Giving a bit of personality to a "beige" house

[charlieandlola]

Our house has white ceilings, warm cream walls all the way through the house.
Without getting into the realms of the dreaded" twiggy shit" and wooden letters , how can I give it a bit of personality?
I was thinking of one wall in each room,wallpapered, but dh has vetoed it, saying it would be like living in a Next catalogue.
One wall painted all the same colour in each room.

I know I could get a home consultant from John Lewis round, and I would then be beguiled into spending thousands of pounds on new matching suites, beds, wardrobes, etc, which I don't have or want.
I'd just like the house to look a bit more "together" and less bland.

At the risk of being thrown off mumsnet I have a wall of paper in my bedroom and sitting room so not in every room. I like it. Nice Sanderson patterns.

I have an enormous painting in my dining room that always gets a comment from guests. I absolutely love it. You could look for a large 'statement' painting or print for a particularly plain wall?

Again, I have used art work in the hall. One decent painting and some cheap prints.

My lounge is fairly bland but I do have bright curtains, cushions and one wall a slightly different shade from another.

The kitchen is very plain but I collect Emma Bridgewater pottery so display that about the room to brighten it up. Do you have anything similar you could display in a room to give it a bit of your personality?

Lots of art, framed photos, big statement mirrors etc, eye-catching soft furnishings, interesting lamps and lightshades. It isn't something you can create overnight (unless you are a set dresser) but you can do it quite cheaply by keeping an eye out and building up layers of interest which will make the beigeness irrelevant. Start by buying some frames in similar colours (eg, mostly metallic frames or mostly mid to dark wood) and some mounting card and putting favourite photographs - or even pages pulled from magazines - in them and arranging them on walls in clusters. Then think about the next project - cushions or curtains or big pieces of art or whatever and keep an eye out.

The way to avoid it looking like a jumble sale is to have a mental edit and only buy something if you can picture a place for it that doesn't mean getting rid of something else and you can visualise how it will work with your other possessions.

I think you need to make some mood boards for each room so that you have a vision for each room. So buy home mags and print images off the computer along with colour samples/textures etc.

Do you have Pintrest?

A corner lamp would add a bit of homeliness. You could go for some texture with rugs and throws. My house is very plain but over the years I have tried to buy one piece of furniture to add a bit of character to each room. I love large clocks. Statement mirrors.
TK max is great for quirky bit and pieces. Instead of going for wallpaper, a nice subtle paint colour on all walls - then get matching cushions. Mellow Sage (Crown) is a lovely colour and not too in your face. There is a new grey shade in Dulux. I did the room up in in lately and just love it. Can't think of the name just at minute.
Patterned curtains are nice too.

Lighting and pictures/ canvases/ mirrors will make the biggest difference. Also adding more interesting curtains and rugs will take the beigeness away. Better to take your time though and choose things you love over time.