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Original poster

decor - whats in ??? help ?

39 replies

droves · 07/03/2011 20:54

I have a 4 bed house to decorate .
Every room needs doing , but i dont have a clue as whats naff or whats in at the moment.
I desperately need help with ideas.
Kitchen has white gloss units .
Living room has light oak fire surround . Apart from this all rooms are a blank canvas.

Not really keen on bright colours or garish walpaper.

OP posts:
tyler80 · 07/03/2011 21:10

Are you trying to sell or will you be trying to sell shortly?

If not then just decorate to your taste, it doesn't matter what's in or not does it?

LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 21:18

Yippee, what a lovely project. So many options.

Is your house modern, traditional, mixed? What do you like?

I like to think aboput textures - do you like leather and tweeds or cottons and linens, is it going to be silks and velvets for the bedrooms or do you want tapestries and bare wood? Textures can give you a good place to start.

preghead · 07/03/2011 21:21

Hi there am in same position and as have been renting for last few years I am really out of the loop ( unless old lady chic is in ). Also family home not for profit so will indeed do my own taste which is what I think I did in previous properties I own but it is amazing how quickly your sense of style atrophies when you've been living somewhere you hate aesthetically and have been busy with children. I too could do with some pointers as feel a lot may have passed me by in the last few years while I haven't been perusing interiors shops or magazines.

If it is any help, I believe the MN style mafia consensus is that feature walls are naff ( though everyone here seems to have one )

preghead · 07/03/2011 21:23

Tapestries? Really?

pennedin · 07/03/2011 21:24

Me too. Absolutely clueless Grin

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:24

Its our new house to live in. a 1950's semi .
Its had a lot of work done , now need tarting up a bit.

I think more about function than design im afraid, so i really am a bit clueless.
Id love to live in house that looks like its been put together properly and on purpose iykwim ?.

OP posts:
LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 21:30

If you want a blisteringly-current-but-not-difficult-to-live-with trend you could go for dual fabric upholstery. This is where the back and sides of a chair are upholstered in a different, usually plainer, fabric. (Feature fabric?!)

I'm trying to find an image to link to...

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:32

It must be child friendly and easy to clean.
Thats about the requirements.
Id paint it all magnolia , but its boring and doesnt look very "decorated" then.

OP posts:
preghead · 07/03/2011 21:33

Do you mind if I join in droves? I conversely really like bright colours and very cool, icy colours. I hate anything warm with pinks and yellows in ( just me, I realise this is a bit weird ). I am also very anal / OCD and hate clutter ( though you wouldn't know it in current place Angry DP DC. I used to love the whole minimalist thing. Problem is that I have had the tendency in the past to end up with things looking a bit clinical. Texture has been suggested in the past to soften lemon, thanks for reminder.

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:33

ooh ...dual fabric ?

OP posts:
Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:36

all the furniture we have is light coloured oak.
midnight blue leather sofa (it looks black , until you put black near it then shows its actually blue)
the sofa has to stay , it was expensive and is still newish.

OP posts:
preghead · 07/03/2011 21:40

Same with the sofas - large, cream. Everything else is negotiable. One thing I have noticed droves is that it apparently is now acceptable to tart up crappy old cheap mismatched furniture by painting it ( upcycling I believe it is called ) ( where is the ponce button )

LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 21:44

Here's an example

(Annoyingly, I can't find good images of what I mean, because I think it looks better when all of the inside is one fabric and all of the ouside antoher, whereas in that link it's just the central panel of the chair)

It's a very easy way of doing pattern as even something big like a sofa, can be toned down.

I was looking at a Mulberry sofa today which was just gorgeous - burnt cherry tweed all over with a dusty, warm print used on the cushions, back and inner arms. Nicer than it sounds!

BoBoo · 07/03/2011 21:45

ta da - you must be able to get at least a few ideas here.

BoBoo · 07/03/2011 21:47

Also maybe bear in mind that anything that's really 'now' will soon be last year's big thing so don't go for anything too trendy, unless it's easy to update.

makemineapinot · 07/03/2011 21:50

watching with interest as I'v just bought a house today!! Don't knwo what to do with it and stuck with cream leather sofas and a kitchen that isn't me!! but love the house as a whole!

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:54

wow £17000 for just one chair ! .
Nice chair though.

fab link boboo ...will spend some time on there .Smile.

Would fancy patterned cushions work on my sofa sinc im stuck with it ?

OP posts:
preghead · 07/03/2011 21:56

Like the modern dual fabric one a lot. Really don't like florals I have decided, just seen too much of it. Am thinking geometric patterns instead. Great website for ideas, thanks.

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 21:58

are throws naff ?
how`about big canvases ?
any ideas for lighting a very large & high starwell/celling ?

OP posts:
LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 22:01

Here we go - big Zoffany statement print so they've done the back of the chair in a different but complementary fabric www.zoffany.com/pages/products/products_fabrics-detail/anjolie/5#

So back to requirements

Childfriendly - Prints and patterns are you friends here as less likely to show marks. Peiople always seem to want plain fabrics in family rooms but not alwayts the best choice. Stone floors can be very hard on dropped crockery and little limbs, consider wood.

If you're house is cold, or if like me you fancy decorating against stark white in places, give thought to texture. I know I mentioned it down the tread by tapestry-like fabric (weaves in fabric speak), or tweeds, velvets will make you feel warmed. If you're doing a pool house you might want linens or cool feeling fabrics, so consider the heating. (I'm in Scotland, this is second nature!)

If you want to make somewhere look decorated then the fastest thing you can do IME is put curtain ties on your curtains!

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 22:02

i agree preghead ...im sick of large florals too ...especially the loud colours.I just couldnt live with it.
There also seems to still be a lot of brown /black everywhere. Not over keen on that either ...i remember the browns of the late70s /early 80's.

OP posts:
LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 22:06

I don't think throws are naff, but they aren't at the bottom of every bed in every shoot anymore. There's quite a big thing about counterpanes at the mo though. Get them made up in any fabric you like, and you can get some fantastically opulent trimmings.

Big canvases - the jury's out. Have you got one you love?

Lighting. Is the hall also the staircase? I've just done a huge set of stairs with cupulo at the top and the lights ran along the landing floor/banisters and lit upwards which is dramatic but soft IYSWIM.

What about a chandelier? If the ceilings very high you could drop the chandelier to bring it down and widen the room.

Original poster
droves · 07/03/2011 22:06

in scotland too , so will be needing thick luxurious curtains ...
Love wooden floors , but what wood ? darker always looks cosy , but would it look ok with lighter furniture?

OP posts:
LemonDifficult · 07/03/2011 22:08

'cupola' even

Totally agree about brown/black. Miserable

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