No idea where to start

[CardinalWolsey]

Hi everyone

I live in a small two bedroom terrace, living room and kitchen downstairs with a porch, and two bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. The main bedroom is a good size for a bedroom, the rest of the rooms are on the small side.

The entire house needs a complete makeover, and with the electrical, insulation and heating work I'm about to have done, it's going to be a case of doing everything from scratch. Which is a great opportunity.

The trouble is I have absolutely no idea where to start! I'm following people on Insta and scan Pinterest for things I like. But I feel like it's the basics that I need help with.

For instance, I've seen a room where someone has painted a big dark grey/blue stripe up the wall and accross the ceiling. It looks amazing! But is something like that suitable in small rooms? Same with the pretend panelling that I've seen done. Is that going to make a room look smaller or larger?

I don't want to redecorate to make my house look even smaller, and want to create the illusion of space. The kitchen, bathroom and back bedroom face northish so I know a warm colour would work in the bedroom.

I feel a bit clueless, and wonder what I can do to find out some things that would work in my little house, and things that wouldn't before I buy wallpaper or paint and end up with a not very interesting result.

Thanks very much!

If you really have no idea then I wouldn't rush it. Paint your rooms in a neutral colour and slowly add to it.

Start by making Pinterest boards for each room and saving looks you like, eventually a 'look' will appear. Dont be swayed by fashion, the current trend for panelling won't last forever, for example. Go with what you like. Try marketplace and auction houses if you need cheaper furniture etc.

Have fun with it, paint is easily repainted. Just take your time and enjoy the process.

Dark colours generally make a room look smaller / darker and light colours make rooms look lighter / bigger, white is the best for that but can be a bit dull. Panelling won't make it look smaller if painted a light colour. I would avoid things like a line up the wall at least until you have more experience.

You can also brighten a room with accessories so white walls can look dull but then you can have interesting duvet covers, curtains etc and those are much easier to change when you want a change.

Get the electrical work and things done first.
Paint all the rooms white. Use artwork and soft furnishings to colour the room.

Create a moodboard. Make a grid showing the dimensions of the floor and the furniture so you can see the amount of space they take up and how the rooms flow.
I've seen a stripe on the wall and ceiling. It was on TheGreatInteriorDesignChallenge, years ago

Not the best photo but it might help you find it, if you want to

Hi @Seaside3 - thanks very much for your reply. I've started with the Pinterest boards for every room. I had one board for the whole house previously, and it's made a real difference narrowing it down to each individual room.

Neutral just isn't my style, so that's not really an option, I know I'd hate it!

@Silkiefloof thank you. I've got a grey floof! 😍

I might desist with the line until further down the road. I can always add it in afterwards.

I can't paint the walls white, it's just not in me! I really dislike white/cream/beige/greige, so neutrals I know won't work for me.

@MerryChristmasToYou Thanks for your reply. The stripe I saw was very different to that. I'll see if I can find it!

I really like bold in a room, which I think is what's making me not know what to do because it's more of a risk.

You're right about electrics. I'm starting to get more of an idea now, and some fitted items I'm planning will want lights in them, so I need to get thinking about that.

The green stripe in the photo went across the ceiling and the window.
The handrail on the left side of the room slopes downward and was dfor playing with cards; it makes the room look strange in the photo

I'm curious about the stripe now.

Someone I know used two different paints - one colour up to about dado rail height and another above, but with them meeting in wavy line. It looked good.
There wasn't a dado rail.

Dado rails were popular in the 1980s.

I have some ideas here. The stripe I saw was from designermumetc on Insta. There's also panelling and some lighting. I like the whole ensemble here.

And something like this kind of wardrobe ensemble in a dark colour like this in the main bedroom (which is a decent size and is more or less south facing. I've got two cupboards side by side that I hate, so I planned to remove them, and this would look good I think.

And bedside shelving like the photo but narrower.

I've also got an idea now to build a dresser in the kitchen. Currently there's two freestanding ones but I'm getting fed up of them, so I think a ceiling to floor one that will take everything that's in the current two. Much smaller than the pic, with smaller shelves, but same idea.

Thanks everyone, these ideas have come to me after I posted, and got to saving things in rooms on Pinterest. So it's a start at last!

Oops, this is the bedside shelving thing.

I saw someone do a wavy line around the doorframes! I liked it but I don't have a single doorframe that's not right up against a wall on one side so it might not work, Unless I went round a corner. Will have to see!

I also love this colour of bedding so think the dark green dressing/wardrobe area would complement it, although I'd have to think carefully about the colour of the room. I like bold bedding, so will have to think about the walls to make sure a variety of bedding doesn't look out of place.

I'd say you very much do know where to start, and you're off to a good one! Go boldly!

The bedding is great

This has all happened since I posted my OP! 😀

Sometimes you just need to start. You have some great ideas pinned.

I would look at houses the same as yours for sale on rightmove etc and check out ones you like the look of. Then you know what's right for you and your house.

I love colour like you, especially wallpaper, but I do kind of agree with the white, blank canvas suggestion until you decide. It's a pretty cheap and easy way to start again and see past whatever is there now. You can then paint or wallpaper once you've got your scheme and are in a position to get the furniture and accessories to tie in.

Personally, I like to consider the period of the property and try to stay true to it, especially with fireplaces and door styles etc. From your description your house sounds like it could be Victorian, so dark and moody colours can work quite nicely.

The reason for keeping the walls all white is because the light levels in a room can be quite different at different times of the day and year, and it's easier to paint over white than colours.

I've always fancied having pale primrose walls. They're white.

@TodayForTomorrow Thank you.

It was built in 1970, so is pretty much a featureless box other than the fireplace in the living room. I think that might be why I don't want to just paint it and have coloured accessories. I do want to create and give it some sort of atmosphere.

The kitchen used to be a tiny kitchen and a tiny dining room until I took the wall down a few years ago. Other than dark blue tiles in the kitchen I've pretty much been frozen ideas wise since then!

I'm a fan of a 70s house, but I like midcentury a lot. There's something appealing about the clean box lines to me, but totally understand your need to add interest.

Fwiw I'd look at some 70/80s style houses, the cool warehouse types, see if anything tickles you. That might be where your stripe comes from.