Redecorating WHOLE house - just realised I haven't a clue how I want it, please come and give me some ideas!

[Quootiepie]

I have always sort of imagined how I wanted the house done, but it's been based on things like - DS had a beech cot so I was basing my bedroom around that, but now he is moving into his own room so I have nothing to work with for that room, spare room was going to be a "spare colour", DSs room was going to be blue based, mine pink based, hall areas yellow based so that left purple (a nice purple!) to base the spare room on and now I realise I really am starting from nothing if that makes sense. I really need some inspiration for every single room - bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, nursery, spare room, entrance (which leads up the stairs and the upstairs corridor) and really the living room too although one wall is papered and it's painted and semi furnished, it really needs all those finishing touches. I haven't even decided on a basis - modern, contempary, traditional... I was working with a sort of classic/contempary but no idea why, just it's obviously not a bachelor pad to "pull off" ultra modern, needs to be family friendly but then it is a place that is short on space so the uncluttered look is good! I haven't even decided on flooring - it's a toss up between laminate or a hardwearing type carpet (think seagrass but less rough - wool or something). I like everything from very traditional to very modern (not ultra modern) so I can't just go with what I like, because I like so much! Sorry, am waffling now, if anyone has any ideas, inspiration, good websites (I can't find any!) that would be really great xxx Thanks x

do you know what quootiepie? if I were you I would get some professional advice. If you have a good interiors shop near you, they will give you "free" advice as long as you end up buying the fabrics off them. I would take a load of digital photos, phone them up, tell them you have a whole house to decorate and need some ideas, make an appointment and go in.
Alternatively actually find an interior designer. You'll need to pay them, but they should get your fabrics etc at a discount, so they will even out in the end. Also it is a lot cheaper getting things right the first time rather than end up having to replace carpets/repaint walls later

I am abit against interior designers, if I have something to go on, I can do it just I am in a rut. I don't really want to live in "someone elses" house if you see what I mean. She/he would only ask me for a few ideas, which is what I need to get myself going I am tempted, but, I wuold hate for someone to comment on my house then to say it isn't my "creation"

I agree with LL. It sounds like you have too much colour going on in your head!

I would go for sandy neutral colours and warm up the lounge with coloured cushions of golds and coffee etc

Keep landings and hallways bright and airy with a pale yellow perhaps....something welcoming.

For your own room choose your favourite colour and go wild! Quilt covers and pictures can do wonders for a room without spending a fortune.

Laminate floors can be cold and dusty but look great. A neutral colour carpet might be better.

for ds's room stay plain but brighten up with funky curtains and posters.

I like blue and white bathrooms with a sea theme but everyone is different.

Think of what you like and try and get inspiration that way.

But the child will not be grateful LL and it will end up filthy!

Nowt wrong with the £4.99 dinosaur rug we have from Woolies!!

Save your money QP!!!!

sorry to hijack
LL there is a thread for you

lovely kids rugs in next for £15.00

also could you look through some mags to get some ideas, our libary has housey mags that you can borrow out..

there's jujst too much choice for everything, isn't there QP? I'd advise not to rush in and do everything and once - take time to see what rooms are lie in different lights, etc. and, although i love colour, probably is better to keep it in warm, neutral shades and jazz up with accessories. having said, that, used a lot of white/creams when we painted our house, and now i wish we'd used more colour. oh, well biro marks and little handprints are just so trendy and NOW , don't you think?

LL - are those funky moose stickers really that fab? ie: do they REALLY look like a mural. i think they look great and was thinking of gettiing them for dd's room, but was worried they might look a bit tacky.

