subject: Create A New Living Space [print this page] If it's been a while since you did any redecorating, you'll know how it feels to live with tired, faded wallpaper or chipped and scuffed woodwork. As the saying goes, "A change is as good as a rest" - and this is true with your home. Perfect walls and glossy paintwork become dull and dated after a few years, and you begin to weigh up the options - hire someone to design and redecorate? Move house? It really needn't be as expensive as this: with just a lick of paint and some well chosen accessories, you can easily breathe new life into your home and make it work for you again.
You'll be surprised with just how much you can do yourself to bring a room back to its former glory, and you might just bring back the freshness that made you first fall in love with your home. Be careful, though - once you've got the redecorating bug, you might just have to do all the other rooms, too!
There are some obvious decisions to be made with regards to furnishings, colour, textures and patterns, and with everything you'll need to decide whether to replace or refresh. If you keep things simple when you're redecorating it'll be much easier to make changes later down the line if you need to inject some colour; keeping neutral carpets and bedding means that just by changing the colour of the walls and window dressings you can make a big change, and of course some colourful accessories such as cushions and throws can really help too.
When tiling your bathroom, keep it to fairly neutral or earthy tones as bold colours give current statements and will easily date with the same principle applied to your kitchen although the colours might be a little stronger. You can give your culinary realm a total revamp by changing worktops and cupboard doors which can give the impression of a brand new kitchen without one being fitted and painted walls with complimentary blinds will also add to the effect.
Although the kitchen may be the heart of the home, the living room is undoubtedly the most used - and consequently tends to look tired quickest. If you want to revamp your living space, begin by choosing a focal point which will provide the theme for the room - a good selection is your sofa, which is often the centrepiece of the room. It could be in a main colour itself, or in an accent colour as a stage for some patterned cushions or throws. From here you can begin to decide on how the rest of the room will look.
Whatever your taste, unless the property is on a grand scale and large enough to accommodate different theme rooms, then a good tip is keep the same style flowing throughout the property, which will give a sense of space; different styles can complicate, confuse and enclose. Bold colours are great in big rooms but can still be used in smaller spaces as feature walls. Don't be afraid to add a touch of glamour with crystal / glass light fittings or textured wallpaper with classic designs.
Above all, remember that you're creating a living space to share and enjoy, so it's important to infuse a little of your personality into your design. It can be an incredibly rewarding process if you're open to new ideas, and flicking through magazines to get ideas can be a great way to find some inspiration, whether you're after a retro, minimalist or classic look.
