There are many things you can do to make a house look truly stunning – the way the rooms are designed, how the furniture and soft furmishings are placed, pictures and artwork installed etc.  There are a couple of things however that cannot do a property any favours.  I’m thinking here about ugly windows and the views from them.  You can have the most fabulous view beyond the immediate area but if you have a scruffy yard below, maybe other high rise properties nearby, these could have washing lines strung across between the buildings or massive garbage bins hanging about.  This of course is unlikely in a smart expensive area but of course, not all houses are built in the elite areas.   Taking the focal point away from the window is a massive idea – choose a pocal point in each room affected by that view ;  We have this problem at one of our houses and combat it by always having a fantastic floral display on a table far away from the window, it was seen as soon as you entered the room and it kept the attention on it, and away from the grimness outside!