Thank you roj leather and Simon for your recommendations. I like the hanging chair and the almanda creeper on the wall. This will certainly liven up the patio.

Hi Ni, I just thought of something....did you say you planned to do the stencil motifs on the window wall? If so, I am thinking they will be mostly hidden by the curtains. I wonder if it might be better to stencil the long wall that is on the right side of the room when looking toward the window. I could see this being a pretty backdrop to the prayer box (I think that’s what you called it?) and your wood cuttings. Then maybe the opposite wall (the one with the kitchen doorway) could hold a large piece of art?

I think the marble naysayers have jumped on the bandwagon without really living with the stone. I have statuary in my bathrooms and love it. Most stains can be removed with a simple baking soda and water poultice. Acid etching is harder to deal with since it removes the polished surface, but its part of having a living stone in your home. If it becomes too bad, you can have it repolished. With a darker stone, you won't have as many issues as a white marble. In order to really know if you can live with it, I suggest you get a small sample of the stone and do some tests. Here is an example. http://www.dohiy.com/2013/04/21/marble-countertops-the-post-acid-test/ Please note that she used bleach and oxyclean to clean the stone after her test. Stay away from both since they can etch the stone just as much as an acidic food. Instead, clean with a ph neutral cleaner like isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and for heavy stains, the baking soda poultice mentioned above. You have to remember that marble has been used for centuries as flooring, table tops, countertops, etc. throughout the world and most of these installations are still here and aren't stained and etched to the point that it has been ripped out and replaced. Just think about all of he luxury hotels in Europe and how many times they have been exposed to Hangover type guests without any damage.

@Studio Chippan, Thank you, for your response and the reference pictures. It offered me helpful insights. I agree with you regarding the 3rd-photo. This illustrates that 3 paint colours in my living-room will not work (even if 2 of them are white!). This also means that I can no longer go with 8300/Confetti as my choice of white for walls (as much as I like it, it will dull/dim my rooms if I paint that on my ceilings as well, especially my north-facing rooms). So now, I need to find 1 single-white that can go/complement with my 2 adjacent accent walls in 8307/Quicksilver, and that can be used on my ceilings as well (and the walls and ceilings of all the other rooms). Any suggestions? So far I have sampled the following Asian/royal white(ish) shades (I’ve added my take on them beside it, but it is only my own perception of these shades): 1) Base White (the one without any tint): boring, clinical, too bright a white for walls 2) 8300 /Confetti: not too cold, not too warm, my favorite white among the ones sampled, but too dull for the ceiling 3) L104/Cotton Wool: seems to have a slight-pink-undertone(?) on my walls, too bright a white for walls 4) L109/Icy Peak: boring, slight-green-undertone(?), but might work for my walls+ceilings requirement 5) 8332/Snowflake: this is a very nice grey, but I am looking for a white (for walls+ceilings) 6) 8308/Whispering Smoke: this is a very nice grey, but I am looking for a white (for walls+ceilings) 7) 9483/Clear Sky Night: this is a nice grey, but I am looking for a white (for walls+ceilings) 8) 8299/Ice Age: this is a nice grey, but I am looking for a white (for walls+ceilings) 9) 8292/White Gold: this is too warm a white (strong pink/peach undertones!), ruled-out. Why 8307/Quicksilver, and why 2 accent walls (if I may call it that) instead of 1? This particular vertical-line of the fan-colour-deck is the best match with a wallpaper that will be applied on an exposed beam (~L:15’+15’*H:1.5’*D:4”) running along the ceiling on 2 of my living room walls. Shades along this deck-line are: 8308/Whispering-Smoke (one of the whites you suggested above, but too light a grey for accent), 8307/Quicksilver (seems like the right density for me), 0615/Silver Grey (gets too dark for me from here), 0643/Steel Grey, etc… *Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a minimalist; I am merely trying to be one. However, I did not succeed with my living room design; and now I only hope it doesn’t get out of hand and OTT.