If you have a whole house to do you can get very fed up of doing (says she who got extremely fed up) it. I'd say go with one neutral colour throughout and one type of flooring. Then use cushions, pictures, fabrics, rugs etc to make each room different. That way, its easier to paint (washing paintbrushes paint trays etc) easier to change around, touch up paint thats been drawn on, and flows better with a more airy feel especially with clutter (toys, drawings). This flooring is beautiful natura flooring or this is laminate but lovely quick step

I painted the whole house magnolia when we first moved in because the rooms were 6awful^ colours, and really want to stay away from coffee/cream because everyone seems to have it. I was thinking of making all the colours complimentry of eachother, all soft shades so not like a blue room, a pink room and a purple room, but all working together without all being magnolia Yes, all floors will be the same, I am swaying towards carpet but then laminate (an oak colour) looks so nice and this carpet is stained already. Possibly tiled hall because the cream carpet is wrecked from the pram and shoes (even though most people take them off) unless we laminate everywhere. I was thinking a bathroom and kitchen friendly laminate so everywhere would be the same, but DH likes tiles. The kitchen has an arch into the dining area/living room so though it would look nice...? I'll show you how my living room is at the mo. so you can get a jist of the type of "style" (ha ha) it is swaying towards...

You know what house I like, May's house in Eastenders That sort of modern without being ultra modern/minimalistic

www.lauraashley.com/invt/3308218?temp=imageware&layout=flashpopup link here (new link so dunno if it works!)

ah ha, it worked. Ok, I have that on one wall of the dining area, then the rest of the dining area/living room painted taupe. I do need curtains for this room though and have no idea whether to have eau de nil (the colour of the leaves of the wallpaper), taupe, or the wallpaper pattern.

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Hiya, how's the Flying going? I ask because I'd love an uncluttered modern look but it simply aint do-able. My old house was decorated like that (eau de nil and taupe) but it looked daft because I am so untidy. Looked great the day we moved out . My new house is much more old-fashioned so clutter kind of suits it.

erm, my living/dining room is already decorated like that! Wallpaper is alot lighter than the pic, may have even posted the wrong wallpaper as it really is lighter. FLYing is going ok, hard without storage etc. but I am not a cluttery person once I have actual places to put things!

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Laura Ashley do a paint colour called faded gold, which tones with their old gold colour.

It is a lovely faded golden yellow colour and a perfect for a neutral colour scheme. I ahve it in our family room with rusty orange and leaf green silk cushions. Black and white photos work well with it too.

Farrow and ball do a lovely grey/blue colour (french grey???) which is gorgeous in a bedroom with grey silk and purple silk throws and cushions etc.

Farrow and ball do limestone white also, which is perfect for a light, bright airy look. It works well with almost any other colour ime.

I think if you are doing lots of different colours then you should consider using a slightly muted palet of colours rather than brights or pastels.

For fabrics I find Designer's Guild to have a good selection of not-too trendy but not fuddy duddy fabrics for curtains/cushions/bedding etc.

If you are near enough, I would consider spending a full day on teh Kings Road and go into all the interiors shops and have a good look around. Most of them are up near the Bluebird restaurant/cafe where a glass of champagne will keep you cheery for the afternoon

Anna French, Designers Guild, Osbourne and Little and a few others whose name escapes me are also there.

I LOVE the idea of purple/greys in the bedroom... I never would have thought of that colour scheme. I did toy with a muted urban purple type colour ( so hard to explain) but I think those colours sounds great. Now, what kind of bed would you have with that? I did want a leather sleigh bed, but that doesn't matter. What colour would you do the walls? I think maybe a grey but with a hint of purple in it... but then what curtains? Accessories? Wardrobes? eek!

Farrow & Ball have a service whereby they charge you £50, I think, and then colour design every room in your house. The money is refundable against buying paint.

blimey! That's good. But I am still so urgh about having someone design/do colour schemes for me (MN not included )

DSs have got those sticker transfers on a space theme in their room and they look really good. We'll peel them off in a few years when they are too 'babyish' but it won't damage the paint work.

When you do decide on a colour scheme, go to Johnstones paints to buy your paint. They can mix any colour you want for half the price of the main brands. You can choose anything you want eg Farrow and Ball, Fired Earth, Dulux etc and even colours that are no longer available in the shops.