On your paint problem I can't be much help. This usually happens because of damp -- please get a damp expert to make sure that there isn't any damp lurking in your walls. I had this once when I had pipes leaking inside the walls. I didn't know that. The other alternative is something like painting before the plaster is dry or some kind of chemical mismatch. I do know you will have to scrape all the mucky powdery stuff away and start again, at least on those areas. Don't try to seal and prime and repaint until you know exactly what the problem is and how to fix it.

Your drapes look like they're fine. It's hard to see if they're long enough--do they just touch the floor? That would be the right length. Make sure the paint you pick blends with the color of the drapes and the two chairs. The Edgecomb Gray looks like it would work or you could go with an entirely different color and add pictures and rug to pull it all together. Love the color Sea Salt by SW.

I'm not qualified to advise you on textured paint, but as far as colour is concerned, surprisingly, red can work with a very wide range of colours. I suggest you click http://www.houzz.com/photos/query/red-sofas/nqrwns and browse to look for possibilities. A lot depends on what else you want to have in the room and whether, for instance, you're looking for a dramatic effect or a warm effect. Have fun browsing.

Your choices don't flow well to me. The flooring in your photo is pretty (very dark...are you okay with it showing every footprint, smudge, and dust bunny? If so, that's fine). From all of your options there I would do white cabinets with the Himalaya White granite. But you said ignore the granite. :) I would go for the gray cabinets with white quartz everywhere in that case, but personally I'd worry about gray cabinets being very dated in a few years. Is there another quartz option that you could pair with the white cabinets that is light in color and maybe has some movement, like LG Bianco Drift?