Transforming our loft into an oasis of serenity

When we bought this house 16 years ago the previous owners had converted the loft into a living space. When I say 'converted' I use this term very loosely! OK, a static staircase was put in with, yes a handrail! But from there on it went pear shaped. The floor hadn't been strengthened, the Velux window was too high to climb through in case of an emergency and one wall had been removed to create a mezzanine with awful spindles, some of which were missing. These were here to create an edging. The whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen. We put in another Velux window to create a fire escape onto the roof, a fire door was installed and the floor joists were strengthened. That was fine for the practicalities, but I wanted to create a calm retreat away from the rest of the house. I found it really hard to come away from my comfort zone of very strong colours and create a neutral palette. Normally the words neutral, tasteful and beige make me want to run away to the hills!...