can be done using a copper sheet over a plywood top instead of traditional granite or marble. Also utilise any empty beer bottles or wine bottles to make a customised chandelier. For stools you could have wrought iron stools with leather seats matching the brick wall. A small wall shelf with a display of shot glasses will make the look more interesting. Hope this is helpful, it will be great if you can share pictures of the area to give some more inputs.

'Supreme" chairs come in dazzling colors.I flipped for them when in Kerala but bought them while at Vijayawada. They are available anywhere and are water resistant, strong and too cute to look at. I am yet to find a table to pair them with but will do so soon. red,lime green,black,white,brown,blue,yellow...my god.The colors and their vibrancy is awesome.Many more colors as listed are available.